Texas Economic Boom No Secret Even in UK

By |2017-03-13T15:54:53-05:00May 30th, 2013|News|

The most shared story on the UK website BBC News Magazine right now are the 10 reasons why so many people are moving to Texas. Apparently the good news about Texas is no secret even in Europe. Texas has 5 of the top 10 fastest growing cities in the United States by both absolute numbers and by percentage. Houston had the second largest population increase in absolute numbers according to the US Census with San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Forth Worth also breaking into the top 10. In terms of percentage the fastest growing city in the USA was San Marcos with a nearly 5% increase. Number 10 on the list, and the fastest growing city in the Houston area was Conroe with a 4.01% year over year population increase. In terms of new arrivals, Texas led the nation with 210,590 last year, followed by North Carolina with 60,106 and Virginia with 40,844. All this good press is no surprise to us, we’ve already been sharing lots of the good news and facts regarding Texas in general and Houston in particular. If anyone in the UK does decide to pack up and move to Houston, they would be pleased to know that Houston has an office of the British Consulate General downtown on Louisiana Street. One of the many perks of living in a world-class city. Expect to see many more families moving into our neighborhoods.

Here are the 10 reasons, check out the BBC article to find the details […]

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Are moving expenses tax deductible?

By |2017-03-13T15:54:53-05:00January 29th, 2013|Advice|

It’s okay to curse at heavy furniture, probably when doing your taxes too. Photo is Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Tara Hunt.

Moving can be a stressful and chaotic time, but when it is all over not only will you be comfortable in a new home, but you could also qualify for a nice tax deduction for your efforts. While you should of course talk to a Tax professional, if you are qualified, you may deduct the expenses of:

  • Packing and transporting household goods
  • Mileage for use of your own car (or gas and oil expenses)
  • Tolls and parking fees on the trip
  • Up to 30 days’ storage of household goods
  • Disconnecting and connecting utilities
  • Transportation and lodging for yourself and members of your household while traveling to the new home

Of course, not all moves are deductible. In order to deduct your moving expenses you have to meet two tests:

TIME – You must being working as a full-time employee within 13 weeks of your move, and you must work at least 39 weeks during the 12 months after your move. And it doesn’t matter wheter you were transferred by your employer or you took a brand new job.

DISTANCE – To meet this test, your new job has to be at least 50 miles further from your old home than your old job was. If you didn’t have a job before the move, your new job has to […]

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Want a raise? Move to Houston.

By |2017-03-13T15:54:53-05:00January 17th, 2013|News|

Where did wages increase the most in 2012? Since this is the official C21 Realty Partners blog, you may not be surprised to learn that it was none other than our fabulous metropolis, Houston (although we did tie with Seattle who also registered 4.8% year-over-year wage growth). Why did H-town lead the nation in wage growth? Just ask the folks at PayScale who track wage rates across the United States: “The largest city in Texas hosts a variety of strong industries, including aeronautics and healthcare, but the boom in the oil and gas industry has had the biggest positive impact on wages in Houston, historically.” With the Houston’s white-hot energy sector and a robust yet diverse economy that features everything from taco trucks to NASA, Houston will be welcoming many more newcomers in the near future. Given the massive new ExxonMobil campus being built just south of The Woodlands, the Houston job market will keep getting stronger. What does this mean for Real Estate? Higher wages equals more prosperity which means more demand for homes and businesses. The perfect time for natives and transplants alike to contact a CENTURY 21 Realty Partners agent.

The PayScale Index: Houston Metro Area by Quarter

Quarterly Compensation Trends for Houston Metro Area
© 2013 PayScale, Inc.
The PayScale Index uses 2006 average total cash compensation as a baseline.

Houston Metro Area

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