Kopa Real Estate Blog - eric peterson

From Stale to Sold: How We Got 3601 Turkey Path Bend in Cedar Park Under Contract in Just 18 Days

If your home didn’t sell the first time, it’s easy to feel discouraged. But here’s the truth: sometimes it’s not the home—it’s the strategy.

I’m Eric Peterson, Broker and Owner of Kopa Real Estate, and I’m excited to share how we recently got a home at 3601 Turkey Path Bend in The Ranch at Brushy Creek, Cedar Park, TX 78613 under contract in just 18 days—after it previously sat on the market for six months with another agent.

Why This Home Didn’t Sell the First Time

Before we took over the listing, the home had been marketed in a very passive way. Unfortunately, some agents still rely on the “put a sign in the yard and wait” approach. That might have worked years ago—but not in today’s competitive Cedar Park real estate market.

Even…

135 Views, 0 Comments

Sold Fast! in 3 Days in Cedar Park, TX: How We Helped Sell 2400 Vestavia Ridge Ln for Maximum Value

If you’re thinking about selling your home in Cedar Park or the greater Austin area, you’re probably wondering how to get the best price without months of stress and uncertainty.

At Kopa Real Estate, we recently sold a home at 2400 Vestavia Ridge Ln in just 3 days—but it wasn’t luck. It was the result of a deliberate strategy, hands-on service, and a marketing approach designed to create demand from day one.

Here’s exactly how we did it—and how you can apply the same strategy to your home.

The Challenge: A Unique Property That Didn’t Fit the Mold

This wasn’t a typical listing.

The property included:

• A single-family home

• A separate guest casita

• A swimming pool

• A large lot

Homes like this…

182 Views, 0 Comments

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…

906 Views, 0 Comments

NAR Commission Settlement

What It Means And What It Doesn’t Mean

By now I’m sure you’ve heard that the National Association of Realtors announced a proposed settlement to address the broker compensation lawsuits that have popped up across the country. The settlement has generated a lot of media attention and unfortunately a lot of what has been reported is misleading so I wanted to give an explanation of what has happened.

Before I even start, this is a proposed settlement that still needs court approval and none of the changes will go into effect until July at the earliest. However, I do expect it will be approved whether in this format or something similar and we are already putting systems into place to guide our clients through any possible changes and give you the…

1609 Views, 0 Comments

It's Not As Spooky As You Think

Almost every day I get calls or have people attend our seminars thinking they can’t sell their house because of what they are hearing in the news. I assure you we are still helping people like you sell their homes and If what you are hearing has stopped you from making a move contact us to talk about your plans. Many people have benefited this year from scheduling a buying power and home improvement audit. I’ve found that even if what I tell them isn’t what they want to hear it allows them to make better decisions and move forward with their life. I’m not saying it’s easy but in the end our clients always say it’s worth it to move on to a better place.

Who Is Moving Right Now?

One of our recent clients were the original owner of their home. They…

1090 Views, 0 Comments

Why The Market Is Like A Microwaved Frozen Burrito

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…

1247 Views, 0 Comments

How To Transfer Your Over 65 Exemption

Does the school tax ceiling transfer when a person who is age 65 or older or is disabled or is the surviving spouse (age 55 or older) of the individual moves to another home?

A percentage of the school district tax ceiling may be transferred.

The ceiling on the new residence homestead would be calculated to give you the same percentage of tax paid as the ceiling on the original residence homestead. For example, if you currently have a tax ceiling of $100, but would pay $400 without the ceiling, the percentage of tax paid is 25 percent. If you move to another home and the taxes on the new residence homestead would normally be $1,000 in the first year, the new tax ceiling would be $250, or 25 percent of $1,000.

To transfer the school district…

1223 Views, 0 Comments

Selling Your Home This Summer? Start Now!

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…

1033 Views, 0 Comments

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…

1091 Views, 0 Comments

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…

1168 Views, 0 Comments