Specializing in nice people ... the power of affirmation - 11/29/08 10:14 AM
We somewhat jokingly have the mantra of "we specialize in nice people" and put this out there on a regular basis and I give my team permission to pass on rude or mean.  And what happens?  It manifests itself in nice people being attracted to our business and what seems to be a lack of not-nice.  Try it.  What do you want to specialize in?  What type of client do you want to attract to your business?  How do you present yourself? 
If you present professional, you'll attract professional.
If you present nice, you'll get nice.
If you present aggressive, you'll … (11 comments)

Gay Ghetto Top 10 - 11/25/08 03:36 PM
Austin, TX was ranked 8th at gaydata.com's Gay Ghetto Top 10 based on their analysis of demographics and real estate sales data throughout the USA linking towns that are "most in vogue with the diverse GLBT community."  Austin tied with Palm Springs and Chicago.  Here's the scoop:
 #8  Palm Springs, CA & Chicago Metro Area, IL & Austin, TX  (3-Way Tie)
Austin has a long reputation for gay-friendliness, and what was long ago a large gay underground is now a tremendously creative GLBT synergy that permeates the whole city in full view of everyone. Austin is the state capital, an important academic center, and the music … (2 comments)

Flood zone? Austin School District? - 11/25/08 12:03 PM
City of Austin new floodplain viewer:  http://coagis1.ci.austin.tx.us/website/NewFloodplain/viewer.htm
A little slow but a good tool.
For more information regarding the City of Austin's Watershed Protection / Development review:  http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/floodplain_newmap.htm
 
Want to verify AISD school boundaries?  Here's the link:  https://access.austinisd.org/school_boundaries/?lang=en
Need even more assurance?  Stop into the school of your choice, introduce yourself and get the school boundaries in person.
… (1 comments)

Clog blog - 11/25/08 11:58 AM
I closed on an investment property in Austin on February 13th. The property was a 1960's house in north/central Austin, Jamestown area. It had been inspected and there was nothing that presented a red flag on the inspection report. The property appeared to be move-in ready.
On February 14, I was doing a little painting and decided to run the drapes through the wash. Next thing I knew I was ankle deep in water in the laundry room. I immediately called my home warranty and they sent a plumber. I initially thought it was a clogged drain and I would be … (0 comments)

A lot easier - 11/24/08 02:51 PM
My father is following a bit too fast in his father's footsteps. You see, Grandpa had full blown dementia at 80 and Dad, at 78, appears to be not too far behind. He often references his 20 years flying jets for the USAF in relation to his driving skills (Dodge Magnum, one of the sexier cars he has owned) ... says with the same intonation every time, "driving is a lot easier."
Why is this in a real estate blog? Well, real estate is real life and as our parents age and their needs change and increase, we find ourselves wondering … (0 comments)

Move to a Downtown Austin Loft - 11/24/08 02:42 PM
By our favorite South Austin contributor, Patti P. 
Lofts are rising all over Austin overnight like a newly planted bean seed-pushing up clumps of earth in the "clubby" warehouse district, trailing up in the refreshing work/live East side, winding tendrils on vibrant South & North Lamar, reaching for the sun in the heart of SOCO, and promising to become some beautiful "beans" on swanky West 5th.
These lofty plans have names covering the alphabet from Alloya, Avenue Lofts, Austin City Lofts, Bel Air, Brazos Lofts, Bridges on the Park, Brown Building, Caswell Lofts, Guadalupe 31, Milago, Nokonah, Plaza Lofts, Satillo Lofts, … (1 comments)

Good News for Austin - 11/21/08 01:47 PM
Top 10 Most Promising Housing Markets
Housing Predictor, which provides housing forecasts in 250 markets, has identified 10 markets where the regional economies are healthy and have strong potential for increasing prosperity.
These housing markets have bucked the national trend in 2008 and avoided the subprime crisis, the consultancy says.
Whatever the future holds for the housing market as a whole, Housing Predictor forecasts that these cities will continue to see steady, dependable growth.
Top cities and the percentage sales prices have increased so far in 2008.
Biloxi, Miss., 4.9 percent Salem, Ore., 4.7 percent Bismarck, N.D., 4.6 percent Spokane, Wash., … (1 comments)

Refinishing Wood Floors - 11/21/08 01:38 PM
Repair Chronicle # 3: Refinishing Wood Floors
Q1. What was the scope of your project? The carpet in our home was getting old and worn out so we decided to tear it up and replace it with new carpet. When we ripped the carpet up we discovered that the original floors were hard wood floors. It didn't take long to know why the carpet was put down because the original flooring was worn, stained and scratched up pretty bad. Still the thought of having hard wood floors was very appealing so we decided to refinish the wood floors.
Q2. What … (0 comments)

Yelp & Online Social Networking - 11/20/08 02:10 PM
I wanted to share an educational moment with some general information and advice on online social networking and promoting your business online. 
You may have heard of yelp.com but some other sites you may be familiar with (or not) may include Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo, yahoo groups and meetup.com.  For example, in yahoo groups, I am a member of a national Keller Williams group, a member of a Keller Williams faculty group; on meetup.com, I am a member of a labrador retriever group, a kayak group and a wordpress blog group.
Did you know the average age of a user on Facebook … (2 comments)

Location, Location, Locomotion - 11/19/08 04:08 PM
When out looking to buy a new house both buyers and agents express feelings of apprehension to homes that are close to major roads or railroad tracks.  When looking at the data for homes that back to or are near a train track, they take longer to sell than others of the same size and interior finish-out further away.  This is real estate 101 ... location, location, locomotion.  The same can be said for houses that face or back to a major road.  Most of these homes will be priced below market and will take longer to sell.  But what about … (0 comments)

Popcorn Ceilings - 11/19/08 04:01 PM
REPAIR CHRONICLE #2:POPCORN CEILINGSJulie Nelson - NW Hills / Austin, TX - submitted 03/08
Q1. What was the scope of your project? [fix a leaky faucet, add a 2nd story]Scrape the ugly popcorn stuff off the ceiling of my office in my new 1970's house in the woods. Basically a very easy project, very little skill involved and I totally recommend bringing your house into the current century by scraping all popcorn off the ceiling BEFORE you move in and BEFORE you replace the carpet.
Before we get too far, a note on the possibility of asbestos: popcorn ceilings may contain … (0 comments)

Tankless? - 11/17/08 04:13 PM
By our favorite South Austin contributor-Patti P. 
One night last week I planned on cooking pasta for dinner-knowing what time the family would most likely be home and ready to pounce on their plates-and being that it was my turn to cook-I started the big pot of pasta water before everyone was home and let it simmer on the stove, figuring I could turn up the flame as soon as the front door opened to get the pot to a rolling boil quickly.  Thus dinner would be served, consumed, cleaned up in record time and we could hop right on to … (0 comments)

Stained Concrete Floors - 11/14/08 04:21 PM
REPAIR CHRONICLE #1:STAINED CONCRETE FLOORSPatti P - Shady Hollow / Austin, TX - submitted 02/08
Q1. What was the scope of your project? [fix a leaky faucet, add a 2nd story]The entire main floor of Casa Przybylinski (other than kitchen & bathroom) was carpeted with allergen hugging Berber loops when we purchased the home in 2004. By 2006, having mustered my way through 3 sinus surgeries, my husband & I knew the Berber had to go.
Q2. What was the general budget (initial)? [do not have to disclose]After paying over $20,000 out of pocket for medical bills that our insurance carrier … (1 comments)

A Real Estate First - 11/13/08 01:24 PM
A definite first.  We were about to write an offer Friday morning on a house my buyers were very excited about.  My buyers are also very expectant, as in the baby is due this week.  As you may guess from the title, that Friday appointment did not happen as contractions take precedence over real estate. 
We learned that the sellers of this particular house were out of town for the weekend camping in west TX so offers would not be presented until Monday.  We also learned that they already had one offer in and thought it would be up to 3 … (3 comments)

Home Warranty Comparisons - 11/13/08 01:07 PM
If you are in the process of buying a home and have chosen to purchase (or the sellers are providing for you - even better) a home warranty, then we would like to help you assess your options. Remember that a home warranty is not the end-all to home repair or home headaches as they do not always help you or apply when you need it the most, but for most folks it's a nice little insurance policy to have in your back pocket. We recommend that you go online and look for a chart outlining the coverage options and compare. … (0 comments)

 
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Julie Nelson

Austin, TX

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The Nelson Project / Keller Williams Austin

Address: 1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100, Austin, TX, 78746

Office Phone: (512) 794-6608

Cell Phone: (512) 848-5881

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Austin, Texas real estate trends, commentary, issues, and opportunities

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