Almost 10 years ago now, our family made the move from California to Texas. Since then, we’ve worked with countless clients relocating to Austin from the golden state. While real estate in California and Austin has a number of similarities, understanding the differences, and what they can mean for your transaction, can be the key to a stress-free real estate experience. In our latest blog series, we unpack the 10 biggest differences between the California and Texas real estate process and how you can use them to your advantage.
Texas vs California Real Estate: Open House
We’re going to get specific with this post and talk buying a home in Austin vs. the SF Bay Area. A lot of our clients moving from SF to Austin find that this is the first, major difference they encounter in the real estate process.
In California (SF Bay Area), an extreme seller’s market allows most property owners to strictly control access to their homes, while not affecting their sale. They advertise a single open house date/time and all interested buyers arrive at the same time to view the home. Sellers know that there are so many buyers in the market that they don’t need to be accommodating, they’ll still end up with multiple offers.
While the market is healthy in Austin, buyers relocating from SF to Austin can expect a little more Texas hospitality when it comes to viewing homes. Most home sellers in Austin use a showing service, which allows agents to make appointments to view the home at their buyer’s convenience. This makes the home buying process much easier. Buyers can view multiple homes in one day — especially valuable for those relocating and looking to see as many homes on a short weekend trip as possible.
What Does This Mean for Sellers?
As we’ve noted above, the market in Texas is a bit more buyer friendly when it comes to property viewing so what does this mean for sellers? Not much. The fact is that open houses rarely sell your property, great online marketing does. The SF Bay Area is a highly technical market. Most residents are online experts and used to shopping online for just about everything, including houses. With the help of virtual tours and great photography, the open house is just a safety-check. Most buyers have already decided to put in an offer before they even enter the house.
In Austin, we recommend our clients use the same approach to marketing their home. Great photography, virtual tours and dedicated websites will sell your home faster and for more money because it allows you to reach the most buyers in the least amount of time. Check out our Sellers Page and see how our approach to marketing is different.
Considering a Move to Austin?
Check out our Austin Relocation Blog, our Guide to Relocating to Austin and our Tips for a Successful Relocation Experience for more tips. Then check out our Austin Home Buyers page to learn why we are the best Realtors to help you relocate to Austin. When you’re ready to reach out, fill out our Relocation Survey, send us an email or call us at (512) 827-8323 to schedule a no obligation consultation.
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