Like most of the world, Austin is preparing to celebrate the holidays like never before. For some, that means drive-thru events and virtual get-togethers. For others, it is beginning to look a lot like an early Christmas as trees are already coming out of storage and being decorated, It’s “Festivus for the rest of us”, as the late great Jerry Stiller gifted us in that memorable Seinfeld episode. That grievance pole is certainly coming out this year for sure, as everyone has a bone to pick with the year 2020. Continue reading
Category Archives: Downtown Condos
Austin has plenty of real estate news
Austin is a bustling hot spot these days. The influx of new buyers and businesses moving to Austin has cast a wider net for housing development. To the east, the new Tesla gigafactory has propelled new construction near the area. Whisper Valley, a unique eco-community, is starting to pre-sell Phase 2 called Whisper Highlands and includes five different builders to date. To the west, sales and residential construction in the Westlake and Lake Travis areas are strong. The farther reaching development is partially a byproduct of the pandemic as buyers seek less dense areas and more personal space. Continue reading
Buying a Home amid COVID-19
I hope you and your families are in good health and good spirits as we collectively fight COVID-19. I have already connected with some of you and will continue to do so. Please reach out to me as well if you want to talk about real estate, are on the lookout for a supply you can’t find, looking for a new show to stream or are just bored and want someone different to talk to. Working from home can be very isolating, trust me I get it. I can certainly provide some tricks and tips to help you schedule your day a bit.
Austin Homes Sales are Strong
The Austin real estate market is strong, and that includes all of Central Texas. Yes, we have changed some business practices, but new homes are still coming on the market daily, houses are still being shown (with some precautions) and sold. Closings still happening virtually, with limited attendance and even taking place outside. Continue reading
January Home Sales Rise as Inventory Continues to Decline
The law of supply and demand continues to ring true in central Texas, as the greater Austin area prices are still on the rise. The first Central Texas Housing Market Report of the year shows steady gains in both home sales and prices across the five-county Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), according to the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR).
Austin – Round Rock Real Estate Market Statistics for January 2020
In the Austin-Round Rock MSA, residential home sales in January rose 8.5% to 1,947 home sales, with a 9.6% sales dollar volume increase to $726,157,216. During the same period, new listings decreased 14.3% to 2,723 listings, and active listings decreased 24.1% to 4,889 listings. However, pending sales jumped 13.1% to 2,956 pending sales. Monthly housing inventory declined 0.6 months year over year to 1.6 months of inventory. Continue reading
The Difference Between a House and a Home
The difference between a house and a home is you. The memories, the pictures, the furniture, even the paint color combine to create a unique blend that reflects your own personality and style. Improvements and accessories personalize, improve and/or allow for added functionality that a house may not have had before. Consider them enhancements when it is time to sell an Austin home because they add appeal whether monetary or simply enhance the functionality of a room. Continue reading
Navigating Downtown Austin
Last week I spent a bit of time downtown for work and play. For work, I showed some condos in the Posada Del Rey condominium community at 505 W 7th Street. If you haven’t heard of this community, that is partially due to its small size and has units available for lease more frequently than for purchase. While searching for parking, I circumnavigated the old Extended Stay Hotel, which will be the home of the new 6 X Guadalupe tower at 400 W 6th Street. This will be a mixed-use tower comprised of office spaces, 349 residences and ground floor retail. After driving around in a circle for a bit, realizing my parking karma wasn’t with me that day – I settled on a parking garage. Continue reading
Home Buyer Style Guide
They say you are what you eat. What kind of home you purchase can say something about who you as well. Austin is known for being weird. The eclectic mix of art, music, and culture is as unique as the architecture, landscaping, and aesthetic designs of Austinites who call this city home. There is quite a buffet of home styles in Austin to choose from.
Homes for sale in Austin offer a unique blend of vintage and modern designs. In Austin, you can turn a corner and be in a different neighborhood with a completely different vibe. I’ve had clients in the past who refer to master-planned communities as ‘Disney World’, because all of the homes conform to the same aesthetic tone. Other neighborhoods in Austin look like something out of a storybook with bungalow-style homes and lemonade porches.
Bungalow homes for traditional buyers in Austin
I have found, more often than not, that who you are as a person, has a lot to do with what type of home you pick as a homebuyer. Buyers who like antiques, and nostalgia tend to like colonial and bungalow-style homes. These buyers don’t care if the floors creek, have no finish and are original from the 1940’s. To them, the floors as real wood and they appreciate the history and authenticity they represent. These traditional buyers also like defined rooms. They like a formal dining room, separate from the kitchen and other rooms, because to them every room has a unique purpose and therefore should have its own identity.
Dated homes ready for a remodel attract creative types in Austin.
Unlike traditional personalities, progressive buyers roll with the times. In my experience these buyers tend to be creative, artist types who don’t always look at a house for what it is… but rather what it could be. These buyers are deciding what walls they are knocking down and how to expand the kitchen. These are the dreamers who know very well they may never get to every project they envision, but see the potential and possibility.
Modern homes in Austin for buyers who think out of the box.
Modern buyers are similar to creative types, but have a flare for drama. These buyers are drawn to open floor plans and like mid-century, contemporary and trend-setting designs. They feel boxed in with too many walls. They like vaulted ceilings with a uniform tone between living areas. To some people, these homes look like office buildings, but to modern home buyers, they are dramatic and unique – a work of art in their own right. For these buyers, a downtown condo may be a fine alternative to living in the suburbs.
Your inner child has something to say
The funny thing is that you typically don’t like what you grew up with. For example, I grew up in a mid-century modern single-story home, but my brother, sister and I have always lived in 2-story traditional homes. I find this to be the trend with most of my buyers. Maybe it’s the rebel in us or simply that we know deep down change is good.
Looking for a specific home style in Austin or surrounding cities in Central Texas? Ask me about creating a custom search today.