She tells me that on most plastic bottles there is a triangle with a number within it. This number indicates what quality the plastic is made of. From this we start browsing the internet. We find articles and sites that explain a bit more what the numbers are for and what precautions we should take.

My conclusion from this is to never reuse any bottles with the numbers 1, 3, 6 and 7. Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancers in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. BPA can be released out of the plastic, and it can be found in bottles marked 1,6 & 7. I have not found anything indicating that PVC has BPA in it.

Interesting fact is that none of bottles or plastic cups I have/check has the numbers 3 or 4. I have a Gold’s Gym water bottle with a 2 under it, all Gatorade and “spring” water bottles are numbered 1 and a few of the bought cups are marked 5.

Below here are links to the articles I found, I urge you to make your own opinion, but I also think that you should consider your kids and your own safety. I am planning to research this further and if you want me to e-mail you more about this, feel free to visit our site and send us an e-mail.

I will also write more generally about what plastic in our diet does to our bodies. Let us all work together towards a better future!

Here is a better explanation of what the different numbers stand for:

#1 PET (polyethlyene terephthalate), only recommended for a one time use.

#2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), your bottle is fine.

#3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride), stopped using it to produce toys.

#4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), your bottle is fine.

#5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine.

#6 PS/PS-E (polystyrene / expanded polystyrene)

#7 OTHER (resins or multi-materials), not good to use, avoid.

Sources:

http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/17/914073.aspx

Taken from: Chek, Paul; How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2004.

Link: http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/29/plastic_water_bottles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_bottles

Sincerely,

Kettil Olsson, Team Olsson Real Estate

Phone: (512) 773-2771

Fax: 1-866-393-8757

Email: Kettil@austinrealtortx.com

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We hear every day on the news how the market is declining, especially the housing market. Report after report say that the value of homes are decreasing, but a recent government report shows that the situation is not nearly as dire as it may sound. We know that bad news usually sell better than good news and it is often applied when broadcasting news.

As a wise person once said – “Some one might see the glass as half empty; I always view it as half full”.

We as humans have something no other species possess, the ability to think freely. With that comes the ability to think and view situations from different aspects. As we do, it is easy to see things in a pessimistic way.

So how does this apply towards the housing market? And the value of your home either has increased or decreased, that cannot be disputed.

This is once again back to what we talked about earlier, is the glass half empty or half full?

The recent government report shows that housing values have climbed with an average of 29% over the last five years, nationwide. It is true that we have had a “rocky” period when it comes to real estate and mortgage loans, but we are slowly working our way out of the slope and as history shows, housing values rise over time.

We are entering a new era when it comes to real estate and the realtors as well as mortgage loan officers that are around will have to step up to the plate.

Today’s society is a fast pace information jungle. We have access to information online like never before, but today’s situation also requires you to filter the information and evaluate what you read as well as what you see or hear.

Always question statements, including mine, try to find several sources and make up your own opinion.

As for housing values, my opinion is that you should follow your heart. Are you buying your home to live in it? If so, the value will most likely increase before you are ready to move on to your next home. A home is a haven for your mind and soul. Cherish it that way and good things will come from it.

To find out more, please visit: http://www.austinrealtortx.com/

Have a great day!

Kettil

“Everyday is a gift, that is why they call it the present.”

- Unknown

Source: www.Realtor.org

With USA at recession, prices are fairly good and most stores have some great offers. As a nation, we want to keep consumers spending money because it helps the economy. What we as consumers must think about is that we spend, but in a wise matter. We cannot get high credit card debts for products we really do not need. Try to evaluate why you want to buy someone something and if it will be a present appreciated.

The way I see it, the ones who need Christmas gifts the most are our children. They are fragile and they are in need of feeling loved and thought of. A child is generally a lot smarter than most adults want to admit and they know exactly what happens and why.

Gifts come in many different forms; toys are one of the least important presents. Take this scenario; a toy that you buy your child cost $20. They open the present and they play with it for a few days, maybe even a few weeks if it is a good preset. After that it is thrown in the bottom of a drawer and eventually sold or given away. If you instead show up at their school for a few hours, let them feel proud to have their parent there, this creates memories that will stay forever.

A great activity to do with your child is to create something with them. You can make a gingerbread house or cut paper angels that you later color. I am not saying that you should replace all the presents and only do activities with them, I am just suggesting that instead of working those two extra hours overtime so that they can get yet another toy, spend that time with your precious ones and show them their real value.

My last suggestion is to sit down, put a pen and paper in front of you and write down your happiest and saddest childhood memories, then try to give your kid the happy ones and avoid the sad ones.

I hope that this Christmas, in times where the nation is “down for the count”, becomes a year to remember. Not because you did not have all the money you needed for presents, but because you gave the things that are easy to give, valued the most and often forgotten or taken for granted. I hope this is the turning point towards a better future.

God Jul! (Merry Christmas)

Kettil

As a home-owner, repainting is a fairly cheap but profitable way to fix up your house. This is definitely worth it if it has been a while since you repainted. If the walls are decent, it might not be worth it since most people want their own choice of wall paint or wallpaper. Try to paint with neutral base colors and avoid white.

 In addition, if your carpets are worn out, they are a high priority to replace.

According to http://www.realtor.org/ and the National Board of Realtors, all types of window replacements as well as bathroom remodeling have a good project cost return.

Home office remodels, sunroom additions and back-up power generators are all low amount returns as far as cost vs. profit.

Does homebuyer want fixed up homes or should I sell as it is?

In our team, we always suggest that you keep repairs to the necessary parts, make your home look and feel good. It is not always worth fixing everything, especially if you cannot do it yourself. Sometimes the ones buying your home want to change things, thus making your repairs unnecessary.

If there are major flaws to the home, e.g. a roof that is damaged, you will most likely benefit from repairing and replacing it. If a home buyer is looking at buying your house and it is worth $100’000 with a repaired roof and the repairs cost $10’000, he is probably not going to buy your house with a faulty or broken roof even if you sell it for $90’000. There are often other alternatives out there for $100’000 where a roof replacement is not necessary. Even though your home sells for $10’000 less, which is what you estimated the roof to cost, they will not have to “deal” with the whole mess of fixing the roof or live in a home that is half way done.

Some things that bring down your value and that should be checked and fixed before even listing your home are:

• Broken windows
• Broken/leaking roof
• Holes and cracks in walls & ceilings
• Leaking or broken faucets
• Broken appliances

Hope this gives you an idea on what to do before you decide to sell your home and that it helps you get a better value for your house.

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want!

-Ben Stein

Sincerely,

Kettil Olsson, Team Olsson Real Estate

For more info, visit: http://www.AustinRealtorTX.com

Hi and welcome to Team Olsson’s blog. My name is Kettil and I am a part of Team Olsson Real Estate. We are your source for real estate needs in and around Austin, Texas.

In our team, we have Carrie L Westfall, one of Austin’s premiere loan officers. Carrie has over 15 years of experience as a mortgage loan officer, and she has closed well over 700 loans. If anyone can get you approved for a loan, Carrie is that person.

As our Realtor, our man is Daniel Olsson. He is a dedicated and innovative Realtor who constantly continues to educate himself to become more knowledgeable and skilled to better help you as a buyer/seller/lessee. Authority and integrity are words best associated with him.

The third link to this team is I, Kettil. I am responsible for anything and everything from marketing and design, to advertisement and customer relations. I coordinate everything, I make sure that nothing is left behind and that your house gets the best exposure possible.

I also build and design web sites and I will be the one making most entries to this blog. I will talk about real estate and keep you updated on the most important topics of today’s economy. I will also write about anything else I find interesting or that is on my mind.

Feel free to comment at any time

Sincerely,

Kettil Olsson, Team Olsson Real Estate

check out: http://www.AustinRealtorTX.com

Food, relatives, kid and more food. Thanksgiving is a day that is special to most. Not that everyone likes it, but it brings families together. On this day, I have focused on trying to gather some information for you home owners out there who are contemplating selling your house.

As we all know, 2008 has been a rocky year for the economy. In September and October, the real estate and mortgage loan market got to feel the consequences of this. I figured that people want to see how this has affected us here in Austin.

I have gathered information from Austin Board of Realtors (ABOR) to show you how the market here has been doing. As you can see further down on the graphs, we are doing well. The volumes of houses sold are lower, but the prices are not decreasing, they are increasing.

At the end of this article, I will sum this up and give you my thoughts about the future of real estate in Austin, Texas.

December 2007 – Single Family Homes, $191,250 was the median price for single-family homes, an 8 percent increase from one year ago. 1,655 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 16 percent decrease from one year ago

January 2008 – Single-Family Homes, $187,000 was the median price for single-family homes, an 7 percent increase from one year ago. 1,321 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 10 percent decrease from one year ago

February 2008 – Single-Family Homes, $180,000 was the median price for single-family homes, a 2 percent increase from one year ago. 1,553 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 10 percent decrease from one year ago

March 2008 – Single Family Homes, $186,680 was the median price for single-family homes, an 5 percent increase from March 2007. 1,832 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 21 percent decrease from one year ago

April 2008 – Single-Family Homes, $187,900 was the median price for single-family homes, a 2 percent increase from one year ago. 1,981 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 14 percent decrease from last year

May 2008 – Single-Family Homes, $196,120 was the median price for single-family homes, a seven percent increase from May 2007. 2,154 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 20 percent decrease as compared to May 2007

June 2008 – Single-Family Homes, $200,000 was the median price for single-family homes, a four percent increase from June 2007. 2,211 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 20 percent decrease from one year ago

July 2008 – Single-Family Homes, $195,000 was the median price, a 3 percent increase from one year ago and a record for July. 2,071 was the number of homes sold, a 21 percent decrease from one year ago

August 2008 – Single Family Homes, $195,000 was the median price, up 2 percent increase from one year ago and a record for August. 1,992 was the number of homes sold, down 20 percent from one year ago

September 2008 – Single Family Homes, $182,600 was the median price, unchanged from September 2007. 1,670 was the number of homes sold, down 8 percent from one year ago

October 2008 – Single Family Homes, $192,520 was the median price, up seven percent from one year ago and a record for the month. 1,331 was the number of homes sold, down 25 percent from October 2007

October Report Shows Rise in Value of Austin Area Properties

November 20, 2008 – Despite national economic pressures, Austin area homes remain a sound investment option, according to the latest Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report from the Austin Board of REALTORS®.  In October 2008, the median home price ticked up seven percentage points from October 2007 to $192,520, a record for the month.

The leasing sector experienced a 26 percent upswing, with 1,082 properties leased in October.  Meanwhile, single family home sales fell 25 percent in October from one year ago to 1,331. 

October’s 9,944 active listings rose five percent from one year ago, contributing to a very healthy housing inventory level of 5.6 months.  The average number of days a single family home sat on the market increased by seven percent from last October to 75 days.

Pending sales and new listings both experienced drops from October 2007, with pending sales slipping 37 percent to 1,234 and new listings falling 14 percent to 2,713. Single family homes sales contributed $324,312,791 to the Austin economy in October, down 24 percent from last year. 

“The most recent report from the Austin Board of REALTORS® reflects the impact of the national economic upheaval on the local market,” says ABoR Chairman Socar Chatmon-Thomas.  “However, Austin is still enjoying home price appreciation and has an excellent growth record for population, employment and income.”

While housing market sales cooled, October saw a jump in Austin’s leasing sector.  Leases contributed $1,379,550 to the local economy in October 2008, a 31 percent increase from one year ago.  The median price of lease properties was $1,150, down three percent from last October.

                                                                          GRAPH 1

                                                                          GRAPH 2

As our price-median graph shows us (view graph 1), the price for homes in Austin are steadily increasing. We had a dip in value around September and October, but my predictions combined with the current data provided, it will regain its current increase of value. Austin remains strong as far as price, but we do not have as many interested buyers. (view graph 2). This proves/means in my opinion that you can still get just as much money for your home; it just takes us realtors a bit longer to sell it.

My conclusion to the whole article is that you still have a great chance to sell your home for a decent amount, an amount that is acceptable to you. The market is not as open as it used to be, but it still a market where you can profit from IF you play your cards right.

The world is in your hands!!

/Kettil Olsson, Team Olsson Real Estate

Information found on www.abor.com

Visit: www.AustinRealtorTX.com

for more information, or

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