Great Hills Austin Real Estate Blog 
Long Hot Summer in Austin
Saturday, August 20th, 2011 at 4:14pm. 77 Views, 0 Comments.
As we approach the 65th day of 100 degree temperatures in the Austin area, I am reminded how important it is to choose not only a home that fits your lifestyle, but also, how important the orientation of the home really is. The back of my home faces West, but luckily, my backyard is completely shaded by large oak trees, but some of my neighbors are not so lucky. If your backyard faces West, and you don't have much shade, using your backyard in the afternoon can be nearly hopeless. Of course if you have a pool in your backyard, that is a completely different story. Some things to keep in mind when choosing a home are:
· How energy efficient is the home
· Are the windows single pane, double pane, aluminum or vinyl?
· Does the attic…
Don’t wait until it’s too late on a Short Sale
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 at 3:47pm. 75 Views, 0 Comments.
Recently, I’ve had several prospective clients contact me only days before their property is suppose to go to the foreclosure auction on the court steps. If find myself asking “why do these people wait until it is too late to contact me about listing their home for a short sale?” The answer is not a simple one. I think that there is a lot of psychology that goes into the realization that you are about to lose your home. Most people in financial distress usually put keeping their home as the last priority in making their way out of the financial issues. First on their list are their immediate needs, food, transportation, utilities and childcare. In Texas, we have an accelerated foreclosure process, the second fastest one in the US. Some of these…
I don't need a Realtor
Sunday, May 15th, 2011 at 10:29am. 76 Views, 0 Comments.
This is something that I hear at least once a week when speaking to perspective clients. In the greater Austin area, there is quite a bit of new home construction especially in areas such as Round Rock and Cedar Park. Most of the home builders have a sales office in each one of their communities with on-site sales agents that are ready to assist homebuyers with the purchase of one of their homes. Given that a buyer can just walk into the model home, be wowed by the sales agent and sign a purchase contract without being represented by a Realtor, why do they even need a Realtor? The answer is quite simple. Where you may be involved in a home purchase every six or eight years, I am involved with 20-30 home purchases EVERY year. I've seen numerous examples…
Don't let the news media get you down!
Friday, April 15th, 2011 at 4:13pm. 89 Views, 0 Comments.
It seems like every time you read a newspaper, turn on the tv or listen to the radio, there is always some economics expert giving his doom and gloom predictions of another pending mortgage meltdown. Though it is true that we are nowhere near the conclusion of the mortgage fiasco, one thing to keep in mind is that real estate is very much area dependent. What I mean by that is that though parts of the country have become figurative ghost towns due to foreclosures and relocations, Austin is one of the few metro areas that has enjoyed consistent economic growth. The Austin area is not without its fair share of foreclosure and short sales, but those areas primarily affected are usually in first time homebuyer communities in the outskirts of town. You will…
Beating the Summer Housing Rush
Friday, March 25th, 2011 at 9:33am. 81 Views, 0 Comments.
As the weather starts to warm up and the lawn goes from being yellow and dormant to green and vibrant, if your summer plans include either buying or selling a home, then now is the time to begin your research. The last couple of months have seen a rise in interest rates as well as a rise in lending restrictions which can make financing a home more difficult. Throw in the current military operations in Libya and the tsunami and nuclear tragedy in Japan and the economic future seems a bit clouded. Typically homebuyers and sellers wait until the summer months to make a move, but this year, being a bit more proactive and planning for a late spring move might prove to be the more prudent decision for a couple of reasons. First, if you are a seller, there are…
If you sit too long on the fence, it may fall over.
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 at 12:17pm. 101 Views, 0 Comments.
As everyone knows, the housing market has faced some critical times over the last couple of years. Home values in Austin have not been so devastatingly affected as in other areas of the country but what today’s market has created is a unique opportunity for homebuyers to purchase a home at a near rock-bottom price at interest rates that hadn’t been seen in over 50 years. The bad news, is that ship is sailing away quicker than you might think. As the unemployment rate drops and the economy begins its slow recovery, you’ll see both mortgage interest rates and home values start to creep up. While this may be positive news to both home sellers and home owners, if you are in the market to purchase and are stuck on the fence, you may soon find yourself…
TMI = Too Much Information
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 at 1:44pm. 93 Views, 0 Comments.
As an Austin Realtor, I use technology everyday to stay in contact with my clients as well as to provide online home search tools as well as monthly real estate updates. But as our world evolves and technology plays an ever increasing role in our lives, sometimes you have to stop to ask yourself, is technology really helping or hurting me? With the majority of all cell phones now being produced and sold as “smart phones”, we literally have the world at our fingertips. You can literally do just about anything from the comfort of your car, in an elevator or even while watching a movie. I can’t tell you how many movies I’ve watched at the theatre with the annoying glow of some teenager’s cell phone while he or she is texting, tweeting or updating…
A New Year, a New Set of Goals
Monday, January 3rd, 2011 at 6:07pm. 123 Views, 0 Comments.
As the first days of 2011 begin, I am reminded of the goals that I accomplished over the course of the year. I am also reminded of the goals that I didn't accomplish. Though possibly difficult to believe, all of my goals are not necessarily real estate related. Don't get me wrong, I always have the long-term goal of being the most recognized name in the Austin Real Estate market, but in the short term, I have to be more realistic and more focused about the goals that I set for myself for this new year. In analyzing my victories and defeats in regards to the goals that I set out to accomplish at the beginning of last year, I find myself making a list of why I was or wasn't able to accomplish every goal I set out to complete. Some goals were probably too…
Heading for the finish line of the short sale home purchase. Part 3 of 3
Thursday, November 18th, 2010 at 5:10pm. 126 Views, 0 Comments.
So you've stuck by your guns and patiently waited while the mortgage bank finished all of their internal evaluations, appraisal and broker price opinions and the closing date is in sight. The one thing to keep in mind with a short sale is that the transaction is not a "sure thing" even though the bank has approved the transaction. There are still some final hurdles that have nothing to do with the buyer. In some cases, as part of a short sale approval, the mortgage bank may require the seller to pay for a small portion of the loss or may want them to sign a promissory note. This can be a deal killer if the seller doesn't have the funds required or chooses not to sign a promissory note to the bank. In some cases I've had home sellers agree to pay…
What to know as a buyer purchasing a short sale Part 2 of 3
Monday, November 1st, 2010 at 12:36pm. 121 Views, 0 Comments.
So you’ve been hard at work with your Austin Realtor searching for the perfect piece of real estate and then one day, you find the home of your dreams at an unbelievable price! The only problem is that it is a short sale. So what does that mean to the buyer? As I’ve discussed before, a short sale is basically, when a mortgage lien holder agrees to accept less than the full amount owed on a mortgage. The seller has to qualify to put his home on the market as a short sale, but what is required of the buyer? The number one thing is PATIENCE. A short sale does not follow the normal route that a typical resale would. Even though a seller is not going to get anything out of the short sale other than salvaging a piece of their credit, they may still have…