Tag Archives: Selling a home

Looking to sell a home in Austin? Doreen Zelma is a real estate professional ready to help. Doreen is a seasoned listing agent and offers only best marketing in Austin.

1415 Laurel Glen Boulevard For Sale

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White stone front single story beauty features professionally landscaped front and backyard with nice tree canopy, white stone wood burning fireplace in living, laminate and tile flooring throughout with large closets. Nice floor plan with master bedroom suite separate from secondary bedrooms. One bedroom could double as a study. Updates include: double-hung windows, tile bathtub surround, French glass back door, garage doors, kitchen counters and stainless steel sink. Large deck with storage shed in the backyard.  Close to Pleasant Hill Elementary

1415 Laurel Glen Boulevard, Leander Texas 78641

  • 1,377 square feet (per tax record)
  • 3 bedrooms
  • 2 baths
  • Single Story
  • 2 car garage
  • no carpet
  • Fireplace
  • Year built 1986

Oak Ridge Subdivision in Leander

1415 Laurel Glen Boulevard is located in the Oak Ridge subdivision.  Oak Ridge features a community pool, playground, tennis and sports court.

1415 Laurel Glen Blvd. is a home for sale in Leander, Texas

 

 

 

Pool Season

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PoolSwimming pools: the instant source for entertainment, relaxation and exercise. They provide a backyard retreat and a tranquil view that is a luxury marker some buyers dream about having. For those buyers who want a pool, houses with them are much easier to sell. Forget the condition of the house– that oasis in the backyard, especially on a hot day kind of sells itself, doesn’t it?

Pools can be more of a hindrance than a help. Not everyone wants a pool. In fact, I would say 70% of people don’t. Pools cost money and time to maintain. In addition, there are safety concerns for people with small children and pets. They can also take up a lot of yard space.

Swimming Pool Tips for both Buyers and Sellers

Swimming Pool Owners
•Maintain and update your pool. Nobody wants to buy a money pit (literally).
•If you can afford switch to saline — do it, it is a selling feature.
•If you own in a subdivision where most homes have a private pool…buyers will be comparing your ‘pool’ appeal.
•Make sure the pool area looks clean, maintained and inviting.

Buying a Home with a pool
•A general inspector will not inspect a pool, but many pool companies do. Have a pool inspection – they can be costly to fix.
•If you want to know how much it costs to maintain a pool including what you will spend on chemicals, electric and water — the answer is — you don’t want a pool! They can be costly, and if you are already watching your budget — a pool is going to blow it.
•Remember, pools limit your potential number of buyers, so they can take longer to sell when the time comes.

As someone who grew up having a pool, I understand the appeal of having one from a lifestyle perspective. My experience is that they are great for moments in time. You will spend more time staring at a pool during your ownership, then you will spend in it. If you have a pool, don’t let it become another 4-letter word make sure it shines because it can make or break a sale.

Pools in Austin

Austin Texas has a variety of options for people who want to enjoy a pool, but don’t want to maintain one. Many planned single family home communities in Austin have pools that are included with HOA fees or may require a nominal additional fee. Condominium communities in Austin often have a private pool as well for residents. An automated home search can be customized to only include properties with community with pools.

There are many public pools in Austin as well. There are 27 neighborhood pools and 6 municipal pools in total. The most well known pool is Barton Springs, located in Zilker Park. Centrally located in the neighborhood of Barton Hills, Barton Springs Pool is spring fed, just over 900 feet long and maintains a consistent temperature of 68 degrees year round.

Just Sold in Barton Hills

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1304 Robert E LeeJust sold, 1304 Robert E Lee Road in Barton Hills offers nearly 3,000 square feet of living space in this 2-story duplex.  Side A has 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a loft space, with the master located on the main floor.  Side B features 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths with the master on the second floor.  Each side of the duplex has it’s own private outdoor yard space, a wood burning fireplace, separate utility closets and carport space.

1304 Robert E Lee Road, Austin, TX 78704

1304 Robert E lee Road was an attractive investment property due to it’s hot 78704 location.  The zip code 78704 in Austin is the home of Zilker Park, Barton Springs Restaurant Row, South Congress Avenue in the SoCo District, the Town Lake Hike & Bike Trail, Lady Bird Lake, the SoLa District on South Lamar and the SoFi District on South First.

Barton Hills, Austin 78704

1304 Robert E Lee Road is very close to Barton Springs Pool, Zilker Park and the Umlauf Sculpture Garden.  This Luxury location is convenient when Austin’s local festivals like the Zilker Park Kite Festival, SXSW and the Austin City Limits Music Festival are taking place.

Buying in a Seller’s Market

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Like a G6What am I seeing lately in the Austin real estate market?  A whole lot of craziness!  There are days right now that I feel more like a fire fighter and less like a Realtor.  The Austin real estate market is favoring sellers right now.

Austin Real Estate Market Activity

Inventory is low for tenants, so lease prices have been on the rise.  Higher leases and low interest rates have created an environment where a monthly mortgage payment is cheaper than rent.  This dynamic has added more buyers to the market and  many of them for the first time, where before owning a home was only a dream.  In addition, investment purchases are on the rise as well.  Higher leases and low interest rates are making it easier to positive cash flow than in the past, making purchases attractive to investors.

When there is less than 3 months of inventory available, it is known to be a seller’s market.  Neutral markets are defined as having 4 to 6 months of inventory.  Buyer’s markets have greater than 6 months of inventory.

Austin Homes for Sale

We are miles away from a buyer’s market right now.  With so little inventory buyers need to be creative when purchasing a home in this market.  Buyers need to see a house within 24 hours after it comes on the market if it looks good.  Some buyers are submitting an offer before they even see the property.  They will submit an offer early because hours can go by while waiting for a response, which gives them time to see it.  If the house looks promising and a buyer has been in the market long enough to know what is out there – it is not unusual for a buyer to offer even a little more than list.  Money is cheap to borrow right now.  It’s about $50 a month for every $10,000 you borrow.

Don’t wait for someone else to buy your home and make an offer based on what it’s worth to you.

Time to Deck the Halls

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holiday decor

‘Tis the season for shopping, baking, cooking, cleaning and maybe a little pepper spray in your eye. With all of the added things to find time for during the holidays, selling a home can seem an additional job we may not have time for. There are benefits though to selling during the holiday season and certainly things to be mindful of.

Austin Winter Real Estate Market

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 and ice days are little and far between. Buyers can generally shop year round though it may be hard to find the time.

Austin Real Estate Spotlights

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I have selected random subdivisions in Austin Texas real estate market areas and listed current data on active listings. The data is subdivision specific, so there may be additional homes available for purchase in the neighborhood.  Average Days on Market below 90 days are considered Seller’s markets, because homes are moving quickly.  Austin neighborhoods with homes on the market between 3 and 6 months are considered neutral.

Real Estate Austin

The data below is specific to Austin single family homes for sale. If there is an area you want me to spotlight -please let me know.

Barton Hills (Zilker Park Area)

Number of Active Houses on the Market: 2

Average Days on Market: 37

Median List Price: $ 444,450

Circle C Ranch (Southwest Austin)

Number of Active Houses on the Market: 24

Average Days on Market: 50

Median List Price: $ 359,450

Hyde Park (Central Austin)

Number of Active Houses on the Market: 7

Average Days on Market: 95

Median List Price: $ 549,000

City of West Lake Hills

Number of Active Houses on the Market: 18

Average Days on Market: 196

Median List Price: $ 1,224,925

Jester (North Austin)

Number of Active Houses on the Market: 4

Average Days on Market: 88

Median List Price: $ 475,250

Northwest Hills (North Central Austin)

Number of Active Houses on the Market: 11

Average Days on Market: 164

Median List Price: $ 675,000

Tarrytown (Central Austin)

Number of Active Houses on the Market: 14

Average Days on Market: 119

Median List Price: $ 1,049,750

Travis Heights (Central Austin)

Number of Active Houses on the Market: 11

Average Days on Market: 104

Median List Price: $  599,000

Vacation is Over

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I went to the East Coast to visit some family and friends.  Though I was only 20 minutes from the hustle and bustle of New York City, the area I grew up in still has many unemployed and houses are certainly not selling the way they are here.  Let’s be grateful and thankful that overall Austin has a strong stable economy. 

Last week was a big vacation and shopping week as people started to prepare for the new school year.  I do have a new listing in Sendera at 9432 Collazo Way, which is in South Austin and very close to the new Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter.  I’ve also been working in Austin’s popular Central zip code 78704 lately for a condo buyer and an investor seeking a duplex.  For a change of pace, I sold a house in Buda to a repeat client and her husband in the community of Leisurewoods.  We looked at homes for about 2 years before we found the right house.

Austin Vacation Home Rentals

Last week, the City of Austin finally adopted an ordinance to put some controls in place regarding Austin vacation home rentals.  Vacation home rentals are very popular in areas of Austin like Barton Hills and Travis Heights because of the close proximity to local Austin attractions like Downtown, South Congress Ave and Zilker Park.  Vacation home rentals are the ideal alternative to staying in a hotel because they provide an added level of warmth and comfort and are often closer to an Austin attraction.  As the popularity of vacation home rentals increase, so do the problems associated with it simply by the fast overturn of the tenants renting these properties.  Noisy vacationers have become cumbersome for certain communites in Austin, so having an ordinance will allow the City to control the inventory of properties and impose a tax on them as well.

Austin Short Term Rental Rules

  • All short-term rental properties are required to be registered with the City of Austin.
  • Upon registration, all STRs must demonstrate certificate of occupancy or proof of inspection.
  • No more than 3% of single-family residences may be used as a non-owner occupied STR in a census track.
  • A packet containing viable community information must be shared with the tenant.
  • Short-term leases pertaining to home sales/closing terms (leasebacks) will not be affected by this ordinance.

Austin Investment Homes

The market is hot right now for Austin investment properites. Leases prices are in some areas 20% or more than last year. Purchasing an investment property whether single or multi-family property will typically have a slightly higher interest rate and a larger downpayment. With Austin inventory down, rents have increased making this a strong market for investors.