Category Archives: Home Buying

New Home for the New Year

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new years As we ring in 2015, many buyers have a new house on their list of New Year’s wishes. Historically the day after Christmas is the busiest day of the year to look of a house online. I alone, have shown 4 properties since Christmas, so buyers are out there. One of the benefits of looking this time of year is that school is still out of session in Austin, which makes it much easier to get around town. Many people also take off from work between Christmas and New Year’s which makes it a little less stressful with extra time available to shop for a home.

Holiday Buyers

Yes, this time of year can be a hassle for sellers who want to have a few pajama days and don’t want to leave the house. Keep in mind if people are looking for homes in Texas, in 30 degree weather during the holiday season — they are serious buyers. Buyers who are intent on buying now are the people your want looking at your home as opposed to the Looky Lou’s who are not buying until Spring.

Sell a Home by Showing a Home

The easiest way to sell a home is when the seller matches the intent of the buyer. You can’t sell it if you don’t show it, so if that buyer wants to see it and you want to sell it — let them come. Plug in that Christmas tree, throw on a coat and take a drive around the neighborhood. You can even stay in your pajamas.

Cheers to a safe, happy and prosperous 2015!

A Home for the Holidays

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happy holidaysThe holiday season is upon us. Sometimes, it is easier for people to sell a home during the holiday season. People tend to shy away from it because they don’t want to move, but forget they are only marketing the house for sale. There are lots of ways I can keep someone home for the holidays – not to mention, most buyers need a loan, which takes time.

People often find it easier is keeping their house cleaner during the holiday season. This is a social time of year with friends and family visiting, so people tend to keep up with household choirs. The house also tends to be naturally staged with holiday decorations. Even the yard becomes lower maintenance this time of year.

Benefits to Buying and Selling Real Estate During the Holidays

There are benefits to both buyers and sellers to stay active in the real estate market during the holiday season. For buyers, one of the main benefits is that less people tend to shop for a home. Investors and owner occupied buyers benefit this time of year because there are less buyers to compete with. There are often tax reasons for a buyer or seller to purchase a property in the current year over the next one.

Advantages of Selling a Home

For Sellers, one of the major advantages of selling a home in the Austin Real Estate market is the positive influx of out-of-state buyers moving to Austin. More people move to Austin than leave and many new hires start in the January. Job transfers often limit or do not include relocation packages, so many new residents are eager to get themselves settled in a new home as soon as possible.

Looking to Buy a Home

A home is what people are buying. Those four walls generate the feeling of home this time of year, more than any other. So, its not a bad time to sell your property, after all it’s a home people are looking for, not a house.

Buying the Perfect Home

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house graphSo you think you’ve found the perfect home, but is it perfect for you? The path to actually buying it can prove otherwise if you haven’t done your homework. The Austin Real Estate market is very strong. Interest rates are low, the current unemployment rate is 5.1% (a six-year low) and companies are consistently moving in creating more opportunities.

Austin Texas Homes for Sale

There is a consistent supply of willing and able buyers in Austin that for the most part, still out number the amount of properties for sale. The demand as we have moved into the fall season has remained high for Austin housing. Finding the perfect house today without knowing if it is affordable, may only be setting yourself up for disappointment. After all, if you can’t afford it…the house is not so perfect anymore.

Housing Financial Criteria

Whether purchasing a first home or simply want to move to another, you need to do some homework and come up with a plan. Everyone has an idea of what they want to spend on a home, but many don’t know how that translates in terms of how much of a house they can actually afford. Your debt to income ratio is only part of the formula. The other consideration that lenders look at is your credit score. Many buyers I talk to have no idea what their credit score is. Credit scores run between 300 and 850. A credit score of 650 – 699 is generally considered moderate, while numbers between 700 and 850 are considered good to excellent. The combination of the debt to income ratio, credit score and available down payment will determine what loan programs are available, what the interest rate will be and ultimately how much you will qualify for.

Housing Lifestyle Criteria

A lender will explain what your options are and then we will talk about them. I always try and keep lifestyle in the mix to help you decide what you want to spend. You may need to be at the high end of what you can qualify for if living near Downtown Austin is important. Likewise, if you are planning to expand your family or will need to purchase a car and know your monthly expenses are going to increase as a result; you may want to spend less. Once you do your homework, you will find a home that fits your financial and lifestyle criteria. It will be the perfect home – that is perfect for you.

Click Here for the One Minute Housing Report

Kitchens Designed for Living

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kitchenMy first house was built in 1939 and had a door on every entry point to the kitchen. The purpose was to keep the smells of the kitchen contained and possibly to keep traffic out while cooking. My how times have changed. Kitchens are not just for cooking anymore.  People find themselves multitasking constantly, so it’s no wonder why modern kitchens are designed for multiple purposes.

Austin New Home Builds

Open concept kitchens are common floor plan designs in new home builds in both single family houses and condos. The size of the home does not matter. I recently started planning a new build for a client in Northwest Austin. Every size and floor plan includes a desk area, bar area or center island.   New kitchen designs welcome people to congregate, provide more organization for home office space and sometimes even include a built-in dining space for your pets.

Kitchen Designs for Today’s Living

An open concept kitchen is often an extension of a living area in today’s new homes. When I am a designing home with a client I try to get them to think about the kitchen and living area as a unit. The idea is that you want the kitchen finishes to compliment the look of the living room furnishings. The selections available today in cabinetry, range hoods and back splash are more ornate in design and diverse in material, often becoming the focal point in the home.

Open Concept Kitchens

When I am showing older homes, many buyers have thoughts and ideas of taking walls down to open up the kitchen floor plan. Although HGTV and other home design programs make taking a wall down look easy – it often is not. Those walls were put there for a reason, so it is important to hire an engineer or building professional before breaking out that sledge hammer to find out what wall or column is load-bearing. Modifications may need to be made to help you achieve the look you want without compromising the structural integrity of the house.

Austin City Limits Music Festival Real Estate Recap

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Austin City Limits Music FestivalThe Austin City Limits Music Festival has come and gone for 2014 leaving a large boost for Austin’s economy in its wake. Headliners including Outcast, Eminem and Pearl Jam contributed to both 3-day weekends selling out to roughly 75,000 visitors per day. The estimated total in revenue was $175 million for Austin in 2013.

Much of the economic contribution is from out of town guests visiting and staying in Austin for the festival. Roughly sixty-six percent of ACL festival attendees are from out of town and spend an average of nearly $900 per day on food, lodging and retail.

For attendees curious to know what homes are worth near the Austin City Limits Music Festival, below lists up-to-date market data specific to real estate for sale located within 1 mile of Zilker Park:

Austin Condominiums for Sale near Zilker Park:

  • Current Number of Active Homes: 23
  • Total Number of Pending and Active homes: 31
  • Average List Price: $487,884

Austin Single Family Houses for Sale near Zilker Park:

  • Current Number of Active Homes: 14
  • Total Number of Pending and Active homes: 25
  • Average List Price: $1,465,393

Other Zilker Park events include the Zilker Kite Festival, Blues on the Green and the Zilker Trail of Lights lending it to be a source of  consistent entertainment year round.  Homes located near Zilker Park are considered prime real estate and are consistently low in supply and high in demand.

731 Minturn Lane Open House

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731 MinturnSouth Austin, single story home in the subdivision of Buckingham Estates features 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with MIL  plan. 731 Minturn Lane is located Austin’s 78748 zip code near Southpark Meadows and Mary Moore Searight Park.

731 Minturn Lane For Sale in Buckingham Estates

Three sides masonry and vinyl siding. Kitchen open to family room. Updates include recent paint and tile flooring. Formal dining and spacious living area with laminate flooring. Carpet flooring is only in the bedrooms. Spa like master bath features recent tile, paint, fixtures, double vanity, garden tub and separate shower.

South Austin Open House

731 Minturn Lane is open Saturday, October 11th from 12:00 – 3:00pm

  • Number of Stories 1
    Square Footage 1,532 (tax record)
    Number of Living 1
    Number of Bedrooms 3
    Number of Bathrooms 2

Austin is Growing Up and Growing Out

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construction picAustin is experiencing growing pains. It is hard to turn a corner right now and not experience a construction zone, road closure or at best, a wall of traffic. Texas overall has had a net gain in new residents for several years now and within it, Austin is one of the top cities showing the fastest growth.

Austin by the Numbers

Reports show that the number for increased residents in Austin for 2014 nets at 110 per day. The growth for Austin started surging years ago, but the infrastructure never had a chance to keep pace and is now playing catch up. As residents, we have experienced this in commuting times and all the way down to line for groceries.

With all of this change in the air, Austinites are forced to face a new normal. Austin is literally growing up. Mixed-use office, hotels and apartments buildings are under construction or in the planning stages throughout Austin. Over 17,000 apartment units alone were under construction or planned as of April 2014.

Austin Real Estate Trending Now

One real estate market trend has been in the greater Austin area, which is very hot right now and where I am seeing most of the growth. Now buyers are looking and buying in Cedar Park, Georgetown and Leander because the core of Austin has become less affordable for many.

Another trend is in new construction. New communities are popping up or expanding. People are out with the old and in with the new.

The largest real estate trend I see in Austin is in market area searches. As the Austin area inventory is low, buyers are expanding their search area. It used to be that I had a search set up for someone just in one subdivision like Travis Heights. That buyer today, would be looking in the greater Central Austin area just to have the same selection of homes.