When we interview a seller about listing their home, many want to know what improvements they can make to improve the condition of their home. Ultimately, they want to improve the condition of their home so they can get more. Austin home sellers always surprised when many of the suggestions we make cost little or […]
Professional Real Estate Photography Worth $1,000 or More
Do photos matter? We’ve been saying for years YES! That’s why we hire a photographer to take professional photos of every single one of the Austin homes we sell. Now there are numbers to back up our claim. Professional Photos Worth at Least $1,000 In a study done by Redfin, homes that had professional real […]
Austin Named One of 10 Best Cities for Urban Forests
American Forest is the oldest and largest national non-profit group that advocates for the expansion of American forests. Urban forests are one of their main focuses as they are said to reduce pollution, reduce energy demand, help manage a city’s water and help mitigate climate change. From a real estate standpoint, trees add value to […]
Why Trulia is Wrong About Austin Being the Most Overvalued Market in the US
Last week, Trulia published a blog claiming Austin to be the most overvalued market in America. If you read the report, Austin is the most overvalued market by far, which I believe is a huge exaggeration and manipulation of a small subset of data to push their agenda. Overvalue: To assign an excessive or fictitious […]
How Walkability Affects Home Values
Austin along with many other American cities is experiencing a fundamental shift in the way consumers view their housing wants. The demand for “drivable suburban” housing with larger lots and more habitable space appears to be abating in favor compact urban areas with shorter commutes and easier access to shopping, restaurants and community activities. Many […]
5 Obstacles That Could Derail Your Refinance
Home refinances are easy, quick and every homeowner’s answer to their financial woes, or so say the re-fi commercials and advertisements. Not so fast my friends, here as Paul Harvey used to say is “the rest of the story.” Austin home re-fi’s are not easy, quick or necessarily a sure thing. There are potential pitfalls. […]
Property Taxes Too High – How to Appeal
If you think your property tax assessment is too high, you can appeal the value of your home assessed by the taxing district. A property tax assessment is what the taxing district thinks your home is worth, based on mass computerized data models. It’s just their opinion and it subject to challenge. Challenging their opinion […]
Property Taxes Up, Home Values Down
For the second consecutive year, local taxing agencies are imposing tax rate increases. With Austin real estate values down, the tax authorities claim they must raise the tax rate to bring in the same amount of revenue as collected last year. Travis County authorities state the value of the average home dropped from $272,931 to […]