This adorable Pfugerville cottage in the Heatherwilde neighborhood will be listed for sale on May 15, 2015. Listed for only $150,000 you won’t see many homes offering this much value in our area. The large master bedroom is privately located on the 2nd floor away from the other bedrooms. 2 bedrooms and another full bath are located on the main floor. A 2 car detached garage is located just behind the home.

There are many upgrades in this home including recent ceramic tile in the living room and updated ceiling fans in all the bedrooms. The water heater and dishwasher have both recently been replaced. HVAC was replaced in 2004 and new shingles were put on the home in 2006.

The refrigerator conveys.

We will be holding an OPEN HOUSE on…

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It is not uncommon for a seller in the Austin area to receive multiple offers on their home. Multiple offers can be advantageous to a seller not only because it increases the chance to sell at a higher price but it also gives a seller the opportunity to select an offer with the best terms.

For some sellers terms such as waiving appraisal contingencies, higher option money, quicker closing date or a possible lease back may be just as attractive as more money.

Multiple offers and handling a multiple offer situation correctly doesn’t happen by chance. If you are selling your home make sure you have a Realtor on your side who has a system in place to attract multiple offers.

Here are some of the steps we will take to maximize your chances of…

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Last week I heard another Realtor refer to south Austin real estate as a “war zone.” That might be an exaggeration but it’s definitely pretty bad out there.

The number of homes sold in the Austin MLS during March reached an all time high for the month of 2,440. That is a 13% jump from March 2014.

The median price was up 10% and average price up 13% to $334,758.

These numbers don’t tell the whole story. Believe it or not in some parts of our area things are even hotter than those statistics would indicate. Several times in March and April we have seen properties with over 10 offers on them. Many of these homes are selling for well over the asking price.

Stories of multiple offers have become common in south and central Austin over the last…

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Eric joins John Schutze on the Austin Mortgage Report - Talk Radio 1370AM to talk about how you can protest your property taxes.

Eric and John talk about the recent rise in property taxes and why they are going up at such an alarming rate. Eric has a good story of how he got his property tax value reduced by $30,000!

Protesting your property tax assessment in Travis county , Williamson county and Hays county in Texas can be a frustrating experience. Understanding the process will give you a better chance to be successful.

1. Protest Online If That Is An Option For You

If you have a watermark on the notice you received that an online protest is available I suggest you take advantage of that option.  About a day after you file online…

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The Williamson County and Travis County Appraisal Districts have sent out their notices of appraised value. If you feel like your appraisal is too high you may want to protest the value this year.

For those of us who have been given the option to protest online that is the best place to start. In this short video I recorded a screencast showing myself completing an online protest. If you have any questions please let me know.

What are the steps to complete an online protest in Williamson County and Travis County?

  1. Make sure your “Notice Of Appraised Value” form has a watermark that says “Online Protest Available.”
  2. Type in your Quick Ref ID and Online Protest ID.
  3. Be sure to check the value is over market value AND unequal.
  4. Type in a…

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1. Someone who loves the neighborhood will represent your home

Wouldn’t it be great to have a Realtor who loves the neighborhood as much as you do answering calls from buyers or talking to possible buyers at your open house? Wouldn’t you like to have someone representing your home that knows where the trailheads are located, how many pools are in the neighborhood, what type of social events occur and who has the best pizza? We have been Avery Ranch homeowners for over 7 years and love living here. Nobody loves living in Avery Ranch more than we do and our enthusiasm for the neighborhood will make it easy for us to sell the neighborhood and your home to any buyer.

2. Your agent will know the schools and school zones

Most people are attracted…

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According to the Zillow 2014 Nationwide Survey of Real Estate Agents and Interior Designers, the number 1 investment for a home seller is Curb Appeal. And the second best investment a home seller can make is hiring a professional home stager.

You’ll never get a second chance to make the first impression. Buyers begin to make assumptions about the property right from the curb-side … even before they step in. So creating a strong first impression is a very important step in the process of selling your home.

Here are a few tips that will help you create a great curb appeal:

De-Clutter And Clean

A clean entrance can go a long way toward establishing a positive first impression. Remove extra objects from the entrance like kid’s toys and bikes.…

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We are in an interesting time for Austin real estate. There has been a lack of good homes going on the market over the winter. That lack of good homes along with a backlog of buyers who had been losing multiple offer bids last year have caused prices to go up significantly in some areas of town, particularly central and south Austin.

Inventory of homes is even lower than the statistics indicate. There are many homes on the market that are overpriced or in poor condition and therefore may never sell. The number of good homes, priced close to market value is significantly lower than market statistics would indicate.

All buyers need to be ready to view homes as soon as they come on the market. Even in the suburbs such as Cedar Park the great homes…

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If you’ve listened to talk radio in Austin you’ve heard a commercial for a Realtor sales guarantee. Some version of “If I don’t sell your home in 37 days I’ll buy it.”

How does that work and is that a good deal or a gimmick? Here’s how the Realtor sales guarantee has been explained to me.  

If I were to offer this guarantee first I would make you pay for an appraisal. Then I would make you pay for an inspection and make any repairs suggested on the report. After that we would come up with a guaranteed price that would be somewhere around 20% less than the appraised value. If your home is worth $300,000 I would offer you around $240,000 for a guaranteed price.

Is that a good deal or a gimmick? I’ll let you decide.

Would I buy your…

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As we headed into the year I was interested to see what would happen to our real estate market. There has been talk that the drop in oil prices and that effect on the Texas economy combined with Austin real estate becoming what some believe is unaffordable would cool off the market. That has definitely not happened.

At the end of December our inventory of homes was up .2% over December 2013. That may have indicated the real estate market would ease up a little in January. It doesn’t look like that is a long-term trend. As of today the inventory of homes is back under 2 months. Homes that are in desirable areas are still selling quickly with multiple offers just like last year, if not even faster.

As an indication our first listing as a new…

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