Sales Market

Popcorn Ceilings – Are They Really So Bad?

April 10, 2011

As I was suffering with allergies last month, praying the medicine would work, and wishing I could at least start to half-breath again, I took respite on my living room sofa and laid there for a while, like a zombie, staring at my ceiling, meditating and trying to will my sinuses into operation. As I did so, I [...]

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Austin Real Estate Market – 2010 Breakdown by MLS Area

February 20, 2011

Below is a chart breaking down the 2010/2009 sales comparisons by MLS Area for the Austin real estate market. This time I’m adding a couple of new things. First, there is color coding on each of the summary rows for each area. A green shade indicates “improvement” in the measured metric. I put “improved” in [...]

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Austin Real Estate Market – Year 2010 Summary and 2011 Predictions

February 6, 2011

The Austin real estate market finished 2010 with increased overall sales prices. The market is roughly a bit higher than the peak 2007 values. See the graph below for an illustration of Austin home sales values from 1999 through 2010. The graph can be deceiving though. It simply represents the cumulative data from all MLS [...]

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The Best time to Plant a Tree in Austin

January 27, 2011

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. ~Chinese Proverb I ran across this quote on Facebook about a week ago and it struck me how true this is! Especially now, in the cold of winter in Texas, it is time to plant your trees. All [...]

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Will recent low interest rates stunt future Austin move-up activity?

December 16, 2010

One of our buyers closed last month with a 3.87% interest rate. We saw many sub-4% loans the past several months, though rates have now climbed back above 4.6%. Let’s imagine hypothetical first time buyers with a toddler who closed this year with an interest rate below 4%. Fast forward 5 years to 2015 and [...]

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Do Group Homes Harm Austin Neighborhoods?

December 2, 2010

We have a listing that is a good candidate for a Group Home, and we’re marketing it as such. This has earned the ire of some of the individuals living in the University Hills neighborhood in NE Austin. Let’s have a look at an emailed received from one of the concerned neighbors: Do NOT advertise [...]

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Austin Real Estate Market Update – Oct 2010 Sales

November 17, 2010

Sales volume continues to drop year over year in Austin while prices continue to rise. Let’s have a look at the chart below. Austin Real Estate Sales Monthly Update – Oct 2010 Homes only (condos, duplexes, etc. not included) compiled from Austin MLS data Sep 2010 Oct 2010 Oct 2009 Yr % Change # Sold [...]

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The Weird Stuff People do to Their Austin Houses

November 15, 2010

I’ve been showing and previewing lots of homes in central Austin neighborhoods lately, and taking note of some of the horrendously dumb things people do to their house. Often, these are do-it-yourself remodel projects or (apparently) paid projects that fall into one of 2 main categories. Category 1: What in the world were you thinking? [...]

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Austin Home Sales Breakdown by MLS Area – Jan-Sep 2010

November 11, 2010

Below is the breakdown of YTD home sales in Austin (Jan-Sep 2010) by MLS area. Of the 48 Austin MLS areas reported below, 18 are up from a year ago, 14 are down, and 16 are mixed. By “up” I mean all three metrics of average sold price, median sold price, and avergage price per [...]

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Austin Real Estate Market Update – Sept 2010

November 2, 2010

The number of residential home sales in Austin continued to fall off for September. Even record low interest rates are not enough to motivate buyers. Most buyers who really need to buy already did so earlier this year. Looks like everyone else is hunkering down and waiting. Let’s start with the year to date stats. [...]

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