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Imagine a neighborhood of adorable medium houses seated comfortably on shady streets lined with trees. But then splash a rainbow across the entire area. That could get you close to what the Hyde Park neighborhood in central Austin is like. This old part of town has a lot of history, and was one of Austin's first developments north of the Capitol. Many of the houses are over fifty years old, but are lovingly cared for by tenants and successive owners, often with a heavy dose of their personality thrown in for good measure.

Spanning the area from Dean Keaton street in the south to around 45th street or so to the north, and from I-35 to the east and Guadalupe street to the west, Hyde Park is a fairly large neighborhood. As it is located comfortably… Read Full Post

The North Loop neighborhood in Austin, Texas is a vibrant, yet quaint place to call home. Over the past few years, and throughout the Austin real estate boom, it has managed its increasingly high profile while generally preserving its qualities that make it so unique and desirable. Situated about 25 blocks north of UT campus, North Loop has always been a safe haven for students and other left-of-center folks, who have contributed greatly to the neighborhood personality and activism since it was built (mostly in the Fifties). The most defining aspect of this area are the small, attractive houses with well-proportioned yards and lots of tree cover. Most houses fall into the one-to-two bedroom with one bathroom size, although, like many older Austin… Read Full Post

Austin, Texas is no longer a hidden destination buried in travel books. It is projected to grow in population by about 30 of the Austin population has college degrees compared to the US average of 27.0 have graduate degrees compared to the US average of 9.9%. A lot of this has to do with the University of Texas at Austin. Many students who come to Austin for school end up not wanting to leave their beloved city. So, you run into a lot of waiters and book store cashiers with college degrees refusing to leave.
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The University is just north of the Capital of Texas, which is pretty much the opposite vibe of UT. UT has the young, huge crowd of kids finding themselves, and the state government has all the politically driven players pushing ahead in their…

Change is the norm in today’s busy life and in our real estate market in Austin, Texas change can be fast, unexpected, and daunting. So, what happens when an unplanned or a strategic change requires your reconsideration of your current location of your current residence? How do you deal with the potential to move to another city or neighborhood? What should you do to divest of your current real estate in an equitable manner? What are the considerations necessary to sell your current home, investment property or condo?

If relocation is a function of a company transfer or because you are taking a new job, then the process can be easier. The employer may have relocation services to offer, so be sure to ask about these. The services often include… Read Full Post

We have some pretty intense meetings at the Austin City Council.  But they always involved heated words and not guns.  I hope this is not a sign of things to come.  He was apparently facing a foreclosure that would have been solved by the zoning case.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/05/owner.suicide.ap/index.html

Smile. Look them in the eye. Don’t cross your arms. Don’t get too close.  Use their body language. Don’t blink too much.

Everyone has something to say about how you present yourself. But sometimes I wonder if we can go to far.

I wonder if they don’t sometimes wonder if the guy looking them directly in the eye the whole time is well a little scary. If the the guy who smiles so much maybe just doesn’t have enough of a clue to know when he shouldn’t smile. If that guy who never blinks might be a robot.

I have known about all these little body language things for many years. I think we have all heard about them at some point or another. Hey, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to tell me that when you smile, it relaxes people. But we don’t always do it.…

Negotiating can be tough.  It is more an art of applying techniques to each unique transaction rather than cut and dry responses.  With home sales, each home has a person behind it with emotions that can be triggered either positively or negatively.  Whether I am the agent for the buying or selling end, I try to advise my clients with facts rather than emotions.  I have run into other agents who get quite emotional and defensive about a transaction, and I can understand that inclination because some deals can just become so frustrating, but as the agent, it is best to take a step back and provide professional consultation instead of escalating your client's emotions.  These are some negotiating techniques to keep in mind as options rather than letting a…

Austin job stats were released showing Austin to have strongest job market in 6 years. The demand for labor is outstripping the local labor supply. The last time Austin saw such low unemployment was during the tech boom. The job growth has stayed above 4 percent for the last year. This is in sharp contrast to the rest of the nation. Since August 2006, the area has seen job growth of 29,500 jobs. Over the same time period, the nation saw a decrease of 4,000 jobs --the first decrease in 4 years. Local companies have not had a difficult time finding workers for entry level jobs. But for higher paid jobs that require more experience and education, it has been difficult to find qualified applicants. With the country at large seeing job… Read Full Post