The bigger Austin becomes, the more the flight path needs to be considered for homebuyers. Historically, a net gain of more than 100 residents a day, would mean longer commutes from Austin traffic to get to the office or even just the grocery store. After all, more people mean more cars, which lead to more traffic; all the result of a population increase. Now, throw a pandemic into the mix and you’ve got an outlier that skews the data. Continue reading
The Austin real estate market news continues to tell the tale of rising homes prices, little inventory, and who’s moving to town. It is never a dull moment in this town and there is always an answer to ‘what’s next? Continue reading
The holiday season is all about lists. We make them, check them twice, and then because it is 2020, we throw them away and start new ones. Austin made Santa proud this year by making Wallethub’s Best Cities for Christmas list. If we have learned anything this year, it is to be more adaptable. We all think we are flexible and able to bend, but that was challenged this year (and I don’t mean with yoga). Life truly can change at any moment. For introverts and fans of dystopian drama, like me, adapting to staying indoors away from the social scene has been relatively easy. I think I was more prepared for zombies, but I feel like we leaned a little closer to the Hunger Games. Continue reading
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
People who want to stay safe and shelter in place, but also want to buy a home, may be a bit confused about what their next steps should be. That’s great news because there is so much you should be doing and can be doing – from home. I tell buyers all of the time that looking at homes in person, is really the only fun part of the home buying process. Some people might disagree, but really if you consider the steps – you will probably agree. Some people stress about spending money. Not everyone enjoys a new time-consuming task to fit into an already filled day. I have also yet to meet someone who enjoys filling out paperwork.
There is paperwork aplenty. Back in the day, we printed everything and I used to include myself as one of those tree killers. Nowadays, so much of what I do is online, there is no guilt anymore. My buyers can buy a home completely paperless if they choose, but the paperwork still exists, now as online forms, and there is plenty of it. There are many forms that are required to be filled out in order to buy a home. All of that can take place on-line. All of it takes time. All of it can be done from the comfort of your own couch. Continue reading
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.
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
Schools are back in session and traffic is back to normal which can be helpful when trying to estimate how long it takes to get from point A to point B. If you are looking for a home in a new area, I always recommend using the navigation app on your smart phone.
Type the proposed area of your new home to your work address, at the time you leave for work. Reverse the search again at the end of the day. Doing this a few times will help you start tracking drive times to and from the area you are considering moving to. Continue reading