Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

My wife likes to joke with me about my sense of humor.  I guess that sounds strange when you write it down.  Anyway, she knows what makes me laugh and the types of things that I think are funny.  Admittedly, bathroom humor still makes me laugh like I am 11 years old again.  Unintentionally funny things are often the funniest to me.  Word play is funny. 

But for me (according to my beautiful wife), the most humorous of all is the "what if this actually happened?" idea.

Here are some examples:

• What if our toddler developed a foul mouth?  Actually, that already happened (please see my previous post on Our Trash-Talking Toddler )
• What if we could use "getting better" scenes from movies to sell real estate?  (here's my take on that one - "Getting Better" Scenes from Movies - I wish we could use them with clients)
• What if I could develop a new language using only my eyebrows?
• What if, while watching that kindergartner dancing wildly and flailing her arms around at the church dinner, I just started clapping along and singing, "She's a maniac, maniac, on the floor!  And she's dancing like she's never danced before!"?  (I was sorely tempted a couple of weeks ago and came within a hair of actually doing this one)

At any rate, while I was on my way to pick up a buyer client today, I started thinking, "What if I could design my perfect day in real estate?" 

Here's how mine looks:

I roll out of bed at 10:30am to greet the day.  My wife and I enjoy a tasty breakfast that our children prepared for us.  They clean the dishes while we watch a funny movie upstairs in the media room. 

Wow - look at the time.  It's almost 1:00.  My clients will be here to pick me up in about half an hour.  Just enough time to enjoy a long, leisurely shower.  My clients arrive right on time, and we hit the road to look at the two homes I have chosen to show them.  On the way, they laugh at every joke of mine, and we enjoy listening to some 80's tunes while discussing old Saturday Night Live episodes and Steve Martin standup routines.

"Oh, Jason, you are the best!", they exclaim in unison, as I humbly accept their compliment. 

The first home is perfect for them, and I say so.  They agree, and we head to the office to write it up.  On the way, we stop in for an expensive lunch (on them, of course). 

Back to business - I get the offer paperwork printed, and they insist on paying full price, cash, with a quick closing.  I explain to them that they could probably get a few thousand off of the asking price, but they won't hear of it. 

"Jason, we don't want to risk losing this home.  You listened to our needs and wants and spent the time to find our dream home.  We MUST pay their price, since it is so darn fair.  Also, we really want to pay you a bonus of $XXX."  Sorry for the XXX, but I must maintain some level of decorum, even in my dreamworld.  Talking about specific sums of money might make me seem greedy.  :-)

Alright, fair enough.  I will do it their way.  For once, I am not regretting this feeling.

After emailing the offer, I get a call before we have even gathered out things.  We have a deal.  They are so excited that they simply must hug me and kiss each other.  Happier clients have never existed. 

Side note: I forgot to mention that he looks like the guy pictured to the left, complete with tophat and tails.

Back in the limo, the buyer informs me that he wants me, and only me, to help him with his large-scale development project.  Additionally, he gives me enough referrals to choke a horse, all before we arrive safely back at the doorstep of my home. 

All told, our outing lasted about three hours.

I wish them a good afternoon, and I am free to spend the rest of the day playing with my kids and blogging with impunity.  That night, my wife and I.....wait a minute, that's private! 

So, what if all of that actually happened?  It could, right?

Last week, "Entrepreneur Magazine" released its latest list of Best Places to Buy a House.  Not surprisingly, the Austin metro area placed at the top of the list this time around.  In the article, columnist Danielle Babb (who also co-authored a book on finding foreclosures with my friend Bill Nazur) states,  

Round Rock and Austin have seen incredible job growth and very stable home prices despite the downturn nationwide. Jobs continue to grow here--a factor for keeping inventory low and prices stable.

Clearly, this is something that I have been preaching to our clients and potential clients for many months, but the pervasive media saturation focused on the national downturn makes our job an uphill climb.

Round Rock is located due north of Austin, and Dell's corporate headquarters is located there.  Dell has been responsible for some large-scale growth in this suburb, especially throughout the 90's.  In 1990, Round Rock's population was a mere 30,000 or so.  It has more than tripled in size since then, with over 93,000 calling Round Rock home today.

Austin has added close to 100,000 to its population since 2000, growing from approximately 650,000 to 740,000 within Austin proper.  The Austin metro area now tops 1.5 million.

Other locations that made the "best" list were Mission Viejo, California, Palm Beach, Florida, and Las Vegas.  Her is a link to the article if you are interested in checking it out:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/money/personalfinance/article189454.html

If you are considering relocating to the Austin area or investing in real estate here, please feel free to give me a call anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653.  You can also email me at jason@austintexashomes.com.  I have 11 years of full-time real estate sales experience in Austin, and I would love the opportunity to help. 

Our Austin real estate website is located at www.austintexashomes.com.  Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you soon! 

I had a sign call for one of my listings in north Austin yesterday, and we set up an appointment to take a look at the home today at 3:00.  He sounded like a nice young guy on the phone when we spoke, and we had a great rapport during the showing.  I noticed that he was carrying a spiral notebook with notes about lots of houses (along with agent names, phone numbers, etc.).

We spent awhile looking around and talking about the area and the market in general, and he was hoping his wife could make it to see the place, too.  I told him that I didn't have any other appointments until around 6:30, so I was available if we needed to wait on her to see it.  This made him happy and he tried to call his wife a few times, to no avail. 

While we were looking around in the back yard, I received another call from the flyer, from a lady who lived about two blocks away.  I told her that she could swing by to take a look since I was already there showing it to someone else.  Needless to say, this created a slight sense of urgency for both parties, although I don't know if it will pan out yet with either of them.  Truthfully, it felt like a mini-open house.

Before the other lady arrived, I began to wrap things up with the first buyer.  I told him that I would be happy to help him if he was looking at a lot of homes in the area (I already knew he didn't have an agent).  He was somewhat noncommittal, but pleasant, and we parted ways.  I also told him that I would be happy to come back if his wife were able to make it today, and he was thankful.  I gave him my card before he left.

Imagine my surprise when I got a call from him about an hour later, asking if I could show him a couple of other homes in the neighborhood.  It turns out that both of them were vacant, so I didn't have to make any appointments. 

I told him that I could easily do that, and he said, "That's great!  I just want to get your opinion on those so that we can make a decision.  I have narrowed it down to three homes, and we will be buying something soon.  I'm going to go through you when I buy."

After showing him the other places, I am not really sure that my listing is the best fit for him, his wife, and their four-year old son.  I gave him my honest opinion about the pros and cons of each home.  If he decides to pursue my listing, we will deal with the intermediary issues and disclosures then.  Either way, I gained a new buyer by simply being available and mentioning that I would like to help.

I realized that I might have been the first person to even ask for his business.  Perhaps not, but I didn't pressure him in any way, just offered the service if he needed it.  This has been my method for many years, but I wondered how many agents he must have already encountered while doing his research.  I counted at least a dozen names on the list in his notebook.  Perhaps all of them asked for his business, but I bet that most of them didn't bother.

I have never been one to consider us as glorified order takers in the real estate business, although those people certainly exist.  I add value to the transaction, either by providing information or perspective that the buyer or seller would not have, or via negotiations, which have become one of my strengths over the years. 

So, don't be shy with potential clients.  Ask for the business!  Sometimes, you might actually get it.

Copyright 2008  Austin Homes

Forest Creek is a lovely master-planned golf course community located in east Round Rock, just minutes from Dell Computer.  Having played the course a number of times with my friends, I can attest to both its beauty and its difficulty.  Granted, I am not really a stellar golfer, but it is among the more challenging courses in this part of town.

Currently listed resale homes in Forest Creek range from about $200,000 all the way up to the mid-$500's.

Currently, there are 44 new and resale homes available on the MLS in Forest Creek, with an average asking price of $335,105.  The average square footage for these homes is 3,311, for an average price per square foot of $100.10.

Presently, there are 5 homes under contract in the subdivision, with an average listing price of $267,097, and an average square footage of 2,897, yielding an average price per square foot of $92.20. 

Over the past quarter (September through December 2007), there were 29 sales closed within Forest Creek.  The average listing price was $280,236 and the average sales price was $271,450 (96.9% of asking).  The average size was 2868 s.f., which put the average price per square foot at $95.79 with the average days on market running at 67 days (slightly less than the overall Austin market). 

In other immediate area news:

Located a couple of minutes away, at the intersection of the two main area toll roads (45 and 130), Stone Hill Town Center is slated to open within a few months, and it promises over 1,000,000 square feet of shopping and entertainment.  Home Depot, Best Buy, Chili's, several retail clothing stores, a large Cinemark theater, and a fitness center are among the anticipated tenants.

If you are considering selling your home in Forest Creek (or anywhere in the general Austin area), please feel free to give me a call.  I would love the opportunity to help you get it sold quickly.  You can visit my primary website at www.austintexashomes.com.  You can also reach me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or via email at jason@austintexashomes.com.  Thanks for checking out this brief analysis!

My nine-year old son, Brandon, is one of the most interesting and witty kids that I have encountered.  Sometimes, he says things while joking around with us that make my wife Pam and I double over in laughter.  Other times, he is able to do this unintentionally.  Over the past few weeks since his birthday (mid-December), he has had a few moments that I thought were worth documenting here. 

The other day, Pam asked Brandon to help get some cereal for his little sister.  He prepared the bowl, and Pam remarked, "That's great, Br.." when she was interrupted sharply by Brandon:

"Well, I know exactly how much a six-year old needs." 

Pam mentioned to me that he sounded very much like Dwight Shrute from "The Office" when he said this.  In other words, he said it in a very serious and focused manner, as if it were common knowledge.

Another humorous (or at least it is to me) new development makes it feel like the teenage years are closer than I sometimes realize.

When we ask him a question that he is not completely sure about, he quickly retorts, "Don't know, don't care."  It looks much worse when I type it out, but he says it so nonchalantly that it is actually more funny than disrespectful.  I am guessing he picked this up from TV or from a book.

Yesterday, when he got up in the morning, he asked me, "Is today Saturday?"  I told him that it was, and he immediately launched into a celebration:

"Yes!!  Oh, yeah!  Yes!  (singing) It's Saturday today!"  Then, "Wait...(calmly, to himself)...Savor the moment.  Savor the moment."  While I can certainly relate to this last sentiment, it was hilarious coming from him.

Since we homeschool, I am not generally as surprised as I used to be when I hear something that my kids say that makes them sound like college professors speaking to each other.  I learn more from my wife than I care to admit, as she is frankly a lot smarter than I am, at least in certain areas, especially the sciences.  

My son is also quite literal sometimes.  For example, Pam was teaching the kids about different birds from a rather extensive Animal Dictionary book that we have:

PAM: Look at this one.  It's really pretty.  He has green feathers on his head, and...

BRANDON: Too bad he's made out of wood, though.

PAM: What?

BRANDON (smiling): It says it right there - "wood duck".

Pam absolutely lost it and started laughing.

BRANDON: Well, it says it right there on the page.

I got to join in the laughter, too, since I was working at home. 

ME: How much wood would a wood duck duck if a wood duck could duck wood?

Welcome to the world of homeschooling, especially when your kids are geniuses.  I have a feeling that we are in for a lot of laughs as the kids get older. 

As always, thanks for reading!

Recently, according to the Community Impact newspaper, Hutto, Texas was named the "Fastest Growing City in Texas", posting an incredible 665.7% growth over the years from 2000 - 2006.  Currently, the population is over 17,200.  In 1990, the population was at a mere 650 people, and in 2000, it was approximately 1250. 

So, what is responsible for this phenomenal growth?  Having lived in nearby Pflugerville for 13 years now, I have watched this growth firsthand.  The current population growth spike mainly comes from simple geography. 

With the advent of the toll road system in late 2006, Hutto is now located mere minutes from several key destinations: Round Rock, Pflugerville, Taylor, Georgetown, and more.  Additionally, the toll road goes directly to Austin Bergstrom International Airport, so the trip is now only about 25 minutes whereas it used to be closer to 40 minutes away. 

In addition to the large existing shopping center in Hutto proper, Stone Hill Town Center is slated to open within a few months at the intersection of the two primary toll roads (45 and 130), and it promises over 1,000,000 square feet of shopping and entertainment.  Home Depot, Best Buy, Chili's, several retail clothing stores, a large Cinemark theater, and a fitness center are among the anticipated tenants.

Many people are also quick to point out the very competitively priced housing market in Hutto as well.  Believe it or not, it is still possible to find a good, newer home in the $110's.

The article states,

"From my perspective, we've experienced exponential growth in Hutto because of the quality of our schools," said Scott Martinez, economic development corporation executive director. "We've seen a lot of younger families move [here] because our schools are really good.  Hutto is one of those great areas where the homes are affordable and the schools are good, and if you're a young family just starting out, it's a pretty good scenario."

So, whether you are considering relocating or investing, Hutto looks like an interesting choice.

If you are considering purchasing a home in Hutto (or anywhere in the general Austin area), please feel free to give me a call.  I would love the opportunity to help you get it sold quickly.  You can visit my primary website at www.austintexashomes.com.  You can also reach me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or via email at jason@austintexashomes.com.  Thanks for checking out this area news!  I hope to hear from you soon.

If you are considering relocating to the Austin, Texas area, you may have questions with regard to the medical facilities here.  Basically, no matter where you live in the general Austin area, there is probably a hospital located within 10-15 minutes of your home, especially with the advent of the toll road system which opened about a year ago. 

If you have children, it is important to note that Austin is home to Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, which is a world-class facility specializing in pediatric care.  It began as Austin Children's Hospital, then moved to a location near the former Austin Mueller airport and dramatically expanded.  It opened in June 2007.  This hospital is part of the Seton Healthcare Network, and Seton runs a large network of medical centers throughout Austin.

Here are Seton's other hospitals:

Seton Medical Center Austin - This is typically referred to locally as "the main Seton" or "the Seton on 38th Street".  My wife and I chose to birth all three of our children here, so I am pretty familiar with the maternity department, and I can't recommend it highly enough.  Seton Medical Center is the largest medical/surgical acute care center in Austin right now.  This location was recognized as one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation.

Brackenridge Hospital is the only Level II Trauma Facility serving the entire central Texas area.  They also received the presigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence.  It is located in downtown Austin, on 15th Street, and "Brack" is accredited as a teaching hospital. 

Seton Northwest Hospital is a 124-bed facility which also receives the Magnet Award for Nursing.  They offer a full array of medical services, along with a Level IV Trauma facility and a Sports Medicine Center.  Seton Northwest is located on Research Boulevard (183 North) just north of Braker Lane.  I have visited several friends in this hospital, and the care seems to be superb.

Cedar Park Regional Medical Center - Now open to the community and serving residents in western Williamson County, this 280,000 sq. ft., 77-bed, $125 million medical center offers a hospital, physician offices, labs and diagnostic services all in one location. 

In addition to these locations, Seton owns and operates the following satellite facilities as well as a network of outpatient clinics:

• Seton Shoal Creek Hospital
• Seton Southwest Hospital
• Seton Medical Center Williamson (opening in February 2008)
• Seton Highland Lakes Hospital

The other large network of hospitals is operated by St. David's.  Here are some of the main large hospitals in their network throughout Austin and the surrounding towns:

St. David's Medical Center - Conveniently located on the northern edge of downtown Austin (32nd and I-35), St. David's has been serving the Austin community since 1924.  They offer over 1600 physicians on staff representing every specialty.  They also have the largest Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in central Texas.   

North Austin Medical Center - With our three small children, my wife and I are also pretty familiar with the ER at the NAMC.  I actually once wrote a customer service-related post about the kindness of one of the nurses there (The ER Nurse and the Convenience Store Employee - Where do you see yourself?).  Located near the intersection of Parmer Lane and Mopac (Loop 1), this is a full-service hospital with a 228-bed capacity.

Round Rock Medical Center - This is another full-service hospital, with 177 beds.  Located on Highway 620 west of I-35, this hospital provides a wide array of medical services, including a Heart and Cardiovascular Center, Women's Center, and a comprehensive emergency room. 

St. David's also operates the following outlying hospitals:

• Georgetown Hospital 
• South Austin Hospital
• Rehabilitation Hospital (located at main campus - 32nd Street)

As you can see, most parts of town are well-covered with regard to providing proper and extensive medical services. 

If you have any questions or if I can gather any information for you, please let me know.

If you would like to search Austin real estate for sale, please visit my website at www.austintexashomes.com.  Feel free to call me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or email me at jason@austintexashomes.com.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Jason Crouch, Broker/Owner - Austin Texas Homes, LLC

My wife Pam and I had a much-needed "date night" last night, and we had a terrific time.  We went to see "National Treasure: Book of Secrets", followed by dinner at Cafe Mangu (see my wife's restaurant review from a couple of months ago here), and a visit to Barnes and Noble, as we are both book addicts. 

It was Pam's choice to see this particular movie, and I was pleased with her selection.  I like action movies, especially when there isn't too much thinking involved.  This provides a nice escape for a couple of hours.

This film is fast-paced and there are very few lags.  I feel that they did an excellent job of moving the plot along quite nicely.  I will do my best not to reveal too much here in my review.  Rather, I will give you some good basic impressions that I was left with afterwards.

Nicolas Cage revives his role as Ben Gates, and he looked healthier than I have seen him look in awhile.  Maybe he has been working out or drinking more water?  Maybe he has had some parts that required him to look pale?  Diane Kruger, the lovely blond who plays the female lead (Abigail Chase), was a little distracting to me for the wrong reasons: it was obvious to me that she was cloaking an accent of some sort; often, when she was speaking, I was trying to figure out whether she was French or Russian.  I looked it up, and she was born in Germany, then lived in London and in Paris, which explained a lot.

As for the dynamic between Cage and Jon Voight, who plays Cage's father, the screenwriters clearly borrowed heavily from the Harrison Ford/Sean Connery relationship in the 1989 "Indiana Jones" movie.  In fact, there were other elements that were pretty derivative of that film, but since it has been 19 years, I suppose that is forgivable.  On a side note, there is a brand-new Indiana Jones adventure due out sometime this year.  I, for one, will likely be in attendance. 

As for the supporting cast, Justin Bartha, who plays Gates' assistant Riley Poole, is highly likeable and he provides much of the comic relief.  Helen Mirren portrays Gates' mother, and Pam and I discussed how amazing Ms. Mirren still looks (she's 62 now - I looked it up).  There is a sub-story with Jon Voight and Mirren as his long-estranged wife that is truly charming.  Ed Harris plays the bad guy this time around, and he puts in a solid effort.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie, if you are looking for a fun action movie with very little offensive content (rated "PG").  You must suspend your disbelief in order to truly enjoy this one, but it is well worth the price of a ticket.  Give it a shot if you have some free time!

Copyright 2008 Austin Homes 

They say that you can tell a lot about a person by their taste in art.  I feel that the same is also true for television shows.  I wanted to write this brief post as a plug for a show that I think is absolutely hilarious.  It never fails to put me in a good mood, and my wife and I highly enjoy this program.  Recently, I stumbled across the first season DVD at Barnes & Noble, and I was ecstatic that it was finally released.  Having spoken with Paul Slaybaugh a lot on the phone, I know that he is a fellow fan of this show.

What show am I referring to here?

"Flight of the Conchords", which is on HBO, is a comedy about two musicians from New Zealand who sing humorous songs.  They have exactly one raving fan (who is President of their "fan club") and a straight-laced agent named Murray.  They are an actual Grammy-nominated band, but the show is fictitious, much like 'Seinfeld".  Since it's on HBO, the humor is PG-13 in nature, as they are able to push the limits more than a traditional network show.

Every single episode that I have seen so far has provided at least two or three bouts of laughter when we are watching.  Like any good comedy, it is hard to describe, but well worth watching.  I sincerely hope that this shows gains a large following so that it will stay on for years to come.  The second season will start sometime this year, but for now they have been re-airing last season's episodes.

Here are a couple of sample videos to give you some idea of their brand of comedy (the first one is a clip of them in concert, not from the actual show):

My children continue to provide a source of entertainment and joy in my life.  I feel blessed beyond measure to be their dad.  Recently, our toddler, Abby, who will 22 months old soon, has coined a few new phrases that I find funny. 

"I want pick up my Abby".  This is self-explanatory, I suppose, and she is really just mimicking what we say ("I'm gonna pick up my Abby.")

"We wow." =  "Right now", as in "I want carry Abby we wow." or "I want to see Dora we wow."

Lately, I have noticed an interesting new trend.  I am a fan of the TV show "Monk", and when I watch it, Abby says, "See man."  Tony Shalhoub is the star of the show, and anytime he appears on the screen, she says, "man" or "see man". 

Surprisingly, earlier she actually REQUESTED to watch "Monk":

"I wanna see man." 

Alright, honey.  Let's see the man.  It is easier for me to watch than some of the other shows that she enjoys (please see my previous post about "Caillou" here - My Toddler Daughter's Current Favorite Show ).

Speaking of Caillou, please allow me to give you a bit of background information so that this next part will make more sense to you.  The primary kid characters on the show are Caillou, Rosie, their friend Sarah, and another friend, Leo.

Here is the verbal progression that Abby has gone through in asking to watch this show (in other words, this is how she has referred to the show over time):

• Tattoo
• Tai-too
• Caillou
• Caillou-Rosie
• Cai-Rosie
• Rosie
• Sarah

She basically will just ask for random characters from the program, so it is required that we remain well-versed on the cast.  You will notice that Leo has never made the list yet.  Perhaps it's because he is kind of a dork, or maybe it's the fact that he is a minor character. 

Truly, I feel that parenting is sort of like "Jeopardy" sometimes:

ME: Alex, I'll take "Characters from Caillou" for 400.

ALEX TREBEK: This two-year old girl is Caillou's little sister, and your daughter idolizes her.

ME: Who is Rosie?

ALEX: That's correct.  Your next selection?

ME: "Picky Eaters" for 600, Alex.

ALEX: This type of food makes your son run screaming into the night.

ME: What is a vegetable?

On another note, the most recent phase for Abby is the refusal to remove her shoes or jacket, even at bedtime.  She prefers to wear a hooded jacket (with the hood up) and her nice brown shoes for some reason, regardless of the time of day. 

When we try to coax her into removing her shoes, it is necessary to provide a great and extended distraction, or she will get pretty upset.  With that in mind, she wears her shoes pretty often, as you might well imagine.

Right now, we are watching "Monk" together while my wife is out shopping.  I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  Abby is wearing a pink fuzzy hoodie with butterflies on it, along with her diaper and brown shoes.  Big surprise, huh? 

If you enjoyed this one, you might also enjoy some of my previous kid-related posts, which I have collected here:

My Kids' Greatest Hits - A Collection of All Previous Posts About My Children

As always, thanks for your time. 

Austin Real Estate Copyright 2008