austin tx sellers: I said, I Have Never Had a Buyer or Seller Walk at the Closing Table - 03/14/13 05:37 PM
I had a showing appointment today where I was interviewed throughout the entire appointment. Usually, people interview agents prior to working with them, so this was a little unusual for me.  I obliged as we went along. One of her questions caught me, but I think her reaction caught me even more...
She asked what the most common reasons were of why one of my buyers or sellers had walked away at the closing table.  My response was that I had never had a buyer or seller walk away at the closing table. Her response was one of shock and was … (77 comments)

austin tx sellers: OverPriced Listing & Seller Moved 2 Hours Away-He Only Needs One Buyer - 08/17/12 04:05 PM
Mr Seller, How's that workin' for ya?
I showed a house a few months ago to some buyers. It wasn't right for them, but I thought maybe these other buyers might like it as it was still showing active on the market.  It's one of those listings where there was no lock box and you had to schedule the appointment directly with the seller.  I called the number in the MLS, and got the ding ding ding message, this number was no longer in service.  I called the other number I had and got an answer...
"My listing expired!" "Really, it's … (13 comments)

austin tx sellers: Austin TX Real Estate Market - Supply & Demand - Inventory down 22.62% - 05/22/12 04:05 PM
The standard question I'm asked day in and day out is "How's the market?," and in Austin TX, the real estate market is heated up!! I've been so busy that my market reports have been put on hold, and I apologize to all my readers for getting a little behind. Just last week, I had 2 closings with happy buyers, submitted 3 offers, and got 2 of them executed (we're still negotiating the third offer).  Busy busy!Last year, 2011, the Austin TX market was going pretty strong, picking up from a slower 2010. Looking back, there were 11,315 active listings on … (6 comments)

austin tx sellers: Senna Hills Homes for Sale - Austin TX - Market Report Year to Date - 09/13/11 02:58 PM
The Senna Hills community in Travis County is having a fabulous year, compared to last year.  Back in June, I wrote a Senna Hills Market Report that detailed the first half of 2011 and mentioned how the Senna Hills Home Sellers have finally started coming around. The trend is continuing.  At that time, there were 19 sales already, and three months later, there are 22 sales with 3 more under contract, which is 25 thus far and the year isn't over.  In 2010, Senna Hills had 24 sales total! I ran some sales history year to date in 2011 and compared … (4 comments)

austin tx sellers: RE/MAX Ranked HIGHEST in Customer Satisfaction for 2011 - JD Power and Associates - 08/25/11 01:08 PM
RE/MAX is ranked the HIGHEST overall Satisfaction for BOTH Home Buyers and Homes Sellers among national full service real estate franchises according to a 2011 JD Power and Associates survey of 3680 Buyers and Sellers.  The RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder, Dave Liniger, said "Because RE/MAX agents average more experience and training than other agents, they are better prepared to deal with home buyers and sellers in any kind of market. And consumer preferences tell the story... nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX."  Very true!! This is the fourth year of the JD Power and Associates survey. The point scale is … (3 comments)

austin tx sellers: How Many Windows Does the Average House Have? - 08/18/11 01:39 PM
Last week, I read an article about things you should do before putting your house on the market. Most everything was basic stuff you hear all the time, but one thing caught my attention. It said to replace old windows. It's not something I hadn't heard before, but the article continued and said, "...you can often upgrade standard windows to vinyl for a reasonable $300 per window. The average home has 8 windows..."The part that caught my eye was not the $300 a window, which I do think is a high estimate, but that the "average" home has only 8 windows.  … (11 comments)

austin tx sellers: Real Estate Opinions on a Public Forum - 08/12/11 04:26 PM
I was on a real estate forum a couple of days ago reading people's questions and problems. I always find it hilarious to read someone asking perfect strangers for advice about their lives when they don't know them or how they live.This guy says, in summary, "My house is too small and I need another one. I can sell my house for about $125,000 and the house I want is $150,000 for 300 sqft more. With the difference in interest rates and taxes, I would only have to spend about $200 more a month to get this much better house, but … (5 comments)

austin tx sellers: Real Estate Recovery- Austin TX - Interest Rates Going Down! - 08/11/11 11:18 AM
Real Estate Recovery - Austin TX is well underway!  I have buyers getting rates that I am so jealous of!!  When I bought my house in the Spring of 2009, I missed the 4.5% rates that were offered by a couple of hours, and had to settle for 4.625%.  In the past week, here are the rates my buyers have gotten:4.375% - 30 year fixed with putting 10% down4.025% with a JUMBO loan putting 15% down on a 5/1 ARM (he got an ARM because his contract in town is temporary and he will not own the house 5 years)4.5% - … (4 comments)

austin tx sellers: Real Estate Q&A Forums - Take them with a Grain of Salt - 08/05/11 02:34 PM
Buying a home and Selling a house can be a little stressful. One of the biggest steps in both of these processes is finding an agent to help you through everything and answer all your questions and make you feel comfortable about your concerns. There are several online real estate forums where you can post questions and concerns as well.  However, if you've got representation, why are you posting things like, "My agent said this, is it true?" or "My agent suggested I do this, what do you think?" First, I would like to ask you, if you chose someone to … (13 comments)

austin tx sellers: Remove Your Pets for Showings - Friendly Turns Mean! - 06/09/11 10:45 AM
If your house is for sale, just like you and your family should leave, you should do something with your pet family members as well.  Just because you think they're the friendliest dog you've ever known, doesn't mean she'll be friendly to strangers in your house. I made an appointment the other day to view a house. The seller said she had a very friendly dog and asked if she could leave it in the house as it would be difficult to run home and remove her. I asked what kind it was. She said it was a Shih-Tzu. I love … (10 comments)

austin tx sellers: Mr and Mrs Seller - Buyers Don't Care that you Don't Want to Bring Money to the Table!! - 05/18/11 11:31 AM
"Mr. and Mrs. Seller, I understand you bought the house just a few months ago, and I understand that you don't want to bring money to closing to sell the house you just built because you've decided you can't live together anymore, but why do you think a buyer cares about you breaking even?  You have your house priced $23,000 above where you just paid for it!!  What educated agent is going to "allow" their educated buyer to pay so much for your house when you didn't? Yes, your house is nice, beyond your little dog barking at my clients through … (11 comments)

austin tx sellers: Sellers Net Less to Sell for Higher Price - 01/21/11 02:00 PM
When selling a home, is the sales price the most important thing, or is it the net in your pocket?
There is a listing I have been watching because I wanted to see how the end strategy would turn out.
I had buyers interested in this listing and we submitted an offer. The asking price was originally $158k and did consistant price drops every 2 weeks.  When we submitted our offer, it was listed at $142k. We submitted an offer at $134k knowing they were about to have another price drop since it was the end of the next two week … (10 comments)

austin tx sellers: A House with Personality - 12/08/10 01:44 PM
Adding personality to your home is usually a good thing... however, do you think it's best to show all that personality on the outside of your home?  I understand people wanting their homes to not look like the house next door, so it's common to not have the same brick color,  the same siding color, the same stucco color, or even the same colors within their landscaping. The colors you choose are a reflection of yourself and your personality, not your neighbors'...
But then again, is covering the entire exterior of your home in your personality a good thing?  Do you … (14 comments)

austin tx sellers: Austin TX Home Owners - Short Sale Process to Avoid Foreclosure - 09/28/10 10:46 AM
Short Sales in the Austin TX market are not abundant. In many neighborhoods, they are scarce.  In others, they are more prevalent. It's mostly price range driven, with most in the lower, first time home buyer price range.  Here are some great Austin TX Short Sale stats I posted.Even though Short Sales as well as Foreclosures are not as common in Austin TX as they are in other markets, it's still good to know what they are and how to accomplish one timely in case you end up in this situation.What's a Short Sale? A Short Sale, in general terms, is … (5 comments)

austin tx sellers: Austin TX Sellers - Your Pricing Strategy Can Make or Break Your Net - 09/20/10 08:22 PM
Austin TX Real Estate Pricing Strategy can make or break your selling experience.  You can end up staying on the market longer than you should, and also making you net less than you probably would have if you don't think about your strategy in advance.  I have two examples...One Austin TX Seller got an unofficial appraisal of his home for $750k. But you don't have the report? No, says Mr. Seller. The appraiser came over and looked around and such and told me a number.  Oh great...  It comes time to list it. He thinks his house is worth $750k because … (4 comments)

austin tx sellers: Would you Operate on Yourself? - Austin TX Home Sellers - 09/13/10 12:48 PM
Would you operate on yourself?? No??  Why not??  What if you read enough things online or watched enough TV to know what you think you need to do? One of the greatest myths in real estate is that REALTORS®/ real estate agents sell homes. That is the farthest thing from the actual truth. Homes sell themselves, but also the home owners sell homes, not real estate agents.  Let me explain in generalities, though I know there are exceptions...A house is what it is. You can't change the location. If a buyer doesn't like the location, I, as the agent, cannot force … (23 comments)

austin tx sellers: City of Lakeway TX - Market Report - 09/09/10 03:39 PM
The City of Lakeway TX is holding its own in the current market.  The below sales chart are the SOLDs from just the first two months of the third quarter.

As you can see, Lakeway TX has home prices that fit almost everyone's budget, from the low $200's well past the $600's... there are million dollar properties in Lakeway TX, but none that have sold this quarter yet...  Look at that blue line... YIKES! Some are well above the chart, which is not good! Here's another view of Days on Market (DOM) broken down to the properties that have sold.
… (4 comments)

austin tx sellers: Real Estate - Austin TX - How Can You Avoid Foreclosure? Is a Short Sale for You? - 09/03/10 10:18 AM
How Can I Avoid Foreclosure?  The easy answer? PAY YOUR MORTGAGE!!I'm sorry, was that too blunt and honest?  Seriously though, paying your mortgage is the best option...If you can't pay your mortgage, take a look at yourself and your situation. You need to assess what you want to do. If you can't afford your mortgage, what makes you think that you can afford it if you got a loan modification from the lender? That might be an immediate fix, but what about 6 months from now? a year from now? Are you in the same situation again?Is a short sale the … (0 comments)

austin tx sellers: Hey Listing Agents, Continue to NOT Return Calls to Consumers!! - 08/13/10 04:40 PM
Hey Listing Agents, continue to not return calls to consumers!!  As McDonald's says, "I'm lovin' it!!"  First, it makes me feel great when I return a call and a consumer is so excited that I called them back so promptly. Second, by you not returning their calls, they're calling me instead and in return, you're helping to build my business!! I bend over backwards to give my new, existing, and potential clients great customer service!! I got off the phone a little bit ago with a very nice gentleman who was ecstatic that I returned his call in under 30 minutes … (18 comments)

austin tx sellers: Dual Agency/Intermediary Relationships Work If You Know How To Do It! - 07/30/10 01:55 PM
I closed on two properties a couple of days ago. The sellers were a referral from another RE/MAX agent in Houston. It was a small transaction so the agent didn't even want a referral fee. No problem, much appreciated. It turned out to be a very interesting situation. The two properties were vacant lots side by side. We were trying to sell them together as one so the buyer could have almost a 1/2 acre instead of a standard sized lot. Immediately, the neighbor next door wanted one of the lots. Great! We can close this really quick!  But, she's not … (10 comments)

 
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Donna Harris, REALTOR®, CDPE & ASP - Hill Country Austin Lakeway Homes

Donna Harris, REALTOR®, CDPE & ASP - Hill Country

Austin, TX

More about me…

Regent Property Group

Address: 7035 Bee Caves Rd #204, Austin, TX, 78746

Office Phone: (512) 592-7127

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This blog is to help educate Buyers, Sellers and even other Realtors across the country.  Each market is different and the way Real Estate is done is different.  Austin Real Estate is completely different than Dallas, California and Florida and everywhere else in between.  Some times there will be other things besides real estate as I like to rant and rave as much as the next!!  Come back often!

Donna Harris, REALTOR® with RE/MAX
Donna Harris, REALTOR® with RE/MAX
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