Austin Neighborhoods | Austin Home Buyer Representation | Selling

  • Home Search
  • Buyers
    • Buyer Survey
  • Sellers
    • Seller Survey
  • Neighborhoods
    • Neighborhood Finder
  • Luxury
  • Condos
  • Relocation
    • Relocation Survey
  • Market Reports
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Archives for First Time Home Buyers

Why Interest Rate Quoted During Pre-Approval Doesn’t Matter

May 8, 2023 By Rebecca Jacks

When most people shop for a home loan, they lead with “please send me your rates” rather than interviewing the mortgage broker or loan officer to see what they’re going to do to work for them. What they don’t understand is the mortgage interest rate quoted during the pre-approval process before you have a signed […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: First Time Home Buyers, Getting a Loan, Interest Rates

What is Proper Etiquette for Looking at Houses in Austin?

March 19, 2023 By Rebecca Jacks

If you’re new to house hunting, you may be wondering what the etiquette is for visiting a home for sale. In fact, we get this question a lot from first-time home buyers and experienced buyers alike; which makes sense since looking for a new home has evolved over the years. Years ago, homes for sale […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: Buyer Tips, First Time Home Buyers, Frequent Buyer Questions

4 Misconceptions About Appraisals

January 15, 2023 By Rebecca Jacks

One of the more puzzling pieces of the real estate process is actually part of the financing process: appraisals. Appraisals are without a doubt confusing, yet they are a key part of the mortgage loan underwriting process. As a home buyer, it’s important to have a basic understanding of their purpose and how they can […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: Buyer Tips, First Time Home Buyers, Frequent Buyer Questions, Getting a Loan

How to Effectively Negotiate Closing Costs in a Sellers Market

January 13, 2023 By Rebecca Jacks

It’s no secret the Austin real estate market is booming. Buyers are having to make more concessions than sellers, and many buyers think sellers will make absolutely no concessions for them. In practice, it is not as one sided as you might think. Though we are still in a seller’s market, buyers are still able […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: Buying in a Seller's Market, Closing Costs, First Time Home Buyers, Frequent Buyer Questions, How To, Making Offers

How to Choose a Lender When Buying a Home

January 11, 2023 By Rebecca Jacks

The best practice for choosing a lender when buying a home in Austin is a bit counterintuitive. Most buyers start their search by checking mortgage rates at different banks or lending institutions and choose the lender who posts the best rates online. Though rates are a piece of the puzzle (and a large piece considering […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: First Time Home Buyers, Frequent Buyer Questions, Getting a Loan, How To

What to Expect at the Design Center

December 17, 2022 By Rebecca Jacks

As we are starting to see builders go back to allowing buyers to pick a lot and build a home from scratch, I thought we should revisit this post describing the process of selecting finishes at the design center. When you buy a new home, there’s a lot of decisions to be made. While you […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: Buyer Tips, First Time Home Buyers, Frequent Buyer Questions, New Construction

What are the Average Property Taxes in Austin?

October 16, 2022 By Rebecca Jacks

Buyers who want to budget their monthly housing payment frequently ask how much property taxes are in Austin. The short answer is property taxes vary based on several factors, so it is hard to say they are a certain percentage in the Austin metro area. School district, utility district, hospital districts and whether or not […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: Cost of Living, First Time Home Buyers, Frequent Buyer Questions, Property Taxes, Researching Your Move

Using Price Per Square Foot When Determining Home Value

September 26, 2022 By Rebecca Jacks

Attempting to measure a home’s true market value using a price per square foot calculation is more often confusing, misleading and quite possibly deceptive. Using price per square foot as a valuation tool is a little like predicting the local high and low temperatures by using a national weather temperature averages. But, even with its […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: Buyer Beware, First Time Home Buyers, Home Values, Making Offers

Most Affordable Neighborhoods Near Austin

August 29, 2022 By Rebecca Jacks

We have all heard the cost of living in Austin, especially cost of housing, has skyrocketed in the last two years. Though Austin and the surrounding area has increased in price, you can still find homes in more affordable neighborhoods. Not in the city of Austin necessarily, but in the suburbs that surround Austin. We’ve […]

Filed Under: Living in Austin Tagged With: Affordable Homes, Best Neighborhoods, First Time Home Buyers, Researching Your Move

How to Research an Austin Neighborhood

July 10, 2022 By Rebecca Jacks

When you’re looking to buy a new home, you’ll want to gather as much information about a particular neighborhood as possible. The more you can learn about the neighborhood before you buy, the higher the likelihood you’ll enjoy living there for longer. We’ve put together a guide to help you research Austin area neighborhoods. Here […]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: Buyer Tips, Choosing the Right Neighborhood, First Time Home Buyers, Relocation Tips, Researching Your Move

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Austin Home Search

Getting Specific

Austin Accolades Best Neighborhoods Buyer Beware Buyer Tips Buying in a Seller's Market Buying Investment Property Choosing the Right Neighborhood Christmas Condo Market Cost of Living First Time Home Buyers Food Foreclosures Frequent Buyer Questions Frequent Seller Questions Fun Things to Do Getting a Loan Growth Home Values Housing Market How To Interpreting the Market Job Market Luxury Homes Luxury Housing Market Master Planned Communities Multi Family Housing Market Neighborhood Maps New Construction Predicting the Market Preparing to Sell Property Taxes Questions to Ask Real Estate Key Terms Relocation Tips Researching Your Move Saving Money Seller Tips Selling for Top Dollar Suburbs Timing the Market Top 10 Lists Top Rated Schools Visiting Austin Zip Codes

Recent Posts

  • June 2025 Austin Luxury Real Estate Price Report
  • June 2025 Austin Multi Family Real Estate Price Report
  • June 2025 Austin Condo Price Report
  • June 2025 Austin Real Estate Price Report
  • Luxury Acreage Communities Near Austin with Amenities
  • 12 Tips for Selling a Home in Austin’s Balanced Market
  • 🏡 The 10 Best Austin Neighborhoods for First Time Buyers (That Aren’t Overhyped)

What We Write About

  • Buying a Home
  • Selling a Home
  • Investing in Real Estate
  • Relocating to Austin
  • New Construction in Austin
  • Austin Homes & Neighborhoods
  • Austin Real Estate Price Reports
  • Home Ownership
  • Living in Austin
  • Things to Do in Austin

Copyright © 2025. Eleven Oaks Realty, Licensed in the State of Texas by TREC. (512) 827-8323

 

Loading Comments...