Selling Your Home While You’re Still Living in It

How do you live in your home while it’s on the market? I have a few tips that will make things easier and help sell your home quickly. 

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When you are selling your home and it’s priced correctly, agents will be knocking on your door and trying to get their buyers in to look at the home as quickly as possible. Of course, all of this is happening while you’re still living in your home. How do you handle this? How do you live there while your home is on the market? The first thing you can do to minimize the amount of time your home is on the market while you’re living there is to make sure that your home is squeaky clean at all times. We don’t live in our homes like we do when it’s on the market. Make sure your home is five-star-hotel clean. Doing so can add $5,000 to $10,000 of value to your home. Isn’t it worth it then to make sure your home is clean?

It’s important to maintain some level of privacy when your home is on the market.

Of course, you do want to maintain some level of privacy when your home is on the market. Make sure that people can’t see things like medication or fine jewelry. When people come to look at your home, they will go through your cabinets, your drawers, and your pantry. Lock up any personal items you wouldn’t want someone to see.

If you have kids, get them involved. Make sure that it’s a game for them. See who can make their bed the fastest each morning, or who can put their toys away quickest.

If you have any other questions about selling your home or would like to know what’s going on in the market, give us a call or send us an email. My team and I would be happy to help you!

5 Things to Know About Buying Inside an HOA

Every homeowner’s association is different. Here is what you should find out before you make an offer on a home that’s located within one.

Selling in the Austin area? Get a market analysis report

Purchasing in the Austin area? Get full MLS access

Today we’re going to be discussing five important things that you want to know when buying a home inside a homeowners association. 1. What is the cost? Location will play a key factor, and the cost can vary greatly from one HOA to another. You want to know your starting costs and your monthly costs prior to making an offer. 2. What does the HOA cover? The scope of this also varies. They might cover maintenance or insurance. You want to know exactly what you’re paying for each month. 3. What are the rules? HOAs tend to have restrictions and some are more strict than others. It’s important to know the rules, the penalties, and everything else.

The scope of what an HOA will cover can vary greatly.

4. Are you happy with the home’s exterior? You might love the inside and the floor plan, but maybe you aren’t as fond of the color of the home. If you’re buying in an HOA, many times they will dictate what color your home can be. Make sure you know about this up front.

5. Can you get involved with the HOA? Many times, the answer is yes. It’s a great way for you to know exactly what’s going on in your neighborhood.

If you have any further questions about buying a home in an HOA, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What's Going on in Our Austin Market Right Now?

It’s time for an update on our Austin real estate market. Today, I want to bring you some information on how our current conditions might affect you.

Selling in the Austin area? Get a market analysis report

Purchasing in the Austin area? Get full MLS access

Today, I want to give you a quick update for our Austin real estate market. We just finished the third quarter and the end of the year is approaching fast. Even so, we’re still seeing a very strong market right now. Our average sales price has increased 6% from last year. However, the average days on market has basically stayed the same. Currently, that average is about 46 days. Also, inventory and mortgage rates have both slightly increased.

There are great opportunities in our current market for buyers and sellers alike.

But, what does all of this mean for buyers and sellers in our area? Actually, this all means that there are great opportunities in our current market for buyers and sellers alike. If you’re a buyer, get off the fence. The market is not going down in our area, and there’s no way to time it. Today is the time to buy a home. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Is Austin in a Buyer’s or Seller’s Market?

What’s happening with Austin real estate? I’ll go over some numbers from our market to answer that today.

Selling in the Austin area? Get a market analysis report

Purchasing in the Austin area? Get full MLS access

The No. 1 question people ask me is if our market is a buyer’s or seller’s market. The latest Board of Realtors statistics show a tale of two markets. 

The inventory for houses priced $300,000 and below is quickly diminishing. There are not a lot of homes coming on the market in that price point, so when they do, there is a lot of competition. 

On the other hand, statistics show that the inventory for homes priced above $300,000 is rising a bit. 

The average sales price for homes in Austin has increased 13%, making the average sales price $371,000.

If you’re a seller, now is a great time to put your home on the market.

Overall, Austin is sitting at about 2.4 months of inventory on the market, which means it would only take 2.4 months to sell all the inventory currently on the market if no new homes were listed for sale. A balanced market boasts about six months of inventory.

So what does this mean for you?

If you’re a buyer, it’s incredibly important that you are pre-qualified for a mortgage and ready to make an offer on a home. Know what you’re looking for and be ready to compete. 

If you’re a seller, now is a great time to put your home on the market. Homes are only on the market for an average of 56 days. Because the market is tight and there is so little inventory, you will face much less competition. 

Real estate is a hyperlocal market, so if you’re looking to put your home on the market, feel free to reach out to me. If you have any other real estate questions, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

What's in Store for the 2017 Austin Market?

I recently attended the Austin Home Builders Association 2017 forecast, and I wanted to bring you an update on our market based on what I learned. 2017 looks to be another great year for our market.

Selling in the Austin area? Get a market analysis report

Purchasing in the Austin area? Get full MLS access

Today we have a quick update on the real estate market here in Austin.

In 2016, we had another great year in real estate. The median price for a home rose 7.2% to $284,000, and on average, homes sold in just 50 days. Inventory stayed tight at about two months worth of supply. On average, sellers got 98% of their list price.  

So what does 2017 look like? I wish I had a crystal ball, but I don't. I did, however, recently attend the Austin Home Builders Association 2017 forecast where local economists predicted another great year in 2017 in Austin. Job growth, population growth, and the low inventory will all contribute. Builders are working hard and fast to meet that demand, but the supply just isn't there yet. They weren't concerned about rising interest rates hindering the market because they're still historically low.

"Supply is low and demand is high, making conditions very favorable for sellers."

So what does this mean for you? If you want to sell your house this year, it's a great time to do so. Low inventory means you won't face a lot of competition. We also know a lot of people move here on a daily basis. 

If you're looking to sell your home, we'd love the chance to work with you. Our clients get 102% of their asking price on average and sell in an average of just 17 days. Just give me a call or send me an email and let's get the discussion started.

Austin Real Estate Market Snapshot

What's going on in the Austin real estate market? There's no question that we're in a hot market with new jobs and new people, but home buyers can still get a great deal on a home.

Selling in the Austin area? Get a market analysis report

 Purchasing in the Austin area? Get full MLS access

Austin is a growing metroplex with lots of new jobs and lots of people moving here, and it's reflected in our market this year. Home sales and home values have both grown 5% this year. The median home price has risen 9% up to $289,990.

With the influx of businesses and people, inventory is still tight. We currently have just 2.8 months of inventory in Austin. Across the Austin market, the average days on market is 42 days. That's already an amazing number reflecting how long it takes to sell a home, but here on our team, our average is fewer than 30 days. In fact, our average time for selling a property is 22 days.

Additionally, with our listings, we are seeing multiple offers. Not every sale has multiple offers though; it depends on price, location, and condition of the house. When you list your home, you want to make sure you're pricing it right for the area that it's in, you put it in the best condition possible, and your agent makes sure the marketing is out there to give you a chance to receive multiple offers. We want you to be able to choose the best offer possible for you.

"It's still a great time for buyers to be in the market."

On the home buying side, interest rates are still really great. I'm seeing clients get loans with rates under 4% all the time. Just the other day I saw one at 3.25%, which is simply an amazing rate. The information I'm providing you today indicates that Austin is generally in a seller's market, but it's still a great time for buyers to be in the market. The interest rates are still practically the lowest in history.

Depending on the location and price point where you're buying a home, you may even be in a buyer's market. We've been helping a lot of buyers get a great price in this market recently.

If you have any other questions about the Austin real estate market, give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to speak with you!

Spring Has Sprung in the Austin Real Estate Market

Selling in the Austin area?  Get a market analysis report

 Purchasing in the Austin area? Get full MLS access

Today we’re excited to share our first quarter market update for Austin real estate. We’ve seen some encouraging signs lately as we enter the busy season, and we’re going to go through exactly what those are right now.

In the first quarter of 2016, we had a very active market. We saw about a 7% increase in our median sales price, bringing our median sales price up to $267,500 for the entire Austin market.

We’ve seen a very active market as of late. We had about 9,000 listings come on the market during the first quarter, with 60% of them selling. Our inventory was also up by about 25% from the first quarter of 2015.

Even with all of the increasing numbers in the market, our average days on market has stayed more or less the same. Homes are selling in an average of about 55 days, which is a pretty quick turnaround.

One more thing we should mention is that we observed a 98.9% list-to-sale ratio for homes in the Austin market. This means that people are really competing for homes, and sellers are getting their way most of the time.

What does all of this mean? Well, we have a very active seller’s market, people are still looking to move to Austin, and if you’ve been thinking of selling, it’s a great time to put your home on the market. If you have any questions for us about your specific situations, just give us a call or send us an email. We’d be happy to sit down and discuss things with you!

What Can We Expect in the Austin Real Estate Market in 2015?

Selling in the Austin area?  Get a market analysis report

 Purchasing in the Austin area? Get full MLS access

Today I'm going to be giving a brief review of what happened in the Austin real estate market in 2014, and I'll also be forecasting what we can expect to see in 2015.

In 2014 we saw:

• A 2% increase in home sales (27,000 sold)
• Median home price increased by 8% over 2013 to $242,500 dollars
• Average home price increased by 7% to $309,000
• The average days on market decreased by 3%, placing it at 43 days

In 2015 we can expect property values to rise and inventory to stay tight, but the buyer demand will still be here. We have nearly 150 people a day moving to Austin, and that is going to generate quite a buzz in this market in 2015 and beyond. If you want to sell your home, it should not take very long on this market as long as it's presented well and marketed to the right buyers.

With this being said, please feel free to contact our team if you want to sell your home in Austin. We pride ourselves on strong presentation and great marketing. We would love to assist you!

Get the Facts on the Latest of What's Happening in the Austin Real Estate Market

Selling in the Austin area?  Get a market analysis report

 Purchasing in the Austin area? Get full MLS access

Welcome to my new real estate video blog! My team and I are very excited to introduce our new blog – twice a month we will update you with the current state of the Austin real estate market and also answering any of your real estate questions. Our goal is to educate and inform you about what is going on so that when we transact together, you know without a doubt that it will be a success and that your goals will be met!

Having said that, I would like to delve into some numbers and let you know how the market is looking and where we are trending. Now I’m certain that you’ve heard that 2013 was a “banner” year for Austin real estate – there are no clear signs that it will be slowing down anytime soon! 

• Just last month, we had 1,761 homes sold which accounts for a 9% increase from 2013! 
• The Average Sale Price has risen 12% to $293,746 over 2013! 
• With 4,720 active homes on the MLS, we have seen an 8% decrease in the amount of active homes over 2013. This is a telling sign that there is a high demand for homes in our market – especially with 150 people moving into our area each day! 
• If everything on the market was to sell, it would take two months to do so.

We are in a true seller’s market! There are many buyers out there looking to purchase with limited options to choose from. Are you thinking about selling your home, or are you on the fence about doing so? If you are, I don’t have a crystal ball, but all signs point to now being the perfect time to sell your home!

If you’re not ready to sell your home, watch our videos to make sure that when you are, you will be educated to enter the real estate market!
Don’t hesitate to call me if you are interested in buying, selling, or investing in Austin real estate. Thanks and have a great day!