houses for sale austin tx: Can Consumers Trust Market Data Received in the Mail?
- 04/11/12 02:03 AM
I really hate receiving real estate marketing flyers in the mail, especially when the data is wrong. They are usually not factual and the average consumer doesn't know that they shouldn't believe what they read.In yesterday's mail, I received a marketing piece from an agent that claimed he can "save my sellers and buyers thousands of dollars." He never actually says how he can save them money, but he then talks "facts" about the immediate area. He claims that in the "Lake Travis Southshore Area" that there are currently 552 active listings and 64 sold in February. He's trying to tell … (7 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Is Austin TX Going Through a Real Estate Recovery or Not?
- 03/13/12 12:39 AM
Is there a Real Estate Recovery going on in Austin TX? As I've said many times, Austin never saw a big boom like other parts of the country. Because of this, there wasn't/isn't much to recover from. Currently, Austin TX is seeing very low inventory, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of buyers out there wanting to buy a house. To an extent, in many communities throughout Austin and its suburbs, there is a supply and demand issue going on. And what happens with Supply and Demand? As supply goes down, and demand goes up, prices go up. Prices aren't … (4 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Is Your Goal To Look at Houses or to Buy a House?
- 05/16/11 09:22 AM
I was with some buyers over the weekend who weren't sure about whether or not to offer on a house or to wait for more properties to come on the market and see what else might come available. This reminded me of a speech I use with many first-time home buyers, though it makes sense for the move-up/down buyer as well. You're not out to see every property that's available on the market. You're out to find a house you want to buy. If you're out to see every possible house out there, you must realize this is a continuous cycle. … (9 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: All Texas Contracts are As Is... but You Can Still Have an Inspection Contingency
- 02/10/11 05:30 AM
How is my contract contingent upon inspections when I have to check a box that states I'm accepting the property in its "as is" condition? One of the most important things to know when buying a house in the state of Texas is that every single sale is an "as is" sale. Most people think only foreclosures and short sales are as is, but that's simply not true. In the standard Texas, promulgated contract, there are two options to check. One option is to accept the property as is, while the other option is to accept the property as is as … (7 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Getting Pre-APPROVED and not just Pre-Qualified
- 02/09/11 02:05 AM
When buying a house in Austin TX, you need to be Pre-Approved for a Mortgage before looking at properties in person. This is the first step whether you're a first time home buyer or buying your fifth house. Notice that I used the term Pre-APPROVED and not pre-qualified...
What's the difference? A pre-qualified buyer is someone who made a phone call to a mortgage professional, gave that person a few pieces of verbal information, and the mortgage person said you're pre-qualified. A pre-APPROVAL means the mortgage person ran your credit, collected bank statements, W2's, and paycheck stubs, and ran numbers … (7 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Lake Pointe Austin - Bee Cave TX - Market Activity
- 01/22/10 02:06 AM
Lake Pointe Austin TX is a very nice neighborhood with a lot of activity going on. You can get a house for $250k or you could get a house for over $1M in the gated section. You could get a one story or a two story home, an older or a newer home, upfront with all the action or secluded in the back. Take a look at the current activity since the fourth quarter of 2009.
What do you see? What I see is an interesting trend, but still consistent with my previous market reports on the area. The smaller, … (4 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Look at Your House from All Possible Angles
- 01/19/10 09:54 AM
Have you ever looked at your house from a child's view? I have a two year old, and we play on the floor a lot. Much of the time, I get to walk around on my knees as we play. We also play in the bath tub, and you can't forget about the potty training... What does this have to do with real estate? Simple, get down to the level of a toddler before you put your house on the market. Every night I give my daughter a bath, I see that the painters forgot to paint under all three of … (17 comments)
Lantana is almost completed, but there are a few homesites left to choose from. Some have trees, while others don't. Some have large backyards to where you might need a riding lawnmower, while others have average yards. There are a couple of corner lots left, but mostly interior. There are homesites facing north, south, east, and west, so … (0 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: My New Faux Paint Fireplace - More Building Saga Completed
- 01/14/10 02:11 AM
One more part of my miserable building saga has been completed! Remember the mess with the Fireplace? How gross and dingy it was? Well, they came out in October and replaced the entire Fireplace... however, they did a very poor job. They spread the mortar all over it so the entire thing then appeared with an orange smear coating. "Oh don't worry. When it dries out, in the next 4-6 weeks, it'll all be the same color." Oh really?? I think not. After two months of letting it "dry", the fireplace still looked bad. Instead of having them tear it out … (21 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Houses for Sale - Austin TX Buyers - JUMP or Get off the Pot!
- 12/03/09 05:16 AM
I previously wrote a blog post that talked about how buyers narrow down the properties they want to see from thousands to about 10-15 properties. This is what happens from there...The average first time home buyer, because they've seen so many listings on paper (meaning online), can and will buy a house the first day looking at properties in person within 5 houses they view. The average move-up buyer can and will buy a house the second time looking at properties in person within 7-8 properties they view.Really? No way! With so much inventory, why wouldn't a buyer want to see … (11 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Real Estate - Austin TX Homes for Sale - How Much is that Free Listing Costing you?
- 12/02/09 01:42 AM
Real Estate - Austin TX Homes for Sale - The old adage is that you need to "spend money to make money", but why do so many people try to see what they can get for free?"I have a friend who's a Realtor, so she's going to list my house for free.""What marketing is being done with your house to sell it?""It's just listed in the MLS. I'm not paying her to do anything else. I'm going to market it myself.""You do realize the MLS listings feed out to multiple websites, so if your MLS listing doesn't have pictures or look … (6 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Even During the Holidays, Presentation is Important!
- 11/24/09 04:40 AM
When selling a house, besides price, I would say the presentation is the most important thing, wouldn't you? When you're selling your house, don't you want to give the impression that you would entertain a quick closing if presented with an offer today, to close in less than 30 days? I understand we're approaching the Holiday Season, however, the below house has had Holiday lights and decorations up on his house for over three weeks already. Yes, right after Halloween. I drive by this house everyday, and just shake my head.
When I have a buyer who is looking … (18 comments)
houses for sale austin tx: Senna Hills - Austin TX - Homes for Sale
- 11/07/09 04:59 AM
Senna Hills - Austin TX - Homes for Sale are going strong. There are usually a very wide variety of homes for sale within the community, but there are currently only eight houses for sale. How do those eight houses compare? You could get an older home that is already about fifteen years old for $455,000 or you could get a brand new home built in 2009 for a mere $739,900. Why do people like Senna Hills Austin TX? The community offers a lot. There are views from many properties. There is a community park, pool, tennis and basketball court. They … (2 comments)
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!
I really hate receiving real estate marketing flyers in the mail, especially when the data is wrong. They are usually not factual and the average consumer doesn't know that they shouldn't believe what they read.In yesterday's mail, I received a marketing piece from an agent that claimed he can "save my sellers and buyers thousands of dollars." He never actually says how he can save them money, but he then talks "facts" about the immediate area. He claims that in the "Lake Travis Southshore Area" that there are currently 552 active listings and 64 sold in February. He's trying to tell … (7 comments)
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