Earlier this week, we talked about WalletHub’s 2017’s Best Big Cities to Live In; however, WalletHub also recently published 2017’s Best & Worst Places to Rent in America. (You can read the full article here.) On that list, Austin ranked #34 out of 150 U.S. cities. Basically Austin isn’t a great or terrible place to […]
8 Insider Home Buying Tips for Austin’s Hot Summer Market
Spring is in our rear view mirror, and Summer is almost here; so is our peak home buying season. Austin’s 2017 Summer housing market is heating up faster than the temperatures. If you’ve been looking for a home long, you’ve likely seen multiple offers on some of the homes you’ve liked. And, you may have […]
Property Tax Trends in Austin
We’ve written extensively on property tax rates in Austin and with good reason. Texas, as you may know, has no personal income tax. This makes property taxes and sales taxes the primary means of rising revenue and a unique income/expense situation for many relocating buyers. While it may be intimidating at first, being informed about […]
5 Keys to Buying in Austin’s Strong Seller’s Market
As a home buyer in today’s Austin housing market, you’re undoubtedly at your wit’s end trying to find your dream home. Even when you do find a home you love, you’re competing with all cash offers and bidding wars driving the sales price above what it’s listed for and many times, even above what the […]
10 Tips for Buying an Infill Home in Austin
Austin is undergoing a period of tremendous growth and development. Where vacant parcels once lay unused, contractors are building anew. In a city like Austin where large vacant parcels are rare, new construction takes the form of tearing out the old and building the new. We call this process “infilling” and it is based on […]
Setting the Right List Price When Selling Your Home
The right list price will attract able buyers who make solid offers, getting you every dollar your home is worth. Getting it right from the start is an art form and also the key to creating an appearance of value to more than one buyer. When your home catches the eye of more than one […]
How Much More is a Home with a View Worth?
How much more is a home with a view worth? There is no disagreement within the real estate, lending and appraisal communities that a view can add value to a property, but there is no agreed upon formula or rule-of-thumb to quantify just how much more valuable a view property is than one without a […]
What is a Pocket Listing and Who Benefits?
What is a pocket listing? “Pocket Listing” is the colloquial term for any active listing that is not entered into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). In Austin, Texas, it’s called Austin Central Texas Realty Information Service (ACTRIS). The listing agent markets the property directly to the public circumventing the MLS and keeps the listing “in […]
Do’s and Don’ts of Buying New Construction
New construction is one of those segments of the market that is very enticing for most people. Brand new, never lived in homes that you can design to your tastes are not something you can get in all parts of the country. So, when people relocate to a city where new construction is an option, […]
Truths and Risks of Open Houses
For decades real estate agents have been holding public open houses to display homes listed for sale. The effectiveness of open houses as a marketing vehicle has been debated by agents and consumers almost interminably, however several points must be considered. Sellers should be informed about the truths and risks of open houses before they […]