Cool Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

The line above comes from Steve Martin's character Navin Johnson in the 1979 classic comedy "The Jerk", which is one of my all-time favorite movies, and it pretty well sums up my own feelings when the latest issue of Texas Realtor magazine arrived at my office.

If you're not familiar with this scene, Navin gets really excited when the new phone books arrive as the gas station where he works:

Navin R. Johnson : The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!
Harry Hartounian : Boy, I wish I could get that excited about nothing.
Navin R. Johnson : Nothing? Are you kidding? Page 73 - Johnson, Navin R.! I'm somebody now! Millions of people look at this book everyday! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity - your name in print - that makes people. I'm in print! Things are going to start happening to me now.

And now, I am following in Navin's footsteps, having had an article of mine appear in "Texas Realtor" magazine this month.  Hopefully, I will not be attacked by a sniper, as he was.  :)

Last month, I was approached by the director of content for the Texas Association of Realtors to write a piece about why someone should start blogging. He had been reading my AR blog for awhile, which led to this very cool opportunity.

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Here is the article reproduced in its entirety:

Six Reasons to Start Blogging

Why You Should Share Your Insights and Expertise With the Online World

So, you're thinking about jumping into the world of blogging, but you aren't totally sold on the idea?  Here are some reasons to take the plunge:

Expand your sphere.  Having an interesting real estate blog will help you forge new friendships and increase your business contact base; they are really one and the same in real estate.  When you blog effectively and consistently, you have the opportunity to build an online audience of people who pay attention to you and your opinions.  This attention results in referrals from real estate professionals, and consumers feel like they know and trust you before you've actually met.

Exert influence.   You have an opportunity to affect the news and conversations going on in and about the real estate industry.  The media likes to focus on the negative stuff for the most part.  Got something positive to say?  Let your voice be heard.

Improve yourself.  I guarantee your communication skills will improve.  Even if you're already a good writer, you'll get better.  Additionally, the more time you spend reading other blogs, the more knowledgeable you'll become.  This translates into real-world expertise with clients.

Get noticed on the Web.  Google, Yahoo, and other search engines love blogs.  One of the easiest ways to increase your visibility online is to generate new, relevant blog entries on a consistent basis.  Blogging will improve your search engine rankings and help potential clients find you more easily.

Become the authority.  Position yourself as the specialist on a topic.  If you have a tight niche that you are looking to maximize, blogging will enable you to become the known expert.  There are blogs that focus exclusively on downtown condos, waterfront luxury homes, and short sales.  In the potential client's mind, you can become the only person worth contacting.

Build trust.  People feel more comfortable working with someone they have already "connected" with one some level.  Frankly, most of the clients I get from my blog have already decided to use me as their agent before they initiate contact.  With that in mind, you'll save a lot of effort at the beginning of the sales process, because you don't have to spend extra time convincing the client to choose you.

Jason Crouch is the broker/owner of Austin Texas Homes and has been selling homes in Austin for over 12 years.  He is a well-known blogger and is available to teach or speak throughout Texas on the topic of blogging and other social media marketing tools.  Visit his blog at AustinsCoolestBlog.com.  Contact him at jason@austintexashomes.com.  

figured it was time for some gratuitous baby photos, since it has been a couple of weeks since the last ones that I posted.  I also have a cool new video of my kids that I would like to share sometime soon, but frankly I'm a bit tired to get it posted tonight.

Genevieve ("Jenny") continues to be the easiest child in history, or at least in OUR family history.  :)  She smiles a LOT these days, and she is generally charming pretty much all the time.

Instead of being jealous of the new baby, our three-year-old daughter, Abby, would probably cuddle Jenny all day and pet her head and feet if we allowed it.  Speaking of feet, hers are pretty darn cute!

Our older kids are instinctively parental with the baby, too.  Simply put, we are blessed beyond belief.

Not long ago, I was speaking with a friend of mine, and I explained to him that one of the quickest ways to get me to do something was to utter one of the following phrases:

"Jason, you won't be able to do that."

OR

"I doubt you will be able to get that done."

OR EVEN

"That seems pretty unlikely, but good luck with it."

In 1996, I was working as a retail manager for CompUSA.  One of the other managers at our store in north Austin mentioned that he had an idea for a business that "someone should develop".  He was perturbed by the fact that he and his wife were looking at homes, and all of the fliers they picked up were black and white Xeroxes. 

"I think it would be a great business to offer to use these new digital cameras and great color printers to produce color fliers for real estate agents."

I asked him if he minded if I were to run with the idea, since he was not interested in doing it himself.

"Sure, go for it," he replied.

About four months later, I quit my job there to run a company called Digital Homefront full-time.  Can you guess what our service was?

A few months after that, I got my real estate license, and I have been self-employed ever since.

Along the way, I heard from my naysayer friends about how frequently small businesses fail, and how much money you have to have in savings to get started in real estate.  When I started my own brokerage almost five years ago, there were a few who seemed skeptical then, too.  Now that we have 18 agents, I don't hear those types of comments anymore, thankfully.

When I started blogging on ActiveRain in August 2007, a fellow member left a comment on one of my posts, stating that it might be hard for me to ever be #1 in Austin on AR.  Looking back, this one actually seems humorous now.  Needless to say, it didn't take me that long to hit that mark with consistent effort.

Why am I telling you this stuff, anyway?

Well, it's simple really.  I wrote this in an effort to get you, the reader, to give some thought to what really motivates YOU in your industry.  Do you like the idea of a challenge?  Are you in your business to help others?  In my own case, tell me that I can't do something, and stand back while I figure out how to get it done.  I like the notion of achieving something that isn't easy.  I also like being my own boss.

Give some thought to what your TRUE motivators are (hopefully, something other than money alone). 

Thanks for reading!       

Photo above courtesy of starbuddie84 from Flickr.com.

In case you don't normally read my blog, Ken Cook and I have been hosting a one-hour online radio show every Tuesday for the past six months.  We recently decided to change the name of the show from "Twitter Tuesday" to "Social Media Edge", since many of our friends thought we were talking exclusively about Twitter. 

We broadcast live at 11am Central (noon Eastern, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific) here: http://budurl.com/jckc 

We generally have a guest or two each time, and we talk about various social media topics and using them to grow your business.  Sometimes, we just riff on each other and use a litany of funny sound effects and music to make each other laugh.  It pretty much depends on our mood.

We have a regular weekly segment with our roving tech reporter Mike Mueller. Mike spends a few minutes per show talking about his "tech tip of the week".  What a great guy!

I am pleased to report that we averaged 261 listeners per show from January through April, making us one of the top social networking shows for online radio!  Currently, our show is ranked #2 in the "Social Networking" category.  I think this might have something to do with our terrific theme music.  :)

You can access the live show OR listen to our recorded shows ANYTIME right here:

http://blogtalkradio.com/jckc

 Here are a couple of testimonials from some familiar faces here on ActiveRain:

"I have followed just about everything Jason has done since I got involved in blogging for the first time roughly 2 years ago.  When I heard that he had teamed up with Ken Cook for a "talk radio" show about social media, I knew I had to tune in to it. 

After the first episode, I decided I had to be involved.  Since that time, my company has been a sponsor of the show providing them with working capital to allow them to give away promotional items to its listeners.  I am an avid fan of the show...almost rabid.  (In fact, I have not missed a single episode.)  The guests are some of the most knowledgeable in the industry and the information I have gained by listening to this show has helped me on just about every facet of my social media usage. 

If you are in any way involved in some form of social media, you are missing the boat by missing this show!!"

- Clint Miller, Real Estate Client Referrals

"Ken Cook and Jason Crouch's #jckc Social Media Edge is a regular part of my week.  I like to join Ken, Jason and their guests to hear real life applications for social media and get training and tips.  As co-founder of TwitterQueens, Inc. I think that they have great information and a wonderful grasp on the applications of social media."

- Lesley Lambert, Founder of TwitterQueens

I hope you can join us this week!

Thanks!

 My RSS feed is http://activerain.com/jasoncrouch/rss.

With its newest marketing slogan, "Pflugerville: Between a Rock and a Weird Place", my current hometown seems poised for even more growth now that it has been named as one of the "Top 100 Places to Live" according to Relocate America.

To briefly explain the saying, Pflugerville is located between Round Rock and Austin, whose city slogan is "Keep Austin Weird".  This refers to efforts to support local small businesses as opposed to large chain stores.

I have lived in Pflugerville for over 14 years now, so I know firsthand how great the town is for raising kids.  It's quiet, safe, friendly, and affordable.  What else could you ask for?

When we first moved here, the census sign (from 1990) said, "Population: 4,444".  The current population is approaching 50,000, making Pflugerville one of the fastest growing cities in Texas.

Speaking of the desirability of our community:

"Pflugerville is just 20 minutes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and with two new state highways traversing the city, Pflugerville will soon be an essential hub for people making their way in and around Central Texas. Perhaps most importantly, Pflugerville is committed to families. Located minutes from technology giants Dell, Samsung, Motorola and IBM, and from the State offices in downtown Austin, the City attracts a highly educated population in search of quality housing, excellent schools and a safe, healthy environment."

The entire text of the article appears here:

http://www.relocateamerica.com/texas/cities/pflugerville

If you are looking to make a move to Pflugerville/Austin, or if you need more information, please feel free to contact me anytime.  I would love the chance to help.  I can be reached anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or by email at jason@austintexashomes.com.

I have also gathered some previous posts of mine which you may find helpful as you are making decisions:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

My primary Austin real estate website is www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks for checking out this post - I hope to hear from you soon!

Photo above courtesy of Pflugerpfotos - located on Flickr.com.

Relocation.com released an interesting new list a couple of days ago, naming Austin, Texas #1 on its list of "Top Cities for a Fresh Start". 

This is an interesting study, and one which seems particularly apt considering the rough economic factors facing many parts of the country.  The data includes some unique categories:

• Job Growth (Austin is #1)
• Home Affordability
• Volunteerism Rate
• Popularity for Relocation

The volunteerism rate was cited as a measure of the strength of the community.  For this particular item, Austin was #5 on the list.

With regard to popularity, the article states:

We mined our own data to see where people wanted to move. We took that as an indication that these communities are seeing, or will see, an steady influx of newcomers. These newcomers bring with them new ideas, skills and outlooks that can help support the economy and that city's sense of community. This type of ‘churn' is vital.

To read the entire article on the Relocation.com blog, check it out here:

http://www.relocation.com/blog/relocationcoms-top-cities-for-a-fresh-start

Since 1997, I have specialized in helping home buyers who are relocating to the general Austin area.  If you are looking to make a move in our direction, or if you need more information, please feel free to contact me anytime.  I would love the chance to help.  I can be reached anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or by email at jason@austintexashomes.com.

I have also gathered some previous posts of mine which you may find helpful as you are making decisions:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

My primary Austin real estate website is www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks for checking out this post - I hope to hear from you soon!

One of the many reasons that my wife and I get along so well is that we understand each other, and we each tolerate a silent addiction that we share. 

We love to read.

As for me, I am not what one would consider to be a "casual reader", although I guess "voracious reader" sounds a bit violent, as does "heavy user".  :)  I actually started reading at age two, and I was self-taught.  Yes, really.  My mom has shared this story dozens of times with me and others. 

In a nutshell, we have literally 1000's of books in our house (thankfully, we have a pretty large home!).  I just counted, and we have 17 bookshelves now.  My wife once blogged about this a couple of years ago.  I think her post was entitled, "I have more books in my bathroom than you have in your whole house" or something similar.  This is probably not far from the truth, unless you are also a bibilophile.  We share a dream of someday having a two-story (or maybe three-story?) library with a spiral staircase in the middle.

During my career in real estate, I have shown hundreds and hundreds of homes, and I am amazed whenever I show a house and there are no books in sight.  To me, this is much like not having running water.

Every so often, we purge several boxes of books and either sell them in yard sales or give them away to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.  I used to try the used bookstore route, but the return is simply not good enough there.  I would rather donate them than accept a pittance.

Recently, I realized just how many books we have that I haven't yet finished.  Every room has a good number of books that I want to check out (pun totally intended).  With that in mind, I have begun to read much more earnestly these days, in an effort to:

• Learn something new
• Enjoy the simple pleasure of reading
• Become a better writer myself
• Accomplish something tangible that I can control

I probably read roughly two books per week these days.  Sometimes I find an author I really like (such as Douglas Coupland, Malcolm Gladwell, or Michael Crichton) and I read everything by that author, even if it means a trip to the library to get them all.  Other times, I fixate on a specific topic, and I read all of the most interesting-looking books on that subject.

I impressed my wife this past week by focusing enough to complete both books that I checked out from the library before they were due back!  Clearly, I am easily distracted.  I usually have 3-5 books in progress - one in the bathroom, one in the car, one on my desk - you get the jist.

My 8-year old daughter clearly has accepted the reading torch, so to speak.  Last night, I was getting her in bed, and she was trying to figure out where to put one of her books, which is part of a box series of 20 volumes called "Horrible Histories".  Each of them is about 100-150 pages long.  I asked her which ones she had already finished reading.

"All of them."

Of course you did, sweetie.  Of course you did.

My RSS feed is http://activerain.com/jasoncrouch/rss   

Photo above is courtesy of zen - found on Flickr.com.

Austin has been honored on yet another national list this week, having been named the #1 city on Forbes' latest list of "Best Bargain Cities". 

I took a close look at the data they used in calculating the top rankings.  As always, they analyzed the 50 largest U.S. metro statistical areas for the study.  Here are the primary data points used:

• Average salary for workers with a bachelor's degree or higher (from PayScale.com)
• Annual unemployment statistics (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Cost of living (Moody's Economy.com)
• Housing Opportunity Index (from NAHB & Wells Fargo) - measures affordability at median income

Not surprisingly, Austin earned high marks across the board.

The article cites the fact that Austin has three big marks in its favor:

• University town
• State capital
• Technology center

With those factors alone, Austin maintains a very healthy economy, bucking the national trend.  As I have often mentioned to my clients, there was never a real estate bubble here to pop in the first place, because prices increased at moderate levels during the biggest growth years.  Part of this stems from the fact that there is still ample land for development in almost every direction outside the city.

Austin ranked #3 for the cost of living index provided in the article, and we also boast the very lowest unemployment rate among the cities included in the study.  Rounding out the top five "best bargains" were Phoenix, Washington DC, Fort Worth, and Cincinnati/Indianapolis (tied for fifth).

Since 1997, I have specialized in helping home buyers who are relocating to the general Austin area.  If you are looking to make a move in our direction, or if you need more information, please feel free to contact me anytime.  I would love the chance to help.  I can be reached anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or by email at jason@austintexashomes.com.

I have also gathered some previous posts of mine which you may find helpful as you are making decisions:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

My primary Austin real estate website is www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks for checking out this post - I hope to hear from you soon!

For a long time, I have considered myself blessed to be selling homes in the Austin, Texas area.  It seems like our town gets a fair amount of positive media exposure these days from the national press.  Once again, Austin was recognized with optimistic economic news this week by Forbes.com.

Citing the fact that migration in the U.S. remains down overall, Forbes points out that five cities are still experiencing reasonable growth in 2009: Raleigh, Austin, Charlotte, Phoenix, and Dallas.

This dovetails nicely with a previous story I mentioned on this blog, which indicated that Austin may actually experience a housing shortage before the end of the year.  Acclaimed economist Angelos Angelou noted that we are expecting 42,000 new residents in this area in 2009, while builders have scaled back their production from 18,000 units to around 6,000 this year. 

With current inventory levels hovering around 11,000 right now, an influx of this many new people, combined with local renters who are foraying into the market to take advantage of supremely low interest rates AND the large first-time homebuyer tax credit, a shortage seems likely by the year's end.

Since 1997, I have specialized in helping home buyers who are relocating to the general Austin area.  If you are looking to make a move in our direction, or if you need more information, please feel free to contact me anytime.  I would love the chance to help.  I can be reached anytime at 512-796-7653 (cell) or by email at jason@austintexashomes.com.

I have also gathered some previous posts of mine which you may find helpful as you are making decisions:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

Thanks for checking out this post - I hope to hear from you soon!

Earlier today, I met with my friend Debbie Ates at Wilshire Homes (Commons at Rowe Lane) and she requested that I update my previous video about Stone Hill Town Center.

This new shopping center is located less than two miles from my home in the Blackhawk area.  There are plenty of other neighborhoods in the area, including Falcon Pointe, Highland Park North, Commons at Rowe Lane, Villages at Hidden Lake, Avalon, and more.

This video turned out a bit longer than I was planning at almost 4 minutes, but I hope you find it to be helpful.  Thanks!