2009

Austin Real Estate Sale Stats by MLS Area – Sept 2009 YTD

November 1, 2009

Austin’s real estate market is a “market of markets”, and thus the overall news reported about real estate activity in the Austin Metro area may or may not be reflective of conditions in the specific area in which you live, or the home you own, or the home you want to buy. Each quarter I [...]

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Gabardine, You’re no Shady Hollow

October 26, 2009

I was reading an article about a new subdivision in South Austin yesterday and was struck by the blatant misrepresentation of the neighborhood. The new subdivision is called Gabardine and is located on Frate Barker Rd. Frate Barker connects Manchaca Rd. and Brodie Ln. The article states: “Gabardine is a unique community in the sought-after [...]

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Want to Avoid an HOA Neighborhood in Austin? Be Careful

October 21, 2009

In early 2007 I got fed up with the deed restriction violations in my SW Austin neighborhood. This was a neighborhood with no Home Owner’s Association, and thus, no formal enforcement mechanism to keep bonehead neighbors in line. This all came to a head when one neighbor decided to install a mobile home on their [...]

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Austin Real Estate Market Update – Sept 2009 Stats

October 13, 2009

Austin Real Estate sales values for September 2009 are even (up 0.04%) with the same month last year. The number of homes sold is actually up 0.61% from the same month a year ago, no doubt due to a surge in the lower priced homes caused by the $8,000 home buyer tax rebate. More on [...]

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Who is Really Getting the $8,000 Tax Credit in Austin?

October 11, 2009

As the November 30 closing deadline for “first time” home buyers in Austin and across the U.S. approaches, buyers are creating price bubbles in South Austin in the sub-$200K range. Perhaps other areas as well, but I work South Austin mostly so it’s the area with which I’m most familiar. We have one buyer who [...]

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What you need to know vs. what you want to hear

September 30, 2009

If an investor or buyer wants to purchase a home and is ready to write up the offer and move forward, what should a good Realtor do? Unfortunately, many will of course write up the deal immediately and mentally deposit the commission, and perhaps already have it spent. This isn’t the type of Realtor you [...]

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Texas Economic and Real Estate Market Update Sept 2009

September 26, 2009

Here is Texas A&M’s Real Estate Center Chief Economist Mark Dotzour speaking at the TAR Convention in Dallas earlier this month (Sept 2009). He explains the Texas Economy and real estate market in a funny yet informative way. The video is about 24 minutes long and well worth watching. <http://recenter.tamu.edu/video/videoPlayer.asp?vid=71>

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Austin Rental Market Update – August 2009

September 25, 2009

The Austin rental market continues to be strong.Average and monthly rents continue to rise. Days on market is low. But, even with recent gains in prices, we are nearing the end of a decade in which rental prices for landlords will have remained virtually flat. Let’s check the historic graph below before we get into [...]

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What if Realtors were Ranked from White Belt to Black Belt?

September 23, 2009

Imagine your grandmother needed to be escorted through a dangerous part of town, and you had to select from available bodyguards. One is a White Belt, a part timer with very little experience, but he returned your call in less than 10 minutes. Another is a Black Belt with 20 years experience and hundreds of successful [...]

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Austin Subdivision Smackdown – Circle C vs. Avery Ranch

September 20, 2009

Buyers often want to know which areas of Austin are more likely to hold value and/or appreciate over time. Not just investors, but home owners who want build home equity. My standard answer to this question is usually “stay as close in to Austin’s core (downtown) as you can afford, in neighborhoods that are established [...]

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