Are the Schools Good in Austin?

In this article, we at Austin Texas Homes have covered the following:

• Public Schools

• Private Schools

• Homeschooling

Public Schools

The public schools in the Austin area vary in their ratings. The Texas Education Agency, or TEA, rates Texas schools using a four-level system. The levels are, from best to worst:

1. Exemplary

2. Recognized

3. Academically Acceptable

4. Academically Unacceptable

The following table shows the number of schools in each district that received each rating in the year 2006:

To make sense of these numbers, we tried to find the "average" rating for schools in each district.  To do that, we at Austin Texas Homes have used the following formula:

(Number of exemplary schools x 4) +

(Number of recognized schools x 3) +

(Number of acceptable schools x 2) +

(Number of unacceptable schools) = Number of rating points

Then, we divided the number of rating points by the number of schools.  So, for example, the rating for Austin Independent School District looked like this:

(6 * 4) + (23 * 3) + (67 * 2) + 6 = 233

233 / 102 = 2.3

So, Austin ISD's average rating is between the Academically Acceptable and Recognized ratings.  Using this system, the school districts can be ranked as follows:

Using this system, 3-4 points is between Exemplary and Recognized, 2-3 points is between Recognized and Academically Acceptable, and 1-2 points is between Academically Acceptable and Academically Unacceptable.

For reviews of local schools in Austin, check out www.greatschools.net.

Private Schools

The website www.ceoaustin.org has information on many Austin private schools, as does austinprivateschools.com.

Homeschooling

Austin is home to many homeschoolers, and has an active homeschooling community, with many homeschooling groups of religious and secular nature.  In fact, my wife and I homeschool our three children.

If you homeschool, or are interested in homeschooling in Austin, the following resources can help you get "plugged into" Austin's homeschooling community:

Arbor Homeschool Group

A Yahoo group for homeschoolers in the Arboretum area of Austin.

Austin Area Homeschoolers Yahoo Group

A large, inclusive group with park days and many other activities.

Austin Area Homeschoolers Website

This website for AAH has information on the group, and also a free guide for those new to homeschooling in Austin.

Austin Home Base

A part-time school for homeschoolers who want a balance between private school and homeschooling.

CHEACT

A Christian homeschooling group, affiliated with CHEA, a national Christian homeschooling organization.

C.S. Lewis Hall

A Christian, part-time school for the homeschooled.  A university model school in east central Austin.

Holy Family Homeschoolers

A homeschooling group for those of the Catholic faith, but also inviting anyone else who wishes to be included.

The Homeschool Source

A local library just for homeschoolers!  Austin-owned and operated.

Learning without Limits

An inclusive group of homeschoolers mainly in the Williamson County area.

Round Rock H.O.M.E.

A group for Christian homeschoolers in the Round Rock area.

Smoothing the Way

A group that attempts to help new homeschoolers get started.  Answers questions, leads you to resources, and introduces you to other homeschoolers.

Veritas Academy

Another Christian university model school in southwest Austin.
 

Source for Statistics

All statistics come from the Texas Education Agency's website, http://www.tea.state.tx.us/

I was working yesterday using a couple of my favorite technology tools, and my client seemed interested in them, so I thought it might be a good idea to share them here at Active Rain.  They have both become second nature to me, and since this forum is full of tech-savvy agents, you may already be using them.  If not, I hope you find this helpful.

I started my own brokerage three years ago, and I was trying to manage my incoming and outgoing faxes better.  I didn't like the fact that I had to receive them at home OR at the office.  Why couldn't I just get them on my email?  Well, I can with eFax.  I think it costs about $20/month for the eFax Pro, and it works really well.  If you give out your eFax number, all of the faxes will come straight to your email.  My business partner and I share an account, and all of the faxes to this number go to both of our email addresses.  eFax comes with its own proprietary reader, or you can set it up to send in PDF format (which I did). 

This has been invaluable to me when I am sending or receiving offers.  I sometimes fax it to myself via eFax, then I can easily email it to buyers, sellers, or other agents.  It is not a big deal, but everyone usually seems happy and impressed that I can email rather than requiring them to have a fax machine available.  I would highly recommend this service.

The other "tech tool" that I LOVE (and it's free) is CutePDF.  This is an awesome program with a quick download that enables you to easily convert documents into PDF.  I have used this for property flyers, Word documents, and contracts.  CutePDF sets up a "virtual printer" on your system, so when you want to convert the document, you just print it to the CutePDF printer, and it will ask you to name it.  At that point, you have successfully created a PDF.  Yes, it is that easy!

As a side note, I made the switch back in June or July to a web-based email program, and I have no idea why I waited so long.  Actually, I do know why.  I didn't realize that I could retain the same email address (which I have had for nine years now) but still use one of these handy services.  Once I realized that I can keep the same address, this was a very easy decision to make. 

I am using Gmail and my wife uses Yahoo mail.  I have been pleased with the spam filter and it saves me a lot of time; Gmail doesn't allow me to sort by sender name, but Yahoo does.  so I may switch to Yahoo soon.  Either way, I love having the ability to log on anywhere and get my messages.  For many of you, this is probably old hat by now, but for me, it was a revelation.

I have suggested these items to the people I work with, and you guys are my buddies, so I hope you find this useful as well. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me and I can probably walk you through it.  Have a great day, and thanks for reading!  You may have some great tools of your own that you would like to share below.

Copyright 2007   Jason Crouch    Austin Real Estate

Okay, I see that I have a call coming in from an unknown number.  Is it a potential client relocating to Austin?  Is it something productive?  Sadly, no.  It is a sales call - again.  I have registered all of my numbers on all of the "do not call" lists available, yet I still manage to get at least several of these each week.  I noticed that they don't call my home anymore, which is a blessing, but the office number and my cell phone are still targets. 

Granted, the types of calls are more targeted now, which is good and bad, I suppose.  On the good side, they are not trying to sell something completely without value to me as a real estate broker.  Conversely, they are trying to SELL ME SOMETHING OVER THE PHONE.  As such, I wish they would have mercy on me and make it brief.  State your business and see if I have even a modicum of interest in your product or service, then move on with your life after I tell you that I do not.

Here is a verbatim account of a call that I received today at my office:

ME: Austin Texas Homes, this is Jason.

RANDOM ANONYMOUS TELEMARKETER (RAT for short): Hello, sir, this is ____ with ____.com.  I see here that you had expressed interest in one of our programs.

ME: No.

RAT: Well, I show that you used our _____ program and I wanted to see how that worked out for you.

ME: I don't know what you are talking about - I'm sorry.

RAT: We had a program back in the day that allowed you to work a lead and pay a referral fee, rather than an upfront fee.

ME: Oh, yes.  That was a long time ago. 

RAT: Yes, well, we have some other programs that will allow you to (inaudible) or just (inaudible) and not pay any referral fee. 

ME: Mm hmm.

RAT: We work with all of the search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, MSN.....

It was at that point that I gently put the phone back on the cradle and disconnected the call.  I usually don't give them as much time as this guy had, but I was feeling generous today and maybe he had something to offer.  He also seemed so, I don't know, pathetic?  For the record, the service he mentioned was something that I used EIGHT years ago.  Wow - they must have a massive pipeline of previous customers if there is an eight-year lag to get back in touch.  No, I am not exaggerating - I remember the clients well.

At any rate, I was willing to listen to him for a few seconds.  I just realized how he managed to keep my interest beyond the initial greeting.  Telemarketers have a terrible habit of asking how you are, then when you

respond, "I'm doing well.  How are you?" they inevitably say somewhat manically, "I'm great!  Thanks for asking!"  I have yet to speak with anyone in the normal course of a week who says these words that is not trying to sell me something.  If I call my wife during the day, or my mom, or my best friend, or a client, they NEVER say, "Thanks for asking!"  I am not a big-time poker player, but this is the biggest "tell" that a telemarketer has.  In other words, I know in the first three seconds what their objective is.  From there, sadly, it is downhill for them.

I have a new habit with telemarketers and I admit that it is a little cruel.  Whenever someone says the key phrase ("Thanks for asking!"), I usually begin my next sentence and hang up the phone in the middle of my own sentence.  I simply don't have time to listen to their scripted sales pitch, and the only time that a telemarketer has ever been successful with me is when they are asking for a donation for a worthy cause (such as Special Olympics, National Children's Cancer Society, VFW, etc.).  The non-profit guys never start with a script - they just introduce themselves and their organization, and I will give them the time of day.  Maybe the other guys could learn from this.

On a related note, I recently complimented a waitress for saying, "My name is Janet and I am your server.  Can I get you something to drink?"  RATHER THAN, "My name is Janet, and I'll be taking care of you this evening."  Who started that?  Taking care of me?  Will you pay some of my bills for me, or watch my kids while I go to a movie?  Or is there some seedy other meaning that I am not catching?  I realize that they are probably trained to say that, but I still don't have to like it.

Sorry for the rant - Jason Sardi should be happy to see this post.  He mentioned that he would like to see me rant sometime.

Thanks for reading about some of my various pet peeves.  I welcome your comments.

Copyright 2007  Austin Real Estate

 I am fast closing in on my eleven year anniversary in real estate (Jan. 2008), and I am still constantly amazed by how many agents and brokers I come across who are either misinforming their clients or simply allowing the client to set their own pre-conceived expecations.  We are the professionals, and as such it is our job to guide our clients through the maze of the transaction. 

It seems to me that there are many agents who are content to let me do their job for them, and I'm sure that many of you have also experienced this before.  Typically, I end up doing this because:

• I care about my clients and I want to get the deal done if it is humanly possible
• I want the paycheck
• I am good at what I do, so I can't help myself
• I refuse to let a bad agent interfere with the process

As a recent example, I sold a ranch property to some clients relocating from Maui.  They didn't even have a chance to see the property before they got it under contract, so I took LOTS of pictures and tried to be as upfront as possible about the condition of the home.  I wanted to minimize the potential "surprise" effect, so that they wouldn't arrive and be horrified.  This is what I mean by setting the correct expectation with a client.  They immediately fell in love with the place when they arrived, and the buyer actually told me that "I don't think you have ever had a client who was happier than I am right now."  Clearly, I would love to hear this all the time, because I feel that I am providing a service and helping people achieve their dreams.

During some recent negotiations on a contract, we quickly reached an agreement on price, then we were hung up on a leaseback (i.e. seller wanted to stay for a few days after the closing).  I received a proposed leaseback from the other agent, and it had a suggested leaseback amount of $25/day.  This was a ridiculous proposal, as my clients' actual payment for those days would be $113 daily.  The other agent told me that the amount I mentioned was just too high and that it was above the rental market.  I had to explain that it didn't matter what the normal rental market would bear - this was an ACTUAL expense, and my clients would be losing over $80/day if they accepted it.  This is a situation where the agent should have set the correct expectation, rather than allowing the client to bulldoze and set their own terms.

I had a deal years ago with a single mom who was a nurse, looking for a home in north Austin.  We made an offer on a home (which was very reasonable under the circumstances - I really don't allow "lowball" offers with my clients).  I heard back from the agent, who told me that she was surprised that it wasn't a higher offer, and that they had just reduced the price recently.  She was essentially trying to get me to convince my buyer to come in at a higher price, yet she had ZERO leverage.

After speaking for a few minutes, this brief conversation transpired:

ME: ________, do you have people beating down the door to buy this house?

OTHER AGENT: No.  No, I don't.

ME: Have you had any other offers?

OTHER AGENT: No, we haven't.

ME: Then just talk to your client and get me a counteroffer and I will see what I can do.

We closed on the property about three weeks later. 

As you can see, I had to coach the other agent (who was actually a broker and in the business a lot longer than I was) on how to present the offer properly.  She didn't set the right tone with her clients, and it made it more difficult for her to return and do her job correctly.

Do you want to be a "SUPER-AGENT"?  My advice is to assert yourself in your real estate dealings as the EXPERT.  How else can you hope to gain the confidence of your clients and associates?  I know that there is a learning curve in any business, and perhaps real estate is one of the steepest.  That being said, if you are not experienced, surround yourself with good people - a knowledgeable and "hands-on" broker, a good lender, good escrow officer or attorney, etc.  This makes learning a lot easier.

If you are an experienced agent or broker, you don't have excuses here.  If you want to make a good living in this business, you must always position yourself as the one in charge of the details.  Ultimately, you are not the one making the purchase or selling decision, but your opinion should matter and have some weight in the process.  Otherwise, you are merely an order-taker, and not a real estate professional who is adding some value with your services. 

P.S. I am all about "paying it forward".  If you have any questions, feel free to call or email me.  Thanks for taking time to read this longer post.

Copyright 2007    Austin Real Estate

Last week, I wrote this post about the affordability of Austin real estate:

Austin Real Estate - What can I buy for $200,000 in the Austin area?  

This week, I am "upping the ante", and I will focus on what you can purchase for $300k right now in this market.  Some of these are a bit less:

This home is located in fast-growing Cedar Park (recently named #11 in the country for fastest-growing suburbs).  It features 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and 2736 s.f. per the local tax records.  It was built by Capital Pacific Homes, and it is only $283,900.

This beautiful house is in Anderson Mill West, which is also in the Cedar Park area, near Lakeline Mall.  It has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, just over 3230 s.f. per the tax records, plantation shutters, Silestone counters, rear entry 2-car garage, and more.  It is listed at $299,000.

This one is located in the Meadows of Blackhawk, which is actually my personal neighborhood in the Pflugerville area, just north of Austin.  In fact, this is very similar to my home.  This is located about 20 minutes from downtown Austin.  It has a 3-car garage, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3490 s.f., built by Ryland Homes in 2001.  The listing price is only $296,595. 

The final featured listing is also in Pflugerville, and is has an astounding 3813 s.f., built by Plantation Homes in 2004.  It has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, an inground pool, koi pond, surround sound, huge backyard for entertaining, stainless appliances, all for only $295,900!

Here are some others in this series of posts:

Austin Real Estate - What can I buy for $200,000 in the Austin area?

Austin Texas Real Estate - What Can I Buy in the Austin area for $400,000 or less?

Austin Real Estate - What Can I Buy in the Austin area for $500,000 or less?

What Can I Buy in the Austin Area for $600,000?

What Can I Buy in the Austin, Texas Area for $650,000 - $700,000? WOW!

If you have any questions about Austin Texas real estate, or if you would like to set up a showing for one or all of these homes, please feel free to call me anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or email jason@austintexashomes.com.  I hope to hear from you soon.  You can also visit our website at www.austintexashomes.com to search the Austin MLS or to see all of our current inventory.

Having lived in or near Round Rock for 19 years, I can confidently say that one of my favorite neighborhoods in this town is Stone Canyon.  Nestled in the trees near the Round Rock Medical Center off Highway 620, this community boasts the following awesome features:

• Five community parks
• Walking trails
• Community swim center
• Blue Ribbon Fern Bluff Elementary (used for training teachers how to teach)
• Convenience to I-45 and I-35
• Near shopping and restaurants (Lakeline Mall and Round Rock Premium Outlets are just minutes away)
• High-quality construction
• Greenbelt lots for some homes

Prices range from the high $180's to the $350's.  For more information, or to set up a time to look at a few homes in this terrific subdivision, please contact Jason Crouch at 512-796-7653 or email jason@austintexashomes.com.  Our Round Rock real estate site can be found at www.austintexashomes.com, where you can view our current listings or search the Austin MLS. 

Copyright 2007   Austin Real Estate

As a 12-year resident of Pflugerville (and with 19 years in the general Austin area), I have watched this town grow from about 9,000 residents to over 30,000 presently.  The Falcon Pointe subdivision is located near the intersection of two major new arteries (SH-130 and 45), which are both toll roads.  I live in the adjacent community (Blackhawk), and I have been impressed with this new development, which features new and resale homes priced from the $170's up to the mid-$300's. 

Falcon Pointe's amenities include:

• Water park with splash pool and toddler/infant pool, along with lap pool for adults
• Beautiful community center with big-screen TV for events or just hanging out
• Community intranet (you can preview this at www.LifeatFalconPointe.com)
• Easy access to three golf courses
• Jogging/walking trails
• Community activities director
• Work-out facilities

For more information, or to set up a time to check out this up-and-coming area, please call Jason Crouch at 512-796-7653 or email jason@austintexashomes.com.  Our Pflugerville real estate website is located at www.austintexashomes.com.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Copyright 2007   Austin Real Estate 

About five years ago, I was working with a buyer who was considering building in a prestigious golf course community in west Austin.  My business partners and I had already taken a number of people to the community, as it is pretty unique.  In fact, here is a photo of a home we recently sold in the same area ------------------->

My buyer was a high-risk obstetrician looking to retire from the Omaha area after only 10 years in business.  He came to look at some golf course lots and made a choice with the sales rep.  We did a "hold" on the lots (two lots which were side-by-side next to one of the greens). 

A couple of days later, I received a promotional email from the developer and the agent specifying that they were going to pay 6% (rather than 3%) on any lots "sold by August 31st".  Needless to say, I was excited, because ours would close during that timeframe.  I later spoke with the developer (who was also the proposed builder for the home thanks to my strong referral) and he said that the lots we sold would not qualify for the bonus.  In other words, we were PUNISHED for selling them 48 hours earlier than the email promo.  At a cost of $360,000, this was a $10,800 slap in the face.  Even though our buyer was later forced to choose two different lots because of an easement issue, they wouldn't honor the bonus for us.

During our conversation, he also told us that the buyer was planning to build a smaller home, which was true at the time.  He said, "If they build a bigger home, I will pay you a bonus on the construction of the house itself."  Well, they built a VERY large home after all - it turned out to be around 5500 s.f. or so, yet he paid NO bonus. 

I later told his salesperson that I thought the builder was a good businessman until that happened.  I also told him that I thought he was a better long-term thinker than that, as we would have the opportunity to bring many millions of dollars in sales to him, yet he treated us badly and disreputably.  I have forgiven the man, but I have also never taken another buyer to him, nor will I.  And as I told his rep in 2002, we have directed many custom home buyers to better places to conduct business.  It just doesn't seem like I am being a good steward of my time and effort to work with him again.

The last time I bought a new phone (TREO 650) was about 2.5 years ago, when they were very new on the market.  I thought about upgrading to a 700, or perhaps to a different model.  I had seen an ad about the low pricing offered by Sprint, which has been my carrier for about 10 years now.  When I called, they explained that the low price was ONLY for new customers, not for those with existing Sprint accounts. 

So, let me get this straight - I have paid thousands upon thousands of dollars already to you guys, but I must pay three times the cost that Joe Off-the-Street will pay?  How does that help with customer retention and loyalty?  That strikes me as the equivalent of telling a past real estate client that they must pay the going rate, even though I am charging any new clients 1/3 of my normal rate.  Take that, Loyal Client! 

I guess my point in writing this is to consider what loyalty is worth, and what you are willing to sacrifice for the promise of future business.  Many times, I have given up a bit of money to help make a deal work (repairs, etc.) because MY CLIENTS ARE IMPORTANT TO ME.  I also know that after the closing, each past client represents the potential for several future deals.  Treat people well and they will return to you.  It works!

Copyright 2007    Austin Real Estate

This afternoon and evening, I spent some time helping my wife get her mom checked into a nursing home, for a temporary stay while she recuperates from two recent back surgeries.  We are hoping to have her back at her home by Christmas, but time will tell on this.  We also went and bought her a TV (who knew they would have cable at every bed?) and got it set up before we left. 

We were there with our three kids, and our toddler daughter Abby basically had free run of the place.  At one point, she darted into the director's office, and they seemed really happy to see her and her antics.  Later, while my wife was with her mom, I was following Abby, and she ran into one of the rooms with patients.  I cringed inwardly, but when I got in there to pick her up, I looked to one side, and there was a smiling lady waving and cooing at the baby.  As I turned around, her roommate was doing the exact same thing.  They were thrilled to have the company.  It was like a ray of sunshine for them.

Everywhere we went in the facility, the patients' faces would light up magically at the sight of our three blond cherubs.  I have experienced this before with our littlest one when we walk around at a mall or a restaurant, but today all of our kids were perceived as something interesting and new, young and beautiful.  My son Brandon was very engaging and friendly, and my six-year old daughter Aleah just had to stand there and look pretty, frankly. 

I used to volunteer at a hospital when I was a teenager, and I remember similar expressions on the patients that I helped provide care for.  Later, when I was president of my college fraternity, we once held a dance with the ladies at the Wesleyan Nursing Home just up the street from the university.  There were about 10 of us who showed up, and we made the rounds dancing with as many of the ladies as we could, even some who were in wheelchairs.  They were so excited to dance with us, and it is something that I hope I never forget.

To be honest, I would love to always get that same reaction from my family and friends, and even from my real estate clients.  I want their faces to light up when they see me, or even when they hear my name.  This is probably asking a lot, but why not shoot for this?  I want people to be excited to see me and to be interested in my conversations.  I don't expect everyone to be enraptured by my every word, but I do want the impression I leave to always be as positive and interesting as possible. 

Thinking about it from the other perspective, I wouldn't mind being able to find pleasure in something as simple as a friendly child, or a visit from a new friend.  I know that I get wrapped up sometimes in the daily grind, but tonight's trip was a good reminder for me about priorities.

Copyright 2007   Austin Real Estate

 For those of you who don't know who Henny Youngman is, shame on you!  No, seriously, Henny Youngman was known as "King of the One Liners".  He actually passed away the same year that my son was born (1998).  His most famous line was "Take my wife.....please!"

My son also seems to have a penchant for one-line comments that make me laugh.  This past week, he shared some gems with us that I wanted to share with you guys:

We were in San Antonio last weekend for my wife's 20th high school reunion (mine is next year in Dallas).  While we were walking along the beautiful Riverwalk, with its shops and restaurants, someone right in front of us was blowing smoke directly into our faces.  My eight-year old son said dryly, "Whoever invented cigarettes should be dragged into the street and shot."  I couldn't help but laugh, but then I also wondered where he could have possibly heard this phrase before.  He told me that he saw it in one of his Garfield books.

  Later that weekend, we were in the van and my wife and I kissed.  The kids were behind us in their seats, and the kiss was longer than a peck, but shorter than something you wouldn't do in front of the kids, if that makes any sense (makes more sense when you say it out loud than if you write it).  Anyway, after we finished kissing, my son said, "Great!  Now I have to wash my eyeballs!" while rubbing his eyes, as if that could somehow erase the image of his parents smooching.

Last night, after we finished his bedtime prayers, he held out his arms in a preformed circle and said, "Give me a hug, big guy!!"  Of course, I was happy to oblige, so I bent down to hug him.  He didn't really latch on for the hug, but it was a hug nonetheless.  Then, he said, "I was actually talking to God.  But now you got your Bran hug for the day anyway."  (We call them Bran hugs because his name is Brandon.)

If you liked this post, I have shared here a number of times about funny things that he has said, along with funny stuff from my other kids as well (see below).  Enjoy!

My kids are future comedians!   

My Toddler Daughter's Current Favorite Show  

Three funniest things my kids have said this week

Funny quotes from my son