Austin Real Estate Guy Blog

Lake Austin Waterfront Sales

2012-02-01T17:55:00Z

I have been studying waterfront communities recently. Two I just looked at are the Island at Mount Bonnell Shores and Watersedge. Both are very exclusive, gated communities on Lake Austin and they are right beside each other. Each has amazing Lake Austin waterfront homes either on Lake Austin or on a canal. As such, each property also has a boat dock or boat house.

There were a total of 5 home sales in these amazing neighborhoods in 2011. The Island at Mount Bonnell Shores had 3 home sales last year. The average sold price was just over $2.63 million, which was around $357 per square foot. Wateersedge had 2 home sell in 2011. The average sold price was almost $2.55 million, which was around $495 per square foot.

There are currently 3 homes for sale in the Island at Mount Bonnell Shores. They range in price from $3.2 to $4.2 million and the average list price per square foot is just over $625. Watersedge has 1 home for sale. The list price for this 6,208 square foot home is just under $4 million, which is just over $644 per square foot.

Want too Know What is in or Near Your Neighborhood?

2012-01-28T16:04:00Z

I have a new feature on my website that will allow you to see what is in and around your neighborhood. Click to open my Austin homes and lifestyle search page.

Click the Search Criteria button at the top right.

Enter your neigiborhood name and reposition the map to have the neighborhood show up. Your neighborhood name should show up with a little right arrow icon next to it. Click that and all the homes for sale in your neighborhood will show up as icons.

Now click the orange Lifestyle button to the right. Click something like Shopping and then Bookstores. Small colored dots will show up. Hover over one with your cursor and the name will be displayed. Click on the button and more details should show up.

As you will see you will be able to find all sorts of things from schools to gyms to coffee shops to medical offices and much, much more. Pretty fun, right?

Of course if you're looking for homes in Austin, you can do that as well.

Great New Demographic Feature on My Home Search Page

2012-01-26T18:33:00Z

I have a feature on my home search page that lets users search by Zip Code. Ordinarily that is not a big deal, but what is is the demographics that come up when a Zip Code is selected. When you specify a Zip Code, the area it covers will be outlined in purple. But the run thing is what shows up to the right. A brief list of demographics of the Zip Code appear.

Click this link for my Zip Code 78734 page to see what I'm talking about. What you will see labeled Quick Facts is the population, average income, families with kids, how many homes are owner-occupied, how many are rented, vacancy rate and average commute time. If you click the More Details button even more demographic information is available including information on education, population breakdown, more detail on income and weather.

Closer to the downtown Austin area you can do a similar thing by selecting a neighborhood. Neighborhoods will be outlined in blue. If you click the border of the neighborhood the quick Facts display. Take a look at an example by looking at my Allendale page.

New Austin Home Search and Lifestyle Page

2012-01-21T17:33:00Z

I have set up a new home search page that integrates loads of information into it. There is a tutorial when people first see it and if they watch the tutorial their home and lifestyle search will be highly improved.

So just what does this new tool do? It allows people to search for homes by map, by neighborhood, by zip code, by school district - you know, the standard stuff. More standard stuff like emailing a listing to a friend, saving searches to come back to later and saving listings as favorites.

But as they say on TV after midnight - wait, there's more!

Clicking on the lifestyle button opens a whole new world.

If a user then clicks Dining, a screen comes up that allows the user to select something like coffee shops. Then a little sliding bar comes up so the user can select how close or far from a particular area a coffee shop is and then all the coffee shops come up on the map.

What you see in the image above is a map of downtown Austin and surrounding neighborhoods. The user selected coffee shops within a 1/2 mile and they all display on the map and have a 1/2 mile blue circle around them. All the homes for sale show up as little house icons.

So this tool actually allows a user look at homes within a certain distance to things like a particular school, a place to shop and all other sorts of things.

Let's look at searching by school districts using the map below.

I clicked on the Places icon, then selected the school districts button. The search and lifestyle tool displayed the school district boundaries on the map. When I hovered over the blue border at the upper left, the name of the school district inside that area was displayed. Now I can search for or look at homes within the Leander ISD boundaries.

Anyway, I would encourage anyone reading this to spend a little time on this, especially if you are a fellow REALTOR. If you like what you see and want my thoughts after having used this for a while give me a call.

So go ahead, click to try my NEW Austin Homes and Lifestyle Search.

2011 Austin Real Estate Market Statistics

2012-01-20T20:48:00Z

I just did some research in the Austin MLS and pulled stats for our housing market for the year. I broke down the inventory in different price ranges to see how our home sales performed at different levels. Go to my Austin real estate market stats page to see more.

Questions about Austin real estate? Call me at 512-293-2422. Or click to check out my new Austin homes and lifestyle search.

Homestead Exemptions

2012-01-19T20:35:00Z

If you purchased a home in Hays, Travis or Williamson County last year, use it as a primary residence and were living in it on January 1 of this year, you may be able to have a small property tax reduction by applying for your county's homestead exemption. I just added a page on my Austin real estate website where you can go to find links to county information and you can also download the appropriate application. Click to visit my homestead exemption applications page.

Or click to Search Austin Homes.

Texas is Best in the U.S. for Biggest 5-Year Job Growth

2012-01-17T19:42:00Z

This article should not be a surprise for anyone in Texas. One reason is oil and gas prices and production. The Eagle Ford Shale in central and south Texas is enormous. It has created thousands of jobs and will continue to boom. Texas is also home to more than 50 Fortune 500 companies including 6 of the top 50. If Texas was a country, it would have the 15th largest economy in the world.

See the story here.

Or click to check out my new Austin homes and lifestyle search.

Austin Waterfront Neigborhoods

2012-01-16T19:31:00Z

I added a page to my website to show people waterfront communities on Lake Austin and Lake Travis today. I have a lot more neighborhoods to add and will get that done over time. Each waterfront neighborhood page has a short description of the community and homes for sale in that neighborhood are displayed below the description. Please click to view my Austin waterfront Neighborhoods page. Any feedback would be welcome

By the way, several of the most expensive homes for sale in the Austin area are waterfront homes. One is a 16,000+ square foot home on over 4 acres in The Coves on Lake Travis that has a list price of just under $12 million. The other is a 12,000 square foot home in Greenshores on Lake Austin. It is listed for a cool $12 million.

Click to Search Austin Homes.

7 Tips for making your home more eco-friendly

2011-12-30T21:48:00Z

Would you consider yourself eco-friendly? Sure, most of us are pretty good about picking up trash we see outside, turning off lights when not in use, and occasionally even remembering to turn off our computers/monitors when we leave the office for the weekend. But, are we really doing all we can to be green conscious at home?

Below are seven tips to help with energy consumption, recycling, and preserving our world for future generations. Hey, you might even save a little cash along the way!

1. Buy Energy Star Rated Appliances and Equipment. With nearly 70% of our home energy being used for appliances, cooling, refrigeration, and space/water heating you can save over 30% of your annual energy costs by upgrading to Energy Star approved devices.

2. Install a Programmable Thermostat. This is a relatively inexpensive way to cut costs and save energy without sacrificing comfort. It is especially handy when you want the home heated or cooled at specific times of the day or night or when you are looking to conserve energy when no one is home or during sleep time.

3. Conserve Water. Cut time spent in the shower by 50% which provides our local watersheds a much needed pollution break. Other ways to protect this natural resource are by installing low-flow faucet aerators and shower heads, fixing drips and leaks, adding a recirculation system to your water heater, and insulating all water pipes.

4. Insulate. Improving the energy efficiency of a home starts here. Add insulation to the attic, crawl space, or wherever air can escape. Caulk around all lights, vents, and exposed piping and replace worn weather-stripping. A little preventive maintenance and you will stay cooler in the summer and warmer during the cold season.

5. Use Compact fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFL). They last much longer than fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, use significantly less energy, are Mercury free, and are an easy way to help reduce greenhouse emissions.

6. Upgrading Windows. This can get expensive, but the long-term effects of cooling and heating costs as well as a reduction in condensation are worth the investment. There are several varieties, so be sure to do your homework before buying.

7. Recycle Used Products. The benefits are obvious. Less landfills, conserves natural resources, decreases green house effects, and saving energy. Make recycling a part of your families’ daily routine and teach your kids that respecting and protecting our planet is actually pretty cool.

Making our homes more eco-friendly does not have to be difficult, time consuming, or even too costly. Have a plan, get into a routine you are comfortable with, and live greener!

About the author: Anita Clark is a Realtor in Houston County GA, specializing in Warner Robins Real Estate.

Or click to check out my new Austin homes and lifestyle search.

Winter Storage Tips

2011-12-29T15:33:00Z

As the temperature drops, many people turn to winter storage for their favorite summer toys. Lake Travis toys like boats or jet skis, cars and even yard equipment that won't be used until spring can find a temporary home in an Austin storage facility, which will save up space in your garage and attic.

Choosing the appropriate winter storage facility can be difficult though. You want to make sure that your stuff, especially your cherished antique vehicle, is stored safely and securely. Use the following tips to select the perfect winter storage unit to fit your holiday needs.

Location is a huge factor for picking a storage facility. Although the idea of having storage located near your Austin home or work may sound convenient, it may also cost more to have a unit in a popular area. If you're not going to be driving to the storage facility again until spring, see if you can save a few bucks per month by choosing a unit a few miles away.

Think about what you are going to be storing before you go out searching for a unit. The less space you rent, the less you'll pay in most cases. Of course, you need to make sure that you have enough space to meet your needs. Having an accurate idea of how much space you will need before you begin searching and comparing prices will help you make the right decision and may even save you money.

Will you have drive-up access? A large unit on the second floor of a multi-level storage facility isn't going to work for boat storage. You can either call each facility and ask about specific units, or you can use a site like SpareFoot to search only for units that offer the type of access you need, for example, boat storage, RV storage or even wine storage.

And what about climate control? Cars, yard equipment and other gear that is generally stored in a garage (or outdoors) will probably not need the protection of a climate controlled winter storage unit. These types of units are best for furniture, art and electronics. However, it can’t hurt to have control over your unit’s temperature. Although it may cost a bit more, it might be worth the extra dollar, but that all depends on what you decide to put in there.

Winter may be the most important season for storing your belongings (just ask any squirrel). As if the holidays aren’t stressful enough, you do not want the added anxiety of worrying about whether or not your items are locked up tight. Make sure that when selecting a storage unit, you choose wisely and take a look at these tips before beginning your search.

Guest post by Matt Schexnayder of SpareFoot.

Click to Search Austin Homes.

The Value of Texas Longhorn Football

2011-12-27T17:41:00Z

I just saw something on Forbes.com ranking the most valuable college football teams. The University of Texas Longhorns came out on top. The Longhorns are currently valued at a staggering $129 million, bringing a $71 million profit to this great school.

What the story does not show is the amount of money coming into Austin's economy and that has to be a significant amount. People book hotel rooms for game weekends, they spend money on food and drink, merchandise, groceries for tailgating and much more.

Isn’t this just one more thing that makes Austin so great?

Click here to read the story and see the list of teams.

Click to Search Austin Homes.

Austin and Texas Continue to Thrive Economically

2011-12-27T17:04:00Z

The Milken Institute came out with its Best-Performing index and Texas cities were big winners. It looked at things like technology output, job creation and wages over a 5 year period and various other things. Nine Texas cities were among the top 25 with San Antonio being #1, El Paso at #2 and the Austin-Round Rock metro area coming in at #4.

Austin, without a military base aside from the National Guard base at Camp Mabry, may have been higher if it was not for the U.S. military’s Base Realignment and Consolidation (BRAC) process, which helped San Antonio and El Paso quite a bit. Austin had been at #2 in last year’s report.

The report talked about Austin-Round Rock’s strong high tech market with companies like Dell, Apple, IBM, AT&T, eBay and Facebook all having a significant presence in the market. It also talked about Samsung getting ready to Samsung dumping $3.6 billion into its plant in Austin and what that will mean to the local economy over the next few years.

Other Texas metro areas in the top 25 were Temple-Killeen-Fort Hood at #5(BRAC again), Houston-Sugarland-Baytown at #16, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission at #18, Dallas-Plano-Irving at #20, Fort Worth-Arlington at #24 and Lubbock at #25,

This certainly helps explain why the real estate market in Texas cities continued to be strong.

See the story and list here.

Interested in Lake Travis waterfront homes? Call me at 512-293-2422.

Or click to Search Austin Homes.

Bee Cave Snow Day

2011-12-19T17:21:00Z

I met my daughter at the Hill Country Galleria Mall in Bee Cave yesterday. The mall was hosting a fun event for the kids - a snow day. They had a semi unload blocks of ice that were ground up and sprayed into a pile. Kids and parents had a great time playing in the white stuff and throwing snow balls at each other.

Santa was there as well. He was sitting in a red chair at the base of a huge Christmas tree that was very nicely decorated for the holidays.

The mall is a very convenient place for residents of neighborhoods like Lake Pointe, Falconhead, Rocky Creek, Rough Hollow and West Cave Estates.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Brings a Christmas Present for Lucky Bastrop Family!

2011-12-17T12:58:00Z

Throughout the month of September all eyes and prayers were pointed towards the families of Bastrop and the fire that ravaged over 50 square miles of land and brought down a number of homes ranging around 1,500. The tragedy of it all is heartbreaking, but there is still hope for this community. People from all over Central Texas have donated their food, money, and time to the people of Bastrop and recently a family got the biggest gift of all. The Zdroj family was gifted a brand new home from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!

With the help of over 3000 volunteers this modern looking home went up in a week’s worth of time. Multi-level, eco-friendly and flame retardant this home will be more than the Zdroj family could ever hope for.

Mizzy Zdroj is a mother and wife as well as volunteer firefighter for Bastrop and when her own home was destroyed by the fire she continued to fight the fires. It was her fellow firefighters that nominated her for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition because they thought no else deserved this reward more than she did. So, while the crew put this home together the Zdroj family spent a wonderful week in New York City!

Not only did Ty Pennington’s crew build this home for the Zdroj family, but they also remodeled the Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department! This department was also given new boots, new uniforms, and a new brush truck.

This episode of Extreme Makeover will air at the end of next year as a Holiday Special and rumor has it that it will be one of the very last episodes ever. If the rumors are true then what a way for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to go out!
We wish the Zdroj family all the best in their lovely new home! And Happy Holidays!

Guest post by Michelle Hille of www.newhomesource.com.

The Basics of the VA Home Loan Program

2011-12-16T21:30:00Z

For Texas residents involved with the military, there are many opportunities to save on a home loan and all the expenses that come with owning and maintaining a home - ranging from the federal VA Home Loan Program to the Veterans Housing Assistance Program to the Veterans Home Improvement Program.

First there is the federal VA Home Loan Program, available to all veterans and service members who meet the eligibility, occupancy and other requirements of the program, which allows individuals and families to obtain a federally guaranteed home loan without a down payment. The program allows potential homeowners to borrow the reasonable value of the property or the purchase price, whichever is less, as well as the funding fee. They also save homeowners from the added expense of private mortgage insurance, a condition of conventional mortgages

There are also several funding options specific to the state of Texas. Since 1946, the Texas Veterans Land Board has offered funding to more than 200,000 veterans in need of low-interest, long-term land loans. The state later created the Veterans Housing Assistance Program, which uses bonds to provide veterans with special, low-interest loans for home purchase. And for those who need to maintain their existing home, the program was expanded in the mid-80s to add the Veterans Home Improvement Program. This program provides below-market interest rate loans to qualified veterans in the state in need of money for home repairs and improvements.

Added benefits for the Texas programs include an interest rate reduction to qualifying veterans with disabilities and an opportunity for those building a home to use a "take-out" loan from participating lenders when their home is complete.

Both state and federal programs come with their own sets of rules and requirements, but provide great money-saving opportunities for veterans seeking to purchase a home with little to no money down and a below-market interest rate.

Guest post provided by Matt Puettmann. Matt is a Content Manager at Veterans United Home Loans, the nation’s number one dedicated VA lender.