THere are three strategies to help you achieve a smooth transaction. Selling your home can be a daunting task, especially in today's real estate market. However, there are three key strategies that can help you not only secure a buyer but also ensure a seamless transaction from start to finish: 1. Pre-inspection: Find surprises early. In the current market climate, surprises during the home inspection can be deal-breakers. To stay ahead of the game, consider pre-inspecting your home before listing it. This proactive approach allows you to identify and address any issues with the help of relev ..read more

This year and every year, we’re thankful for you in our lives. The 2023 holiday season has officially begun! We hope you are as excited as we are. We’d like to take a moment to express our gratitude to all of you this Thanksgiving. We have met some truly wonderful people, and we’re proud to have helped so many reach their real estate goals over the years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without all of your support. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner—that’s what we plan to do! In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any real estate questions. We would be happy to ..read more

Three common pitfalls that buyers should avoid when purchasing a home. Are you in the market for a new home? If so, you'll want to avoid making some common mistakes that can jeopardize your home-buying journey. I'm here to guide you through the top three things not to do when purchasing a home. 1) Don't quit your job. One of the most crucial things to avoid while buying a home is quitting your job during the transaction. Let me illustrate this with a real-life scenario. I had a client who snagged an amazing deal on a home because the previous buyer decided it was a good time to quit their job ..read more

Five reasons why you might think twice about living in Austin, TX. If you're considering a move to Austin, Texas, there are certainly some factors to weigh in your decision-making process. Austin is known for its vibrant culture, beautiful weather, and thriving economy, but like any city, it has its downsides. Here are the top five reasons why some people might think twice about calling Austin home: 1) Climate. Austin's climate is undeniably appealing for most of the year, boasting nearly 80% of days filled with sunshine. However, the downside comes during the scorching summer months when the ..read more

Here are three valuable tips from our recent real estate sales. Today, I’m sharing the three key takeaways from my recent sales experiences: 1) Buyers prioritize homes that are either completely updated or are excellent deals, not necessarily the cheapest or the nicest in the neighborhood. In some cases, our buyers purchased homes for $59,000 or even $110,000 below appraised value. 2) Mold is becoming a significant concern for buyers, and it's crucial for sellers to consider getting a pre-inspection to address potential mold issues. 3) Sellers who own their homes outright should consider owne ..read more

A few alternatives to selling your home amidst higher rates. Have you heard anyone talking about the low interest rate golden handcuffs? Essentially, there are a lot of homeowners that would like to move, but they feel trapped by their sub-4 % interest rate that they don't want to give up. It's a big issue affecting our market right now. 90% of mortgage holders have an interest rate below 3.5%, which is about half of what interest rates are now. Therefore, let's talk about three things you can do instead of selling:  1. Become a landlord. You can keep your current home with a low interes ..read more

The top three reasons to avoid buying a fixer-upper property. In a recent headline from The Wall Street Journal, it was stated that nobody wants to buy a fixer-upper right now. While this claim may seem extreme, there are several compelling reasons why buyers are shifting their focus away from these properties. Here are the top three reasons behind this trend and its implications for both sellers and buyers: 1. Overpricing and increased supply. Fixer-uppers have been significantly overpriced in recent years, mainly due to the limited inventory available in the housing market. With limited opt ..read more

Most important things you should know about the March housing market. Today I’m sharing the top three takeaways from the end-of-Q1 numbers and discussing how the market went exactly as we predicted months ago.  First, overall prices are down about 15%, which is a $100,000 drop from the peak of the market a year ago for median prices in Austin, Texas. This is the correction we knew was coming, with interest rates stabilizing and home values starting to follow suit. In some cases, we're even seeing prices going up. Second, homes that are priced well are still selling, and sellers just nee ..read more

We can help you get the right information to protest your property taxes. Did you know that this is the year to protest your property taxes? With the market dropping about 15% year over year, this is the time to push back against the county and get your property tax bill to go down. To help you do this, we’re sharing a few things you should know.  First, know that you can do it yourself online on the county's website, or you can hire an agency to do it on your behalf. We prefer to hire an agency because it's a lot of work, and we want to make sure it’s done correctly and that we save the ..read more

Here’s a rundown of the market trends that emerged last year. 2022 was a record market for so many reasons! With home prices peaking at an all-time high in May at $555,000 across the five counties, and the market almost grinding to a halt for the second time in two years, it was definitely one for the books.  Despite our best efforts to predict the future, we all felt a little caught off guard by the massive market shift. Right now, the median home price is at $457,426, which is only down 3% year over year but down about 20% from the peak in May 2022. In May last year, the median mortga ..read more