Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

We recently listed a handful of units in the Courtyards at Onion Creek development in south Austin, minutes from downtown.  As with all of the units, Unit 1102 boasts an amazing finish-out, including:

• Wood flooring
• Hardwood raised panel custom kitchen cabinets
• Granite counter tops
• G.E. stainless steel appliances with gas stoves
• Built-in microwave and dishwasher
• Stainless steel double-sink
• 9 to 18-foot ceilings with crown molding in living and dining areas in two-story homes
• Direct vent fireplaces with gas logs and glass doors
• Ceiling fans in all bedrooms and living room
• Pre-wired for security system
  
• Generous storage areas

This 2 bedroom unit has 2 full bathrooms, and 2078 square feet per the tax records. 

It's priced to sell at just $219,000.

Along with the purchase, the new owner will get a membership at the Onion Creek Club valued at $10,000!

This particular unit is vacant and ready for immediate move-in.  The entrance to the community is only a few hundred feet from I-35, and the distance to downtown is about 8-9 miles. 

 

 

 

If you're interested in setting up a time to take a look at this property or any other home in the Austin, Texas area, feel free to call me anytime at 512-796-7653 or email jason@austintexashomes.com.  You can also search all Austin Tx real estate for sale by visiting our website at www.austintexashomes.com.

Today was a long day, frankly.  My wife's car was giving her problems, which later turned out to be the transmission, which has to be replaced.  Thankfully, this is covered under the warranty, which had only a few thousand miles left.  This was a blessing. Later, my Macbook Pro stopped working altogether, which turned out to be a faulty power supply, not the motherboard, or some other costly repair.  Overall, we spent much of the day in the car with all four kids running around. 

I only say that stuff to say that Garlic Breath Pizza was....well, a breath of fresh air at the end of the day.  I discovered it via Yelp on my iPhone, and the reviews looked spectacular.  Upon arriving at their physical location, I realized that they aren't really set up as a "dine in" place.  Nonetheless, they told us we could sit at the tables in the small area provided.  Our family of six took up the whole place, which made it more like a private dining experience.  :)

After ordering our food (and using a $5 off "mention Yelp" coupon), we were treated to a FREE pizza because someone cancelled their order.  Seriously?!?  Yes.  The owner, Cia (pronounced "KY-uh") was super-nice and she suggested that I have the steak and cheese sandwich, which is her personal favorite. 

She has impeccable taste.  It was one of the best sandwiches I've had in ages.

The pizza was also phenomenally tasty, and the kids were all satisfied.  Everything we had was good.  I would highly recommend this place if you're looking for special ingredients, too.  They have a broad array of sauces, veggies, meats, and cheeses to choose from, and the pizza crust was thin and crunchy, like a cracker, only better.

Our total for a family of six was $40, so it's more than fast food, but less than a place like Chili's, and we brought a substantial amount of food home for later consumption.

Don't miss Garlic Breath Pizza!  I will be spreading the word in Round Rock and beyond.

They can be found at 1711 North Mays Street, Round Rock, TX 78664.  To call in for delivery anywhere in the Round Rock city limits or Brushy Creek or to pick it up, call (512) 255-5500.  You won't be disappointed.

One of my favorite things about being a real estate broker/agent is helping my buyer clients to negotiate the best deal on the home they have chosen.  Having represented hundreds of buyers over my 13-year career, I've found that each situation is unique, and that's part of what I enjoy.  The mental challenge makes it....fun?  That may be too strong a word to describe it, but the strategy part is intriguing to me.

I have a bit of advice that I wanted to share with home buyers with regard to making offers:

• Yes, it really is possible to offend someone so badly that they won't sell to you.  No, it's not common.
• If you make an offer that's below the asking price and it gets accepted, don't start second-guessing yourself and wondering if you could have offered less.  Many times, it's possible to hit the sellers' sweet spot, meaning the number they had in mind in the first place.
• If you make an offer that is well below the price suggested by your Realtor, don't be surprised if you get a firm counteroffer, or even a counteroffer of full price.  This doesn't mean that they don't want to sell.  It means, "Please get serious and try again."
• Just because a home has been on the market a long time doesn't mean that the seller will reduce the price a lot.  They may be unable to do so, and that is reflected in the days on market.  Truthfully, that home could end up as a short sale later, but you might be wasting your time to pursue it now.
• If a home has been sharply reduced, this also doesn't mean that you will be able to steal the house.  They may be bottomed out and near the price that they can reasonably accept.
• If a property has been on the market for less than one week, the chances of negotiating the seller down very much are slim indeed.  Why would they want to come off of the price so quickly?  If you were in their shoes, would you?

 

While we're at it, I also have a bit of perspective to share with buyer's agents:

• Don't be afraid to write up an offer well below the asking price, as long as it seems halfway reasonable.  You might be surprised by the reaction.  Then again, don't be shocked to get a pseudo-offended response, followed by a solid (meaning viable) counteroffer.  Some listing agents like to act upset on behalf of their clients, THEN they present the offer.
• Tell your clients the truth as you see it.  If you think a home will go at or above the asking price, tell them so. 
  
• As I see it (and it's just an opinion, mind you), your job is to help your clients get the home they really want/need at the best price possible.  This doesn't mean you have to squeeze every dime out of the transaction when negotiating, as long as it's a solid purchase/investment.
• You probably won't win any big points with a listing agent by sending over a CMA or other justification for your price.  Just tell them that this is what your clients were comfortable paying, and leave it at that.  If you can say it honestly, you have leverage.  There's no need to be pushy. 
• If you have to chip in a little bit of your own commission to make the deal work, do it, but only do it if you have no choice.  I once gave up $3,000 toward repairs after we hit a stalemate.  My commission check on that sale was $84,000.  "No brainer" for me, right?  Think about your priorities and don't let your pride get in the way.
• While I don't think being overly prideful is the way to build your business, you CAN gently remind your clients of the work you have done for them (e.g. "I think this was a productive day of showings." or "I think that technique/idea I had worked well, and I'm happy to see the deal you got on this place."). 
  

 

Whether you are in the real estate business or not, I hope you found this to be helpful.  I don't mind sharing what has worked for me.  Feel free to share your own ideas below.

Thanks for reading!

 

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dborman2/3290560161/

 

 

Recently, when I was attending South by Southwest Interactive right here in Austin, I was happy that I got a chance to meet many of my online friends face-to-face for the first time.  One of these friends, Michele Price, is someone that I connected with on Twitter many months ago.  Michele is the host of "Breakthrough Business" on BlogTalkRadio.  Not long ago, she invited me to join her as the guest on her show, and I was happy to have a chance to do so today.

 

We discussed social media for real estate, and what has worked for me thus far.  I mentioned three ways that this has garnered business for me, as well as using social media and blogging to recruit agents to work for our company.

 

Michele is a consummate professional, and I was impressed with her pre-show package of materials and how organized she was with promoting the show and tracking a live custom hashtag on Twitter as well.

 

If you're interested in listening, it's a 90 minute show (my segment starts at about the 25 minute mark and runs to the end of the program).  Check it out here:

http://budurl.com/jasoninterview

I would love to hear your input about what I shared during our conversation today. 

Thanks for reading (and listening)!

 

 

The question above is one that I have heard dozens of times over the years.  Some home buyers hear about the deal that their friend or relative got when they bought a home, and they're curious to see if this is the norm.

In a nutshell, there is no standard formula for real estate prices.  Just as there is no "national" real estate market (markets are local), there is no set percentage that can be negotiated off of a listing price. 

My answer to the question in the title is as follows:

"I wish I could tell you that you can get 3% off, or 5%, or any specific amount, but this is something that has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis once you find some places that interest you.  We'll have to see how long it's been on the market, whether or not and when they reduced it, stuff like that. 

A home that needs some work might be easier to negotiate than one that's in perfect condition, or a place that's vacant might mean they're making two payments already. 

Truthfully, I can give you a better answer once you've found a place that you want to pursue."

A little long-winded?  Perhaps, but it's also the best answer that I can offer.

If you are a home buyer reading this post, I hope this comes in handy.  If you're an agent, feel free to steal this answer for your own purposes.  :-)

I'm not typically one to advocate memorizing scripts for various situations, since it's more natural to put things in your own words, but if you're new to the business, this gives you an outline to start from. 

Thanks for reading!

 

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drachmann/327122302/

 

I recently listed a home at 8014 Brienne Drive in the Cat Hollow subdivision.  Rather than posting a number of still photos, I decided to create a video walkthrough tour instead.  Sure, I have pictures on the MLS, but for my blog, I thought this would be more informative.  Sorry for the wind noise in the first few seconds of footage. :-)

Enjoy:

 

It seems that just about every decent restaurant these days has a “receipt survey” in place. You know the kind I’m talking about, right? When I’m trying to pay for my meal, I get a long receipt with a code highlighted near the bottom.

It’s always a little awkward when the server says, “Visit our site and use this code and you will be entered into a drawing to win something useless to you.”

Okay. I know they don’t really say that, but that’s what I hear.

What are the exceptions for me, if any? What would cause me to actually visit the site and use the super-long encrypted code?

That’s easy. There are exactly two occasions when I would bother to follow through:

1. The service was phenomenally good.
2. The service was horrendous.

Everything else falls into the lukewarm spectrum in between.  Is this really candid or valuable in any way?

With that in mind, how can restaurants (and other businesses, for that matter) get a handle on how they’re actually doing? Unlike the title of this post, I wouldn’t advocate actual, in-person eavesdropping.

 

I have another idea for them (and for you, too, if you're in the real estate industry), and it can be done free of charge. You can easily use some simple online tools to get a feel for what people are saying about you. Believe me, if you do much business at all, someone is having a conversation about you and your company.

If nothing else, you probably have a handful of terms that you're interested in tracking when they are mentioned, correct?  If not, we need to talk.  :-)

Here are a couple of places to get you started:

1. Set up Google Alerts (http://google.com/alerts) for your company name or the names of your competitors. If people are writing blog posts that mention how terrible your service is, you might be interested in knowing this.  Conversely, if someone is a raving fan, figure out a way to reward them somehow, both publicly (thank them on your blog) and privately (take them to lunch!).  QUICK TIP: Make sure you put your name or company name in quotes (e.g. "Jason Crouch" rather than Jason Crouch) or you will get every result for each individual word.

2. Use Facebook’s “deep search” function. Many people don’t even know this exists. Use the “SEARCH” box on Facebook and put in your company name (or your personal name).  A dropdown menu may appear there automatically.  If so, make sure you click on the “See More Results for ______ Here”, which will be the bottom result on that list.  The results could surprise you.  Try out your town and "moving" as an initial search.

3. Utilize http://search.twitter.com - the “advanced search” gives you a lot of options. Again, you could be surprised by what you see, and how easy it is to join the conversation with a prospect.

Of course, there are plenty of others, some of which are professional (read: paid) in nature.

If you need help understanding how to leverage social media tools to help you improve your company’s online presence and make more sales, let me know how I can help.  I love this stuff!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilt/2517652/

One of our agents, Christi Baylor, has a new listing in highly desirable Avery Ranch.  It's only three years old, and supremely clean.  Based on how the market seems to be moving lately, I doubt that this one will be on the market very long. 

 

 

Features:

• 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms
• 1904 square feet per tax records
• Built in 2007
• Island kitchen
• Granite countertops
• Gas range
• Stainless and black appliances
• Refrigerator conveys
• Covered Patio

 

 

 

If you would like to see this home, please call Christi at 512-788-3698.  If you would like to search all Austin homes for sale, please visit our website anytime at www.austintexashomes.com.  We hope to hear from you soon!

 

 

As a resident of the Meadows of Blackhawk for over seven years now, I like to keep an eye on the property values in the area.  This stuff affects me, too!

 

Currently, there are 19 homes available in the Meadows, with an average asking price of $209,542.  The average square footage for these homes is 2,607, for an average price per square foot of $81.12.  

 

Presently, there are 4 homes under contract in the subdivision, with an average listing price of $215,709, and an average square footage of 2,662, yielding an average price per square foot of $81.30.    

Over the past four months (January 1st through the end of April), there were 11 sales closed within Meadows of Blackhawk.  The average listing price was $210,554 and the average sales price was $206,345.  This means that homes sold for 98% of the list price.  This number does not account for any seller-paid closing costs, nor does it include any price reductions.

The average number of days on the market for the first four months of 2010 was 59, which is lower than the average for the entire Austin area MLS.  The square footage of the homes sold averaged 2,706, and the price per square foot for the sales was $77.32.

If you are a consumer living in another area around Austin and you are interested in seeing the trends in your particular neighborhood, please don't hesitate to contact me, and I can create a custom report for you.  All of my contact information is below. 

If you are considering selling your home in the Meadows of Blackhawk (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.  Also, You can visit my primary Austin real estate 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!

 

Next week, Jeremy Blanton and I will be offering three classes from our venture, 210 Consulting.  Two of them are "encore" presentations, and one is completely new.

 

 

On Monday, April 26th, at 10am Eastern time, we will offer a two-hour class entitled, "How to Chug Google Juice AND Get 15 Years of Fame".  This course will focus on:

• The importance of blogging
• Finding good local material
• Composing SEO-friendly blog posts
• Using images (and where to find them), and
  
• How to build a solid online following of loyal readers

Sign up at http://budurl.com/chug for this one.  The cost is $60.  For a $10 discount, use this code on or before Saturday: 210

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, April 27th, at 2pm Eastern, we are teaching "Cashing in On Your Social Media Investment". In this 2 hour webinar we will cover how to build your social media strategy to increase your business.  Many people try social media networks but get sucked into the social end and forget the purpose they joined.

We will teach you how to listen to your consumers as well as add valuable content to connect with those around you. We will discuss how to maximize your efforts on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Posterous
• Flickr
  
• YouTube and More!
  

In addition, we will share our tips & tools that we have used to build our own personal business.  This class will also be priced at $60.  You can sign up at http://budurl.com/cash210. For a $10 discount, use this code by Saturday: 210

 

If you're interested in taking BOTH of the above classes, you can do that for $90, which is a $30 savings.

 

 

Lastly, on Thursday, April 29th, at 1pm Eastern time, we will be teaching a one-hour class entitled "Fundamentals of Facebook". This is basically a beginners guide to using Facebook effectively to promote yourself and your business.

By the time you finish this 1 hour course, you will know:

• The difference between Facebook Pages & Profiles 
  
• The basic elements to running a successful page
• What to post
• Choosing the right title for your page
• How to get fans to your page and how to get them interacting on your page.
  

If you have been hesitant with using Facebook for your business or think it only about throwing sheep and mafia wars then this is the class for you.

As an experiment, we are offering this class for a phenomenal intro rate of ONLY $19!  Here's the link (sorry no discount code on this one - it's already cheap): http://budurl.com/facebook101

 

If you want to take all three of these courses, the cost is $109 for FIVE hours of solid social media training.  Our normal rate for coaching is $125/hour, so this is roughly an 83% discount.  :)  In order to take advantage of that offer, please contact Jeremy at jeremy@210consulting.com. 

If you are interested, but you can't make it to the live classes, go ahead and register and we will send you a recorded version that you can listen to at your leisure.

If you have any questions, feel free to call or email anytime.  Thanks!

 

Facebook logo photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/88526923@N00/2114874155/