When Will The Market Be Good Again?

After 497 people told me they were going to wait to move until the market is good again, I realized I wasn’t doing a good job. 

You see, I am a “Professional Mind Maker Upper” and people count on me to consult with them so they can make the best decisions for their lives and their families. There’s a saying “Garbage in and garbage out” meaning if you don’t use accurate information, you won’t make good decisions. I was letting people use bad information without taking the time to ask more questions and explain some of the data that’s available about the real estate market. 

I have to give myself a little grace here because I haven’t gotten much sleep lately and I’ve changed a lot of diapers over the last few months so it’s possible I simply…

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4 Mistakes Home Buyers Are Making

I'm primarily a listing agent so I'm seeing buyers every weekend at our open houses. I'm also talking to agents and I'm seeing the offers that they put in every day. These are the four mistakes that I'm seeing buyers make in March of 2023.

Making Bad Offers

The first mistake I'm seeing is putting in “bad offers”. What I mean by that is a lot of buyers are out there and they're thinking they're going to make low offers. And you know what? A lot of sellers are actually negotiable right now.

Sellers are willing to come down on their price if they see that it's a good deal and you're a solid buyer. However, I've noticed that many buyers are submitting offers at a low price with unfavorable terms that are unrealistic to both myself as a listing…

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How To Determine The List Price For Your Home?

Determining the list price of your home in the Austin area is a delicate balance that involves taking into account a variety of factors. The perfect balance can be achieved by considering the following:

1. Comparable Sales: Researching recent sales of similar homes in the area (comparable sales) can provide a good starting point for determining the list price. This will give you an idea of what similar homes in the area are selling for and can help you set a realistic price for your own home.
2. Home Condition: The condition of your home is also an important factor to consider when determining the list price. A well-maintained, move-in-ready home will generally command a higher price than a home that needs repairs or updates.
3. Market…

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24 Open House Visitors At Our 1st Open House of 2023!

Early indications are the Austin area housing market is heating up again for the spring.

Each week we get a slightly better view of the 2023. Of course, in between when I am writing this on February 2nd and when it hits your mailbox things may have changed so get in touch with us to find out exactly what’s happening at that time.

Here are some of the early signs of a stronger real estate market this spring.

Open Houses And Showing Activity

We had 24 guests at our first Open House of the year which is much higher than I expected. The owners asked for buyers to remove their shoes. Here’s a picture I took of outside the home that shows how many people were inside at that time.

That home went under contract in only 6 days. With the…

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What To Expect From The Housing Market In 2023

The 2022 housing market has been defined by two key things: inflation and rapidly rising mortgage rates. In many ways, it’s put the market into a reset position.

Last January I talked about how we needed to watch the inventory of homes for sale and interest rates. As the Federal Reserve made moves this year to try to lower inflation, mortgage rates more than doubled. At the same time, we saw huge jumps in the number of homes for sale. This was a double whammy for the real estate market and had a cascading impact on buyer activity and ultimately home prices.

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates In 2023?

Interest rates shot up to over 7% and as of the end of 2022 have settled back closer to 6%. Moving forward, experts agree it’s still going to be…

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It's Time To Talk

This may be our last blog of the year and I know many of you reading this are making real estate related plans for 2023. If you are, we should talk right now. There are many confusing things happening with both the overall economy and the real estate market and as you make your plans it’s important you have accurate information and you are interpreting what’s happening correctly. I certainly don’t have a crystal ball, at least one that isn’t foggy, but I may be able to point you in the right direction by giving you a few things to think about that will make your plans easier and more profitable. To schedule a time for a conversation, call 512-791-7473 or schedule online at KopaConsultation.com. How Was My Crystal Ball In January?

I thought it would…

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Things Are Getting A Little Spooky...Should You Be Scared?

The other day I saw someone describe the real estate market as being scary.

We are heading towards something nobody has ever been through. There’s never been a time with so many events happening all at once. We have both headwinds and tailwinds for the economy so in near future things are murky. It’s understandable some people will think it’s spooky out there in the real estate market.

Perhaps that’s true in the short term. In the long run the thing I know is people will always be buying, selling or renting real estate.

Part of the reason things seem spooky is with social media there are so many people trying to make a name for themselves or trying to get clicks by promoting that we are approaching doomsday.

Here are some of the things the…

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How To Buy Your Next Home Before Selling Your Current Home

When you are ready to buy your next home there are several ways of doing this without selling your current home first. Let’s review your options.

Qualify For 2 Mortgage Payments

It is possible to obtain a mortgage on a new property prior to selling your current home as long as you can qualify for both mortgage payments. This will allow you to buy and possibly move into your new home prior to putting your current home on the market. Many of our clients take this option and we are able to stage the home we are selling so it doesn’t look empty.

Buy Contingent On The Sale Of Your Current Home

It may be possible to get an offer accepted on a new home and have that offer be contingent on selling your current home. Our success in getting…

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3 Important Things You Should Know About Mortgage Interest Rates Today

If you have been shopping for a home there are 3 important things you should know about mortgage interest rates today.

Fed Raised Rates And Mortgage Rates Went Down

You probably heard the Federal Reserve raised interest rates .75% in July. The Federal Reserve does not control mortgage interest rates. It seems counterintuitive, but when the Fed raised their rates mortgage interest rates actually went down. Mortgage interest rates had been over 6% back in June. As of August 2nd, we were seeing quotes for 30 Year Conventional rates near 5%.

Jumbo Rates Are Lower Than Conventional Rates

In the Austin area the loan limit for Conventional mortgages is $647,200. If you are borrowing more than that you would be getting a “Jumbo” mortgage.…

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Avery Ranch Fireworks 2022

The Avery Ranch fireworks show for 2022 has been cancelled.

For more information contact the Avery Ranch HOA.

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Perspective And Real Estate

Avery Ranch & 78717 Real Estate Update

Let’s review the 78717 and Avery Ranch real estate housing market statistics for May, 2022. The number of homes sold was down 8% compared to 2021. Homes sold on average for $316 per square foot, up 16% over last year. The average sales price increased 14% to $772,180 and the median sales price increased 9% to $720,000.

The home that sold at the lowest price was in Brushy Creek Village for only $286,66. This home was sold off market and entered into MLS as…

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