Before we get into the news, I wanted to take a moment to say I’m thankful for you! Support Local Austin will be hitting 14 years soon, and that would not have happened without your loyalty. I am thankful for your business, friendship, referrals and support over the years. I have helped some families through 3 generations which is an amazing blessing and connection to have.
I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Now onto the news….. Continue reading
Take 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.
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. Continue reading
I often get asked when it is the best time to sell a house. More often than not, the answer is when the seller is ready. It’s not about a season anymore. Every season is strong in Austin. About 60 people are still moving to Travis County every day and the numbers are even higher in Williamson and Hays Counties. Yes, there are more homes on the market in Austin, in the spring, but as a seller – that also means more competition. Inventory is very low in Austin. There is a housing shortage which has existed for years.
There is no bad time to sell in Austin. Sellers are always excited by the for-sale sign being placed in the yard. It is milestone for sure, but in order to reach that point – you need to be ready. When this list is complete – it’s time to sell: Continue reading
Zilker Park Christmas Tree
‘Tis the season for shopping, baking, cleaning and sitting in Austin traffic. With all of the things to find time for during the holidays, selling or buying a home in Austin, or anywhere, is often taken off the to-do list. There are benefits to selling and buying during the holiday season which can make the prospect of doing so a little merrier.
The holiday season is also the start of colder weather. In other parts of the country snow can really impact winter home sales. Fortunately, for the Austin real estate market, snow days are few and far between. Home buyers in Austin can generally shop year round though it may be hard to find the time during the holidays.
The holiday season holds benefits for home buyers. Less buyers mean less competition. There are typically less multiple offers this time of year which can drive up prices along with stress levels. There is often more flexibility with a standard 30-day closing turnaround this time of year as well. Both buyers and sellers have a lot going on besides the thought of moving. In addition, banks and title companies are closed for the holidays which decreases the amount of business days. For some, a shorter closing timeline may be appealing and for others adding 10 days to the timeline to get past the holidays or doing a lease back so nobody has to move right away works nicely. The goal this time of year is to make it work and it usually can.
Only the must-see homes on the hot list make the cut this time of year. There are fewer buyers this time of year and with little time, those coming out to see a house are serious shoppers. Sellers will get less traffic but those that come out want or need to buy — now.
Decorations set the stage by making a house feel like a home. A seller’s biggest challenge, in any given month, is keeping the home constantly clean. We tend to clean more this time of year anyway for visiting friends and family, so why not take advantage of the opportunity to show it.
There are many sellers that will take their house off the market between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always encourage my sellers to keep their houses on the market. Serious buyers will miss a home if it is not for actively for sale, which is exactly the type of buyer they want.
The 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.
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.
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.
It’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.
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 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.
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.
Just sold in the Shiloh neighborhood in South Austin. Sweet single story charmer on a tree lined street lets the sunshine in. Great layout offers: Large living room with fireplace, plenty of cabinetry and sprawling granite counters in kitchen, separate dining area, with access to outdoor deck and fenced in backyard.
2716 Cameron Loop features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a 2 car-garage. Extra details
include silestone counters in baths, laminate and tile flooring throughout along
with surround sound.
2716 Cameron Loop was built in 1982 and is just under 1,400 square feet. 2716
Cameron Loop is located zip code 78745, in the popular South Austin neighborhood
called Shiloh, with a park located across the street.