Lance Lambert, real estate editor at Fortune Magazine, called Austin the most interesting real estate market in America.

Prices went up like a rocket and came back to earth, but still up 43% since March 2020. Some people can’t get over missing out on timing the market. The truth is few people did because even those who sold at the top had to buy in the same market at the top.

If I told you in March 2020 your home would be worth 43% more in 3 years you would have been over the moon happy about that. If you’ve allowed yourself to get stuck because you missed out on the peak perhaps a change in perspective to thinking about how much better off you are than 3 years ago will help you get unstuck. Otherwise using 2021 and early 2022 as your baseline…

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About this time last year we saw interest rates increase at a rate never seen before along with a dramatic increase in the number of homes on the market. As a result, buyer demand dropped off the cliff which caused prices to fall around here almost as much as anywhere in the country. Of course, our prices had gone up so much we had farther to fall.

Many buyers, especially those influenced by social media predictions, held off buying thinking they could wait for prices to crash like in 2008.

Instead of seeing a 2008 crash, this spring has seen a resurgence in buyer demand. It appears buyers have gotten used to interest rates in the 6% range and have realize we aren’t going back to 3% rates any time soon and likely not forever.

In addition, we have…

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It’s hard to believe, but summer is already around the corner. Here in the Austin area, our home-selling “season” kicks off in spring and reaches its peak in the summer. It’s our busiest time of year, although this year things will be a little different.

With interest rates up, demand has slowed compared to last year. Prices remain high and sellers still have the upper hand, but buyers have a bit more leverage and homes are taking longer to sell on average. This season, homes that are attractive to buyers and marketed aggressively will sell fast and high. Here are the strategies we’re using to position our summer sellers for the best result possible.

I have to give myself a little grace here because I haven’t gotten much sleep lately and I’ve…

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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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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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Because we have a market-proven system to sell investment properties that have always been a good portion of our business. This year we have been contacted by an unusually large number of investors who are considering selling their investment property. Some of the investors think the market is nearing a top while others have decided being a landlord isn’t for them. If you are thinking about selling your investment property here are a few questions to ask yourself.

Do you want to be a landlord?

I believe successful investors enjoy owning investment properties and they run their investment properties like a business. If you don’t enjoy some of the negative aspects of owning rental properties such as dealing with tenants or having to lease a…

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One of the most frequently asked questions and something that is commonly misunderstood about selling your home is what taxes you will pay. The tax code can be confusing and isn’t always black and white. Hopefully the takeaway from this article is you likely won’t pay any taxes and if you do, they may be less than you expect. If you are holding off selling due to taxes contact me and I can point you in the right direction of how to find out what you will pay based on your situation. In addition, looking at IRS Publication 523, Selling Your Home is a great resource to understand what taxes you may or may not have to pay.

2 In 5 Exemption

If you have lived in your home for 2 of the previous 5 years than you should qualify for the “2 in…

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Because the real estate market has become so competitive many buyers are waiving the right to terminate the contract based on the lender’s appraisal. The appraisal is typically done after the buyer’s termination period has ended. If you are waiving your appraisal contingency you will not be able to terminate the contract and receive a refund of your earnest money if the home appraises for less than the sales price. If you are waiving this contingency here is an explanation of how that might affect the amount of money you will need for a down payment.

Please let us know if you have any questions before making an offer on any property.

Example

Contract price $400,000

Appraised value $380,000

If the home appraised value was…

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Hi Austin area homeowners. I’m Eric Peterson Broker of Kopa Real Estate. Let’s review the most recent Austin real estate statistics.

In September there were 3,437 homes sold which is down 10% from last year.

The average sold price was up 22.7% from last year but down 2% from August.

The median price was $463,000, up 34.2% from last year but down 5% from August.

The average sold price to original list price was 101.4%. That means homes were selling on average for 1.4% over list price.

The average days on the market is 16 days, still down considerably from last year at 39 days but up 2 days from August.

Overall homes are still selling fast and we are still in a strong sellers’ market although not quite…

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 Let’s get to the statistics for August, 2021. We are still seeing huge increases in the year over year statistics. The big story is the huge month over month increases in average and median sales prices has dipped for the first time this year.

As a reminder these statistics cover the entire Austin MLS area. If you’re interested in a particular area you may want to check out one of our other blogs and videos or contact me directly.

Let’s start by looking at the listing inventory numbers. In August there was a total of 3,969 sales which is down 9.6% from last year and slightly up from 3,846 sales in August, 2019. The number of new listings is up 15.3% to 4,873 and the number of pending sales is down 34.9% to 2,877.

The months of…

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