Southwest Austin Homes

SW Austin Homes - Search all homes for sale in Southwest Austin. Includes Austin MLS Areas SWW and SWE.

Bauerle Ranch Homes for Sale - Austin MLS Listings in the Bauerle Ranch Neighborhood of Southwest Austin. Austin MLS Area: SWE. Zip 78748. DR Horton Community built from 2002 to 2008. Home prices from $150-230k.

Canterbury Trails Homes for Sale - Austin MLS Listings in the Canterbury Trails Neighborhood of Southwest Austin. Austin MLS Area: SWE. Zip 78748. DR Horton Community built from 1999 to 2001. Home prices from $130-200k.

Circle C Ranch Homes for Sale - Over 40,000 acre master-planned community in SW Austin, Texas, Circle C Ranch has over 3,700 single-family homes. Homes prices from $230-500k. First developed in the late 1980's, you will still find new home builders throughout the community.

Granada Oaks Homes for Sale - New community off of Hwy 290 in the Oak Hill area of SW Austin.Builders include McCall Custom Homes, Canyon Creek Custom Homes, Circle A Land & Development Inc, Nalle Custom Homes, and JP Karson Homes. Prices range from $600-700k, 3,000-4,000 square feet. Austin MLS Area: SWW. Zip Code 78737

Legend Oaks Homes for Sale - Located off of William Cannon Blvd. in Southwest Austin, the Legend Oaks Neighborhood sits next to Western Oaks. Both neighborhoods are very established with tree-lined streets and many park areas. Home prices in Western Oaks range from the low $200's to the low $300's. Austin MLS Area: SWW. Zip Code 78749

Lewis Mountain Homes for Sale - Luxury community of off FM 1826 (Camp Ben Mccullough). Home prices from the mid $500's to over $1 million. Austin MLS Area: SWW. Zip Code 78737

Loma Vista Homes for Sale - Located off of FM 1826 and Hwy 290 in SW Austin, Loma vista is a newer community. Home prices from the high $300's to low $500's. Austin MLS Area: SWW. Zip code 78749.

Manchaca Texas Homes for Sale - Just south of Southwest Austin you will find the city of Manchaca, Texas. Homes with 2-5 acres is not uncommon for this area. Home prices from $190k for a modest single-family home to $1 million for a 19 acre estate.

Olympic Heights Homes for Sale - Austin MLS Listings in the Olympic Heights Neighborhood of Southwest Austin. Austin MLS Area: SWE. Zip 78748. DR Horton Community built from 1999 to 2001. Home prices from $150-230k.

Shady Hollow Homes for Sale - Located at the end of Brodie Lane in SW Austin, the Shady Hollow Neighborhood was first developed in the early 1980's and continues to be a very desirable community. Home prices range from the high $190's to over $400k.

Southland Oaks Homes for Sale - Located off Brodie Lane in the front of Shady Hollow Subdivision in Southwest Austin. Home prices range from $230-400k. Austin MLS Area SWE. Zip Code 78748.

Texas Oaks Homes for Sale - Austin MLS Listings from Texas Oaks Neighborhood off of slaughter Lane and Bilbrook. Austin MLS Area SWE. Zip Code 78748.

Travis Country Homes for Sale - Located off of Southwest Parkway and Mopac. The Travis country Neighborhood is a highly sought after community backing to the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Home prices range from $265-500k. Austin MLS Area: W. Zip Code 78735.

Western Oaks Homes for Sale - Located off of William Cannon Blvd. in Southwest Austin, the Western Oaks Neighborhood sits next to Legend Oaks. both neighborhoods are very established with tree-lined streets and many park areas. Home prices in Western Oaks range from the low $200's to the low $300's. Austin MLS Area: SWW. Zip Code 78749

Labels: austin homes, southwest austin homes for sale, southwest austin neighborhoods, southwest austin real estate, sw austin texas

by Ronnie Bredahl

With television shows such as A&E's Flip This House, TLC's knock-off, Flip That House, and the lamest one of all, Flippin' Out, it's no wonder so many people became overnight real estate investors. These programs show investors from all around the country making $25k, $50k, and even $200k per real estate flip. It makes home renovation and real estate investing look as easy as going to your local grocery store, buying a cake and baking it. The Hollywood version of flipping houses, while entertaining, does not paint a full picture of buying and selling for a short-term profit. Here are five things you should know that Hollywood doesn't tell you...

1.) I've been in real estate for nearly a decade and have been involved in hundreds of transactions. Throughout this time I have never seen a four line balance sheet. On the flipping shows, you see four items: Purchase Price, Budget (Repairs), Total Investment, and Sales Price. The investor buys a house, gets an repair budget, makes improvements, and sale sit for a profit. This gives the false impression that real estate investing takes no financial planning, just simple adding and subtracting. When in fact, there are hundreds of cost expenses you need to take into consideration prior to making a real estate investment. Buying real estate short-term makes the deal that much more speculative and every expense should be looked at with a microscope.

2.) You make your money when you buy! If you pay too much for a house, it doesn't matter how many improvements you make, you will be lucky to break even. The glorified T.V. programs never mentions the investor bought the property for 30-50% below market value and how he went about acquiring it. Few people have the resources or knowledge to find such deals. Many first time investors from all over the country have made the mistake of buying property at or just below market value with no profit margin. They already lost!

3.) On the four line profit and loss statement on these shows they never mentioned short-term capital gains (or any capital gains for that matter). When you purchase real estate as an investment and hold it less than one year, you will have to pay a short-term gain on your profit. The short-term capital gain will be taxed as personal income. The tax rate will depend on which tax bracket you fall. Say goodbye to 28% to 44% of that profit on your line 4 of the A&E P&L!

4.) The Cost of Borrowed Money: Many real estate flippers take out what is known in the mortgage industry as a hard money loan. These are short-term loans in which the property is used to qualify more so than the borrowers credit/income. Hard money lenders usually only lend up to 70% of the after repaired value. For example, let's say you buy a property for $50k and after you make your improvements the home will be worth $100k. You can get a hard money loan for up to $70k, giving you $20k for your improvements. While easy to obtain, they are high-risk, high-interest loans. Investors pay up to 18% interest and up to 3 points for origination. It's very expensive, but sometimes cheaper than bringing on a 50/50 partner. The cost of money is never associated with expenses in any of the house flipping shows.

5.) Closing Costs: When you buy a home you typical pay between 2-3% of the purchase price in closing costs. Fees including loan origination, property taxes, escrow fees, recording fees, etc. When you sell a house you pay real estate commissions (up to 7%), title insurance (approx. 1%), prorated taxes, escrow fees, recording fees, and other miscellaneous expenses. I guess there is no time in the programs to mention these either. Maybe A&E picks up the tab for the featured investors. Who knows?

Investing in real estate is not for amateurs, but it's far from rocket science. T.V. show exists for one purpose: To Sell Advertising! Real estate investing is not glamorous, but the producers of these shows have done a fantastic job with their theme music and lack of financial information. If you want to get on the road to investing in real estate, continue reading articles online and buy books written by experts. These are the true real estate gurus and your time will be better spent learning real estate investment skills instead of hammering away on a bum real estate investment because you listened to real estate advice from Sam Leccima.

1. Austin is the fourth largest city in Texas (behind Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) and the 16th largest city in the United States.
2. The City of Austin has a population of roughly 700,000 residents.  The Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Area had 1,513,565 people as of 2006.
3. Austin has very liberal city government while Texas tends to be very conservative.
4. The eastern part of Austin is relatively flat and consists of grassy plains, while western parts of the city are very scenic with lakes, greenbelts and rolling limestone hills which make up the edge of the Texas Hill Country.
5. Austin is known as the “Live Music Capital of The World.” Most of the music industry revolves around 6th Street (Entertainment District) where the many bars host local talents as well as nationally known acts.  Austin also hosts South by Southwest every year in March and the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) in September.
6. Austin has more city pools per capita than any other city in America!  The Aquatic Division operates 48 public pool facilities, which includes: 27 neighborhood pools, 12 wading pools, 2 water playscapes, 6 municipal pools, the Emma Long waterfront, and Barton Springs Pool.
7. Austin is the perfect urban area for outdoor lovers. The Parks and Recreation Department oversees more than 16,682 acres of land with 206 parks, 12 nature preserves and 26 greenbelts.
8. Lake Travis runs a 65 mile serpentine course in NW Travis County and is the largest lake in Central Texas. Lake Travis is one of the most desired locations for Austin residents seeking outdoor recreation including boating, skiing, wakeboarding, scuba diving, fishing, picnicking and camping.
9. In 2004, Austin topped the list of "Top 10 Cities for Moviemakers" and took the #3 spot this year, just behind New York City and Philadelphia according to MovieMaker Magazine.
10. The Texas Longhorns will win another national championship in 2007!

Austin Business Journal by A.J. Mistretta, Chantal OutonABJ Staff

A local residential developer is planning a $40 million upscale subdivision in Southwest Travis County.

Kerby Development LLC is finalizing entitlements on nearly 500 acres, known as Rocky Creek Ranch, southwest of the junction of Hamilton Pool and Crumley Ranch roads.
The company wants to build a subdivision by the same name that will eventually include as many as 464 homes priced from $500,000 to $1 million. A groundbreaking is expected within a matter of months.

Kerby Development owner James Kerby says his company purchased the tract from landowner Rebecca Hudson last year with many of the approvals already in place for a subdivision. The company will leave 310 acres of the property undeveloped to preserve the Hill Country landscape. Kerby Development is negotiating with four different homebuilders to take on lots in the subdivision, but no deals have been finalized. Kerby says there is some opposition to the subdivision from neighbors, but he says the company is doing its best to work with those groups.
"We want to be a responsible neighbor to the current ranch owners in the area," he says.
A number of new subdivisions are now at various stages of development in the Hamilton Pool Road area, including a proposed 453-lot subdivision called Falconhead West, on the north side of State Highway 71 about a mile west of the intersection of Hamilton Pool Road, and the 222-lot Belvedere community that's already springing up across the road from Rocky Creek Ranch. Kerby says that due to Austin's expansion, the Hamilton Pool area simply isn't considered as remote as it once was.

"With the Bee Caves area pretty much built out, that has pushed what we call the preferred corridor out to [SH] 71," he says. "It's a very nice lifestyle with great rolling hills that we're going to preserve. It's important that we leave it pristine like that. And we're still only 20 minutes from downtown."

Eldon Rude, Austin area director for residential market research group Metrostudy Corp., says demand for housing in the Hamilton Pool Road area is likely to increase.
Metrostudy places the Rocky Creek Ranch property within its Lake Travis submarket, which includes all of the Lake Travis Independent School District. Rude says new-home starts within the submarket have grown from about 400 units to more than 600 units annually in the last two years. "The addition of the new retail projects along SH 71 will make this area even more attractive as homeowners will not have to travel into Austin to find the stores they are looking for," Rude says.

Metrostudy's research indicates that nearly 60 percent of all new-home starts in the Lake Travis submarket have been priced above $400,000 for the last three years. Rude says given the higher land prices and increasing costs associated with development and entitlement in the area, he anticipates that home prices there will continue to rise.

George Cofer, executive director of the Hill Country Conservancy, says while his group does not comment on individual projects, HCC generally supports the idea of clustering homes with appropriate density, thereby allowing for open space. But he says infrastructure issues like adequate roads and water access remain as concerns for new development in the Hamilton Pool area. He says the county will need to address those issues as development expands.

Meanwhile, Kerby Development last year purchased KC Engineering of San Antonio in order to bring much of its engineering services needs in-house. The $500,000 acquisition of KC, which the company renamed KD Engineering, added 12 employees to Kerby's payroll.

In yet another move to reduce dependence on outside firms, Kerby launched construction subsidiary K2C Development in December. That unit will eventually employ as many as 45 full-time workers and build infrastructure for the company's multiple subdivision projects.
"It's money that we're paying out anyway so it made more sense to pull this stuff in-house," Kerby says. "This will allow us more control over schedules and cash flows on these ventures."
Kerby says his company is now on pace to develop about 1,000 lots a year, a figure he doesn't expect to change dramatically, considering the firm's project pipeline. Kerby Development now controls land for as many as 10,000 lots between the Austin and San Antonio-area markets.

amistretta@bizjournals.com (512) 494-2519

All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS are properly called REALTORS. They proudly display the REALTOR logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. An independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same REALTOR again.

Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a Austin REALTOR.

But if you're still not convinced of the value of a REALTOR, here are a dozen more reasons to use one:

1. Your REALTOR can help you determine your buying power -- that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give a REALTOR some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders -- banks and mortgage companies -- offer limited choices.

2. Your REALTOR has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties.

3. Your REALTOR can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Agents who are REALTORS have access to a variety of informational resources. REALTORS can provide local community information on utilities, zoning. schools, etc. There are two things you'll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?

4. Your REALTOR can help you negotiate. There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.

5. Your REALTOR provides due diligence during the evaluation of the property. Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Your REALTOR can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your REALTOR, title company or attorney can help you resolve issues that might cause problems at a later date.

6. Your REALTOR can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.

7. Your REALTOR can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly.

8. When selling your home, your REALTOR can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.

9. Your REALTOR markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Often, your REALTOR can recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. Your REALTOR markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Your REALTOR acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics requires REALTORS to utilize these cooperative relationships when they benefit their clients.

10. Your REALTOR will know when, where and how to advertise your property. There is a misconception that advertising sells real estate. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. When a property is marketed with the help of your REALTOR, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.

11. Your REALTOR can help you objectively evaluate every buyer's proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing -- a lot of possible pitfalls. Your REALTOR can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.

12. Your REALTOR can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs are required to obtain financing or a cloud in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your REALTOR is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).

Austin MLS Search - Austin Real Estate

1. Ascend all 106 steps of Mount Bonnell and enjoy the beautiful view of the Texas Hill Country over Lake Austin. 478-0098

2. Take a friend to Hamilton's Pool and experience the miracle of Nature. 264-2740

3. Take a moonlight tour of the Wide Basion Preserve. 327-7622

4. Go for a ride on the long star riverboat or Capitol Cruise. (seasonal) 327-1388, 480-9264

5. Join hundreds standing in line for a chance to see a taping of "Austin City Limits". 471-4811 ext. 310 or write from out of town: P.O.Box 7158, Austin, TX 78713

6. Walk, jog or bike the Hike and Bike Trail along Town Lake. 499-6700

7. In the summar, at dusk, sit on the banks of Town Lake and watch the nightly debut of thousands of bats coming out from under the congress Ave. Bridge. 327-9721

8. Spend an afternoon at Austin History Center. 499-7840

9. On the weekend, take a tour of the Westcave Preserve to view native flor and fauna. 512 825-3442

10. Explore Austin's historic cemeteries where Texas Legends have been laid to rest. 478-8930

11. Stroll throug Ziker Rose Gardens and Taniguchi Oriental Garden. 477-8672

12. Drive across the award-winning Pennybacker Bridge. 478-0098

13. View the uniq, late 19th-century MoonlightTower. 478-0098

14. attend a service at the olderst Prostant church west of the Mississippi (St. David's Episcopal Church). 472-1196

15. Go to an outdoor concert at Symphony Square. 476-6064

16. Watch the Texas Longhorns play at Memorial Stadium.

17. Swim in the constant 68 degrees, spring-fed Barton Springs (476-9044) or the heated Stacy pool (477-7273).

18. Play a round of golf on one of the many first-class Austin golf courses. 478-0098

19. Prepare your best pun and participate in the O. Henry Pun Off (May). 472-1903

20.Run in the Capitol 10,000 (April). 445-3596

21. Enjoy live music 7 nights a week in one of the many local clubs. 478-0098

22. Go to Sixth Street on Halloween for a Spook-tacular time. 478-0098

23. Celebrate July 4th by listening to the Austin Symphony and watch the fireworks on Auditorium Shores. 476-6064

24. Take a tour of the Governor's Mansion, weekday mornings. 463-5518

25. Stroll the twelve-acre grounds at Laguna Gloria Art Meseum and enjoy an exhibit. 458-8191
26. Spend a few hours experiencing rural central Texas as it was in the 1880's at the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm. 837-1215

27. Visit the George Washington Carver Museum and Library. 472-4809

28. Picnic at Rosewood Park during the Juneteenth Celebration (June). 472-6838

29. Take a tour of the University of Texas campus. 471-1420

30. Celebrate Diez Seis y Seid de Septiembre at Fiesta Gardens (Sept.). 476-7502

31. Take a Historic Walking Tour of downtown Austin. 478-0098/442-1004

32. Go sculling, paddle boating or canoeing on Town Lake. 478-0098

33. Camp and swim at Sandy Creek. 469-6867

34. "Take a hike" on Barton Creek Nature Preserve. 478-0098

35. Stay in one of Austin's historic bed & breakfasts. 478-0098

36. Go to a play at Mary Mood Northen Theatre. 448-8484

37. Visit the 1840's French Legation, a foreign embassy. 472-8180

38. Follow the Walk of Stars on Six Street. 478-0098

39. Visit the Elisabet Ney Museum, studio and home to this German sculptor. 458-2255

40. Shop at the downtown Bluebbonnet Market Place. 476-3484

41. Spend a morning/afternoon at the Travis County Farmers' Market. 454-1002

42. Tour Austin's local wineries and sample award-winning wines. 478-0098

43. Experience unique shopping at Sixth Street's "West End". 478-0098

44. Horse racing at Manor Downs. 272-5581

45. Ride the train or fly a kite in Zilker Park. 477-7273

46. Spend some time at Discovery Hall, a hands-on science center. 474-7616

47.Tour our historic State Capitol Building. 463-0063

48. View the spectacular sunset from the Oasis Cantina del Lago. 266-2441

49. Research your roots in the genealogy department at the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives &
Library. 463-5463

50. Attend the Austin/Travis Country Livestock Show & Rodeo (March). 4733-9200

51. Spend a day or two at the Old Pecan St. Spring/Fall Arts Festivals. 448-1797 (May & September)

52. Park at Palmer Auditorium, take the "Dillo" tour in downtown Austin and the UT area. 478-0098

53. Have a western hat made by the famous hatmarker Manny Gammage. 441-4287

54. Attend an outdoor theatrical or musical performance at Ziker park. 397-1463

55. Go boating on Lake Austin and stop at The Pier to listen to a local band. 327-4562

56. On a hot, sizzling day, ice skate at Northcross Mall. 451-5102

57. Take the children to the Austin Children's Museum. 472-2494

58. Tour a historic home, the 1850's Neill-Cochran House. 478-2335

59. Visit the museum and library of the 36th President, Lyndon Baines Johson, 482-5137

60. Explore the grounds of the national Wildflower Research Center. 929-3600

61. Attend a performance by hte Austin Lyric Opera. 472-5927

62. In May, go to Laguna Gloria's "Fiesta". 458-8191

63. Attend a performance at the Capitol City Playhouse. 472-2966

64. Watch the summer regattas on Lake Travis. 478-0098

65. See a play at hyde Park Theatre. 452-6688

66. Camp at almost any of the LCRA parks. 469-6867

67. Bicycle on scenic Loop 360. 478-0098

68. Enjoy the Austin Symphony at Bass Concert Hall. 476-6064

69. Attend a concert at the Frank Erwin Center. 477-6060

70. Attend the annual "Spamarama".280-7961

71. Sail, jet ski or scuba dive at Lake Travis. 478-0098

72. Take in over 400 up and coming bands performing during the annual South by Southwest
Music and Media Conference. (March) 467-797973.

73. Browse around the Huntington Art Gallery. 471-7324

74. Buy something unique at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar. (Dec.) 447-1605

75. Enjoy legendary Blues music on "the Drag". 478-0098

76. Attend "Safari" at the Austin nature Center. (April) 327-8181

77. Join in the Celebration at the Cinco de Mayo Festival. (may) 472-7142

78. Watch the performance of the Living Chrstmas Tree Concert. (Dec.) 338-4473

79. Visit the 126-year old authentic German Bier Garten-Scholtz's. 477-4171

80. Watch lengendary golfers at the Libberty Mutual Legends of Golf PGA Seniors Tournament.
329-1076

81. Take in a show at one of Texas's oldest theatres, The Paramount. 472-5411

82. Take a scenic drive through the Hill Country. 478-0098

83. Play Frisbee Golf at Ziker Park or Pease Park. 477-7273

84. See the peascocks while enjoying Sunday brunch at the historic Green Pastures Restaurant. 444-1888

85. Put on a costume and samba at "Carnival". (Feb.) 476-5461


86. Attend the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival. (Apr.) 329-0770

87. visit the Austin Garden Center for Florarama. (May) 477-8672

88. Shop early for Chtistmas at the Junior League's Christmas Affair. (Nov.) 467-8982 89.
Sample the best food and drink from some of Austin's top chefs at the annual "Taste of the Town". 4766-2729

90. Watch or play in the "Hoop it Up" street basketball tournament. (oct.) 474-2255

91. Expand your art collection at the Austin Artists Harvest. 473-3866

92. Watch the best in high school sports at the UIL state competitions. 471-58833

93. Windsurf at Windy Point. 345-3897

94. See a performance of "Tuna Christmas" or "Greater Tuna". 472-5411

95. Spend the day at Emma Long Metropolitan Park. 346-1831

96. Walk the historic Bremond Block and view several historical homes. 478-0098

97. Enjoy a performance by Ballet Austin. 476-9051

98. Visit the Old Bakery & Emporium - a registered national landmark, now a shop filled with arts & crafts made by local senior citizenx. 477-5961

99. visit the Umlauf Sculpture Gardens and Museum. 455-5582

100. Browse through the austin Antique Mall. 451-5705

101. Enjoy an evening watching a professional Ice Hockey Team, the Austin Ice Bats. 927-PUCK(7825)

I just wanted to clarify something to I get asked repeatedly about the Austin MLS Search we have on all of our web sites. The Austin MLS search tool was set up so our customers and clients can search the entire Austin MLS for every home on the Austin MLS, not just Austin Referral Realty's listings. We do not represent the sellers on every listing on our web site. Our goal is for people to easily search the Austin MLS, then contact us to discuss properties of interest and discuss free buyer's representation for purchasing a home in Austin or the surrounding areas.

It's difficult and very time consuming for an out-of-state buyer to contact 5-10 agents regarding different properties. Chances are that each property is listed by a different Realtor. Each of these Realtors offer other brokers, such as Austin Referral Realty, compensation for bringing their clients a qualified buyer who purchases the property. As a buyer, it is free to have buyer representation. If not, you will not get a discount on the property. You will have no representation and the listing broker will get paid full commission as agreed upon between seller and listing broker.

When we get phone calls from web site visitors they are often disappointed that the property is not listed by Austin Referral Realty or myself personally. There are over 7,000 homes on the Austin MLS. Please understand that it would be impossible to know everything about every home. What we do when you call or email us about a particular property, we research that property and deliver to you comparable homes on the market and similar homes that have sold to give you a better understanding of the property values in the area. Listing agents represent the seller and owe all fiduciary duties to there clients. There are some things that they may not tell you, such as their opinions. By law, they are required to treat everybody fairly and honestly and must disclose material facts relating to the property. That's about it! Be smart and get FREE buyer representation. Whether it's with us or somebody else. Don't short change yourself.

Merry Christmas!

Ronnie Bredahl
Broker/Owner
Austin Referral Realty, Inc.

The Austin real estate market certainly has been the talk around the country as far as real estate investing goes. Investors from California, Nevada, and Arizona are among the states where appreciation has been the most favorable for the pockets of real estate owners. They see their markets as overvalued and given the low capitalization rates, they are moving their money to the Austin real estate market, where as many people see it as undervalued.

As the prices went up and up on the West Coast and many parts of the nation, Austin remained flat, but stable. Now there is all this talk about a housing bubble from the massive appreciation over the last few years. I think housing bubbles develop in areas where the real estate values are so high, people stop seeing the value. Austin is the opposite. We are the third fastest growing city in the country and the influx of people moving in is creating demand. Together with the influx of investor cash and you have yourself a strong market.

Being an independent broker with 3 agents, I'm speaking now from my personal experiences during 2005. This is the first full year all my web sites are running full steam. This is the foundation of our business and accounts for the majority of our sales. We get 2 to 3 phone calls a day from investors, or wannabe investors. 85% of these calls are from the states mentioned above: California, Nevada, and Arizona. Most are looking to purchase new construction, single-family homes with good incentives. Many of the builders are offering points, sometimes up to 10, for their completed, unsold inventory homes. With the lower real estate values and buyer incentives, investors see these deals as good investments as long as the rental income can cover the mortgage payment. Most of our clients put down between 10-20%, or do 80/10/10 loans (1st Lien 80%, 2nd Lien 10%, 10% down payment). This helps them avoid PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) which saves them roughly $80-100 per month. These deals not only offer them a small cash flow every month, it allows them the write off of the expenses which come along with owning investment real estate including property depreciation.

We work with several California real estate investment groups and several in both Nevada and Arizona. This keeps us busy finding new homes that investments are willing to sell to investors. Early in 2005, many of the local Austin builders stopped selling to investors due to the fact the neighborhoods were filling up with rental property. Most new subdivisions belong to HOA's (Home Owner Associations) and many of the HOA's felt the builders were selling them out. Usually, a builder will sell up to 10% of the homes to investors. That's the cap most of them use. When we get a phone call from a investor, we listen to their investment goals and start making phone calls to locate a suitable property for their investment goals. When we locate a property, we preview the home and take about 25 pictures (depending on what kind of property) and email our analysis on the investment. It's a streamlined process that makes our investor clients feel secure with their investment prior to even visiting the property. Believe it or not, many of our clients have never been to Austin nor do they see the property they are buying. These deals must be working out for them b/c they continue to buy more and more new homes. Many buy multiple properties at the same time. If you or someone you know is in a similar situation, feel free to give me a call to discuss. You may reach me anytime at (512) 785-9050.

Now for the latest Austin real estate market stats (updated stats for Novemebr 2005 should be available shortly):

Have a Merry CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year!

by Ronnie Bredahl, Broker/Owner of Austin Referral Realty, Inc.

Search the Entire Austin MLS - No sign up!