Closing escrow is a big, important and essential step along the road to buying a home in Austin. For those who have never bought a home, closing is often viewed by many as an unexplained and overwhelming experience. It’s the final step in the process of transferring title (ownership) to the buyer. Become Familiar with […]
Austin Home Buyer Tips

Looking for tips to make your home buying experience fun and stress fee? Want to learn what professional buyer's agents look for in a house? Find out our best buyer tips on our Austin Home Buyer Tips Blog.
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What Does Backup or Contingent Listing Mean?
In our Austin Home Search tool, you’ll sometimes come across “Backup or Contingent Listing” written in blue underneath the address of a home for sale. Just what does backup or contingent listing mean? Backup or Contingent Listing Status When a property is in “Backup or Contingent Listing Status”, it could be either in Backup Status […]
How Much are HOA Dues in Austin
HOA’s are becoming more and more popular in Austin. In the 1980s and 1990s, few new single family home developments belonged to mandatory HOA’s. Today, virtually every new development has a mandatory membership in an HOA. Which usually begs the question from most buyers, how much are HOA dues in Austin? HOA Dues Vary by […]
Why Do Buyers Need a New Survey?
Those of you relocating from other parts of the country – particularly from California like we did – are generally unfamiliar with the idea of getting a survey before purchasing a home in Austin. Buyers often ask: Why do buyers need a new survey? Well, here’s why. What is the Purpose of a Survey? A […]
What is the Termination Option?
The process of buying a home in Austin is a bit different than buying a home in other parts of the country. In most states, the purchase contract gives the buyer a free look at the property and allows them to cancel the contract for any reason during a negotiated period of time. If the […]
How Do I Find My Mailbox and Keys?
Finding your mailbox and how to get access to the mailbox is not the most self explanatory thing in Austin. When we bought our first home in Austin, we had no idea how to get our mail. If you’re one of the lucky homeowners who have a mailbox at the edge of their driveway, this […]
Buying REOs (Foreclosures) – Fact vs Fiction
Foreclosures have presented a lure of a deal for years as the real estate market has had its ups and downs. Over the past few months, we’ve been hearing a lot of buyers with some incorrect ideas about how buying foreclosures in Austin works. Here are some foreclosure buying facts and fiction to help set […]
When It Comes to Home Buying, My Dad Had The Best Negotiation Advice
Best Negotiation Advice While haggling may be commonplace around the world, save for country fairs, open markets and occasional trips abroad, it is a skill not commonly utilized by Americans. While it is true that during those trips to the Moroccan souk, we gleefully delight in bringing the cost of an item down to half […]
3 Key Facts for Austin Home Buyers and Sellers in Spring 2018
You read all sorts of articles in the newspaper and online about the Austin real estate market. Some say Austin is a great place for home buyers. Others say we are in a bubble. Others say it makes sense for investors and some say not. What is really going on? Here we’ll share with your […]
Key Term Tuesday: Deed (vs. Title)
We understand how frustrating it can be to search for a home in Austin. Half the battle is learning the key terms and what they mean in regards to Texas real estate. So each week we bring you Key Term Tuesday – our way of helping you decode the industry jargon that keeps you from […]