Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

Over the past several months, I have heard rave reviews about the Amazon Kindle device, which allows the user to download books and store them for reading anytime.  I like the idea of having an entire library of possibilities at my fingertips when I am on the go.

I have been tempted several times to get one, but I couldn't get past the big pricetag.  Currently, the latest version of the Kindle runs $359.00, and the "first generation" version starts at $239.00.

I wouldn't mind paying these prices IF the device included books, too, but each book runs another $9.99 on average for first-run titles.

With that in mind, you can probably imagine how happy I was to realize that there is a Kindle application for the iPhone! 

But there must be a catch, right?  Nope.  It's FREE!

I downloaded this app within minutes of hearing about it for the first time, and I am finishing reading my second book on the iPhone this week.  Incidentally, the very first title I grabbed was Malcolm Gladwell's new book, "Outliers" (highly recommended, by the way).  Gladwell has become one of my favorite writers, since he always makes me think.

So, if you have an iPhone, and you like to read, this is a "must have" application.  It only takes a few seconds to install, and you can immediately start book shopping.  Enjoy!

My wife and I don't get a chance to sit through very many movies all at once.  Typically, it takes 2 or more evenings for us to get through a whole film, since our time is limited to the hour or two after all of our kids are asleep, assuming that we don't get interrupted by our newborn baby or toddler. 

That being said, we watched a movie a couple of nights ago that was so interesting and well-made that we couldn't wait to finish it the next night.  As with many of the things we watch, this was available via our Roku device, which streams movies from Netflix to our TV.

"Dear Zachary: A letter to a son about his father" is quite possibly the best and most memorable documentary that I have ever seen.  We were intrigued because it is one of the few selections we have seen with a 5-star rating from other Netflix users.  It turned out to be time well spent.

In a nutshell, "Dear Zachary" was made by an independent filmmaker, Kurt Kuenne, who wanted to provide a complete portrait of his murdered friend Andrew for Andrew's newborn son Zachary. He tirelessly travelled around the country, interviewing Andrew's friends and family, and he included a lot of footage from when they were kids growing up together.

If you commit to watching this movie, please be advised that it is somewhat emotionally draining, but it is an editing masterpiece, and the story is incredibly compelling.  Be prepared to cry - maybe a lot.  As you get to know the people who loved Andrew (including Kuenne himself), the emotions are palpable and raw.

I don't often give such a ringing endorsement, and this is certainly the type of movie that requires more attention and thought than average, but my wife and I have been talking about it for days.  I think it's very worthy of more exposure and word-of-mouth.

It was released last year, and it has received a lot of attention from critics and film festival audiences alike, including being selected as one of the Top 5 Documentaries of 2008 by the National Board of Review.

If you have a chance, don't miss this one. 

Abby, our three-year-old daughter, is ridiculously cute.  If she had her way, she would spend most of the day cuddling our newborn baby girl, petting and kissing her head. 

I have had a bunch of people ask me, "Is your toddler jealous?" and I have to laugh, because that has never crossed her mind.  Instead, she likes to come up with new nicknames for Jenny (Genevieve), including:

• Jen Jen or Jenner - kinda obvious
• Gingerbread - I like this one!
• Sugar Baby Strawberry - This is my personal favorite

Then, she forayed into "just plain odd" nickname territory, with these gems:

"Mama, can I call the baby 'ointment'?"

"Can I call her 'books'?"

Now it was clear that she was just looking around the room at random objects. 

Another fun new trend for Abby is her cool new lingo, which mainly involves dropping the last syllable or word in a sentence, such as, "I don't want!" or "I am thirst." (seems a bit profound now that I see it written), or "I love Sugar Babe Strawb!" (see above for explanation on this one). 

One of my jobs as a dad is to get our three older kids to bed each night since my wife is taking care of the baby, which usually includes storytime as well.  Abby is about 5 years younger than our oldest daughter, so she gets her own special time with me before I get the big kids headed off to brush their teeth, etc.

The other night, just after I turned off the overhead light, Abby said, "I wanna talk."

"Okay, sweetie, what do you want to talk about?"

"What CAN we talk about, Dad?"

I could tell that this was going to be an interesting conversation.

"Well, would you like to talk about kitty cats?"

"No."

"Puppies?"

"No."

"Monkeys?"

"No."

"Clouds?"

"No."

I went through at least 50-75 possible topics with her, including every member of our immediate and extended family, different types of weather, TV shows, with a few silly items thrown in for good measure, and I was starting to wind down:

"Sunshine?"

"No, dad."

"Unicorns?"

"Nope."

"Rainbows?"

"YES!  Tell me a story about rainbows, dad."

So I did. 

She loved it, then she fell asleep in about 25 seconds flat.

I love my life.

I don't profess to be a technology or social media guru, but I will say that I have been immersed in this stuff for a couple of years, so I certainly have developed my own set of opinions on what works and what doesn't.  That being said, one of the worst pieces of advice that I have witnessed is something along these lines:

"Don't blog about your personal life."

or

"Don't tweet about your boring day.  No one cares!"

And so on.

I utterly disagree with those statements above.  If people care about YOU, then they will likely care about what is going on in your life and during the course of your day.

The title of this post refers to something I recently discussed with a friend of mine at lunch.  If you allow others to tell you what to write about, this is tantamount to attending a party with a script in hand.  Don't allow anyone else to direct your networking activities to this degree.  It's fine to get tips and understand protocol, but let your content show your unique personality.

On our radio show (Social Media Edge), we once had a guest who told us about his "formula" for Twitter, with specific percentages for each type of tweet (something like 20% personal, 20% business, 40% information, and 20% unwanted advice). 

I disagreed with him on the air, and I still disagree today. 

The essence of social media is that it's SOCIAL.  When you are talking with friends in person over dinner, do you ever think, "Wow - I need to work in about 8% more talk about business, then I can mention that cool movie I saw yesterday."  NO!  No one does that in real life - why would you do it online?

Be yourself, and reap the benefits.  If you relate to others and engage them, it can lead to some great friendships, some of which may turn into business for you (just like offline, right?).

I have been asked "But what should I blog about?" at least 250 times over the past year.  The quickest answer that I can give, when blogging, tweeting, or spending time on Facebook, is this:

Anything that you are comfortable writing about is fair game.  Period.

Thanks for reading!

Photo above by _MaO_ from Flickr.

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

Please take a couple of minutes to read this post from my friend and radio co-host Ken Cook.  We are hoping to make a real difference through our social media efforts in the upcoming months.

The other night, I took my two older kids swimming.  My son is 10 and my daughter is 8.  The neighborhood pool that we prefer to use is about a block and a half from our home, and it's usually not crowded, especially in the evenings, when we prefer to swim.

Last year, I remember that my son could almost stand up in the "deep" end of the pool, which is about 5 feet or so. 

This year, one of the first things he did was to go stand on the drain and show me that he could still keep his head above the water. 

"I'm not even on my tiptoes, Dad!"

It reminded me of my own youth, as I would gauge my height among my friends through the years.  In my own case, I was the kid who was perenially in the middle of the back row for any class pictures (that's where they put the tall kids).

Perhaps more importantly, it reminded me of how I felt when I sold my first "luxury" home here in Austin, then my first million-dollar property.  Later, in 2006, I sold a home priced at $3.4 million on Lake Austin.  The same year, my business partner sold a property for over $4 million!  We had made it - right?

Well, not exactly, but that was a really strong couple of years for us. 

I finally felt like I was one of the "big kids", too!  If my clients trusted me to help them to invest this much money on ANYTHING, I must be doing something right.

After watching many of the top luxury agents in Austin over the years, I finally could say that I was part of their ranks, at least in some small way.  In fact, we sold a good number of homes in the seven figure range.   Frankly, those days seem to have dried up substantially over the past year or so, but they will likely return at some point. 

Here's the important part of this post:

Once you have achieved a goal, it becomes easier the next time around.  You have already proven that you're capable, and it shows when you're dealing with clients.  I have often said that clients can smell desperation, which I firmly believe to be true.  Conversely, they can tell if you are comfortable in any given situation.  I chose to cut my real estate teeth on higher-end homes back when I started in 1997.  Consequently, I am not intimidated by any "normal" transactions these days (as if such a thing exists anymore).

I think the same ethic holds true for our industry as it does for just about any business - the first big achievement is likely the most difficult, partially because it is uncharted ground.  

Think about these items for a second:

• Stephen King has sold tens of millions of books - at some point in the early 70's, he sold the very first one
• There was a time when Babe Ruth hadn't yet hit his first home run in the majors
• Abraham Lincoln lost EIGHT elections before becoming President

I guess the point I am trying to make here is that everybody starts somewhere. Whether it is a luxury home, or a first-time home buyer, or a difficult loan, or your very first blog post, just know that it will get easier with experience. Dive in!

Thanks for reading!

Photos courtesy of leozaza and IceNineJon - found on Flickr.com.

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

Forbes.com released its list of the best cities for couples in the U.S., and I wasn't surprised to see Texas placing really well on the list, with the top two spots going to Dallas and Houston, respectively.  Austin placed #5 on the list, and San Antonio placed 7th.

There are always a lot of lists like this floating around, like the most affordable places to live, or the "fittest cities", and so on.  This particular list struck me as interesting, partially because of the criteria they used to put it together:

1. Marriage rates per 1,000 people
2. Divorce rates per 1,000 people
   
3. Housing affordability - the specific focus here was on starter homes in each area, which may be why Texas fared so well overall
   
4. Income disparity - For this piece of data, they analyzed male vs. female income levels, with the thinking that greater disparity might also indicate big disparities in education and experience, which could lead to a mismatch.
5. Access to couple's counseling - Frankly, I'm not sure how helpful this particular item would be in forming a list like this one, but there you have it.  I suppose if there were no counseling available at all, that could certainly affect things!

If you are interested in reading the entire article, please visit:

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/03/cities-couples-best-forbeslife-lovebiz08-cx_rr_0204couples.html

If you are looking to make a move to the Austin area, 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 is courtesy of wattsbw2004 from Flickr.com.

A few months ago, I was contacted by someone at Rand Publishing to see if I would be interested in receiving "proof" copies of a couple of books by Jim Randel:

"The Skinny On the Housing Crisis"

AND

"The Skinny On Credit Cards"

The "skinny" part refers to the fact that the books are actually a VERY quick read .  Each of them can easily be completed in under an hour.  In essence, they are graphic novels, which is the latest term for comic books, I think.  Each of the books follows a fictional stick figure couple as they learn about the topic at hand.

I left them sitting on my desk a bit longer than I had originally intended, but I recently read both of them in one evening. Here are my thoughts/impressions of each of them.

THE SKINNY ON CREDIT CARDS

Bottom line: This book gives some very solid tips about getting out of consumer debt.  I think it would be a great gift for a teenager or a young adult who is getting started financially.  Come to think of it, it would probably be a welcome lesson for a lot of people that I know.

All of the information is presented in a way that makes it very easy to digest and understand.  Additionally, it is at a similar level to the Dummies books, meaning that you don't have to have much previous knowledge to benefit here.  Having heard many financial gurus over the years, I think this is one of the better plans for becoming debt-free (or for staying out of debt in the first place).

THE SKINNY ON THE HOUSING CRISIS

The other book, which focuses on the recent collapse of the housing market, is also very informative.  Randel did a great job of explaining the mortgage process, which would certainly help any first-time buyers to better evaluate what they are getting into these days.  

Overall, Randel's analysis of the crash that occurred beginning in late 2006 was a solid one.  Of particular interest to me was how Randel would address real estate agents and their role in the crisis (since I have been in real estate for over 12 years now).  He notes correctly that the commission structure could induce agents to do things that are not necessarily in their client's best interest.

Randel makes three interesting points that I think are worth mentioning here:

1. There are simply too many real estate agents.  This has probably shifted back toward a more manageable number since the book was published last year.
2. Real estate agents operate in an "all-or-nothing" compensation model.  I actually addressed this very topic in a previous post earlier this year which garnered a lot of attention and some terrific discussions: How many other professionals work on contingency ALL THE TIME? A sincere look at the real estate business model
3. Real estate agents want the same respect as other professionals, but the licensing/training requirements don't really keep the less desirable elements out of the business.  This last statement really requires no further explanation.

I would definitely recommend checking out both of these books if you have a chance.  The ebooks are available for just $9.95 each, and the hard copies are $14.95 + shipping.  Both of them can be found right here:  http://www.jimrandel.com/.

Thanks for reading!

Each week, I have a handful of online friends who ask if our weekly radio show "Social Media Edge" (formerly Twitter Tuesday) is recorded, so that they can listen anytime.  The essence of Web 2.0 is being able to access information on your own terms, right?

Yes!

In an effort to make it easier to find and check out all of our previous episodes, this post will serve as the definitive spot to locate any past shows, going back to our original shows in early December 2008.  I will do my best to keep it updated each week from this point forward.   

If you haven't heard our program at all, this would be a good opportunity to pick one that looks interesting to you.  :) 

Without further ado, here is the entire list to date:

December 2008

That was the first month that I hesitantly dipped my feet into the radio pool, as it were.  Listening back to those early attempts, I was struck by how serious I sound.  The first couple of shows were 30 minutes, but we later expanded to a full hour.

Jason Crouch and Ken Cook Twitter Tuesday! (30 minutes) - December 9th

Jason Crouch and Ken Cook Twitter Tuesday! (30 minutes) - December 16th

Twitter Tuesday Christmas Show (30 minutes) - December 23rd - includes a visit from a very hungover Santa Claus!

Twitter Tuesday New Year's Resolution Special ONE HOUR! - December 30th - our first one hour show 

January 2009

Twitter Tuesday - Guests TS Elliott & Chicke Fitzgerald - January 6th - This was our first show with guests.

Twitter Tuesday - Guests Julie Roads, Walter Charnoff and Erika Napoletano - January 13th

Twitter Tuesday - Guests Brian Carter and Ed Bisquera - January 20th

Twitter Tuesday - Guest Tamara Dorris - January 27th - We shifted to one guest instead of two at that point.

February 2009

Twitter Tuesday Guest Rick Abbott @theDigitalLife - February 3rd

Twitter Tuesday - Guest @BillCrosby Social Media Evangelist - February 10th 

Twitter Tuesday - Guest @MikeMueller Vid/LinkedIn - February 17th - This was our first show with Mike Mueller, who has now become a regular part of the show as our roving tech reporter.

@shelisrael (Naked Conversations) - February 24th - Shel Israel is the co-author of "Naked Conversations", which is considered to be one of the seminal books on the topic of business blogging.

March 2009

Twitter Tuesday - Guest @CathyBrowne - March 3rd 

Humanizing Business Through Social Media - March 10th - Guest was Erin Hurry, founder of Girls with Goals

Very Special Guest Steve McGranahan - "World's Strongest Redneck"! - March 17th - yes, you read the title correctly

Twitter Tuesday - Guest James Shiner @TweeplePages - March 24th - James is also the founder of Zipvo, which is a terrific real estate video platform

Twitter Tuesday Radio Brad Nix, Matt Fagioli REtechSouth - March 31st

April 2009

Twitter Tuesday w/ Jason Crouch & Ken Cook (JCKC Radio) - April 7th - Guest was Andrew Stone, developer of Twittelator and many other iPhone applications

Twitter Tuesday Radio - Guest Guy Hagen, Founder of Twinfluence - April 14th

Twitter Tuesday Radio - Now "Social Media Edge" - April 21st - After 3.5 months with guests, we decided to take a break for awhile.

Bloggers Sued for Product Endorsement? - April 28th

May 2009

Social Media Edge - Blogging Policies? Friend Feed - May 5th

Hyperlocal and the 2 Pound Doughnut - We All Win - May 12th

More Hyperlocal and Five Tips for Success - May 19th

Amazing Tips Tools and Tricks for Social Media - May 26th

June 2009

Social Media Edge - Tips, Tricks, Tweets and More - June 2nd - Jeremy Blanton also joined us for a new regular feature about blogging/ActiveRain.

Social Media Tips Tricks and Tools for SEO and More - June 9th

Social Media Edge - June 16th - Mike shared Evernote with us, and we discussed new Facebook custom URLs.

Social Media Edge - June 23rd - This was my first and only sick day to date.

Social Media Edge - June 30th - More talk about Facebook pages.  I also had to kick Jeremy out of the chat room.  :)

July 2009

Social Media Edge - Special Guests Reggie and Nicole "Nik Nik" Nicolay - July 7th - We broke our live listener record with this star-studded episode!

If you want to join us live, we broadcast every Tuesday at noon Eastern (11am Central, 10am Mountain time, 9am Pacific) 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!