As part of their ConsumerVue segments, KVUE News showcases REALTOR® expertise each month to update their viewers on the latest happenings in the Austin real estate market. Leonard Guerrero, Chairman of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, appeared last week on ConsumerVue and discussed the recent trend of home renters more seriously considering homeownership as rental rates rise.

Because mortgage rates are at an all-time low, this is a great time to sit down with a Central Texas REALTOR® to discuss making an exciting move towards home ownership. Texas Home Programs and Texas Real Estate have more information.

You can hear more of Chairman Guerrero’s tips for first-time homeowners by watching his ConsumerVue interview on KVUE.com.

Each year, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) comes out with a Member Profile Report. We recently got a look at the 2011 report and found that it reveals much about who REALTORS® are, and how they do business. Read on to learn about your trusted advisor. The numbers may surprise you.

REALTORS® are becoming increasingly experienced. The NAR report states: “The typical member has been in the field for 12 years, compared to eight years in 2008.” While gaining this important experience, many members remained at one firm for five years. This is true despite the fact that “75 percent of members do not receive benefits at their firm.”

REALTORS® are changing their focus to meet the needs of the current economy. In 2010, “the certification for Short Sales and Foreclosures grew from 12 percent to 21 percent of the membership.” While the number of REALTORS® holding the Short Sales and Foreclosures certification has grown the most, many members are seeing the value in added education. About one-third of REALTORS® hold some type of designation or certification. This enhanced training keeps REALTORS® on top of their game and better able to meet the specific needs of their clients.

REALTORS® continue to earn repeat business from clients. REALTORS® work hard to deliver excellent customer service, and their satisfied clients stay loyal through future buying or selling needs. According to the report, “the typical REALTOR® earned 18 percent of their business from past clients and customers.” Are you looking for a REALTOR®? Be sure to ask your friends and family who they worked with; you’ll likely come up with a list of names attached to great reviews.

REALTORS® communicate in all the ways you do. NAR members worked hard in 2010 to customize their communication methods to meet the needs of their clients. Nearly all REALTORS® use email on a daily basis and about three-quarters are finding smart phones helpful for their extremely on-the-go business, with half of REALTORS® utilizing social media. Yes, you’ll be able to find a REALTOR® who communicates the way you do: via texts, emails, social media, and even good old-fashioned phone calls.

You can learn more about how REALTORS® work for you or find a REALTOR® on AustinHomeSearch.com today.

Is your Austin home in need of a new look for the new year? Check out the list below for remodeling projects that, according to the Remodeling 2011-12 Cost vs. Value Report (www.costvsvalue.com), will get you the largest returns on your investment.

• Look up! Turn that musty, unfinished attic in your Austin home into a bedroom with a half-bath, maximize small spaces for closets, and you could get almost 83 percent of your investment value when you sell.

• Get a facelift. Replace your garage door and you’ll be likely to see about three-quarters of a return on that green.

• If you’re lucky enough to have a basement in your home, and you spend the money to remodel it, you could get the largest payback listed for Austin homeowners in the 2011-12 Cost vs. Value Report. The 83 percent return you could get on your investment is almost 20 percent more than most people living elsewhere in the nation are likely to see.

• Switching out your old entry for a new steel front door gets you nearly 83 percent of your cost back. Finish the look with an antique-brass lockset to give your house both a secure feeling and fresh facade.

• Central Texans care about commodes: put a full bath remodel on your list and you will enjoy your new porcelain tub, mirrored medicine cabinet, linen closet and cool ceramic tile floor before recouping about 73 percent of that investment when you sell.

• Kick back and relax in your new family room. Add this feature where once there was only a crawlspace to your Austin home and you’ll be likely to see an over 70 percent return on your costs.

• Siding is sweeping the nation! Folks everywhere recognize the value in brand new fiber-cement siding. This home improvement endeavor generally yields an 80 percent recoup of costs, both in Austin and across the country.

• Get cookin’! Install energy-efficient appliances, get new laminate countertops, and apply a new coat of paint. Or go whole hog and upgrade to cherry cabinets, a built-in water filter on designer faucets and put in cork flooring. No matter the size of your budget, both major and minor kitchen remodels are good investments. Many Austin homeowners will see between a 73 and 76 percent return on their kitchen projects.

• Outdoor living is just one of many reasons Austin is a great place to be. Invest in a wood deck and you may get over 75 percent of your costs back from the next person to enjoy your al fresco Austin retreat.

Let these projects and percentages make you thrilled to be a part of the Austin real estate community—the majority of these projects yield a 10 percent higher return on investment than is seen in the national average, according to the report.

For more information on the improvement projects right for your Austin home, talk to your Central Texas REALTOR®.

© 2011 Hanley Wood, LLC. Complete data from the Remodeling 2011-12 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.