Tag Archives: Buying a home

Looking to purchase a home in Austin? Doreen Zelma is a real estate professional ready to help, whether you are a first time home buyer or seasoned second time or move up buyer.

Like Homes attract Like Buyers

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Low rates, low inventory and plenty of buyers have made for a busy 2012 Austin Real Estate season.  The biggest mistake a buyer can make right now is to not have a plan and thorough understanding of the home buying process.  If a home comes on the market these days, that is better than most – whether it is because of features or price, rest assured there are plenty of buyers that are going to go see it – and they all have similar wants and needs in a house.  In fact, many buyers all view the same houses, because a new one pops up in a popular subdivision or school district they want.  Like houses attract Like Buyers.  My last 2 listings had multiple offers and the last offer I wrote did as well.   Multiple offers are the norm right now, so buyers need to be prepared to act quickly when viewing a house they have interest in.

Steps to Home Ownership in Austin

Get pre-qualified or pre-approved for a loan before you ever step foot in a home – it will alleviate disappointment and an offer will not be accepted without one.

Understand the contract up front…what is option money, earnest money, a MUD, how does a back-up contract
work?  Having an understanding of the contract and the home buying process will save time and maybe a bit of frustration before you actually purchase a home.

Who are you going to call?  I have yet to call in the Ghost Busters, but knowing who you are going to call these days for an inspection is helpful.  Knowing how much hazard insurance might cost, even how much common upgrades like having a room painted, replacing carpet or installing granite might be helpful to know upfront, so that you have an idea.

Preparing before looking at homes will give the buyer a leg up on the competition and the ability to act quickly when the ideal home becomes available.

 

The 7 Year Itch

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I often get asked by buyers first starting their Austin Home Search whether they should buy a home with a master upstairs with the rest of the bedrooms or on the main level.  The answer lies in the buyer based on where he is in his own individual timeline.  Sure, there comes a point when you may not want to be on the same floor as the kids – or maybe even in-laws.  On the flip side, buyers who are just starting to plan to have kids or have young children often prefer to be on the same floor.  The boogie man typically doesn’t make a presence until about 2am, so parents often want to be nearby to deal with late night trouble shooting without being a flight of stairs away. 

Search Listings for Homes for Sale in the Austin MLS

A Custom Home Search for Austin MLS listings can be created to search for homes with the master on the first floor or upstairs only.

Sure, a master on the main level can be helpful in the later years, when the kids are gone and the steps become cumbersome.  Understand, though, as much as we think this is going to be the last house we will ever buy – this little thing called life often gets in the way, which leads to a move. 

What my clients are often concerned about when purchasing a home with the master up is how that might affect re-sale.  What is important to remember is that buyers more often than not, reflect the seller at a given moment in time and that is when they are shopping for a home.  When you are selling the buyer is going to choose your home, for the same reasons you decided to buy it.  Also, there are many neighborhoods where is master is always up, just because that was the trend at the time.  So, in certain neighborhoods – that is the design you are going to be choosing from regardless.

 
My advise – choose a house that is going to work with your lifestyle for the next 7 years.  If you stay in it longer – great, but after 7 years you generally start getting the itch to move or need to move.  If we all had crystal balls the world would be a much different place.

Go with the Flow

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I have seen many Austin properties for sale.  Lots of  things about a house can be changed including the paint, flooring, fixtures, even the kitchen cabinetry.  The one thing that can become cumbersome, expensive or nearly impossible is the floor plan.  Floor plans play a key role in determining how fast a house will sell and may ultimately affect what it will sell for.  A house needs to have a certain flow to it, which reflects how people live within it.  People often prefer the master bedroom on the main level to provide some separation and privacy.  Others like having a living area on the upper level.  A backyard door from the kitchen often makes for a better transition with pets and small children then directly into the living room.  Make no mistake, there is no perfect floor plan, everyone has slightly different routines when they enter a home and live within it. 

Routines often change too once you move in to a new house.  People think building a house is the answer, but 9 times out of 10, it is still not perfect.

Austin Properties for Sale

Some floor plans have nothing to do with how you live – but how you feel.  Feng Shui principles can be applied to floor plans as well, affecting overall peace of mind.  A house needs to have good chi, which is the energy that flows throughout a home.  For example, you never want to front door of a house to be aligned directly opposite the back door of a house, because the chi can escape too quickly.  Entering with a house with a wall in front of you also blocks the energy path through a house.   Furniture placement and plants are helpful when floor plans do not apply optimal feng shui principles, because you can use them to redirect the flow of energy.
How do you know when you have found a home with a good floor plan?  It’s really easy.  Just think about how it makes you feel on the inside.  If it makes you happy, it’s a good floor plan.

7405 Teak Cove Austin Texas 78750

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7405 Teak Cove in Austin Texas 78750

 

7405 Teak Cove in Jester Point!  Plenty of curb appeal with sun-filled spacious interior.  Ideal floor plan boasts main level master bedroom, gourmet center- island eat-in-kitchen with extensive granite counters, formal living room with fireplace,  additional bedroom on first floor could be a home office, guest room or TV room,additional full bath on first floor, formal dining area, center foyer, 2 bedrooms on upper level with full bath.  The living area on second floor provides ample space for a media, family or play room.  Added luxury of a large 3-car garage and outdoor patio for backyard grilling and entertaining.  Home is nestled on a picturesque cul-de-sac location with lush landscaping and towering oak shade trees. 

7405 Teak Cove is located in the popular Jester neighborhood located in Austin, Texas 78750.

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7405 Teak Cove, Austin Texas Upgrades

  • Complete Roof replaced (2009)
  • Water Heaters replaced (2010)
  • Lennox HV/AC Units replaced by Strand Brothers (2002) (14 SEER)
    • Exceed City energy requirements/recommendations on performance
      • Less than 6.5% and 6.1% leakage on systems (per energy audit)
  • Digital programmable thermostats.
  • Granite counters in Kitchen with bullnose edging (2007)
  • Kitchen appliances (2007)
  • Low flow commodes (1.6 gallons/use) (2010)
  • Master Bath fixtures replaced (2012)
  • Garbage Disposal replaced (2011)

 

7405 Teak Cove, Austin Texas Features

  • 4-sides masonry exterior
  • Granite counters in Kitchen with bullnose edging
  • Abundant cabinetry in Kitchen with pantry and Center Island
  • Granite Center Island in Kitchen
  • Fireplace in Formal Living
  • Built-ins throughout
  • Plenty of storage
  • Double front door entry
  • Hardwood floors and tile in first floor living areas
  • Crown Molding throughout
  • Master closet with his/her separate entries
  • Balcony overlooking Entry Foyer and Formal Living Room
  • Soaring ceilings in Foyer and Formal Living
  • Tray ceiling in second floor Living Area
  • Vaulted ceilings in secondary bedrooms
  • Utility room with sink
  • Ceiling Fans
  • Fenced in backyard
  • Wired for Security

7405 Teak Cove Austin Texas Room Specifications

  • 3,080 square feet of living space (tax record)
  • 3 Bedrooms (master on main)
  • 3 Full Baths (two with double vanities)
  • 3 Living Areas
  • Eat-in Kitchen
  • Formal Dining Area
  • Entry Foyer
  • Utility Room
  • 3 Car side-entry Garage:  713 square feet (tax records)

List Price:  $466,500

Listed by:  Doreen Zelma, Realtor, GRI

o:  512-761-0567

e: doreen@supportlocalaustin.com

 

All information is reliable, but not guaranteed.  Buyer to verify.

Buying a Home from the Inside Out

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My first house was built in 1939 and had asbestos siding, knob and tube electric wiring and a converted coal furnace that was the size of a small space craft.  When I had my home inspection, my inspector told me everything was working just fine and that there was no need to change anything.  The only thing I ultimately replaced 7 years later, was the furnace.  It wasn’t broken and never gave me a problem, but I just had the money to upgrade it to something more efficient – and smaller.

Austin Homes for Sale

There are some upgrades that we need to do and others that would fall into the ‘nice to do’ category.  I often try to put perspective on this when the home inspection comes back on a house. The dilemma on how to move forward often comes when buyers feel that a major system, like the furnace is old.  The main question Austin home buyers to ask and to be mindful of is whether or not the system has reached its end of life.  If in all probability a furnace is coughing up its last breathe of hot air, my buyers need to consider the cost of a replacement during their option period, because we may want to go back to the sellers and talk about the cost.  Sellers don’t always know a lot about their house before it is inspected, so this is often new information they need to consider.

Selling a Home in Austin

[Helpful tip to Sellers:  if you are worried about the condition of your home before a buyer’s inspection –
have your house pre-inspected before it goes on the market.]

On the flip-side, it is important to remember functionality.  Building codes change over time, as new and improved ways of doing things are discovered.  That doesn’t mean the existing system isn’t doing the job, just because standards have changed.  For buyers to think a Seller should make a concession because there is a better way of doing something now, is not realistic.  Sure, it would be more efficient to have a two zone HV/AC system on a two story house, but to expect a seller to pay for that is not realistic.  Again, is the system functioning properly?  There is always a new and improved way to do something and there always will be, but to expect a 1969 home to be upgraded to 2012 standards is not realistic.  If you want a new home, then I will sell you a new home.

Don’t get me wrong, upgrades are a Seller and Buyer’s best friend.  Houses that have been updated sell for more money, simply because they have more appeal.  A buyer feels confident that they should not need to worry about replacing something for a while, which is then something they don’t need to budget for in the future.  A house that has updated systems shows pride of ownership from the inside – it’s not just the aesthetics that attract a buyer.

My latest Central Austin Real Estate listing is a great example of pride of ownership from the inside – out.  Yes, the house looks great, but the added appeal comes from the fact that just about every system in the house has been replaced in the last 6 years – even the water heater.  The owners got into the habit of replacing things as needed, which is of course what we all strive to do.  5905 Paseo Del Toro is located in Central Austin just North of 2222 in the Highland Hills/Northwest Hills area of Austin.         5905 Paseo Del Toro details

6607 Clubway Lane Open Today 1 – 4

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6607 Clubway Lane 78745

6607 Clubway Lane located in South Austin, is a single story home in the 78745. 6607 Clubway features fresh paint on the interior and exterior, newer dual-pane windows with screens and hard tile floors. The carpet in the bedrooms has also been updated. Large master with space for sitting, exercise or even a desk. The master bath and kitchen range have been updated as well. 6607 ClubwayLane offers a fenced in yard and automatic sprinkler system. Sits on the corner of a cul-de-sac lot. 6607 Clubway Lane in 78745 is conveniently located for shopping, restaurants, parks and more.

6607 Clubway Lane in 78745

Sq. ft. 1,525 (tax record)
Bedrooms: 3
Baths: 2

List Price: $169,900

Visit me today, Sunday, February 12th from 1 – 4

Directions: Off William Cannon between South First & Manchaca. North on Woodhue to Armadillo. Turn Left on Armadillo. House is on the left corner of Armadillo & Clubway. (Second block off Woodhue)

So you want to buy a house

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I was pricing a house for a new listing this week and was encouraged when I discovered there were no active properties for sale. When I pulled the Austin real estate MLS data, everything was pending and many were on the market for less than 10 days. I have mentioned before that inventory is low and in some areas and even condo communities — it is nonexistent. The laws of supply and demand are going to translate to higher sales prices in the near future – due to the low inventory. I cannot stress enough the importance of talking to lender before you look at anything in person. You can be in great financial shape with no debt and a good job and still not get a loan these days. Most people have no idea what their credit score is or what is on their credit report.

It’s a great idea to talk to a lender even if you aren’t planning on purchasing a home for a year or two. Sometimes, things appear on a credit report that should not be on there, like a college loan that was paid off years ago. Understand, the challenge often with a credit report is not in releasing the lien — it’s about waiting for that line item to not appear on your credit report anymore which will raise your credit score. It can take 3 to 6 months at minimum for the debt to no longer appear on a credit report, so I encourage everyone to know your number even if you aren’t buying a house anytime soon.

Austin Real Estate Market

The Austin Texas Real Estate Market is strong and will remain strong with mortgage rates in record lows. If you are thinking of selling, I encourage you to talk to me about your local inventory, because after all markets are local. 2009 may not have been your year to sell, but 2012 may very well be.