Ready to sell in Sellers’ Market Austin

sellers' market austinThe sellers’ market Austin is experiencing is showing no signs of slowing down. Statistics from March 2016 in by Austin Board of REALTORS® show Austin-area single-family home sales up 9.3 percent totaling 2,552 home sales compared to March 2015. A sellers market indicates inventory is low and demand is high. There is still competition within specific markets and there are still buyer certain expectations when it comes to condition.

Sellers’ Market Austin

When you have owned a home for a while, things tend to disappear. The do-it-yourself crown molding project that stops half way across the wall is now invisible. The trim around the replacement window from 5 years ago that never got repainted is just a distant memory. You don’t see them anymore, so they have been removed from the perpetual to-do list. Now you want to sell your house and the memories come rushing back of how you couldn’t cut the angle right or find the paint color.

Sell a Home in Austin

Unfinished projects disappear two ways. One way is to pay a professional to come in and finish or redo the project. Yes, there is a cost here, but it eliminates the question in the buyer’s mind of what it will take to finish it. The second way to deal with an unfinished project is to make it go away again.

Money can have the magical power of making things go away and may come into play even in the Sellers’ market Austin has. If a seller does not have the money to finish a project before putting it on the market, making a price concession either on the home’s sales price or even offering some closing costs will help.

Unfinished projects tend to haunt buyers just as they may have weighed on a seller at one point in time.

The truth is that not all unfinished projects ever get finished. That little thing called ‘life’ happens and often gets in the way. They are often in a constant state of either being the elephant in the room or invisible. It’s all a matter of perspective.

3355 County Road 279 Leander TX 78641

3355 County Road 279 Leander

Leander Home For Sale:  Country setting, 3355 County Road 279 Leander Texas on 5+ acres w/ horse barn & garage/workshop for the auto enthusiast. Home features mother in-law plan, all good-sized rooms; one bedroom would work well as an office. Granite in kitchen, large wood burning fireplace in living room, 2 central heating and air conditioning units, 2 hot water heaters, main roof replaced (’14), energy efficient windows (’13) and horse stalls.

3355 County Road 279 Leander Texas sits on 5+ acres w/ Horse Barn & Garage/Workshop

  • 3-Bay Workshop includes: paint bay, small office, storage & extra bath.
  • Horse Barn with stalls for 4 horses
  • Single Story Home
  • Metal Roofs on Outbuildings
  • Ceiling Fans
  • Vaulted Ceiling in Living Room
  • Covered Decks
  • 3-sides masonry and stained wood siding on main house
  • Exterior wood siding re-stained (2016)
  • Exterior wood railings painted (2016)
  • Main house septic drain field (2014)

Take a Virtual Tour of 3355 County Road 279, Leander, Texas 78641

The main house has 4 spacious bedrooms, 2.5 baths with 2,893 square feet of living space (appraiser). Other details include covered patio, 2-car carport, parking pad & dog run. Fenced yard. No Carpet. No home owners association. 5 miles to HEB Plus, MetroRail, 183/183A.

MLS# 5750957

The Best Time to Sell a Home in Austin

Cottages at NorthwoodsIt’s that time of year again when homeowners start to question whether to sell now or wait. The answer lies in the advantage for each individual seller.  If the goal is to sell for the highest price, that number is determined by what the market will bare.  Remember the real estate market when you are selling is centered around the price, condition and location of the home in question. 

Where Homes are Selling in the Austin

The only thing that matters is how the market specific to that home is moving.  If there are a lot of similiar homes currently on the market (competition), then it may best to wait.  If there is hardly any inventory out there, you are in a good position to sell now.  Waiting for more competition to hit the market doesn’t make much sense when you ideally want scarcity.

The Holiday Season has Ready, Willing and Able Buyers in Austin for Ready and Willing Sellers

The holiday season is upon us and if that means to a potential seller that friends and family are coming every weekend making it hard to show the house – wait until January.  After all, it is hard to sell a home that can’t be shown. If a seller is not ready and willing to sell a home, it is best not to introduce potential buyers to it prematurely.

The Best Time to Sell a Home in Austin

We don’t have magic potion to predict the future.  What a specific real estate market is going to look like for any particular seller in January or even April is dependent on what the competition looks like at that particular time.  The market now, combined with the owner’s willingness to show it during the holidays, will help determine whether it is the right time to sell.

May the Chi be with You

zenTake a look at the dining room table you never use, the toys on the floor or maybe the pile of dishes in the sink. Clutter, for many people, can induce stress and is often the source when you can’t quite put a finger on what is bothering you. Understanding some basic principles of Feng Shui can help bring you and your home back into balance. A stress free home is not only important for every homeowner, but it is important to a potential buyer as well. A happy home is easier to sell.

Feng Shui Principles when Selling a Home

Chi is energy. Star Wars fans may identify more with the idea of The Force. The energy that binds the galaxy together is the chi that flows through us and our homes. When our chi is blocked, energy is zapped and we feel sad. Houses are no different than living beings when it comes to chi. When chi is constantly flowing through our homes – we feel good. That is why we often feel better after cleaning them. Clutter blocks chi, which is why we feel suffocated when it starts to build up.

Buyers pick up on positive and negative chi very quickly. When the energy is good, they immediately light up even if the house is not exactly a match. On the flip side, when the energy is bad, buyers either can’t wait to leave or start picking the house apart.

Home Selling Tips

If you are just trying to feel more at harmony with your home, sometimes a good cleaning is all you need. That cleaning also includes a certain level of decluttering. Everything on that dining room table needs to go to its proper home, papers need to be filed and everything lining the stairs needs to go to the second floor. If you are selling a home, it is time to take things to the next level. You have all seen the TV shows – it’s time to keep it, sell it, toss it or donate it. Don’t move things you don’t want and don’t shove them in the closet either.

Good Chi in Homes

When selling, living space needs to have good chi and closets do as well. Buyers want to open closets and feel like there is room. When a closet is disorganized and stuffed to the max – the buyer’s brain says “there is no room in here for my things.” Garages and cabinets need to be organized too. If you want to keep things, but know your house is overstuffed, renting self-storage space may help. You can often rent climate controlled space for just a few months until closing on a new home. You may not need a very large space and can cram things in to your heart’s content.

Giving a home space to breathe will help you do so as well. The positive chi will flow, which will not only make you feel good, but feel good to be home.

1814 Village Oak Court, Austin TX 78704

1814 Village Oak Ct-MLS_Size-001-Front yardUnder contract but accepting back-up offers, 1814 Village Oak Court in Austin’s trendy 78704 zip code offers an ideal balance of living in a suburban area while enjoying the convenience of an urban lifestyle.

SoLa district in Austin 78704

Austin’s 78704 zip code is home to hot spots like Zilker Park, the ZACH Topfer Theatre, the Long Center and Town Lake Hike & Bike Trail. 1814 Village Oak Court is located in the SoLA district of 78704, where South Lamar local favorites include The Broken Spoke, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and a variety of retail and eateries.
1814 Village Oak Ct Austin, TX 78704This South Lamar area beauty features a well-balanced floor plan, soaring ceiling in living area, 3-sided fireplace borders living and dining, bonus loft space upstairs perfect for home office, cherry wood floors, cherry cabinets, island kitchen w/ granite counters, masonry siding, 3-sided wood burning fireplace, crown molding, flagstone patio, fenced backyard and no home owner’s association.

1814 Village Oak Court Austin, TX 78704

• 3 bedrooms
• 2.5 baths
• 2,002 sq. ft (tax records)
• Year built: 2004
• 1 car attached garage
• loft/study space
• fenced backyard with flagstone patio and deck
• 2nd floor deck
• cul-de-sac street

ML# 1584727

731 Minturn Lane Open House

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

Staging with a Thinking Chair

Where do you put a dining room table or large TV?   The answers may seem obvious, but for potential real estate buyers – they often are not. In Austin’s current hot sellers market, owners are often moving on prior to selling their current home. Home owners  move first because of a job transfer or owners can afford to buy without having to sell. Buying another home often leads to moving furniture, which often leads to an empty home.

Vacant homes for sale can be harder to sell

When a house for sale is vacant it is often hard for a buyer to figure out how to place furniture. It becomes more of a mental stumbling block and less of a question than one might think. When a buyer cannot figure out where a table might go or if a couch will fit somewhere, it takes them from enjoying the space to now figuring out the space – which means they aren’t even looking at the house anymore. When agent feedback starts coming back that the floor plan is odd or where did the owner put a couch, staging is often needed. Renting furniture can be expensive and there are some strategies to that can be taken before going that route.

Staging Strategies

  • Have pictures taken before the move to give buyers a visual of what the home looked like furnished. Pictures can be very helpful in dining areas and flex space. Flex rooms often confuse buyers so knowing how a seller utilized the space can be very helpful.
  • Don’t move everything at once. Yes, it is more expensive to move twice, but the alternative of keeping your house on the market or renting furniture could cost you more.
  • Floor plans that show furniture, pool tables and even pianos can be produced to show a buyer options on how to configure a space.

The Power of the Thinking chair

Often the best part about staging has nothing has nothing to do with furniture placement at all. It is about the buyers feeling at home when they are looking at a house. Sometimes a buyer just wants to sit and take in the space to envision actually living there. When there is a table and chairs or a sofa to sit on, buyers feel like they can take a breather and just take it all in. Every house for sale needs to have a thinking chair. As a seller, you want the buyer to stay and feel at home. Staging can not only make a house look like home, but feel like home too.