Austin Real Estate Blog - Austin Realtor, Ronnie Bredahl

Saddlewood Estates Neighborhood - SW Austin Home for Sale

Austin Referral Realty — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:43:29 -0500

We picked up a new listing this week located at 10700 Garbacz Drive (Austin ML#2012290) in the Saddlewood Estates Neighborhood of Southwest Austin. It just hit the Austin MLS on Monday and is being offered at $145k.

Seller is offering new homeowner free appliance package that includes refrigerator, washer and dryer. April 2009 improvements include upgraded carpet throughout and new grass beneath the tree-shaded front yard.

For more home details and photos, please visit link: 10700 Garbacz Drive, Austin, Texas 78748 (new window)

If you need additional information or would like to arrange a personal showing, please call number below.

Cheers!

Ronnie Bredahl, Austin Realtor
Broker/Owner
Direct 512.785.9050

Trulia's New Logo Taunts Realtors Who Use Widgets

Austin Referral Realty — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:18:30 -0500

It seems that Trulia is starting a rather contemptuous marketing effort targeting local Realtors by the looks of their new logo. The San Francisco company is currently dominating local searches with the help of Realtors across the country. Many Realtors are stating that they link to Trulia because their sites are sub-par to the awesome power of Trulia. West Virginia Realtor Donna Givacrap says, "I place Trulia Widgets at the bottom of all my pages to give my site visitors an alternative to using my real estate services. I'm only one woman and Trulia offers buyers and sellers hundreds of Realtors to choose from. And their widgets look cool!," as she launches a wad of Levy Garrett into a half full spittoon.

The marketing strategy is edgy and only time will tell if it will pay off for the West Coast company. Trulia currently seems to be the real estate authority for every US market (per Google). Trulia Roger (pictured right) answers a Trulia Voices question, "Painting Trulia as an underhanded traffic thief doesn't seem fair to me when the choice to have Trulia's (or anybody else's) widgets on your site is yours." Using cute exotic monkey creatures as spokesmen for the company is another bold marketing move by the real estate aggregator. Les Trefik, a Realtor in Somerset, Vermont (population 5 - per 2000 Census) commented, "If someone is looking to make a move to my town, Trulia is the way to go." You would think that with the unlimited amount of free knowledge at their fingertips, Realtors would actually try to keep traffic on their local real estate site.

Two Sides to Every Coin

While many novice Realtors are embracing Trulia as a partner in real estate advertising, there are a handful of tech savvy Realtors that are upset with Trulia's linking strategy. The first to call out the company was Galen Ward on April 29, 2008 via the popular BloodHound Realty Blog: Truliamazing tricks of the trade: don’t link to your trusted partners.

On Trulia's company blog, they posted a weak rebuttal stating, "Creating confusion about difficult topics is easy as no one really knows how google really works but everyone would love to learn more about it." Playing the "We don't know a damn thing about Google rankings" card may not work for the tech company who has been funneled over $17.5 million in venture capital thus far. Trulia's venture capital partners include Accel Partners, Fayez Sarofim & Company, and (most importantly) Sequoia Capital, a Silicon Valley icon who originally funded Google $12.5 million of seed money through partner Michael Moritz. Mr. Moritz was one of the key players in making Google what it is today. He introduced Dr. Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, to Sergey Brin and Larry Page who needed solid management leadership. If you were Sequoia and wanted to see Trulia succeed, would you ask Google for help? You have massive stakes in both companies. Would you encourage your "new partners" to get (err ALREADY HAVE) an education in Google Search Rankings prior to funding them $7,500,000? Would you write a check if someone walked in your office and said, "Hey I want $7 mil, but this internet thing is confusing the hell out of me, but I would love to learn more about it." Cha-Ching!!!

Investment Opportunities in US

Austin Referral Realty — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:49:30 -0500

The British Pound (GBP) versus The United States Dollar (USD) is a historic currency benchmark. When the pound rates are soaring, it is the right time for British real estate investors to profit out of the situation. UK investors are encouraged to make good of the situation through the improved return rates by acquiring real estate in the United States. If you bet on the USD to bounce back to historic levels, you will reap the rewards.

The pound has been maintaining an average around 2 compared to the USD in recent years. Iit has even managed to soar to a high of 2.070. The various financial dilemmas in the domestic market have led to the downward spiral of the US dollar. The crisis in the housing market sector added momentum to the weakening of the dollar. Apart from this, the interest rate cut by Federal Reserve Bank has led to a 1% differential in the interest rate in favor of the pound. Even with the fluctuations, the exchange rate has remained around 2 thus assuring the possibility of the dollar returning to its ten year average position. This makes it a gainful and lucrative move to invest in US real estate now.

If you are a investor with assets in British Pounds, it is a good idea to buy real estate when values are soft and the dollar is weak. Now is a good time to convert your cash in pounds to US real estate. The risk of lose in real estate can be avoided if you invest carefully and that too in areas where the real estate value has retailed it’s stability in recent years. There are places like Texas in the U.S. where the prices had remained steady through the period of exponential growth and during the present period of credit dilemmas.

The recent trouble in the housing market has led to the plummeting of prices in many of the high value areas. Many home buyers were unable to obtain a loan or refinance their existing home due to the credit crisis. Austin and other areas of Texas have handled the situation remarkably well. These areas have withstood the fall in prices that have affected the real estate industry elsewhere in the U.S. Even when the surrounding areas including Florida and California were showing exponential growth in land prices, values in Texas grew at a placid rate which was based more on reality.

The Texas real estate market is sure to retain it’s credibility in the end thus making it a safe option for the investors looking for upward potential.

The British Pound has a market supremacy over the Dollar at present. Therefore, it is a good idea to reap the maximum of the leaking Dollar. Even if the property value does not register any appreciation, UK investments in the US real estate market can see great profits when the dollar rebounces to better heights. The time is ripe to invest in the real estate in Texas, a state that has proven itself a safe haven for the UK real estate investor. Wise and well-planned investments in US real estate can go a long way in reaping double-digit profits. So when the dollar bleeds, do not hesitate, make good of the opportunity and invest in the Texas real estate market.

Dripping Springs ISD Profile

Austin Referral Realty — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:35:40 -0500

Located approximately 19 miles west of downtown Austin, the Dripping Springs Independent School District strives to provide a comprehensive curriculum that fosters the highest level of student achievement, along with a strong commitment to community involvement in the schools. Education within Dripping Springs ISD is based on the district’s mission statement, We inspire and equip student to be life-long learners and positive contributors to the world”.

Dripping Springs ISD provides educational services from early childhood through twelfth grade on five campuses. Dripping Springs ISD is also the fiscal age for the Hays-Blanco Special Education Cooperative, which coordinates special education services for students in Wimberley ISD, Blanco ISD, and Johnson City ISD.

The enrollment in Dripping Springs ISD as of August 2007, was 3949 students with a demographic makeup of 85% White, 13% Hispanic, and 2% other ethnicities. Dripping Springs boasted a 100% graduation rate for the 2006-2007 school year.

The 2007 tax rate for Dripping Springs ISD was $1.4153/$100 valuation.

With a UIL rating of 4-A, Dripping Springs ISD provides outstanding academic and extracurricular activities with students routinely excelling in UIL competitions. Dripping Springs ISD is proud to maintain an average teacher/student ratio of 21.16 at all levels.

Dripping Springs ISD was rated as Academically Acceptable for 2007 by the Texas Education Agency Accountability Rating System. Of the schools within Dripping Springs ISD, all were rated as either Recognized or Academically Acceptable for 2007 by TEA.

Rated as Recognized for 2007 by TEA, Dripping Springs Elementary serves students in grades PK-5. Following the motto of “All Students Count”, Dripping Springs Elementary believes that everyone within the school community takes responsibility for the learning of all students.

The newest school in Dripping Springs ISD, Rooster Springs Elementary, opened its doors in the fall of 2007. Rooster Springs provides services to students in grades PK-5. Rooster Springs supports the belief that “every student counts”.

The mission of Walnut Springs Elementary is to “Inspire KIDS (Knowledge, Individuality, Diversity, and Shared Responsibility). Serving grades PK-5, Walnut Springs received a Recognized rating from the TEA Accountability System for 2007.

Dripping Springs Middle School has been distinguished by the United States Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School. Schools receiving this recognition are those that excel in academics in their states or demonstrate exceptional gains in student achievement. Serving students in grades 6-8, Dripping Springs Middle offers block scheduling, academic teams, and an advisory class each day, with Math and Language Arts offered daily. Dripping Springs Middle offers the option for high school credit in some courses. For 2007, Dripping Springs Middle was rated as Recognized by the TEA Accountability Rating System.

With the vision of “Expect More-Achieve More”, students at Dripping Springs High School are offered a wealth of choices in regard to academic and extra curricular activities. Dripping Springs High offers Advanced Placement courses in a number of subject areas. Wide varieties of extracurricular activities are also available to students. Dripping Springs High School was rated as Academically Acceptable on the TEA Accountability Rating System for 2007.

To assist in your home search in Dripping Springs, visit Austin Referral Realty and use our exclusive Dripping Springs ISD Real Estate page; giving you the ability to search by elementary and middle school campus. Dripping Springs High School is currently the only high school serving DSISD.

Austin Area Schools

Austin Referral Realty — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:48:29 -0500

Austin Referral Realty now provides home buyers a way to search Austin area real estate for sale by Central Texas School District. We didn't stop there! We took 10 Austin area school districts and provided pages of current homes for sale within each elementary, middle, and high school.

Example: You have a 5th grader that you want to attend Oak Hill Elementary, O Henry Middle, and Austin High. Each page contains homes only within the given school district. Need a broader Austin School search? See ALL Austin ISD Elementary Schools (77), Austin ISD Middle Schools (16), or Austin ISD High Schools (11). Other school districts include...

Austin Investment Real Estate

Austin Referral Realty — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:57:19 -0600

Below are links to Austin area multifamily real estate for sale.
Find properties include duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes broken down by area.

Greater Austin	Central Austin	East Austin
Lake Travis	North Austin	Northeast Austin
Northwest Austin	Pflugerville	South Austin
Southeast Austin	Southwest Austin	Round Rock
UT Austin	West Austin	Westlake

Are you ready to buy investment property? With many buyers unable to obatin a mortgage, the rental market is flourishing with an abundence of potential tenants. Buying long-term investment property is a great way to build wealth with cash flow and property appreciation while your tenants pay off your mortgage loan.

Call Austin Referral Realty at (512) 785-9050 to get started building YOUR Austin real estate investment portfolio.

Austin Real Estate - search real estate for sale in Austin, Texas and surrounding areas. No registration required!

Austin Real Estate Market - locate Austin area homes for sale using Google Maps, giving you an overlay of the city and pinpointing properties currently on the market.

Austin Board of Realtors - Austin MLS

Austin Referral Realty — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:28:15 -0600

The Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) is taking a strong stance against Austin MLS members using the term "Austin MLS" on their web sites. This creates a competitive advantage for web sites that are not associated with, nor abide by, the rules of the Austin MLS drawn up by the ABoR Board of Directors. It's not that they are stupid, they just do not have a clue that about internet marketing. If Realtor Boards such as ABoR continue the censorship of their members, 3rd party companies such as HomeGain .com, Realtor .com, and all the other hack lead generation companies will start to dominate "MLS" keyword terms and profit from the additional traffic. But not to worry, they will sell the "MLS" lead back to you!

This post contains all email correspondence between myself and Kimbra Froehlich, ABoR "Data Quality Assurance" (aka the "punish-err"). All emails were sent to Kimbra, the ABoR Board of Directors, and a select few Austin Realtor friends of mine. Everyone except the ABoR directors responded. Unlike an email thread, this post is chronologically ordered from Oldest (top) to Newest (bottom).

*The emails below are unedited with the exception of the excessive " bolding" of MLS and Austin MLS references throughout the post.
Please forgive me Baby Jesus!!!

Enjoy!

Austin MLS Email #1

From: Kimbra Froehlich [mailto:KFroehlich@abor.com]
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 9:56 AM
To: Ronnie Bredahl
Cc: ABoR Better Data
Subject: Improper Use of Term MLS
Importance: High

October 1, 2007

Ronnie Bredahl
Invoice PENDING
Austin Referral Realty, Inc.

Dear Mr. Bredahl:

It has come to our attention that your web site. www.info@austinreferralrealty.com includes a reference to the ability to search the “MLS.”

Austin Real Estate - Search Austin Texas Homes - Austin MLS

Austin Home Search - Old Austin home search (Austin MLS Listings - only available ... Simple Austin home search provided by the Austin Board of Realtors. ...
www.austinrealestatemarket.com/ - 17k - Cached - Similar pages

Austin Homes for Sale - Austin, TX Real Estate - Austin MLS

Austin Real Estate Market provides free Austin MLS search available homes for sale in Austin Texas and ... Use this Map to search for your new home. ...
www.austinrealestatemarket.com/austin_mls.htm - 20k - Cached - Similar pages
More results from www.austinrealestatemarket.com

Because the information available through member web sites is not truly the entire ACTRIS MLS database, the reference is incorrect and misleading.

Below is an excerpt from the ACTRIS Rules & Regulations, Section 3, Immediate Fines, which states:

IMPROPER USE OF TERM “MLS” OR “MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE
$100 per offense

Because information accessible on Participants’ web sites is not the full ACTRIS MLS, Participants may not use terms that directly or indirectly imply that the public is searching the ACTRIS MLS from their web site.

This rule became effective February 1, 2006. It was published in the January 2006 Realtor newsletter, the spring 2006 edition of the ACTRIS Bulletin and the information is currently displayed on the Tempo Welcome page.

You are invited to join us in reviewing this and other policy updates, new services and current procedures during a free Lunch & Learn education workshop. If you have not attended a session within the past 12 months, you can have this fine waived by attending the next class. Personal Assistants who are registered ABoR members are welcome to attend, but in order to have this invoice waived, your attendance is required. Reservations can be made on the COURSES page of www.abor.com. This assessment must be taken care of within 90 days of the date on the enclosed invoice.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call.

Sincerely,

Lydia Valadez
512-454-7636 x 1112
Kimbra Froehlich
Data Quality Assurance
betterdata@abor.com
cc: Designated Realtor

_______________________________________________________________________

Austin MLS Email #2

From: Ronnie Bredahl [mailto:info@austinreferralrealty.com]
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 11:19 AM
To: 'john@rosshirt.com'; 'crporter@sbcglobal.net'; 'socarsellshomes@austin.rr.com'; 'dfoster@abor.com'; 'paulaadkins@austin.rr.com'; 'kayandrews@aveone.com'; 'jeanne@austinhomes4sale.com'; 'jay@jaygohilrealty.com'; 'shelia@hawkinsbucklew.com'; 'horton@realtyworldaustin.com'; 'lizanne@greateraustinrealestate.com'; 'jcs@austinhomesource.com'; 'williams@kw.com'; 'jeffosborne@remax.net'; 'judith@austintxhomesonline.com'; 'lennyaguerrero@msn.com'
Cc: 'abor.watch@earthlink.net'; 'KFroehlich@abor.com'; 'KPiegols@abor.com'
Subject: Improper Use of Term MLS

Kimbra Froehlich asked that I directly contact the ABoR BOD regarding this matter. From AustinHomeSearch.com meta description.... Because the information available through member web sites is not truly the entire ACTRIS MLS database, the reference is incorrect and misleading. Below is an excerpt from the ACTRIS Rules & Regulations, Section 3, Immediate Fines, which states: IMPROPER USE OF TERM “MLS” OR “MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE” $100 per offense Because information accessible on Participants’ web sites is not the full ACTRIS MLS, Participants may not use terms that directly or indirectly imply that the public is searching the ACTRIS MLS from their web site.

ABoR fines members who mention the term "MLS" on their web sites but continue to market the term on austinhomesearch.com which they own and operate. In fact, austinhomesearch.com ranks #1 in Google for "Austin MLS." Nobody likes a hypocrite. I request a full report from the ABoR Board of Directors on all ABoR member fines for IMPROPER USE OF TERM “MLS” OR “MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE” since February 2006. I request a full copy of the ABoR Bylaw Committee Meeting minutes discussing adding rule that allows ABoR to fine members for using "MLS" terms on their web sites If this is not the proper forum to request such documentation, please advise.

Have a great day!

Ronnie Bredahl
Broker/Owner
Austin Referral Realty, Inc.
Phone (512) 785-9050
Fax (512) 892-0709
Email: info@austinreferralrealty.com
http://www.AustinReferralRealty.com
http://www.AustinRealEstateMarket.com

_______________________________________________________________________

Austin MLS Email #3

From: Kimbra Froehlich [mailto:KFroehlich@abor.com]
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 11:27 AM
To: Ronnie Bredahl; john@rosshirt.com; crporter@sbcglobal.net; socarsellshomes@austin.rr.com; David Foster; paulaadkins@austin.rr.com; kayandrews@aveone.com; jeanne@austinhomes4sale.com; jay@jaygohilrealty.com; shelia@hawkinsbucklew.com; horton@realtyworldaustin.com; lizanne@greateraustinrealestate.com; jcs@austinhomesource.com; williams@kw.com; jeffosborne@remax.net; judith@austintxhomesonline.com; lennyaguerrero@msn.com
Cc: abor.watch@earthlink.net; Stan Martin
Subject: RE: Improper Use of Term MLS

Ronnie,

Thank you for sending your letter. I would like to remind you as per our conversation that No Fines were issued to you today; you received only a warning. Our only intention is to ensure that the public does not misunderstand any advertising of the term MLS. Thanks for your time.

Kimbra Froehlich
Products Services Specialist
Austin Board of REALTORS ®
512-454-7636 x 1106

_______________________________________________________________________

Austin MLS Email #4

From: Ronnie Bredahl [mailto:info@austinreferralrealty.com]
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 11:43 AM
To: 'Kimbra Froehlich'; 'john@rosshirt.com'; 'crporter@sbcglobal.net'; 'socarsellshomes@austin.rr.com'; 'David Foster';
'paulaadkins@austin.rr.com'; 'kayandrews@aveone.com'; 'jeanne@austinhomes4sale.com'; 'jay@jaygohilrealty.com';
'shelia@hawkinsbucklew.com'; 'horton@realtyworldaustin.com'; 'lizanne@greateraustinrealestate.com';
'jcs@austinhomesource.com'; 'williams@kw.com'; 'jeffosborne@remax.net'; 'judith@austintxhomesonline.com';
'lennyaguerrero@msn.com'
Cc: 'abor.watch@earthlink.net'; 'Stan Martin'
Subject: RE: Improper Use of Term MLS

Kimbra,
Thanks for the quick response. I understand that no fines were issued today. Please provide the requested documentation so we can determine ABoR's intentions as they are not crystal clear (much like the "improper MLS term" rule itself). This rule has led to much misunderstanding among ABoR members and staff alike. Every ABoR Staff Member I have talked to has a different interpretation of the rule leading to poor advice and multiple fines.

The general public has never thought they have full access the the Austin MLS. Please provide references. In fact, tell them to call me at (512) 785-9050.

Thanks,

_______________________________________________________________________

Austin MLS Email #5

From: Ronnie Bredahl [mailto:info@austinreferralrealty.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 5:28 AM
To: 'KFroehlich@abor.com'; 'john@rosshirt.com'; 'crporter@sbcglobal.net'; 'socarsellshomes@austin.rr.com'; 'dfoster@abor.com'; 'paulaadkins@austin.rr.com'; 'kayandrews@aveone.com'; 'jeanne@austinhomes4sale.com'; 'jay@jaygohilrealty.com'; 'shelia@hawkinsbucklew.com'; 'horton@realtyworldaustin.com'; 'lizanne@greateraustinrealestate.com'; 'jcs@austinhomesource.com'; 'williams@kw.com'; 'jeffosborne@remax.net'; 'judith@austintxhomesonline.com'; 'lennyaguerrero@msn.com'; 'betterdata@abor.com'; 'ProfessionalStandards@abor.com'; 'abor.watch@earthlink.net'
Subject: RE: Improper Use of Term MLS (2nd Request)

Dear ABoR BOD,
While patiently waiting for a response from my email sent to you on Monday, October 1, 2007, I have read many viewpoints on this issue. In doing these type of searches, I have found so much upsetting information about NAR I'm surprised we still have a leg up on used car salesmen from a public perception standpoint. Back to the "Improper Use of Term MLS" rule: I am in total agreement with ABoR that members should not intentionally mislead or misrepresent the public into believing they have full access to the MLS or that they can search the MLS from a public site.

Please read my web site in full context. It explains IDX to consumers on my homepage and even states that "Austin Real Estate Market does not offer any version of the Austin MLS to consumers or clients." I do not intentionally mislead or deceive the public in any way. However, my target market is "reasonable people who are (at minimum) slightly educated." I do not account for the lowest common denominators of society and neither does any Realtor in residential sales. Kirk Piegols and Beth Gatlin have both told me that the "Improper Use of Term MLS" rule only applies to the < BODY > of the page. While this may/may not be correct, the verbiage of the rule is very unclear and subject to interpretation. Is the lack of ABoR staff members knowledge regarding this rule and the passing along of misinformation a burden ABoR places on *MLS-Realtor members? I'm a big fan of, "if you don't know what you're talking about, SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" <--- add manuel to free the that training abor feel>

On the other side of the fence, you have the non-members (or webmasters whom you have no authority over). Here is a prime example of a non-member site (http://www.supermls.com/ ) that will greatly benefit from the "Improper Use of Term MLS" rule put in place by ABoR. Talk about misrepresentation and infringement of the "MLS" name, which ABoR states is trademarked.

On that note, please point me in the right direction for verification of ABoR's trademark of "MLS" term(s): United States Patent and Trademark Office. If you can, please provide both reference numbers and serial numbers for "MLS" marks held by ABoR and/or ACTRIS. I'm coming up short.

When ABoR made up a rule that bans all MLS members from using "MLS" terms, they should have been prepared to file suits on all non-members infringing on the MLS Trademark. The traffic aggregator sites are the ones who will be running away with "MLS" search term traffic in the near future if ABoR continues to restrain fair competition. There are thousands of non-member sites stuffing competitive "MLS" search terms, meta tags, and anchor text onto their pages waiting for the next Google update. Be patient, they'll pop up on the search engine radar soon enough if ABoR continues to discourage fair competition among the paying *MLS-Realtor members.

Traffic aggregators drive traffic to their sites using "MLS" keyword rich content and MLS Data Feeds from Realtor/MLS boards across the nation (i.e...Realtor.com, supermls.com...same thing if you ask me). The *MLS-Realtor boards get paid for selling MLS Data Feeds compiled by paying MLS-Realtor members. NAR makes unclear of it's economic relationship with for-profit companies such as HomeStore, which brings me to my next question.....

Who is the primary beneficiary of MLS Data Feed income from national traffic aggregator sites? Is this on a regional or national level?

The aggregators get paid in the way of selling MLS keyword leads generated based on the information the MLS-Realtors members provided their local MLS. It's ironic how it comes back full-circle to the "data-entry" personnel (aka *MLS-Realtors members). In America, people pay to join trade associations because they get their money's worth from the dues. NAR is one of the rare cases where the trade organization is actually cheating its own MLS-Realtor members. It's 2007! What reputable trade organizations still uses tie-in's to promote membership?...it's another issue for another email, but all these questions are related to the Sherman Act.

Everybody wins by enforcing the "Improper Use of Term MLS" rule with the exception of the MLS-Realtor Member: The very people that justify ABoR's existence.

This rule sets a precedence for *MLS-Realtor boards across the nation. Well it hasn't yet, because interestingly enough, no one has challenged it. Dialogue is the absolute best way to handle this situation, but as they say, "it takes two to tango!" You remain silence.....I want to know YOUR thoughts on this issue and how we can make it fair for all MLS members. I request clarification on this rule. I'm getting bored talking to myself........maybe David Barry has some input???

The Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota set a rule last year disallowing MLS members from using "MLS" terms in their domain or company name. Which makes a lot of sense from a misrepresentation debate. Who wouldn't be confused if the url was http://www.TheAustinMLS.com? No joke, that's really a site (redirect)! While the Minnesota case is the most similar case I have found as of yet, it is hardly as questionable legally as ABoR's "Improper Use of Term MLS" rule which disallows all MLS verbiage by paying MLS members. Non-members still have free rein on the search engines! Why would ABoR make such a rule without thinking of the consequences and loss of business for its members? Does all the board members understand what SEO stands for? Traffic = Money on the Internet! It could be construed as an anti-trust action if one entity monopolizes a competitive keyword or keyword phrase by eliminating competition for that term, therefore gaining economically.

Here's what a couple of lawyers had to say regarding the Minnesota case.....

"In the consumer's mind, the MLS is listing data. I don't believe they want nor do they think that they're getting access to the entire MLS database. It seems like by doing this it's another way that the industry is trying to maintain the historical perspective on listing data as opposed to looking into the future and seeing how it can leverage that data. Instead of spending what brainpower is going into these rules ... I think there are bigger issues to be dealt with."

~ Russ Cofano, a Seattle-based real estate lawyer, speaker and consultant

"Protecting consumers from misleading advertising is a legitimate reason for adopting a rule." But if a rule lacks justification or is overly broad it could raise some legal questions. From an antitrust perspective, care needs to be taken to ensure that the rule is no broader than it needs to be."

~ John Roberti, a lawyer for Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP who specializes in antitrust law and formerly worked for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Here is a complete list of the items I respectfully request from ACTRIS/ABOR...

Full documentation on the meeting minutes for ACRTIS/ABOR of discussions of "Improper Use of Term MLS" rule.
Full report from the ACTRIS/ABoR on all member fines for IMPROPER USE OF TERM “MLS” OR “MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE” since February 2006.
Provide MLS trademark numbers for all MLS marks ABoR has on record with United States Patent and Trademark Office, Texas SOS, or similar government trademark registers. The only reason I ask is because I have read many forums where Realtors debate the issue that "MLS" is a trademark or not. I would love to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. And from what I've read; Generic, vague terms such as "MLS" are rarely granted marks!
If "MLS" is a registered ABoR mark, please provide all cases where ABoR pursued legal action against non-member sites infringing upon OUR "mark."
Who is the primary beneficiary of MLS Data Feed income from national traffic aggregator sites? Is this on a regional or national level?
Get a response from the ABoR Board of Directors regarding this matter in a reasonable timeframe.

I have no intentions of pursuing any legal action against ACTRIS or ABoR at this time. I honestly feel we can come to an agreement on this issue, in-house. We are all on the same team and I do not want to see our board implode with narrow-minded leadership. It seems like we (ABoR) have a lot of legal issues right now. Do you think our members enjoy hearing about anti-trust lawsuits against our board? IT'S SO EMBARRASSING!!! Anti-trust laws are criminal laws. Are we criminals? Let's stop making enemies faster than we're making friends! Let's get some ethical direction. Not NAR ethics, real-life business ethics. Sergey Brin and Larry Page said it best, Don't Be Evil! The seat you are keeping warm belongs to over 8,500 *MLS-Realtor members. Let's treat them with the respect they deserve. Please represent US!!!!

Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

_______________________________________________________________________

Austin MLS Email #6

From: Kimbra Froehlich [mailto:KFroehlich@abor.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 10:02 AM
To: Ronnie Bredahl; john@rosshirt.com; crporter@sbcglobal.net; socarsellshomes@austin.rr.com; David Foster;
paulaadkins@austin.rr.com; kayandrews@aveone.com; jeanne@austinhomes4sale.com; jay@jaygohilrealty.com;
shelia@hawkinsbucklew.com; horton@realtyworldaustin.com; lizanne@greateraustinrealestate.com; jcs@austinhomesource.com;
williams@kw.com; jeffosborne@remax.net; judith@austintxhomesonline.com; lennyaguerrero@msn.com; ACTRIS Better Data;
professionalstandards; abor.watch@earthlink.net
Cc: carol@caroldochen.com; town-countryrealty@sbcglobal.net; jeanne@austinhomes4sale.com; jay@jaygohilrealty.com; Valerie
Lyday; kevin_scanlan@kw.com; karenwilson@remax.net; Sylvia Medrano; ACTRIS Better Data
Subject: RE: Improper Use of Term MLS (2nd Request)

Good morning Ronnie,
Your letter has been sent to the wrong group; I apologize for any misunderstanding in that direction. This needs to be addressed by the ACTRIS Board of Directors. I am forwarding this to them for you. And will have this added to the agenda for their next meeting.

Thank You,

Kimbra Froehlich
Products Services Specialist
Austin Board of REALTORS ®
512-454-7636 x 1106

_______________________________________________________________________

Austin MLS Email #7

From: Ronnie Bredahl [mailto:info@austinreferralrealty.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 9:17 AM
To: 'Kimbra Froehlich'
Subject: RE: Improper Use of Term MLS (2nd Request)

Good Morning Kimbra,
What was the verdict in the ACTRIS meeting yesterday? Was the MLS term rule even discussed?
I have not heard back from a single person at ABoR regarding my requests.

Thanks,

_______________________________________________________________________

Austin MLS Email #8

From: Kimbra Froehlich [mailto:KFroehlich@abor.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 10:01 AM
To: Ronnie Bredahl
Subject: RE: Improper Use of Term MLS (2nd Request)

Ronnie,
Yes; your issue was discussed. You will be receiving your answer from the Administrative Assistant soon. It takes a little bit of time to translate the minutes of a board meeting. Thank you for your patience.

Kimbra Froehlich
Products Services Specialist
Austin Board of REALTORS ®
512-454-7636 x 1106

_______________________________________________________________________

Conclusion

After all that, this is the reply I get from ABoR Member Services. A freakin' boilerplate letter! Classic!

quick 1 minute compilation of generic mls terms

Acronym Meaning
MLS Mills
MLS Millilitres
MLS Major League Soccer
MLS Multi-Level Security

MLS Multiple Listing Service (real estate)
MLS Microwave Landing System
MLS Microwave Limb Sounder
MLS Maximum Length Sequence
MLS Master of Library and Information Science (degree)
MLS Michigan Lutheran Seminary (Saginaw, MI)
MLS Metropolitan Library System (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
MLS Multi-Layer Steel
MLS Mass Layoff Statistics (US Department of Labor)
MLS Multilevel Secure
MLS Multi-Layer Switching

As used in the military

Acronym Definition
MLS Multiple Listing Service (real estate)
MLS Machine Learning System
MLS Major League Soccer
MLS Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad
MLS Manitoba Land Surveyor
MLS Marine Load System
MLS Mass Layoff Statistics (US Department of Labor)
MLS Massive Loser Squad (Australia)
MLS Master Line State (Cisco)
MLS Master of Library and Information Science (degree)
MLS Matched Load Simulation
MLS Maximum Length Sequence
MLS Medium Long Shot (cinematography)
MLS Member and Leader Services (LDS Church)
MLS Metropolitan Library System (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
MLS Michigan Leukemia Society
MLS Michigan Lutheran Seminary (Saginaw, MI)
MLS Microphthalmia with Linear Skin Defects
MLS Microwave Landing System
MLS Microwave Leasing Services (tower services firm located in Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, North Carolina)
MLS Microwave Limb Sounder
MLS Microwave Scan Beam Landing System (NASA; space shuttle)
MLS Mid-Line Shift
MLS Miles City, MT, USA - Miles City (airport code)
MLS Millilitres
MLS Mills
MLS Minimal Language Skills (clinical settings to describe clients who lack communication skills)
MLS Minimum Living Standard
MLS Missile Launching System
MLS Mobile Location Service
MLS Modified Lloyd Search
MLS Modular Load System
MLS Mont-La-Salle (Ain Seadé- Beirut- Lebanon)
MLS Mudline Suspension (oil and gas industry equipment)
MLS Multi-Layer Steel
MLS Multi-Layer Switching
MLS Multi-Level Security
MLS Multi-Level Segment
MLS Multi-Library Search
MLS Multi-Line Scan
MLS Multifrequency Laser Sounding
MLS Multilevel Secure
MLS Multiple Levels of Security
MLS Music Library System

Dripping Springs Homes

Austin Referral Realty — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:18:45 -0600

Search All Dripping Springs Real Estate for Sale or search by neighborhood below.

Bear Creek - 5 homes for sale between $360k and $569k
Belterra - 36 homes for sale between $235k and $539,900
Friendship Ranch - 2 homes for sale between $349,900 and $997,500
Meadow Oaks - 5 homes for sale between $279,900 and $440k
Polo Club - 9 homes for sale between $399,900 and $645,000
Preserve At Dripping Springs - 7 homes for sale between $500k and $799k
Rim Rock Ranch - 13 homes for sale between $374,990 and $533,990
Saddletree Ranch - 14 homes for sale between $269,900 and $519,999
Sawyer Ranch - 7 homes for sale between $425k and $499,990
Sunset Canyon - 12 homes for sale between $289,900 and $560k
Triple Creek Ranch - 1 home for sale at $799,997
West Cave Estates - 5 homes for sale between $275,000 and $467k

*Information current as of 1/22/08. Listings above may not include all homes for sale in given Dripping Springs area. Not all homes listed above are listings of Austin Referral Realty. We provide free buyer's representation to all Dripping Springs and Southwest Austin Home Buyers. Please call us for details.

Austin Referral Realty, Inc.
Phone (512) 785-9050

Austin Texas Real Estate
Austin Homes for Sale

Flip That Channel

Austin Referral Realty — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:23:26 -0600

With television shows such as A&E's Flip This House, TLC's knock-off, Flip That House, and the lamest one of all, Flippin' Out, it's no wonder so many people became overnight real estate investors. These programs show investors from all around the country making $25k, $50k, and even $200k per real estate flip. It makes home renovation and real estate investing look as easy as going to your local grocery store, buying a cake and baking it. The Hollywood version of flipping houses, while entertaining, does not paint a full picture of buying and selling for a short-term profit. Here are five things you should know that Hollywood doesn't tell you...

1.) I've been in real estate for nearly a decade and have been involved in hundreds of transactions. Throughout this time I have never seen a four line balance sheet. On the flipping shows, you see four items: Purchase Price, Budget (Repairs), Total Investment, and Sales Price. The investor buys a house, gets an repair budget, makes improvements, and sale sit for a profit. This gives the false impression that real estate investing takes no financial planning, just simple adding and subtracting. When in fact, there are hundreds of cost expenses you need to take into consideration prior to making a real estate investment. Buying real estate short-term makes the deal that much more speculative and every expense should be looked at with a microscope.

2.) You make your money when you buy! If you pay too much for a house, it doesn't matter how many improvements you make, you will be lucky to break even. The glorified T.V. programs never mentions the investor bought the property for 30-50% below market value and how he went about acquiring it. Few people have the resources or knowledge to find such deals. Many first time investors from all over the country have made the mistake of buying property at or just below market value with no profit margin. They already lost!

3.) On the four line profit and loss statement on these shows they never mentioned short-term capital gains (or any capital gains for that matter). When you purchase real estate as an investment and hold it less than one year, you will have to pay a short-term gain on your profit. The short-term capital gain will be taxed as personal income. The tax rate will depend on which tax bracket you fall. Say goodbye to 28% to 44% of that profit on your line 4 of the A&E P&L!

4.) The Cost of Borrowed Money: Many real estate flippers take out what is known in the mortgage industry as a hard money loan. These are short-term loans in which the property is used to qualify more so than the borrowers credit/income. Hard money lenders usually only lend up to 70% of the after repaired value. For example, let's say you buy a property for $50k and after you make your improvements the home will be worth $100k. You can get a hard money loan for up to $70k, giving you $20k for your improvements. While easy to obtain, they are high-risk, high-interest loans. Investors pay up to 18% interest and up to 3 points for origination. It's very expensive, but sometimes cheaper than bringing on a 50/50 partner. The cost of money is never associated with expenses in any of the house flipping shows.

5.) Closing Costs: When you buy a home you typical pay between 2-3% of the purchase price in closing costs. Fees including loan origination, property taxes, escrow fees, recording fees, etc. When you sell a house you pay real estate commissions (up to 7%), title insurance (approx. 1%), prorated taxes, escrow fees, recording fees, and other miscellaneous expenses. I guess there is no time in the programs to mention these either. Maybe A&E picks up the tab for the featured investors. Who knows?

Investing in real estate is not for amateurs, but it's far from rocket science. T.V. show exists for one purpose: To Sell Advertising! Real estate investing is not glamorous, but the producers of these shows have done a fantastic job with their theme music and lack of financial information. If you want to get on the road to investing in real estate, continue reading articles online and buy books written by experts. These are the true real estate gurus and your time will be better spent learning real estate investment skills instead of hammering away on a bum real estate investment because you listened to real estate advice from Sam Leccima (See Flip This Lawsuit).

78704 - South Austin Homes for Sale

Austin Referral Realty — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:20:50 -0600

South Austin, TX - 78704

Search Austin MLS Listings in South Austin, 78704 including neighborhoods of Barton Hills, Bouldin, and Travis Heights.

Call Ronnie Bredahl at (512) 785-9050 if you are considering buying a home in South Austin. We can provide you free buyer's representation for all homes for sale in South Austin. Ronnie is a Texas real estate broker with over 9 years experience and South/Southwest Austin resident for over 30 years.

Southwest Austin Texas Homes for Sale

Austin Referral Realty — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:17:44 -0600

All links open in new window

$100-200k	$400-500k	$700-800k
$200-300k	$500-600k	$800k - $1 million
$300-400k	$600-700k	$1 million+

Southwest Austin Realtor and Real Estate Broker Ronnie Bredahl provides Free Austin Home Searches on both Austin Referral Realty or Austin Real Estate Market. Search over 9,000 homes for sale in Austin, Texas and surrounding areas. Neither of our sites require registration or sign-up prior to searching properties for sale. Get started immediately!

Contact us only when you are ready to make a move or if you have questions about any Austin home for sale. All homes on our Austin Real Estate sites are not listed by Austin Referral Realty, Inc. We do, however, offer free buyer representation to Austin home buyers on new or resale homes. Any home listed on my sites, I can represent you, free of charge!!! I have 9 years of experience selling homes in the Austin Real Estate Market and lived in Austin my entire life. Having an experienced real estate broker on your side, at no additional cost to you, is a great decision as opposed to relying on information from, and negotiating with, the listing agent who, by law, is required to keep his client's (seller) best interests at hand. Let us negotiate on your behalf and we'll put you in the best position-to get the best deal possible ( both price and terms of sale)! Whatever is most important to you and your family will be OUR goal!

Austin Real Estate
Austin Homes for Sale

South Austin Homes for Sale - 78745

Austin Referral Realty — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:13:47 -0600

Click on links below to search South Austin homes for sale by neighborhood or search all Homes for Sale in South Austin, zip code 78745.

Austin Highlands	Banister	Beaconridge	Buckingham Estates
Carrell Oaks	Cherry Creek	Cherry Meadows	Cooper Oaks
Deer Park	Emerald Forest	Fairmont Oaks	Flournoys Sweetbriar
Grand Oaks	Greenwood Forest	Greenwood Hills	Hillside Oaks
Oak Plantations	Park Forest	Salem Walk	Shiloh
Southampton	Southwest Oaks	Western Trails

Austin Referral Realty, Inc.
Phone (512) 785-9050
Email info@austinreferralrealty.com

Austin Texas Real Estate
Austin Homes for Sale

Lead Generation Companies - Good or Evil?

Austin Referral Realty — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:54:23 -0500

With my Austin real estate web sites I generate quit a bit of leads and inquiries regarding buying and selling homes in the Austin, Texas area. A couple months ago I signed up with HomeGain.com on their BuyerLink program. One of my agent said he worked at a company that got a lot of leads from this program and I signed up for $500/month without reading too much about it. Stupid mistake!

How is works: you pay HomeGain.com every time someone clicks a link to your site. It's not a link that says "Click here for an Austin Realtor" or anything like that. It just says at the top of the page, "Search Homes in the following area: Dallas, Houston, and (in my case) Austin. Visitors click it and you pay HomeGain about $2.50 (cost is different per area). Basically it's a cold pay-per-click (PPC) lead for about $2.50/click. HomeGain.com encourages its members to have a sign up page as their landing page. If you don't know how to build a landing page, HomeGain.com will sell you a cheap template for just $30/month/every month.

Over the course of 2 months and about $1,000 later, I got about 20 inquires and none of them worked out. A couple of them where from Mickey Mouse and qefqerfvqec. Neither Mickey or qefqerfvqec have replied to my emails yet. I've got my fingers crossed and they are in my drip programs.

From my experience, natural search traffic is of much higher value than a deciving $2.50 PPC visitor from HomeGain.com. If you want to drive more traffic to your website, use Google Adwords or Yahoo! Search Marketing for your PPC traffic. You can create keyword campaigns with ads that are relevant to the specific keyword phrase. You can also make the landing page very targeted per keyword phrase. For example: if you want traffic for the keyword phrase "Lake Travis Homes for Sale," you use the following landing page in your ad: "Lake Travis Homes for Sale."

I would be very interested to hear agents experiences with HomeGain.com and other similar lead generation companies. I have heard so many horror stories about scams and "false promises" from lead companies. They lock agents into contracts and fail to deliver.

Tell us your story. Don't be afraid to name names!

8 Ways to Launch Your Real Estate Internet Marketing Career

Austin Referral Realty — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:32:01 -0500

Here is a list of 8 ways you can launch your real estate internet marketing career and start gettting leads and selling homes through your personal web sites..

1.) Buy a domain with top "city" real estate, homes, or houses type keywords. Buy a domain name with phrases that are most commonly search. GoDaddy.com has domain for $8.95 (search "godaddy promo code" for 10% discounts). Get a hosting account. It's $3.95 per month! If you can't afford it, you can't afford to be a Realtor.

2.) Spend hours and hours reading about SEO (search engine optimization)! Stay up till 4 am if you have too. You can always find the time, just don't sleep as much ;). Don't ever pay a cent to telemarketers who call you promising #1 Google results. It's a scam! If they are in fact excellent internet marketers (as they all suggest), wouldn't you of found them on the Internet....think about it??? And trust me, when your site(s) start ranking, the dirtbags will start calling like crazy! I do not mean to imply all SEO companies are dirtbags, there are some fantastic companies out their doing fanstatic things. Seek them out if you wish to outsource your SEO. Ironically, they are not hard to find! Be prepared to spend big bucks for top SEO companies or spend big hours learning to do-it-yourself. Nothing is free in this world and good things never come cheap. Don't be a sucker Realtor!

3.) Join, read, and participate on forums such as RealEstateWebmasters.com, AgentsOnline.net, and (of course) ActiveRain.com-check.

4.) Learn HTML and Buy HTML Editing Software. I use Dreamweaver and I swear by it. I started out using MS Frontpage and it sucks more than Richard Simmons! FP adds a bunch of unnecessary code to your pages. Macromedia's Dreamweaver is very-user friendly and provides three ways to view your pages while editing: WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), HTML view, or split screen (where you see both WYSIWYG and the HTML at the same time)....absolutely amazing for learning HTML as your build pages!!! You don't have to know HTML thoroughly if you're using HTML editing software, but at least develop a working knowledge of tags and editing pages by cutting and pasting code. HTML is, by far, one of the easiest codes to learn. After about 15 minutes of reading you will know basic page structure. Don't be cheap: Pony up the $$$$ for good software! It will save you hundreds of hours annually.

5.) Start building your site and adding pages. Write lots of unique content for "city" real estate, homes, realtors, etc. keywords and keyword phrases. Never, ever copy content from any site. Write it yourself or pay a ghostwriter from sites such as elance.com. Don't be a hack!

6.) At this point, hopefully you have completed a few profitable transactions from your internet leads and have a little cash. Reinvest your money in custom IDX solutions (see wiki - Internet Data Exchange). Most buyers get online to search homes for sale. They want listings, not a Realtor.

7.) Develop a solid follow up system for your prospects who call and email you - From my experience, people who pick up the phone and call you are the most motivated. Find out how they need help and take care of them! I've sold homes within a week to internet leads, but most people are 6 to 12 months away from making a decision (including choosing a Realtor). They get online to gather information such as home prices, real estate market reports, market values in areas of interest, schools, neighborhoods, etc. Provide it to them and provide it FAST! Keep your name playing in your prospect's head with your follow up phone calls and emails. Every buyer and seller has a different situation and timeframe. Find out their needs and fulfill them!

8.) Get as many incoming links as possible pointing back to your web site. Not only to your homepage, but deep within your site structure. Be careful of reciprocal links. Don't ever link to an Advanced Access or Z57-type sites. They suck and your link is worthless if it's not on the homepage. Obtain links only from web sites relevant to real estate. An incoming link from a basketweaving site will carry little weight. To put it as simply as possible: The more connected you are throughout to the World Wide Web, the more Google love you will receive! Google Love = Traffic = Homes Sold = Food on the table and shoes for the kiddos!

This is not an extensive list of what you need to success online, but as the blog tile suggests it will help launch your real estate internet marketing career. As with anything you want to master in life: READ, READ, READ! Never stop being a student!

Good Luck To You All!!!

Rob Roy Real Estate - Roy Roy Homes

Austin Referral Realty — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:20:18 -0500

Roy Roy is a neighborhood of Westlake located in Southwest Austin. It's bordered to the north by Lake Austin and Bee Caves Road to the south. Rob Roy is a affluent neighborhood with homes priced from the high $600's to well over $3 million. First developed in the early 1980's, Rob Roy in Westlake is one of the premier subdivisions in Austin, Texas. Today there are only 5 lots listed for sale in Rob Roy between $289k and $575k, none of which are waterfront. There are only a few vacant waterfront lots on Lake Austin and if you're in the market for one, be prepared to spend around a million bucks!

There are currently 11 homes for sale in Rob Roy with list prices between $799,000 (3,342 sqft, built in 1983) to $5,300,000 (a 7,745 sqft spread with over 200 feet of Lake Austin waterfront on 2 acres, built in 1986). The highest priced home to sell in 2007 sold for $2,303,000 ( approx. 7,000 square overlooking Lake Austin). Here are some Austin MLS statistics for the Rob Roy Subdivision year-to-date...

11 Available Homes for Sale in Rob Roy (view all Rob Roy Homes for Sale)

	List Price	Square Feet	$/SF	Bedrooms	Full Baths	Living Areas	Year Built	Days on Market
Min	$799,000	3342	$211.91	3	3	2	1982	9
Avg	$2,130,545	5454	$363.47	4	4	4	1990	116
Max	$5,300,000	8937	$776.17	6	6	8	2000	617

3 Rob Roy Homes under Contract

	List Price	Square Feet	$/SF	Bedrooms	Full Baths	Living Areas	Year Built	Days on Market
Min	$825,000	3595	$229.49	4	3	3	1983	32
Avg	$898,000	3978	$226.35	4	3	3	1989	88
Max	$949,000	4353	$238.20	4	4	4	1994	122

24 Sold Homes in Rob Roy (from 1/1/07 - 9/20/07)

	List Price	Square Feet	$/SF	Bedrooms	Full Baths	Living Areas	Year Built	Sales Price	LP:SP%	Days on Market
Min	$615,000	2582	$156.90	3	2	1	1982	$607,500	85%	4
Avg	$986,411	4116	$222.74	4	3	3	1991	$931,669	96%	115
Max	$2,650,000	6890	$334.25	6	6	7	2004	$2,303,000	115%	688

If you have any questions about Rob Roy Homes or Westlake Real Estate please contact me and I'll be happy to help you out!

Travis Country Real Estate
Circle C Real Estate
Lake Travis Real Estate
Davenport Ranch real estate

Overpriced Listings

Austin Referral Realty — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 22:07:39 -0500

I got a phone call today from a broker in New York off one of my web sites. He referred me a client that has a high-end property to sell in Austin. While it's fantastic to receive those type of calls, the owner thinks his property is worth about $700k over market value.

I've sold million dollar properties in my day, but never have I seen a seller that believes his home to be worth 30% more than market value. As much as I would love to take the listing, I can't do it on principal alone. I would be wasting both our time and MY money! There are 5,000 rookie Realtors in Austin he can call for that!

I have provided sold comps that are far superior to the subject property for less $$$. I'll see if that makes a difference in his judgement of value. So many people think they are sitting on a gold mine when in fact they are sitting on a mountain of pyrite!

I'm sticking to my guns and see what happens. In my opinion, I don't care if you have a home worth $10 million. If you want to sell it for $20 million you can scroll on down to the next page of Google and find yourself a Realtor that does real estate on the side after his day shift at Mickey D's.

Austin's Traffic Jam

Austin Referral Realty — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:25:30 -0500

The Austin-American Statesman came out with an article today titled: Report: Austin remains nation's most congested medium-sized city. And a subtitle of... "City probably should be in higher population category; report doesn't account for new toll roads."

The article was written by the Austin-American Statesman Staff. The Texas Transportation Institute conducted the report and listed Austin as the worst medium sized city for traffic jams. The Statesman reported the findings in the article (see here), but it mostly covers excuses for the traffic such as Austin is really "bigger" than a medium sized city. Who cares? WE STILL HAVE A TRAFFIC PROBLEM! It really doesn't matter how many people live here.

The problem is the liberal Austin City Council has refused to consider new highways over the last 20 years. They don't want to cut down any trees. They don't want to make any neighborhood upset with new highway construction. The City Council has been so naive they thought that if we did not build new roadways, people would not move to Austin. Well, here we are in 2007 reading articles from the Statesman reporting traffic problems and citing excuses at the same time. I thought "professional" journalists were suppose to give unbiased opinions when reporting, unlike all the immature bloggers on the Internet!

Who really cares if Austin is a medium or big city? Who cares if Austin has a population of 855,000 or 1.45 million in the metro area? The only thing that matters today is that we have a traffic problem and the only way to fix it is to build new roads. Excuses may help the Statesman feel better and steer some of the blame about from our councilman. The council should just use the population number of 855,000. That way they can feel justified in not building the needed roads 15 years ago because "if you don't build it, they won't come!"

Travis Country Real Estate
Circle C Real Estate
Lake Travis Real Estate
Davenport Ranch real estate

Travis Country Neighborhood - Southwest Austin

Austin Referral Realty — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:18:59 -0500

As a resident of Travis Country in Southwest Austin I have a biased opinion of this fabulous neighborhood. When I meet with sellers to list their home, I always ask them, "What made you decide to buy this home in this neighborhood?" It's a great question to get people thinking of all the benefits and amenities that appealed to them so much when they bought. As the years go on a lot of people take the little things for granted. There are so many reasons that Travis Country appealed to me including the Barton Creek Greenbelt, nearby shopping, and the proximity to downtown Austin and Lake Travis.

As a Realtor I drive all over Austin. Travis Country sits just off the intersection of Mopac (the main N/S freeway through West Austin) and Southwest Parkway. The neighborhood is tucked away behind large oak trees and greenbelts. I've meet a lot of people from Austin and they never knew Travis Country existed. With only a couple lights to Mopac, I can leave my house and be downtown in under 10 minutes. I do a lot of business in the Lake Travis and Lakeway areas. It's only a 15 minute beautiful drive down Southwest Parkway to Hwy 71. Most of the land along SW Parkway is a natural preserve and will never be developed. AMD just built a new $50+ million plant on SW Parkway and William Cannon (opening January 2008) and fought nails and teeth with the environmentalists to get the deal approved. Getting to Dripping Springs (further Southwest) is quick as well! During rush hour Hwy 290 in Oak Hill is probably the biggest joke in the world ( a beautiful 3 lane highway that bottlenecks into 1 lane). From Travis Country, you drive down SW Pkwy to William Cannon to Hwy 290, avoiding the traffic jams. With the new toll roads up north, Round Rock, Hutto, and Pflugerville are just 25 minutes away. There's not any area of Austin that is not within half an hour drive from this wonderful location!

To the north, Travis Country is bordered by the Barton Creek Greenbelt, a local treasure with over 800 acres (see Barton Creek Map). Within a short walk you can enjoy miles and miles of hiking and biking trails. With dozens of entry points to the greenbelt, you will find many Travis Country residents walking their dogs through the greenbelt and biking through the neighborhood. You can walk north about a mile and you will find Twin Falls, a popular watering hole. If you are biking through Barton Creek, be careful! Many of the trails are very rugged and not recommended for beginners. Sc

Barton Creek is not the only greenbelt within Travis Country. The neighborhood is sprinkled with green areas throughout including Gaines Park, a hike and bike trail that encompasses a large tract of land bordered by Travis Country Circle, Republic of Texas Blvd, and Mission Oaks. Every April, Travis Country residents volenteer tehir time to beatify Gaines Park with landscaping and general cleanup. Driving through the streets you will see what looks to be multiple undeveloped lots that are actually dedicated greenbelts. Most of the homes in Travis Country sit on about a quarter of an acre giving you even more of a open, green feeling. First developed in the mid 1970's, huge Oak Trees fill the streets. Eat your heart out KB homes! The newer section (homes built after 1990) seem to have large trees as well. I didn't live in Travis Country at the time, but it looks as if the trees were saved from the developers.

Travis Country is located within a strong homeowners association. For a mere $35 per month residents enjoy 8 lighted tennis courts, 3 lighted basketball courts, 4 pools (2 wading), and endless well maintained common areas. Best of all, the Barton Creek Greenbelt is free of charge! Travis Country HOA does a great job maintaining the common areas with fresh landscaping and everyday I see the maintenance crews cleaning up around the subdivision.

If you are not from the area, you may need to visit the Travis Country HOA and Recreation Area (aka Blue Valley) to get maps of the many trails to get a sense of directions. After you leave the trails, it's hard to tell which way is which.

Travis Country Real Estate

Homes in Travis Country range from mid $250's for a 1,400 square foot home built in the 1970's to over $400k for a home in the newer section (built after 1990). Currently there are only 10 available homes in Travis Country from $290k - $427k. Not many people are looking to move out of Travis Country at this time and inventory is very low. High demand and low supply puts upward pressure on home prices. Since I moved to Travis Country in 2005, home prices have jumped 22%, or 11% annual appreciation. Not bad for the recession everyone is crying about! This has not been uncommon for properties located in close proximity to the Austin city center. Homes in Travis Country are seeing an average of 45 days on the market, about 10 days less than the Austin average. Travis Country homes that are priced well fly off the market with multiple offers. Homes that back to the greenbelt always fetch a premium price as do older homes that are nicely remodeled.

You can still find a deal of a older home built in the 70's in need of some updating. That's the route I took. Partly because I enjoy working around the house and partly because I didn't have $400k to throw down on a home at the time (probably more of the later).

If you have any questions about Travis Country and would like more information please give me a call. I'll be happy to show you around the neighborhood and homes for sale in the area.

More pictures of Travis Country on Localism

Circle C Ranch Real Estate

Austin Referral Realty — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:43:33 -0500

Circle C Ranch

Circle C Ranch is located in Southwest Austin, Texas and lies on the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country. As one of the largest master planned communities in the State of Texas, Circle C Ranch has over 3,700 homes spread out over 4,000 acres. It was first developed in the mid 1980's by developor Gary Bradley. The project wnet into bankruptcy during the savings & loan scandal a few years later. Bouncing back in the mid 1990's, Circle C Ranch has become a very successful community for home builders, yet residents still enjoy many green areas that have been conserved. Amenities include 450 acres of dedicated parkland, Metropolitan Park, hiking trails, disc golf course, Circle C Golf Club, Olympic-sized pool, The Veloway (a 3.2 mile rollerblading and biking course), basketball courts, soccer fields, and a private neighborhood catering service. With only a short 15 minute drive up Mopac (Loop 1) to downtown Austin and a new shopping center on the north side of the community (Escarpment Village), Circle C Ranch has become a very convenient and desirable community to live. It also offers mainly fantastic schools which is why so many young families with school age children call Circle C Ranch home.

Real Estate in Circle C Ranch starts in the low $200's for a modest home built in the late 1980's to over $500k for a home in the newer subdivision within the community. In the new Somerset Estates subdivision homes goes for over $700k. As of today (9/14/07), there are 74 homes available in Circle C Ranch with an average of 70 days on the market. Days on the market in Circle C Ranch is very comparable to the Austin average. However, last month, there were 40 sold homes in Circle C with an average of 34 days on the market. This indicates less than 2 months worth of inventory (74 available homes/40 homes sold = 1.85 months of invenotry). If this trend continues, the average days on market will start to fall. In August 2006, 34 homes were sold with an average of 45 days on the market. Here are the real estate market numbers for Circle C Ranch for the month of August...

	List Price	Square Feet	$/SF	Bed	Full Baths	Year Built	Sales Price	List/sold Price Ratio %	Days on Market
Min	250,000	1891	$91.90	3	2	1988	$ 230,000	79%	3
Average	$ 328,379	2696	$120.29	3	2	1996	320,385	97%	34
Max	489,000	3708	$159.27	5	3	2007	$477,500	106%	147

The average sold price for Circle C homes in August 2007 was $328,379. In August 2006 in the average was $301, 585. This represents an 8% annual appreciation for Circle C homeowners.

Search homes currently for sale in neighborhoods and subdivisions within Circle C Ranch
(all links open new windows).

All Circle C Homes for Sale	Hielscher Homes for Sale	Muirfield Homes for Sale
Park West Homes for Sale	Somerset Estates Homes for Sale

If you are in the market to buy of sell a home in Circle C Ranch or Southwest Austin, please give me a call at (512) 785-9050 and we can discuss your situation.

Circle C Ranch Websites

Circle C Ranch - Official website of Circle C Ranch. Here you will find information for Circle C homeowners, new homes, neighborhood amenities, and general information about the Circle C Ranch lifestyle. If you are thinking about buying a home in Circle C, this site is a must read!

Circle C Ranch Golf Club - Official site of the Golf Club at Circle C, a 18-hole Jay Morrish designed course located on the south side of Circle C Ranch off of Hwy 45 (south end of Mopac).

Circle C Homeowners' Association - Official site of Circle C Homeowners' Association (CCHOA). HOA fees in Circle C run about $35 per month. Not bad considering how many amenities that are provided and the large common area that is constantly maintained. This site provide homeowners monthly meetings, Circle C Board of Directors.

Circle C Ranch - Wiki page about Circle C Ranch in Southwest Austin, Texas.

10 Things You May Not Know About Austin, Texas

Austin Referral Realty — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 18:27:32 -0500

Austin is the fourth largest city in Texas (behind Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) and the 16th largest city in the United States.
The City of Austin has a population of roughly 700,000 residents. The Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Area had 1,513,565 people as of 2006.
Austin has very liberal city government while Texas tends to be very conservative.
The eastern part of Austin is relatively flat and consists of grassy plains, while western parts of the city are very scenic with lakes, greenbelts and rolling limestone hills which make up the edge of the Texas Hill Country.
Austin is known as the “Live Music Capital of The World.” Most of the music industry revolves around 6th Street (Entertainment District) where the many bars host local talents as well as nationally known acts. Austin also hosts South by Southwest every year in March and the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) in September.
Austin has more city pools per capita than any other city in America! The Aquatic Division operates 48 public pool facilities, which includes: 27 neighborhood pools, 12 wading pools, 2 water playscapes, 6 municipal pools, the Emma Long waterfront, and Barton Springs Pool.
Austin is the perfect urban area for outdoor lovers. The Parks and Recreation Department oversees more than 16,682 acres of land with 206 parks, 12 nature preserves and 26 greenbelts.
Lake Travis runs a 65 mile serpentine course in NW Travis County and is the largest lake in Central Texas. Lake Travis is one of the most desired locations for Austin residents seeking outdoor recreation including boating, skiing, wakeboarding, scuba diving, fishing, picnicking and camping.
In 2004, Austin topped the list of "Top 10 Cities for Moviemakers" and took the #3 spot this year, just behind New York City and Philadelphia according to MovieMaker Magazine.
The Texas Longhorns will win another national championship in 2007!

Davenport Homes for Sale - Davenport Real Estate Update - Westlake, TX

Austin Referral Realty — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:10:34 -0500

Westlake, Texas - Davenport Real Estate

The Davenport area is located in Westlake off of Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360) and Westlake Drive. Davenport is an affluent neighborhood located within the award winning Eanes School District. There are currently 21 homes on the market in Davenport Ranch and Davenport West with an average list price of $1,809,619. Homes in Davenport range in price from the mid $400's for an older 1980's home to over $4 million for new construction.

Here are some Austin MLS statistics for homes sold in Davenport Ranch and Davenport West (January 1st - August 28th, 2007)

	List Price	Square Feet	$/SF	Bedrooms	Full Baths	Living Areas	Year Built	Sales Price	LP:SP%	Days on Market
Min	$429,000	2237	$121.48	3	2	1	1983	$425,000	87%	1
Avg	$903,370	3899	$213.78	4	3	2	1993	$866,972	96%	100
Max	$2,495,000	6491	$352.03	6	6	5	2006	$2,285,000	101%	654

Visit our website and search Homes for Sale in Davenport Ranch and Davenport West.

Keyword: MLS

Austin Referral Realty — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 15:05:17 -0500

Having been a member of NAR, TAR, and ABoR (Austin Board of Realtors) since 1999, I've seen some drastic changes in the way we do business. I'm too young to remember the MLS books, but I do remember a time we could use the word "MLS" as a way to discuss with clients and other real estate professionals where we receive information about a particular property. As in "The property is listed in the Austin MLS." At the beginning of this century, internet listings were around but only on a few selected sites owned or affiliated with NAR (i.e. Realtor.com). They also appeared on agent's personal sites. That's it! No IDX (Internet Data Exchange) or broker reciprocity. Google still focused on search domination and wasn't in the real estate listing game yet. And "ActiveRain" was only something that could possibly cause flooding.

Fast forward to 2007 and real estate listings are everywhere. A simple keyword phrase will get you millions and millions of sites with real estate listings. With the accessibility of "MLS Listings" I feel Realtors have solidified their position in the marketplace as information providers and real estate experts. NAR, TAR, and ABoR see it differently. They feel that with MLS listings displayed all across the internet, the term MLS is going to suffer the same fate as Kleenex. When you think of Kleenex™, you don't think of Kleenex as a trademarked product of the Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. You most likely think of it by its definition in Webster: a piece of soft absorbent paper (usually two or more thin layers) used as a disposable handkerchief.

ABoR is so adamant about Austin Realtors not using the terms "MLS" by it's "MLS" members. They are handing out fines if you mention MLS listings, MLS search, or anything with the word "MLS." Here's a sample of what will happen to members of the Austin Board of Realtors if we use the term "MLS" of our websites:

There is a new rule in Austin and, evidentially, heavily enforced. ABoR will not disclose to me how many Realtors have been fined. When I discuss my fines with the ABoR staff, I give them examples of Austin Realtors improperly using "Realtor" in their domain names. Kimbra Froehlich with ABoR wrote me any email explaining the Austin Board's position on improper use of "Realtor" terms:

Hi Ronnie,
ABor does not “target” certain members. Reports are run randomly.
As for her web domain name; that would be a TAR or TREC issue.
As for the term “MLS” she will be fined and will have to remove that.

Thank you for your time.

Kimbra Froehlich
Products & Services Specialist
Austin Board of REALTORS ®

For those of you that do not live in Texas, TREC stands for Texas Real Estate Commission. They only handle licensing of real estate salespeople and brokers. They are a state agency and their main goal is to protect the public. TREC has no position in Realtor issues and are not in any way affiliated with the National Association of Realtors. I agree with her that TAR (Texas Association of Realtors) may care if "Realtor" is improperly used, but not TREC. I'm a little disappointed that ABoR couldn't care less about the term "Realtor" but will bend over backwards to stick it to you if you utter the word "MLS."

Are other MLS's around the country doing the same thing? What are your thoughts about disallowing MLS members from using MLS keywords?

IMO, disallowing Realtor and MLS members from using MLS terms give a competitive advantage to non-members who freely use MLS keyword terms for search engine optimization. If non members are able to stuff their pages with popular MLS keywords, will ABoR or NAR go after them in a lawsuit? I'm sure NAR would win all million or so cases, but do you want OUR associations squandering OUR money in that way? I currently receive a lot of traffic from MLS keywords through natural search. From my discussions with ABoR, we can still use MLS in our page title and meta descriptions, just not in the body. I do have a few keywords such as "MLS stats" and "MLS areas" that I haven't been fined for yet. I'm not sure if I will be fined again, but I'll continue to pay up until it doesn't make sense financially. I do not see any harm in it! I say ABoR should trust its members to dominate the search engine rankings with all Realtor and MLS terms. They should not make up rules out of fear that the MLS will one day be taken away. This shifts the competitive advantage to sucker lead companies such as HomeGain and HouseValues.

When Virtual Tours Go Wrong

Austin Referral Realty — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 20:47:26 -0500

Virtual tours are great marketing tools when utilized properly. By properly, I mean when you advise your clients to pick up their trash before the photographer arrives at their home.

Here's a link to a virtual tour I received via one of those awesome e-flyers from a top producing agent in the Austin area. I get about 3 dozen e-flyers a day. I absolutely love 'em! I love them so much I made a rule in MS Outlook to deliver them directly to my trash can :)

What were you thinking?

2007 Nominee: Most Misleading Telemarketing Call

Austin Referral Realty — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:01:51 -0500

Having your websites found through the search engines is great. However, if buyers and sellers can easily find you, so can telemarketers from internet marketing companies. These companies are online marketing companies. Did you read that correctly? Online marketing! If they are so wonderful, they would probably use their epic marketing skills to find you online. Or better yet, you would find them. I'm immune to these hacks and now, instead of hanging up on them, I just play along and act like I don't have a clue.

I just received a phone call from http://www.netbiz.com
A very nice young lady just called me and asked if I was still in real estate. I confirmed that I was and here's how the conversation played out....

NetBiz Girl: Great, I work for Google and we are looking to promote one Realtor in the Austin area. Are you interested in participating?
Me: You work for Google? How's the weather in Mountain View, Cali?
NetBiz Girl: Well, actually I live in Oregon.
Me: But your checks have a Mountain View address, right?
NetBiz Girl: No, I actually get paid by NetBiz, but we work with Google. We own the page and top spot for Austin Real Estate on the Google search results.
Me: Really? That's awesome! How can I buy a Google page? Am I going to be promoted on your page for Austin Real Estate?
NetBiz Girl: *smelling blood* We are only looking to promote one agent for our "Austin Real Estate" page. For only $700, you can be #1 in the sponsored links for "austin real estate!"
Me: I've heard of that before, you pay per visitor and pay a fee, right?
NetBiz Girl: You're talking about pay per click. No, this is different. We guarantee you the #1 position b/c we own it and you just pay a flat monthly fee.
Me: So do you guarantee me visitors?
NetBiz girl: No, there's no way to find out how many visitors search for your keyword or click your link, but my co-workers at Google say "Austin Real Estate" is a highly searched keyword.
Me: Please tell me again, how does a company go about buying a page from Google? You work for them so you must have the inside scoop. If Google is selling keyword pages, do you think that will undermine Google's main revenue stream which is Google AdWords?
NetBiz Girl: Um, um, well, we just buy the page and offer it to Realtors.
Me: You're checks are not signed by Larry Page and Sergie Brin, are they?
NetBiz Girl: What? Who's Larry?

Who's Larry? Classic! You can't make this stuff up people! She never did tell me how they go about buying pages or how Google was compensated. This conversation when on and on. She finally got frustrated, told me to have a nice day, and hung up. Did she really mean for me to have a nice day? I'd like to think so :)

I just kept asking her questions that her objection handling script did not cover. Lies, lies, tell me sweet little lies...... her a few facts for the record...

She does not work for Google, just a hack company buying keywords on Google and reselling them to naive Realtors at a inflated price.
Google makes money selling keywords and keyword phrases. If Google's customers got wind of them selling guaranteed #1 positions (or pages as NetBiz Girl would put it), Google's stock price would drop to single digits after the next earnings report.
Netbiz is a ethically and morally changelled company. So all you suckers out there looking for the "Golden Ticket:" YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

It's not only NetBiz, there are hundreds of thousands of companies who use the telephone to sell you "out of this world" online marketing campaigns. Never, ever buy anything from a telemarketer claiming to boost your rankings, guarantee you a position, or promote your website in any way. Infective at the least, flat out unethical at worst (NetBiz). If you sign up, they'll cash your check the same!

The best companies out there, such as realestatewebmasters.com, never make cold calls. They are too busy driving traffic to their clients sites and handling tons of referral business.

Home Buyers vs. Tire Kickers

Austin Referral Realty — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 06:36:34 -0500

After 8 years in real estate sales, I wonder if I'll ever be able to pick out the true home buyers from the tire kickers. For the last 3 years I have been fortunate enough to generate lots of internet leads through search engine optimization. Only thing is, most internet leads are buyers. There's nothing wrong with working buyers except it does require looking at many homes and you invest quit a bit of time.

Over the last few weeks I have had three people who come in town tell me either:

Austin is just a town they are considering.
They are not looking to buy until winter vacation or at a later date.
After I show them half a dozen homes they don't return my emails or phone calls.

Real estate can be sort of like baseball, you have hot and cold streaks. Good luck and bad luck. The only difference if you plan properly, you can be more consistent in real estate. One thing you most definitely need to be consistent at is asking qualifying questions up front! This is where I have failed lately. But at least I can sit back and realize what I did wrong. Here's four questions that could of saved me tons of time...

When are you planning a move to the Austin area?
What made you decide to relocate to Austin, TX?
Is Austin the only city you are considering?
What kind of work do you do? Do you plan on looking for work in Austin or do you already have that lined up?

There's no right or wrong answer to these questions. You have to feel each person out. Everybody has a unique situation, let them tell you their story. I find that it's best to ask questions that do not involve a yes or no answer. Using a script work best (I failed here too). Most likely if your prospect doesn't have a good, honest answer to these questions, they're not too serious about relocating to your town.

I plan on using the questions above and SCRIPTS on every lead in the future (I've done it in the past, but got lazy). Especially those people who are visiting for the weekend and want to burn a couple hours looking at area homes for sale. These people are not home buyers but more like "home tourists." I swear people do this for entertainment. Asking a few qualifying questions can save you tons of time from working FOR tire kickers and home tourists. Unfortunately, you may put a damper on their vacation!

Respect, honesty, and loyalty are not only traits every Realtors should possess, but it's also wonderful qualities to search for when choosing your clientele.

Austin Real Estate Blog - Austin Realtor, Ronnie Bredahl

Saddlewood Estates Neighborhood - SW Austin Home for Sale

Trulia's New Logo Taunts Realtors Who Use Widgets

Investment Opportunities in US

Dripping Springs ISD Profile

Austin Area Schools

Austin Investment Real Estate

Austin Board of Realtors - Austin MLS

Austin Real Estate - Search Austin Texas Homes - Austin MLS

Austin Homes for Sale - Austin, TX Real Estate - Austin MLS

Who is the primary beneficiary of MLS Data Feed income from national traffic aggregator sites? Is this on a regional or national level?

Conclusion

quick 1 minute compilation of generic mls terms

Dripping Springs Homes

Search All Dripping Springs Real Estate for Sale or search by neighborhood below.

Flip That Channel

78704 - South Austin Homes for Sale

South Austin, TX - 78704

Southwest Austin Texas Homes for Sale

South Austin Homes for Sale - 78745

Lead Generation Companies - Good or Evil?

8 Ways to Launch Your Real Estate Internet Marketing Career

Rob Roy Real Estate - Roy Roy Homes

Overpriced Listings

Austin's Traffic Jam

Travis Country Neighborhood - Southwest Austin

Travis Country Real Estate

Circle C Ranch Real Estate

Circle C Ranch

Search homes currently for sale in neighborhoods and subdivisions within Circle C Ranch (all links open new windows).

Circle C Ranch Websites

10 Things You May Not Know About Austin, Texas

Davenport Homes for Sale - Davenport Real Estate Update - Westlake, TX

Westlake, Texas - Davenport Real Estate

Keyword: MLS

When Virtual Tours Go Wrong

2007 Nominee: Most Misleading Telemarketing Call

Home Buyers vs. Tire Kickers

Search homes currently for sale in neighborhoods and subdivisions within Circle C Ranch
(all links open new windows).