Yep we think so!

Okay let's see Kohl's has opened on the Southwest corner of I35 and FM 1626 and Lowe's has opened on the Northeast corner.  But a lot more is on it's way. 

If you are a resident of Kyle like I am, you look at each new building start with anticipation of what it is to come.  Now admittedly when we see it's a bank or a credit union (opening by Kohl's soon) you are a bit let down as, let's face it, how many banks does one person need.  But when the sign comes up that says "Jack in the Box Coming Soon" you can't not get excited.  (We're fans of the Chicken Terriaki Bowls.)   

Also the Seton Medical Center Hays building is nearing completion.  We heard the opening has been moved up to October... and I also drove by the new Walgreens which is opening right in front of the hospital. looks like that will open this summer  So all of this means we'll likely have some of the hospital employees looking to buy or lease in the area, really good news for the area. 

But that's not all...the new Target is also well underway which is right next to Kohls.  But probably what the kids and I are looking forward to the most is the movie theater.  I love the idea the kids won't have to drive to Austin or San Marcos to check out a movie.  

Now for the rumors...I heard that Maudie's mexican restaurant and Rudy's BBQ have signed on to be built near the Hospital on the East side of I35.   I'll let you know more when I find it out. 

So come join us in Kyle Texas and watch the city grow...a small town with a big heart, where the prices are reasonable.  Click here to see Kyle Real Estate for sale to get an idea of the prices.  Or click here for a list of Kyle Texas homes for lease.  And hey of course we cover all of Hays county Buda, Dripping Springs, Austin and the rest of the Austin metroplex. 

In April 2009 we saw a drop in the vacancy rates (excluding new construction) in Hays county single family homes to 34%.  Breaking it down in the chart below you can see that some of the cities saw more improvement/descreases than others. 

When I looked at the overall rates across of the cities in Travis, Williamson and Hays County I saw that a high rate typically went along with a higher foreclosure rate, such as is the case in Del Valle.  So when I noticed Driftwood and Wimberley's rates had increased I went into the records to see if that meant these cities also had a higher foreclosure rate, but I was relieved to see that this wasn't the case.  Of the current vacancies in both Driftwood and Wimberley the cause related to foreclosures was noted as the case in only two of the vacant listings. 

We're now entering the 'selling season', that is spring and summer real estate sales are usually the highest time of the year.  Combine that with the 8% tax credit for new homebuyers, the fact that most of the cities in Hays county are eligible for the USDA loan program, the historically low interest rates AND the opening of the new Seton Medical Center that is opening in Kyle in the early fall, and we're anticipating a real estate boom in Hays in the next couple of quarters. 

If you are interested in taking advantage of this market and want to buy or sell your home in Hays County, give us a call.  Not only do we work in the area, but we live there as well.  Click here for a full listing of Kyle Texas Real Estate as well as Buda, Dripping Springs and other Hays county cities. 

Looking at vacancy rates in the single family housing market is one indication on how things are going.  I did a blog back in October 2008 with the vacancy rates and I decided to compare them to what's happening right now.  Overall the results are encouraging, most cities had a decrease in the number of homes vacant.

I pulled the active listings excluding new construction and then counted the number of homes that were vacant to come up with a vacancy rate.  Then I  compared this to a similar calculation I did back in October to see how they compared.

Of the 13 cities I tracked only three showed a higher vacancy rate than they had in October of last year.  While 9 of the cities showed a decrease in the number of single family homes in the MLS that are vacant.  That is a positive sign as vacancies mean generally one of two things, either the homeowner is having trouble selling and is likely paying two mortgages OR the home has gone into foreclosure.  Seeing this number on the decline is encouraging. 

Del Valle showed the most dramatic increase in the number of vacancies and most of the increase was due to an increase in foreclosures.  You can see that over 50% of the homes for sale in Del Valle are vacant.  This is not good news for sellers but if you are a buyer interested in the Del Valle area there are definitely some deals to be made. 

Hopefully as we enter the 'selling season' that is spring and summer, we'll start seeing some major improvement in these numbers next time I pull the data.

If you looked at the title and immediatley started thinking (or humming) Silver Bells, then you are a Christmas kind of person.  I LOVE Christmas.  I love the entire Holiday Season and the start of a new year and new beginning. 

Well in Austin it wouldn't be Christmas Season without a visit the Trail of Lights Festival.  Now this isn't a rinky dink row of lights.  No...the TOL was named in the Top Ten Holiday Lightings by USA Today!  Honestly the Trail of Lights Festival combines Holiday with color and nature all at the same time.  What a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season. 

It all takes place in Zilker Metropolitan Park, 2100 Barton Springs Road and opens Sunday December 14^th running through December 23^rd.   If you've never been to Zilker then don't miss this event as it is a magical way to view the park.

What is it you might be asking yourself?  Well the Trail of Lights is a continuous 1.25 mile long trail of scenes, Santa's House, a crafts fair, food and beverage stands, a holiday train ride and entertainment.  It also includes the Zilker Tree Lighting, a 155 feet tall, 180 feet diameter lighted man-made tree.  (The tree lighting ceremony takes place on the first Sunday of December if you want to feel a part of something old fashioned and timeless.)

History The festival began in mid 1960's and has since become an Austin tradition.  Just as many love to see the Nutcracker Ballet every year, well Austin Trail of Lights is another way to create a family tradition and a whole lot of wonderful memories.  Through the years the festival has only continued to grow in size and popularity. 

So step back into a simpler time and enjoy the beauty and wonder of lights, music and nature at the 2008 Austin Trail of Lights.

For info on this year's Trail of Lights:  The 2008 Trail of Lights opens Sunday, December 14th and runs nightly through December 23rd, 7pm - 10pm. for more info regarding times, inclement weather numbers etc go to http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/tol

Austin's Trail of Lights is only one of the many, many, did I say MANY, fun things to do in Austin area throughout the year so come join the fun.  If you fall in love with the Zilker area and want to look at homes for sale in the area, or if you want to buy or sell a home anywhere in the Austin and San Marcos Areas please give us a call at 512-449-6070 or email us at info@adkor.net.  You can also see a current list of all of the homes for sale by subdivision by coming to our website www.soldbyceleste.com.  Or click here for an entire list of all of the homes for sale in Austin and surrounding communities. The lists are fed daily directly from the Austin MLS system and the San Marcos MLS system so you get current up to date listing info.  Find out why here at Adkor Realty we truly are A Different Kind Of Realty!!!     We'd love to be your Austin Realtor!

Just a question out there for those of you in a larger city surrounded by smaller communities.  Does anyone have words on wisdom on what decision they made and why?  Did you decide to be a smaller presence in the bigger market (with higher price point), or set your key words on your website to focus on the smaller market with significantly lower price point, but less agent competiion. 

In my market it's hard (and very expensive) to get to the front page in say Google on the larger city page.  Yet most out of town buyers search on the bigger city term and then end of buying in one of the smaller communities that they didn't know existed and would not have searched before getting in the car with a realtor.

Looking at comments in SEO blogs etc sounds like maybe focusing on the smaller communities where i can get to the front two pages makes more sense. But hate to jump off and do that without getting some info from some 'experts'. The same thing applies to localism.  I hate to 'give up' the bigger city but I'm afraid if I don't focus

I was wondering how many of you out there are in or have been in similar situations and how you handled it.  I am gearing up for the Spring market and trying to figure out my best strategy.

Thanks.

I can't stand it any more.  I have to ask the question.  Early in the morning as you log on to your computer and get ready to read your emails (or Active Rain Blogs), does anyone else out there notice their reflection in the computer screen and really wish you didn't have to look at it????

My computer may be extra slow right now...so I get the ...shall we say...the pleasure...of viewing myself, no makeup, before my cup of tea, hair usually not even brushed looking back at me on an otherwise black screen.  Now let me tell you it is NOT a pretty picture.  Could be the lighting in the room doesn't help, but those lines running down the corners of my mouth, I look at least 20 years older than later in the day. 

I cannot help but notice it and think about how the aging process seems to have accelerated in recent years, even months. (Which Dr Phil confirmed on a show last week...after fifty the affects of aging are much more apparent on the outside...I guess I had been aging under the skin for years and it's just now really popping out there like one of those big pimples in my teenage years...I guess I am now bearing the fruits of my sun loving younger days.)

I just wondered if anyone else has had this dialog with themselves on occasion.

Don't get me wrong...it beats the alternative and I am blessed with good health and a great family....I just needed to vent.

I recently signed up for a research tool that allows me (and my clients) to keep up with what's happening in the market.  Now I will be the first to admit that you don't have to be a real estate agent or an expert on the Kyle Market to know this is not the opportune time for sellers to put a house on the market.  So why pay for a fancy shamsy tool?  Well I figured I would spend some time learning about the tool, playing with the charts and finding new ways to explain it.  More importantly I'll see the nuances of the market, those slight dips or hopefully see the very beginning of the line working its' way back up.

But I do find that seeing the data I work with every day put in a graphs is interesting and very ...well...graphic.  What's that old expression "A picture paints a thousand words"?  Well here's a chart that captures Kyle Texas Real Estate Market in a nutshell. (For those of you wanting a more complete explanation of this chart see below.)

I looked at the chart for Kyle, Buda, Wimberley, San Marcos, Driftwood and Dripping Springs and you know what...they all look just about the same.  Buda and Kyle in fact are so similar without the city name you'd mix the two graphs. 

So to all of those buyer's out there thinking maybe they should wait a little longer to save that extra down payment...I'd say don't wait.  Check with your lender, the little difference that extra 5-10k will make in your monthly payment will be more than offset by the lower price that you are likely to pay for a home if you purchase now versus six months from now.   

And to those sellers out there...If there is someone on the fence wondering if now would be a good time to sell when you don't really have to...think again.  Between the holiday season, the election and the overall uncertainty in the economy now is not the time to sell.  HOWEVER if you don't have a choice, you are relocating and have to sell the home.  Now more than ever find a agent out there (preferably us) that will help you get top dollar.  Yes there are those buyers out there that smell the blood and are low balling on their offers.  But there are others who still want to "fall in love" with a house and pay a fair price.  Make sure your house is staged and ready to help the buyers fall in love. 

Now more than ever you need an agent to be your partner, one that will be HONEST with you.  I have lost many a listing because of my honesty. But I'll save that for another blog.

If you like charts and numbers and want to keep abreast of the Kyle TX real Estate Market, or any other Hays county market...complete the contact form below and we'll get you on the mailing list to receive the charts.  And if you think you might be ready to jump in and purchase a home, head to our website www.adkor.net and check out our homes for sale by subdivision pages for some of our featured communities...you can click here for a list of all of the current Homes for Sale in Kyle by subdivision.

Explanation on the Market Action Index Chart

"Residential house prices are a function of supply and demand, and market conditions can be characterized by analyzing those factors.

"The Market Action Index (MAI) illustrates the balance between supply and demand using a statistical function of the current rate of sale versus current inventory. An MAI value greater than 30 typically indicates a "Seller's Market" (a.k.a. "Hot Market") because demand is high enough to quickly absorb available supply. A hot market will typically cause prices to rise. MAI values below 30 indicate a "Buyer's Market" (a.k.a. "Cold Market") where the inventory of already-listed homes is sufficient to last several months at the current rate of sales. A cold market will typically cause prices to fall."

I have an investment home in Plum Creek and I received a call from my tenant recently letting me know that they were moving.  They were well over their one year term and were on a month by month basis so it was no surprise though I have to admit my immediate thought was "Crap", not very professional I agree and I of course didn't share this with my tenant but I didn't like the thought of having to find a new tenant during the holiday season, getting the house ready etc. 

Now I love Plum Creek with it's nostalgic charm and family oriented activities.  And last nights Halloween Trick'r Treating made me realize once again what a nice community it is to raise kids.  It was a warm Halloween night so the kids didn't have to be bundled up.  It was so cute to see all of the little kids coming up to the door in their princess, dinosaurs and monster outfits.  Looking out I could see the parents standing protectively at the sidewalks as their little ones rang the door bell.  I looked down the street and saw so many of the homes decorated for Halloween and actually sighed.  Next to Christmas, Halloween is one of my favorite times in the neighborhood as the streets are filled with families as the go from one house to the next just like I did when I was a kid.  No the houses in Plum Creek aren't huge but the longer I'm here (and admittedly the older I get,)  I am finding that I am getting a bit more attached to this charming neighborhood.

So anyway to the point of this blog.  I pulled the active homes for Lease in Plum Creek to see what 'competition' I had out there.  Here's what I found. 

CURRENT HOMES FOR LEASE IN PLUM CREEK IN KYLE TEXAS

My next step was to look at recently leased homes in Plum Creek so I pulled those that leased in September and October to see what was happening.

RECENTLY LEASED HOMES IN PLUM CREEK KYLE TEXAS

I was actually surprised to see that one home about the same square footage as the one I am leasing went for $1450 just this month.  I personally think that is too high and it was on the market over two months but they did find a tenant.  The home I'll be leasing is approximately 1900 sq ft so I decided to keep it at its' current lease of $1200 a month. 

With the permission of my current tenant I went ahead and put the sign in front of the home with a "Coming Soon" on it as I didn't want to list it officially as it is a few weeks away from being available.  I was actually surprised by the number of callers I got in the first week.  Again I haven't advertised it, it is not in the MLS, I didn't do a blog on it or put it on my website and its on a rather quiet corner, yet I received at least 8 calls on it.  In any case looks like I may have a tenant on this one but if any of you are thinking for renting or buying a home in Plum Creek, give us a call 512-449-6070 or email us at info@adkor.net.  Plum Creek is a great place to call home and we'd love to help you out!

And just in case you're interested.  Here are some handy links to help you out.

Click here for all of the Homes for Lease in Plum Creek.

Click here for all of the Homes for Lease in Kyle Texas.

Click here for Homes for Sale in Kyle Texas by Subdivision.

Click here for all of the Homes for Sale in Plum Creek.

Click here for all of the Homes for Sale in Kyle Texas.

Check out our website www.soldbyceleste.com and you can see homes for lease or sale throughout the Austin and surrounding areas, broken down by neighborhood and price range.  These listings are updated daily. If the neighborhood you are interested in isn't there, call us and we'll add it for you.  Click here if you are interested in seeing Homes for Sale in Austin by subdivisions by price range.

Hey if we give all of this information to people we don't know...just imagine how we help our clients!  Call us and find out why here are Adkor we truly are A Different Kind Of Realty.

I had a client this week that was having trouble understanding that the price he could get for his house now was not same price his neighbor was able to get last year for the same basic floorplan. 

After talking to him a while it was evident that he wasn't just being stubborn, he truly wasn't getting it.  Luckily (okay it wasn't luck I was prepared for it), I was ready to explain some concepts that I felt were critical to my success overall. 

So we went to Economics 101.  I pulled out a chart on the "Principle of Price Elasticity"  that I frequently use to illustrate the concept.  I explained that the real estate market, like any commodity, has fluctuations, some are seasonal, such as the holiday season, or an election year, some are local economy driven such as the closing of a plant in a small town, yet some, as we are experiencing now are much larger in scope, they are regionally, nationally, and even globally based economic fluctuations.  I explained that all of these uncertainties in turn affect the local real estate market and ultimately the price of his home.  We discussed the current mortgage industry 'situation' as well as many of the potential buyers for his home were no longer able to purchase as the down payment assistance programs had dried up and this too played into higher supply, lower demand and in turn was having an affect on the prices of homes.

I then pointed to the chart explaining that within that fluctuating market there was a price range.  That is there was the possibility (or not) of getting more for his home than others on the street.  To get a higher price we needed to work together to postioned his home for sale, staging it etc.  He found it difficult to believe that the homes prices would vary so much, in his mind a 1300 sq ft house is a 1300 sq ft hosue.  And ...well you guessed it, I pulled out another chart.  This one showed last last four months sales in a single neighborhood with similar square footage.  It clearly showed that in this one group of homes there was indeed a difference in prices and in how long a home was on the market.  We discussed all of the homes that didn't sell during this same time, withdrawn from the market or expired. 

Finally, with the help of these charts my client began to understand the current market condition and why some homes sell and others won't.  It wasn't all the Realors fault as he had believed.  That's not to say he liked what he heard.  Of course he didn't like it, but he finally said he 'got it'. 

But almost as importantly was that his mind began to open.  Now he was leaning forward and we were engaged in conversation rather than him sitting back, closed expression, with an "Okay give me your spiel" kind of attitude.  And this openness allowed me to go into an explanation about how the prices of the homes that are on the market, whether in an"up" market or a "down" market still varied substantially.  He began asking a lot of questions so we began going through examples of some of the homes that sold (and some that didn't) and discussed why.  We talked about the importance of decluttering (a concept he was reluctant to discuss earlier and needed to understand BADLY), value of repainting over some very bright colors, sprucing up a few things here and there etc.  In fact he asked my opinion and we went room by room discussing things he could do at little or no cost to help his home sell better. 

Bottom line; I was no longer the 'enemy'. 

So did I walk away with the listing....no.  He decided to hold off as it became clear that he wasn't motivated enough to sell in the current market.  But he promised in the coming weeks he would start going through his new "To Do List" so that when he called me next Spring he'd be able to show me a home that was ready to sell. 

Do I think he'll call....I hope so.  But even if he doesn't, I still walked away feeling good about the appointment, because I know it's not always about getting the listing.  I know I helped someone understand the importance of pricing a home correctly and getting their home 'market ready' in order to get top dollar.  I know when he's ready he'll know what questions to ask the realtors he considers.  Besides...as I was leaving he looked me straight in the eye and gave me a grin and told me that he didn't think Realtors were worthless any more....and hey that put a smile on my face.