Just my Opinion

Kyle Tx Real Estate: Hacienda style custom home on 8 acres near new Kyle Hospital

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:13:43 -0500

Celeste Messer | Adkor Realty | celeste@soldbyceleste.com | 512-449-6070

200 Blanco River Ranch, San Marcos, TX

Hacienda Style custom home with workshop/studio on 8 acres less than 10 minutes from new Kyle Hospital!

4BR/3.5BA Single Family House

offered at $525,000

Year Built	2001
Sq Footage	3,121
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3 full, 1 partial
Floors	1
Parking	4+ Car garage
Lot Size	348,915 sqft
HOA/Maint	$50 per month

DESCRIPTION

This custom home is all about outdoor living. The hacienda style wraps around a courtyard complete with stone fireplace, grill and sink perfect for entertaining and relaxing. It also features a guest room with separate entrance, an outbuilding perfect as a workshop and a huge back deck overlooking its' 8 acres. The home is aptly named "Castillo Lindo" for beautiful castle.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Central A/C	Central heat	Fireplace
High/Vaulted ceiling	Walk-in closet	Family room
Office/Den	Dining room	Breakfast nook
Dishwasher	Stove/Oven	Microwave
Granite countertop	Laundry area - inside	Balcony, Deck, or Patio
Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES

Gated property

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

While the address is San Marcos but it's closer to Kyle, < 10 mins from the New Kyle Hospital

This home sits on 8 acres in a gated community where horses are allowed.

The beautiful scored and stained concrete floors and central vac make cleanup a breeze

The kitchen has granite counters, huge island and double ovens.

The landscaped central courtyard has an impressive stone fireplace, built in grill and outdoor sink.

Guest quarters with separate HVAC unit and separate entrance from courtyard

The back deck is on the East side of the home making it perfect for evening get togethers.

The stone construction and separate heat/air units help keep the utility bills low.

The detached 3+ car garage has both elect & water and could make a great workshop or studio.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Front of Home	'Bell' Tower
Central Courtyard	Kitchen
Master	Detached out building

Contact info:

Celeste Messer

Adkor Realty

celeste@soldbyceleste.com

512-449-6070

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Apr 17, 2009, 7:13am PDT

Is the Kyle Building Boom going to pull Kyle Real Estate from its' Slump?

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:48:46 -0500

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.

Hays County Real Estate Vacancy Rates April 2009

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:31:13 -0500

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.

Austin Real Estate Vacancy Rates April 2009

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:51:58 -0500

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.

Christmas makes me feel emotional....yep it's holiday time and I'm lovin it!

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:10:35 -0600

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^thrunning 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!

Web focus: Big fish in a little pond or little fish in a big pond...which way is best?

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:41:00 -0600

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.

A Reflection in the Mirror...actually in the computer screen...Yikes!!!

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:16:18 -0600

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.

Kyle TX Real Estate Market...A Buyer's Market?...Ya Think????

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0600

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."

Homes for Lease in Plum Creek in Kyle Texas

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:51:54 -0500

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.

A Lesson in Price Elasticity ends with.... "Realtors aren't worthless"

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:48:35 -0500

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.

Obama or McCain...even my 8 year old granddaughter is talking about it!

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:56:30 -0500

I lived in Venezuela during the last election and voted absentee. I lived there for four years and watched their political struggles. I was in Venezuela when Chavez was voted in and on the weekend that we had coups and had three presidents before Chavez came back into power. This time I really look forward to going into the booth and voting as it has taken on a different meaning for me. I realize the value of our country's political system and I agree that voting is a priveledge.

This year's election process has been a roller coaster for me. While I hate the negativity and ugly comments, and what appears to be personal attacks, I am fascinated at the fact people who never talk about politics are talking, many with great passion and many who I wonder if they have a clue what they are talking about...but they are talking.

Two of my daughters were able to vote in the last election but chose not to, basically feeling it didn't matter. This time they are actually watching the debates. Even my 8 year old granddaughter has watched some of them and asks questions about the election...and I think this is a good thing.

But all that being said I for one will be glad when the process is over, hopefully the polarization will come to an end and we can get down to business to get our economy back on track as well of course getting our young men and woman home safely.

So God Bless America and whoever wins I hope and pray they will help heal the wounds and move our country forward.

PS...everyone should live outside out country for a few years...changes your perspective on a lot of things.

Vacancy Rates-Austin Texas, Travis County

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:22:20 -0500

I noticed recently that it was a lot easier to show homes lately...why you ask? Because there are so many vacant homes in the three major counties I serve, Travis, Hays and Williamson Counties.

People have moved because of transfers or unfortunately foreclosure situations and when a home is vacant I don't need to make appointments. I can just take my clients straight away. Now from a market perspective I don't like to see it but I have to admit it does make showing homes a lot easier.

When you see a vacant home you usually can translate that into a more motivated seller. The seller is now likely making two mortgage payments or in the case of a pre-foreclosure or foreclosure the bank may be willing to accept a lower offer.

On one such showing day I found over half of my planned showings were VACANT! That is huge! So I pulled data to see how many homes were vacant in the areas I serve and found that when I take out new construction (because obviously they are vacant) Austin had almost a 40% Vacancy rate for all of the homes currently for sale. I wanted to see how that compared to the other cities I serve. The chart to the right shows what I discovered.

You can see the numbers across the various cities are not that far off from each other. I decided to take it to the next step and look at it from a county perspective focusing on the big three: Hays County, Travis County and Williamson County. No surprise that Travis is leading the pack with vacancies in the mid 30s.

I'll be watching these numbers closely as it tells us a lot about what's going on in the market.

As mentioned before vacancies usually translate to more motivated seller. For example if I have a buyer looking at two homes for sale, one which has been vacant a while and the other still has the owner living in it, my client and I will likely make the assumption that the seller of the vacant home is more motivated. That seller is probably paying two mortgagees, two sets of insurance and taxes, having to worry about lawn care and utilities and weather...bottom line their asking price may be softening. So we may go after that home, hoping to get a better deal.

The second aspect of vacancies is the unfortunate issue of foreclosures and pre foreclosures. We're seeing many of the 'California' investors of a few years ago starting to 'walk away' from their investments as they find their cash flow isn't as it once was. Two of my last three sales in which I represented the buyers, the sellers were 'California' investors. One was going into foreclosure, the other one just wanted out. (I use the word 'California' in quotes as many if not most of the investors were from California but I'm referring to the surge a few years ago of out of town investors.)

If a buyer is willing to be a bit more flexible and patient, as short sales and foreclosures can take longer than a 'normal' sale, they can often move into their home with some built in equity. I'll be writing a bit more on this process later.

Bottom line the vacancy rates are showing there definitely are some softer prices out there. Call us at Adkor Realty ...512-449-6070 or visit our website at www.SoldbyCeleste.com and we can help you take advantage of some of them!

Kyle Texas-Vacancy rates on homes for sale

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:58:36 -0500

I noticed recently that it was a lot easier to show homes lately..why you ask? Because there are so many vacant homes.

People have moved because of transfers or unfortunately foreclosure situations and I don't need to make appointments, I can just take my clients straight away. Now a vacant home typically translates into a more motivated seller because the seller is now likely making two mortgage payments or in the case of a pre-foreclosure or foreclosure the bank may be willing to accept a lower offer.

On one such showing day I found over half of my planned showings were VACANT! That is huge! So I pulled data to see how many homes were vacant in the areas I serve and found that when I take out new construction (because obviously they are vacant) Kyle had almost a 40% Vacancy rate for all of the homes currently for sale. Buda was closer to a 30% rate. So I wanted to see how that compared to the other cities I serve. The chart to the right shows what I discovered.

You can see the numbers are not that far off from each other. I decided to take it to the next step and look at it from a county perspective focusing on the big three: Hays County, Travis County and Williamson County. Travis is leading the pack with vacancies in the mid 30s.

I'll be watching these numbers closely as it tells us a lot about what's going on in the market. As mentioned before if I have a buyer looking at two homes for sale, one which has been vacant a while and the other still having the owner living in it, my client and I will likely make the assumption that the seller of the vacant home is more motivated. They are probably paying two mortgagees, two sets of insurance and taxes, having to worry about lawn care and utilities and weather...bottom line their asking price may be softening.

If a buyer is willing to be patient, as short sales and foreclosures can take longer than a 'normal' sale, they can walk away with some built in equity. I'll be writing a bit more on this process later.

Kyle Texas Real Estate: Are prices dropping?

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:16:45 -0500

Reference: Click here for a current listing of all of the homes for sale in Kyle and Buda texas by subdivison.

I was working with a client recently looking at homes largely in the Kyle and Buda Texas areas and I noticed that many of the homes we were looking at had lowered their prices and were vacant. I wondered how much of this was perhaps the seasonal slowing down of the market that we start seeing as we approach the holidays, versus a reaction to the current economic news.

While it may be a bit too early to see how people are reacting I pulled the current listings in Kyle and Buda and checked to see how many had lowered their prices in the past several days. Of the 326 active listings in Kyle and Buda, 60 lowered their prices during the last 14 days. That's a rate of 18.4%. I wondered how this compared to what was happening a couple of months ago.

So I went back to August 2008 time frame to see what the real estate activity numbers looked like for Kyle and Buda. If you looked at the numbers without considering the time of year, you may come to a conclusion there is an impact. But when I look at the numbers and see that we are almost into November I am thinking 'seasonal trend'.

The "Real Estate Hotsheet" below shows what was happening back in August. I found that of the 358 active listings at that time 56 lowered their price during a similar 2 week period for a rate 15.6%. So our current 18.4% is roughly 2.8% points higher.

If you look at the new listings for Kyle and Buda coming on we see that in August, there were 89 new listings added to the MLS, while now in October only 52 were added. The actual selling activity has begun to slow down as only 22 went pending during this time frame almost half of the number that went pending in the two week August window (42). However in each of these cases I think the numbers are still reflecting the "time of year real estate market trend" rather than a direct reaction to the economy. That is to say that sellers traditionally start thinking of taking houses off the market as we approach November and December as buyers seem to shift their focus to the holidays.

So during this time of year we see that the sellers and buyers still out there are usually fewer in number, but typically more motivated, as they typically HAVE to be buying or selling during this window.

So if you're in the market to buy or sell a home so far the Austin Real Estate market is fairing better than most. There are some deals out there for those of you looking for a deal. But for those of you wanting to sell, it is still possible to sell your home at a fair price as well. More than ever you need a good Realtor to help you price and stage your home so it shines above the rest. Call us at 512-449-6070 with any questions. We'd love to be your Realtor of choice.

Here are a few important links you may find useful as you consider your decision. These are links where you can see the real estate prices in Kyle, Buda as well as other Austin area communities. Follow any of the links below and of course call us at 512-449-6070 with any questions:

Kyle Tx real estate: or Kyle Tx Homes for Sale by Subdivision

Buda Tx real estate: or Buda Tx Homes for Sale by Subdivision

Austin Tx real estate: Austin Tx homes for Sale By Subdivision

Gorgeous home only 12 minutes or so to downtown Austin: Stablewood at Slaughter Creek

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:19:24 -0500

Stablewood at Slaughter Creek is a community off of Highway I35 and 1626. It is South of Austin, about 12 minutes to downtown. With its convenient location near I35, Stablewood at Slaughter Creek is a great community choice for people commuting to downtown Austin or those that are working at the airport which is less than 30 minutes away.

Stablewood is one of those gems that many people don't know about, prices range from the low $200s well into the high $200s.

As you drive into Stablewood you can't help but notice the large trees. This Pulte community was built in the early 2000s yet with all of the established, huge trees, it feels like it's been there for years! And though it is soooo close to Downtown Austin, the trees make you feel you are away from it all. And with the new Southpark Meadows shopping center you are literally 3-5 minutes away from restaurants, movie theaters, shopping and so much more.

The favorite for the kids though might be the Stablewood park and pool that are a short walk from this lovely home.

Now while the community is a major selling point, this home itself is the real reason to come check it out. It's cul-de-sac location makes it great for a young family, or for anyone that doesn't want to be on a street with through traffic.

From the street 216 Real Quiet Dr has a great curb appeal, with a gorgeous, huge, stately, tree in front yard. But the simplicity of the front definitely doesn't prepare you for what is inside.

The minute you walk in you have an elegant foyer with arches that give this home a custom look. Your eyes are drawn up to the huge and unusual archway separating the foyer from the great room area.

While the formal dining room is perfect for the family holiday get-togethers let's face it, it's the great room/kitchen combination that is the heart of the home that seals the deal.

While Texas is usually warm enough that you don't have to use the fireplace, having one as the centerpiece of the room adds to the warmth of this great room/kitchen combination.

The great room with it's cathedral ceiling is bright and open with a wall of windows. When you're not in the mood for the formal family occasions in the dining room, you can head out to the covered patio and huge deck. The backyard is a good size and though it doesn't back up to a greenbelt, it is surprisingly private.

Oh, and did I mention that there is a sprinkler system and the home is four sides masonry?! That makes for easy maintenance.

So let's recap. This home built in 2002 has everything a growing family would be looking for: 4 bedrooms, agame room, 2.5 baths, an open kitchen, large downstairs master bedroom suite, covered back patio with a huge deck and semi-private back yard and cathedral ceilings. All of this on a cul-de-sac lot in a tree-filled community that is only 12 minutes or so to downtown Austin. What are you waiting for? Call us today!

Call us today at 512 449 6070 for more information or go to our website at www.soldbyceleste.com to see a virtual tour of this lovely home. MLS 5276067.

Steiner Ranch...better than ever twenty years later

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:06:17 -0500

Steiner Ranch is almost twenty years old! It's hard to believe that this beautiful community can be "that old". But as I drove around Steiner Ranch this week with a client I honestly can say that, like fine wine and some women (cough, cough), Steiner Ranch has only improved with age.

The first homes completed in Steiner Ranch were completed in 1989. Very few could envision back then how this community would develop. In those early years I've been told that there were still cattle guards on Quinlan Parkway, but it didn't help that Steiner Ranch was not convenient to stores and many buyers felt it was just too remote. I learned from a woman who had considered building a home in Steiner in 1989, that she decided against it as she had been told that there were plans to make Quinlan Parkway a highway with a bridge crossing over the Lake at what is now the deadend of Quinlan Parkway. (This obviously didn't happen as Quinlan still dead ends at Lake Austin at "Lake Austin Spa".)

Now that was back in 1988. Fast forward to the Steiner Ranch of today and you see how the community has built out. Now there are three schools, the UT Golf Course, shops and restaurants, fitness center, day care center, pools and parks, all within the confines of Steiner Ranch itself. There is also a great full service grocery store less than 2 minutes from the Steiner Ranch entrance and two malls are about twenty minutes away.

The client I was with this week really liked the topagraphy, the rolling hills, that make Steiner Ranch both interesting and pretty. While I showed him several communities around his 'target area', I knew after our phone conversation that it was likely that Steiner Ranch might just best fit the bill...and it did. He and his wife had two young kids and they loved the idea that there were schools just minutes from the house. The fact that all three of the schools were a part of the Leander ISD and rated "Exemplary" this past year, was just icing on the cake.

For anyone who doesn't know about Steiner Ranch, it's a popular family oriented community in Northwest Austin, just south of the Highway 620/2222 intersection call us and we can show you around

Click here if you would like to check out a list of the homes for sale in Steiner Ranch by price range. Or you can click here if you would like to check out homes for sale in Austin area in general. We would love to be your Austin Realtor so give us a call at 512-449-6070 or email us at Info@adkor.net...let us show you why we are truly A Different Kind Of Realty.

On-line child predators must be stopped...upcoming bill, please pass the word

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:08:57 -0500

I am not a political person...I usually follow the philosophy of not discussing religion or politics with people...but I heard/saw something this week that was so disturbing that I can't get it out of my head and I felt I had to pass the word so others are aware... It's not about the upcoming election, it doesn't matter if you are Republican or Democrat...it's about our kids. There is a vote coming up in the Senate this month and we need support. (I say "we" but I use the term as a mother, not as an organizer or as a part of some organization, I never heard of the bill until a few days ago.)

While the internet is wonderful tool, we all know it can also be a dangerous one in the wrong hands...there's an anonymity to it that allows awful things to be made public and shared. This is very true in the case of child abuse and how videotaping abuse and getting it online is becoming catastrophic in numbers....

If anyone saw Oprah this week, they would have seen the story on child online sites that promote sexual child abuse and give instructions on how to do it and about a $1 billion bill that is up for vote at the end of this month in the Senate...the bill is designed to help fund agencies to fight this and track down these offenders.

The show was so disturbing I can' get it out of my head and I wanted to make sure as many people knew about it as possible! There are "how to" videos on line raping children by age category...starting at little babies. They even have handbooks giving step by step instructions on what you can do to a child a certain ages (they show it being done!! I.e.; how you can make a pacifier a sexual toy to use. They played videos that the home audience could not view that were pulled from online sites and the audience was in tears of children being raped, toddlers included.

If that isn't enough to scare you, or to make you understand it affects you and your family: the experts are saying that the number of sites out there that offer this type of instruction and these 'rape' videos, are so large in numbers that those predators watching it are getting the 'reinforcement' they need to feel it is 'normal'. They won't stop with watching they will act upon the urges...with our kids.

To catch the creators of these sites takes tons of time and effort and money and frankly most people don't want to believe it's happening. Or don't understand how widespread it is and how it is growing exponentially. There are a few offices in the country dedicated to trying to stop these predators. (But I think they said that they could act on less than 2% of what they were finding due to lack of resources.)

In one of the offices that are dedicated to this effort they had to hire a full time counselor to help those agents that have to watch these videos daily. One woman whose job it was to watch them was asked by Oprah how she could watch the videos day in and day out. The woman's answer was that it was disturbing, it did affect her, she'd like to quit watching them, watching an innocent giggle of a toddler turn into screams of pain... but she said if she didn't watch them because it was too disturbing, if she didn't watch them to get information/clues about the children, to help find them and stop it from happening, who else would? Someone has to watch them to get clues as to where they are located.

The bill is costly and I worry with the economy as it is many government officials will not want to put their name on something with such a high cost. But if you watch this show and realize this is just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening...really think of the impact this has if this continues at the growth rate it's going what this will mean for our country, it is a crisis and lives are being lost...all of those children's lives are being lost. These things are happening all around us...we just don't know it...and again the widespread availability of the videos are reinforcing the preditors...it's telling them, if all this info is so easily available it must be okay, lots of people are doing it! (Yes that makes no sense to a 'normal' person, but these people aren't normal...they are sick!)

If there is a way for you to go back and watch the Oprah show you will be convinced that this is not a choice...the bill must pass!!!

The vote ends this month........here is info from oprah.com on who you can send your email to. All it is, is cut and paste...easy

IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE>>>>

TAKE ACTION WRITE OR EMAIL YOUR SENATOR (his/her name and contact info is available below in case you don't know it...embarrassingly enough I didn't know mine) >>>>>>

The info from Oprah is below

Help Pass Senate Bill 1738-The PROTECT Our Children Act

Hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year. Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.

The PROTECT Our Children Act will:

Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.
Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.
Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.

Act Now!
Your U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately.
Go to www.senate.govto find contact information for the senators in your state. Search for your senator by name or state by clicking on the arrow from either drop down menu. Contact information is provided here. To send an e-mail, click on "Web Form" below his or her name, and e-mail your letter to make a difference!

Call Your Senators
If you choose to contact your senators by phone, be sure to tell them, "Vote yes on Senate Bill 1738-The PROTECT Our Children Act."

Write to Your Senators
If you choose to write a letter, fax, telegram or e-mail, you may use the following sample letter-and modify it how you see fit.

Dear Senator:

I know that you believe, like I do, that we must do everything possible to protect children from sexual predators. That is why I am asking for your help.

Last year alone, U.S. law enforcement identified over 300,000 criminals who were trafficking in movies and pictures of young children being raped and tortured. Experts say that one in every three of these criminals has local child victims. Child pornography trafficking over the Internet has given us a trail of evidence that leads straight to their doorsteps, but the vast majority of these children will never be rescued because investigators are overwhelmed, outnumbered and underfunded.

As your constituent, I urge you to do everything in your power to pass the PROTECT Our Children Act (S. 1738, Biden-Hatch). This bipartisan legislation passed the House 415-2, but it is now the victim of petty partisan politics.

Now that we know where these children are and how to protect them, there is no excuse for the Senate to fail to take action this session.

(Your name here)

Instructions for How to Copy and Paste the Letter
To copy and paste the letter into your senator's web form at www.senate.gov, point your mouse arrow at the beginning of the text that you want to copy. Click your left mouse button and hold it down. While holding the left mouse button, drag your arrow to the end of the text that you want to copy. Release the button. The text should be highlighted. Place your mouse arrow over the highlighted text, click your right mouse button once and let go. A new menu should appear. Select Copy from the drop down menu. When you get to the message form field for your senator at www.senate.gov, point your arrow at the beginning of the message field that you want to copy your text to and right click with your mouse. Click Paste from this menu. Submit your form and help our children!

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lights, Camera, Action...It's not Hollywood...it's Austin Texas

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:02:42 -0500

I was at the Buda Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday and a representative from the Texas Film Commission was speaking. I was surprised that many at my table were not aware of the film industry's presence in Texas, Austin or even in our own little community. A few people didn't even seem aware that the television show "Friday Night Lights" is shot in Austin.

So thought I'd take a moment and let folks now about how little Hollywood in Texas.

Over the years Austin has built up quite a reputation for being "film friendly". There is a 'vibe' about the area that the movie iindustry likes. It doesn't hurt that we can claim ties to such folks as: Rene Zellwegger, Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Quaid, the Owen Brothers just to name a few.

But more than that the film, television and related industry means a lot to Texas economy. The chart below shows 2007 figures...anyway you slice it there are some big bucks involved.

Unfortunately the other states caught wind that there was money to be had if they too could have the film makers come to their fair states. New Mexico and Louisiana's government ponied up and offered 25% incentives. My understanding means that at the end of the filming, the state will write the studio a check equal to 25% of what they spent in the state. This compares to the 5% figure that Texas offers.

But it gets even worse...from a Texas perspective that is...the great state of Michigan...they offer a whopping 40% incentive. And guess what...they have 40 productions that went their way this year.

The sad thing is that many of the directors and producers would like to shoot in Texas but the incentives offered by other states make it almost impossible to do so. Recently Disney productions gave instructions to their location scouts, to not even go to states that don't offer the deep incentives. Don't even consider them!!!

The thing that is great about Texas from a filming perspective, is that we are such a large state with such a range of topagraphy, from desert, to hilly, to ocean front, they can shoot pretty much anything here.

So the film community and commission are trying to get the state legislation to enact better incentives. This is a big industry and we'd like get a piece of the pie.

Hey...if you want to be an extra, there's always something happening around town...give a yell and I'll tell you where to look.

In the meantime if you want to buy or sell a home in the Austin and surrounding communities, as always, we'd love to help you out. Email us at info@adkor.net or call us at 512-449-6070. You can also see what homes are available in the Austin area by checking out our website www.SoldByCeleste.com.

The best month to sell a home in Hays County

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:22:49 -0500

Here's a quick snapshot of what happened this past week in the Kyle Texas Real Estate market.

You can see that 32 homes went on the market this past week in Kyle while 28 went under contract. It appears that the sellers know the 'slower season is coming up so 26 of them changed their prices in hopes to entice some offers.

Along this same line I received a call from a past client asking about market. He then asked what was the 'best' month to list his home. As he was a numbers kind of guy we decided that I would pull 2007 data and look at how the home sales were spread by month. (We also looked and saw that 2008 January through August were holding to the same pattern.)

We used the date the house went under contract, not the date it closed. Usually the escrow period (the time from contract to close) is 30-35 days. We wanted to see when the buyers were actually out there making offers.

The numbers supported what my client and I had discussed, the last three month of the year and first month of the new year were significantly slower than March through July.

My client isn't in a hurry to sell as he has some things to do in order to get his home "Sale Ready" and he has holiday plans. So he's thinking he may target February-March to put his home on the market.

Now other people may not have the luxury of waiting, you may have gotten a transfer and you 'have' to sell now. Others are hoping to sell their home so they can 'move up' to a bigger home while taking advantage of the lower interest rate and the current market.

What's critical at this time is to make sure your home shows well. It's like going into a used car lot, the car that has just been cleaned, and polished and looks great is likely going to move faster than the one that is dirty has some scratches and needs a new paint job. Though the second car might be running great, it gets bypassed as people like the one that "looks" brand new. So it goes with selling your home. Some easy no cost/low cost things to do to spruce up your home can be found on our web site Staging to Sell on a Budget.

If you would like to check out all of the active homes for sale in Kyle, or Hays County go to Austin Home Search. Or if you have any questions about Kyle Real Estate, Buda Real Estate or Austin Area Real Estate just give a yell. Call us today at 512-449-6070 or email us at Info@Adkor.net and let us help you with your area Austin Real Estateneeds. Find out why Adkor Realty is truly...A Different Kind Of Realty

What is an associate (in AR)?

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:06:45 -0500

Just a quick question...can someone give me a brief answer to the question what is an associate? I've been in AR almost a month but haven't figured this one out and haven't seen it written any where.

thanks

Did you fall?...No I just wanted to get a closer look at the cement...

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:12 -0500

As often happens, one blog leads into another conversation...and as i don't want to hijack a blog ( I think that's what it means to hijack) I thought I'd give a quick post to a pet peeve of mine...stupid comments.

It started with me forgetting to save my data this weekend and I lost my post...when this happens if anyone is unfortunately in the room or nearby, invariably they will say...didn't you save as you went along. (Thoughts to self...Of course I didn't or I wouldn't have lost it you idiot!)

Then it reminded me of other dumb things people have asked me...

One of my all time favorites...

I fell on the sidewalk once and a person came up and sweetly asked...Did you fall? (My MENTAL response...No I Just wanted to get a closer look at the cement...of course I didn't say it as I was totally humiliated and just wanted to get up and on my way but sure felt like it.)

Another time, I spilled Spaghetti sauce on my blouse at a dinner. A woman asked "Did you spill something?" (My mental response...again I bit my tongue...No I like the red blotch highlighting my boob area)

Is it raining? As you come in looking like a drowned rat. (No thought I'd take a swim before the meeting.)

So just wondered if anyone else had any of these moments of clarity....where they find biting their tongue to be the most appropriate if not most satisfying action to take. I know people just feel awkward and need something to say but looking at it sometimes you just gotta wonder.

Forgetting to push SAVE....Or...Believe me it could be worse!

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:27:37 -0500

Recently I forgot to save a blog I was writing in draft as I went along, I opened another window (or so I thought) to find a blog that I wanted to highlight in my post. Well, you guessed it, I went back and my post was gone. (Now I know Brad Andersohn warned me this was going to happen...)

So from here on out I am going to be more diligent (or as was suggested to me, I will write long posts in WORD first so I don't lose them.). so hopefully I learned my lesson in a fairly painless way...though I will go on record saying that my first post was quite a bit better than the one I ended up rewriting...

Well I was irritated of course...but my thoughts immediately went back to a story I heard when I lived in Venezuela...believe me it always keeps me from getting too upset in a situation like this as I realize it could be worse.

I lived in Caracas for four years and had a friend who was a college professor there. She did research and used mice for her studies. She had them in three or four different groups, you know, control groups etc so should could compare what was happening, how their cells were changing or not changing etc.

Well the group had to be moved to another building and after all was said and done...you guessed it, the mover, to simplify the move, combined all of the mice in one cage for transport!

She was devastated. Three full years of research was gone. When she was relating the story to me a year had passed since "the incident" but you could still tell what the loss meant to her, both personally and professionally.

So, yes I lost 20 minutes of typing, but hey...it could have been a lot worse.

NEWBIES...Just Follow the Yellow Brick Road of Active Rain...

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:38:05 -0500

I'm about to have my one month anniversary here on Active Rain and I'm pretty excited. In the past month it's like I'm learning a whole new language. Blidgets, and widgets and postlets and snagits to name a few. So I thought I'd give a word of encourage to those of you that are brand spanking new.

My mom always used the old adage: How do you eat an Elephant?

Answer: One bite at a time...

That's how you have to approach Active Rain. It's like trying to jump on a moving train...a train that's picking up speed by the way. You wonder if it's too late, to jump on...I know I did. Well after careful deliberation (and recognizing I am a real expert now...not) I don't think it's too late. Sure I wish I heard about AR a year or more ago. But I didn't so here I am...

Yeah we may never catch up with all of those folks that have been here from the beginning...but that's okay. The great thing is that most of them are willing to hold out their hand and help us on the train.

So my word of advise:

Do what I did (and am still doing) Set your clocks a couple of hours earlier than usual...do not give in to the temptation to press the snooze button. Then get on Active Rain for the purpose of reading the helpful hint blogs, tips, tech tools, watch the instructional videas and start blogging using what you learned. It will start coming together...I promise.

Three of my favorite contributors (in case you haven't found them yet)...and some really helpful posts...it's like folowing the yellow brick road...they are actually creating it for us...(I have never met or spoken to any of them...but I can tell you that they are creating some great Karma! my friend Karma!):

Brad Andersohn: The ActiveRain Starter Kit (read it every day for the first few weeks, there's so much in it that until you are working with AR a bit some of it is lost, then you go back and read it again and the next level makes sense...he's got a bunch of helpful blogs for us newbies)

Jeff Turner:Real estate blog entries tagged with activerain community support by Jeff Turner (Real Estate Shows) (his how to videos are really helpful)

Katrina Gasset: Real Estate Blog - LongTail Keywords For Blogging, Fishing With The Right Bait On Your Active Rain Blog. (love her simple way of explaining things)

Laurie Manny: Real Estate Blog - Do You SEO? (just down right good info...basic stuff that probably is too basic for many but for me it really helped me start getting my head around SEO)

So thank you, thank you, thank you to these four and all of the other helpful people out there on AR. I do really appreciate it.

Also four of my favorite tools I found through the blogs so far:

Start with Brad Andersohn's diigo blog then go set up your diigo account www.diigo.com so you can bookmark what you are finding and how to find them again. In the mornings sometimes I'll just surf around AR and bookmark things I know I want to read in more depth later. Tomorrow should be quiet as it's a holiday (for most people that is) so my plan is to start going through a lot of what I bookmarked.

My picture...it's a Snagits www.snagit.com free 30 day trial...you'll fall in love

The scrolling tab on my sidebar... that's a blidget from www.widgetbox.com IT'S FREE

The listing video on my sidebar ...that's a postlet www.postlets.com IT'S FREE

Oh...and one final REALLY important hint....when you are writing a long blog...make sure save it as a draft periodically. I forgot and lost everything and had to start again. It's kind of frustrating and totally unnecessary.

Comparing New Vs Resale in Kyle and Buda Home Sales

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:03:41 -0500

When I show single familyhomes in the Kyle or Buda areas, people always ask me to compare the two communities. Though the two communities share many things, such as schools, stores, parks and restaurants. from a real estate market standpoint each are very different. I'll be breaking out a few of these differences in a series of blogs comparing the Kyle and Buda market. In the meantime I wanted to point out how the new construction sales have compared to the resale market over the last five years in these two cities.

Notice in the chart below how the percent of new construction sales (the Blue Value) for Buda has consistently grown over the last five years. Yet for Kyle the percent of sales of new single family homes has decreased when compared to the homes bought and sold in the resale market for the same time period.

My take on this is that in 2004 there weren't many resale options for buyers in Kyle and New Construction was starting to boom so first time buyers were flocking to the builders. While Buda on the other hand had been more a more established community and therefore there were more resale options for the entry level buyers. (Keep in mind that actually the figures for new construction are higher than these as this data only reflects home sales that went through the MLS system.)

Celeste

Leases of Single Family Homes in Kyle Texas

Austin Real Estate, Kyle Real Estate Celeste Messer (Adkor Realty) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:06:28 -0500

What is it with all of the homes for lease in Kyle?

When I first moved to Kyle Texas six years ago you never saw a FOR LEASE sign in the neighborhoods. Then a couple of years ago it seemed that you couldn't go down a street without seeing one. You can see in the numbers below that this trend seems to have leveled off.

The two major factors I saw causing the investors to come to Austin Texas in droves were 1) The California housing price boom and 2) The popularity of books and tapes about real estate investing such as "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and the Carlton Sheets tape series on purchasing a home with zero down.

Regarding the California home price boom a few years back, many Californians made so much money on the sale of their homes that they headed to places like Texas to cash in on what they considered to be an area that had not yet been hit by the price boom. Investors were buying homes left and right I heard of stories in which a single investor purchased 10 homes in a neighborhood! Their goal was to purchase homes in neighborhoods that were primarily owner occupied.

With regards to purchasing homes with zero down programs. Lenders were much more willing to lend money a few years ago than they are today. In addition some potential buyers were disappointed to learn that while some books touted that you can purchase a home with zero money from your pocketbook and walk away with a check in your hand, failed to mention that this is illegal in the state of Texas. (That's not to say there weren't deals to be made just as there are today...for those that have the money. If you do...call us!)

Anyway back to the leases in Kyle Texas. Because the prices of single family homes in Kyle were lower compared to a comparable home in Austin, Kyle got more than its' share of investors. You can see on the chart that we saw a huge spike in the number of leased homes between 2004 and 2005. This was when the California investors were heading our way.

The good news is that you can see in the estimate for this year, (I took the current leased YTD and doubled it to estimate the total years leases), we are continuing to see a leveling off. Again you can attribute this to the California Sales Market. Many of the leases in the last couple of years are actually lease renewals, that is one tenant moves out another moves in, rather than a lot more homes going to an investor. Actually with the markets taking a dip in areas such as California, Las Vegas and Phoenix (the states most of my investors came from), some of the investors found their cash assets were no longer what they were and with the Texas taxes and home management fees, they decided not to hang on to their properties. Many are selling them, or, unfortunately many are walking away. In the upcoming Travis County foreclosures auction scheduled for August 5th, 52 properties up for auction are owned by out-of-state residents. Some of these will likely go back into the hands of a owner occupant. So like everything else in the world around us, real estate goes in cycles and things seem to work themselves out. You just have to hang in there long enough to see it.

How much does it cost to Rent a home in Kyle? Or conversely how much rent can I expect to get if I wanted to rent out a home in Kyle?

For a few years because there were so many homes on the market the lease prices were kept low. Tenants had a lot of options out there to lease and therefore if a landlord didn't want the home to sit vacant he/she would be very competitive in the pricing. However there are less on the market now (only 22 active in all of Kyle) and you can see on the chart below that we are starting to see the prices drift up a bit. I would expect when the Hospital, Target plus and other future businesses start opening we'll see an increased demand for the rentals which in turn will in turn cause prices to go up as well. (The 2008 average lease price is the average lease price for all homes that went under contract from January 2008 to mid year.)

If you would like to check out all of the active homes for sale in Kyle go to Austin Home Search. Or if you have any questions about Kyle Real Estate, Buda Real Estate or Austin Area Real Estate just give a yell. Call us today at 512-449-6070 or email us at Info@Adkor.net and let us help you with your area Austin Real Estate needs. Find out why Adkor Realty is truly...A Different Kind Of Realty!