January 2013

Internal Revenue Service statistics show that 1.3 to 4.3 percent of small businesses and sole proprietorships were audited in 2011, compared with less than 1 percent of individuals. That puts most real estate professionals squarely in the IRS’ sights.

Broker price opinions (BPOs) have come into vogue since the housing market crashed in 2008. The Dodd-Frank legislation approved using BPOs, which are less time consuming than appraisals, in some situations.

If you care who inherits your money (and your stuff) when you bid farewell to this earth, embrace reality and make a will. Otherwise, here’s who gets what.

Factoid: There are way fewer active real estate licensees in Texas today than there were during the 1980s real estate boom. And as more and more people move into the state, the industry is likely to expand to service the influx.

Texas’ commercial markets are finally making headway. Absorption is up in all four metros, office projects are under construction, and rental rates for Class-A buildings are climbing.

In these days of tight credit, eligible Texas veterans have a loan option not available to the public: the Veterans Land Board Housing Assistance Program, which finances loans for as much as $417,000.