Kopa Real Estate Blog

Common Misunderstandings About Taxes Keeping People Stuck

Because we are Real Estate Brokers you probably think we try to talk people into selling their home. That isn’t true, but what I do try to do is make sure people who contact me aren’t staying where they are due to misunderstanding how financial things work. This month there were 2 misunderstandings that seemed to come up frequently so I wanted to address them with you, too. 

Misunderstanding #1 – If You Sell And Buy Another Home Your School Taxes Will Go Up

This is a comment a friend made to a post on Facebook. 

"In Texas it rarely makes sense for a long-time boomer homeowner to sell a home to attempt to downsize because the frozen school taxes keep many in their older home."

Here was my response... 

"Thanks for bringing that up. I…

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How Much Does a New Roof Cost in Austin? Real Bid Examples

How Much Does A New Roof Cost In Austin?

If you’re a homeowner in Austin or Cedar Park, one of the most common questions we hear is, “How much does a new roof cost?” The truth is, roof replacement prices can vary widely depending on the contractor, materials, and your home’s unique needs. Before selling a home, many of our clients ask about whether they should replace the roof and how much it will impact the sale. To give you an example, one of our clients recently requested bids from three different roofing companies here in Central Texas—and the estimates ranged from $16,850 to $27,482 for the exact same house.

Real Examples Of Roof Replacement Bids

Earlier in the year one of our clients replaced his roof before we listed his house. He went…

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Yes, we are still selling homes!

Whenever someone asks me “How’s the market?” or wants to talk about interest rates, my initial response is to say how many homes we have under contract at that time. 

It’s my way of saying we aren’t waiting for the market to get better and we aren’t waiting for interest rates to go down. There’s so much negativity in the real estate market from the media and other Realtors so in large part this is my response because it reminds me to stay positive. It’s much harder to be negative about the real estate market when you have 10 homes under contract. 

The flip side of this is I’m not going to give anyone advice based on being unrealistically optimistic. In Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great” he wrote about the “Stockdale Paradox.” The short version is…

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Afraid Of Negotiating? Fuggetaboutit!

At the closing of their home sale a couple of weeks ago, the sellers told me 10 of their neighbors stopped by to say goodbye, and they all said they are going to sell next year. What surprised me is all the neighbors asked if the sellers had to negotiate and brought up negotiating is one of their biggest fears about selling their home. 

Many people seem to be intimidated by the idea of negotiating in general and intimidated because they believe people buying homes around here have a reputation of being shrewd negotiators.  

They aren’t. At least not for those of us who have been around the block and can anticipate typical negotiating tactics and who aren’t afraid of being direct. 

Most people think I’m from Texas or maybe California. I’m…

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6 Real Estate Lessons For My Kids

I can’t wait until my girls are old enough to buy their first home. Whether they like it or not, I’m going with them to Open Houses just so I can ask all the Realtors, “Is the price negotiable?” This will be the ultimate dad joke, and they’ll be so embarrassed. Aside from that, hopefully I can give them some good advice. Here are 6 things I would tell them when they are old enough to buy their first home. 

1. Don’t buy a new house just to get a low interest rate. 

I saw a builder advertising 1.25% interest rates. That builder has disclosed their average incentive on sales is 13.3%. What that means is people are paying $500,000 to get a $450,000 house. That’s fine if you’re going to stay in the home for 10 years but otherwise, you’re upside…

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What Will Happen If President Trump Fires The Fed Chairman?

This morning, I saw a video of a Realtor in Dallas telling people that President Trump is going to fire Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and replace him with someone who will cut interest rates immediately. She indicated that buyers should buy before that happens and sellers should hold off on selling.

I’m not trying to get political, and nobody is a cheerleader for lower interest rates more than me. For the last 3 years, I’ve been pretty clear that I don’t know what is going to happen with rates. Over that time, a lot of people have been angry with me because I don’t give them an overly optimistic predictions.

In fact, back in January, 2024 someone came to one of my home selling seminars and told everyone to hold off on selling because rates would be…

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Be Kind, Not Nice: The Hard Truths Every Home Seller Needs to Hear

In real estate, there's a difference between being nice and being kind. “Nice” is telling you what you want to hear. “Kind” is telling you what you need to hear—even if it stings a little. If you’re thinking of selling your home, let me offer you something better than politeness: honesty, grounded in years of experience.

1. Your Home Is Not Special (To Buyers)

I say this with deep respect: your home holds sentimental value—for you. To buyers, it’s just one of many options. That wallpaper you love? The shelf where your kid took their first steps? The quirky vintage tiles you insisted on keeping? They’re not selling points. In fact, they might be the reason a buyer passes.

Being kind means telling you upfront: depersonalize and neutralize. Your…

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Realtor Commission Settlement One Year Later

It’s been a year since the Realtor commission settlement was announced and 7 months since it went into effect. So, what’s changed?

From a buyer standpoint, buyers and their agent should have some type of written agreement prior to viewing homes. It’s important to note that buyers can always visit our Open Houses or contact us about any of our listings without signing any agreement.

One intention of the settlement was for buyers and their agent to have a compensation agreement regardless of who is going to pay for that compensation. In my opinion that makes sense. From there the only question is who is going to pay, buyer or seller.

From a seller or listing agent side things get more complicated because in Texas we still have two ways to handle…

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April 2025 Avery Ranch Garage Sale

When is the next Avery Ranch garage sale? The next garage sale is scheduled for Saturday April 12, 2025 starting at 7AM.

Avery Ranch is destination master planned community in northwest Austin. With 4,000 homes in the neighborhood chances are you have a friend or colleague who lives in Avery Ranch.

We have been Avery Ranch homeowners since 2007. People love living in Avery Ranch because of the amenities such as 5 swimming pools, lighted tennis courts and pickleball courts, playgrounds, neighborhood events, the Avery Ranch Golf Club and proximity to the Brushy Creek Hike and Bike Trail.

Students in Avery Ranch attend award winning schools including Sommer Elementary and England Elementary in Round Rock ISD and Rutledge Elementary in Leander…

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So You’re Ready To Downsize...Now What?

Downsizing from a larger home into a smaller one is a major event in itself, and it often comes on the heels of a massive life change—like a child going off to college, retirement, a change in health or mobility, or a tragedy like the loss of a spouse. These disruptions tend to overshadow what would otherwise be an exciting, even liberating move. It can feel overwhelming before you even meet with an agent.

But it doesn’t have to be. I can’t guarantee it’ll be painless, but it’s never as gargantuan a feat as sellers make it out to be in their heads. I’ve helped many people successfully downsize, and once they’re moved in to their new home they often say they wish they’d done it sooner. If you’re considering downsizing, here are some strategies…

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