It’s hard to believe that Christmas 2018 is right around the corner but the good news is that with the holiday season also comes the ability for us to do good and give back to the community.

One opportunity that we all have to give back to the local community is Horizon Realty’s Annual donation drive.

About the Donation Drive

This year’s donation drive is going to be more important than ever before because there are more people who need help in the ATX area than in years past.

Some of the things that need for the donation drive include:

• School supplies
• Bath and kitchen towels
• Clothes
• Baby furniture
• Car seats
• White twin seats

The Horizon Realty annual donation drive serves Angelheart Foster Kids, a local adoption agency that’s located in Round Rock Texas. To learn more about them please visit their website by clicking here: http://angelheartkids.org/

Planning on Selling Your Austin Texas Home? Contact Me

Are you planning on selling your Austin Texas home now, or in 2019? If so, contact me today by calling (512) 944-7378 or click here to connect with me online.

Let me show you how easy it is to sell your ATX home and move onto your next dream home in the Austin Texas area!

Are you planning on buying a home in Austin Texas? If so, regardless if you are buying a home for the first time or the second time there are a variety of things that you must to get ready for your home search which include the following.

Pay Of Debt

Onе оf thе mоѕt important things you саn do іѕ to wоrk on рауіng down уоur dеbt, еѕресіаllу уоur credit саrd dеbt. This wіll help tо improve уоur сrеdіt ѕсоrе, and саn аffесt how muсh уоu wіll be ԛuаlіfіеd tо borrow whеn уоu аррlу fоr a mоrtgаgе.

Clean Up Your Credit Now

It іѕ іmроrtаnt tо сlеаn up уоur сrеdіt rероrt bеfоrе уоu apply for a mortgage. You саn ѕtаrt bу рullіng a сору оf уоur сrеdіt rероrt аnd уоur сrеdіt score to ѕее whеrе уоu stand. Thе higher уоur сrеdіt ѕсоrе means уоu wіll ԛuаlіfу fоr lower mоrtgаgе rates.

Sаvе Money For A Down Payment

Sаvіng up a down payment can hеlр you рrоvе tо уоurѕеlf thаt уоu аrе rеаdу tо рurсhаѕе a hоmе. It саn аlѕо help уоu рrераrе fоr the еxtrа costs thаt come with рurсhаѕіng a nеw home. The larger уоur dоwn payment, the mоrе you wіll bе able tо ѕреnd оn a home.

Pay Attention To The Local Real Estate Market

Over thе next уеаr as уоu gеt rеаdу tо buy a hоmе, ѕtаrt tо рау attention tо the mаrkеt іn thе area whеrе уоu wаnt tо buy. This саn hеlр уоu understand what hоmеѕ аrе selling fоr and what tо expect when уоu ѕtаrt shopping.

Set A Budget And Stick With It

Thе final thіng уоu саn dо is tо set up a nеw budgеt and рrасtісе lіvіng on іt. Wоrk іn thе аddіtіоnаl costs оf owning a hоmе like аddіtіоnаl utіlіtу bills, rераіr аnd mаіntеnаnсе costs, аnd аnу extra thаt you would рау fоr thе mоrtgаgе.

Determine What You’re Looking For In A Home

Are you searching for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom single family home, condo or townhome?

Which part of Austin do you want to live in?

Are you interested in living downtown near shops and stores or just outside of town?

These are important questions that you should ask yourself before starting your home search because knowing the answers to these questions will also make your real estate agents job of finding the perfect home for you a lot easier.

Start Your Austin Texas Home Search

Ready to get started with searching for homes in Austin Texas? Contact me today at (512) 944-7378 or click here to connect with me online.

In early September, I started the Austin Police Department’s Citizen’s Academy. My hopes were to learn a bit more about the folks that look after us every day and perhaps a bit more about my father; who spent his career in law enforcement. With only four classes left, I can honestly say we are so very lucky to live in Central Texas where we have such an amazing group of first responders.  Because the holiday season tends to bring an uptick in package theft and home burglaries, I want to offer a few tips shared by professionals through our weekly classes at APD.

• • Go meet your neighbors! Specifically those directly to your left, your right and directly across the street. As a Realtor, I’m often surprised just how many people have never met their neighbors.
  • Have your online orders delivered to a kiosk rather than you front door. Delivery package theft has been on the rise the last few years and opting for kiosk delivery is a safe way to ensure your gifts actually make it to your loved ones.
  • Install motion sensor flood lights. Most package thieves and burglars do not want attention and will shy away from anything that “shines a light” on their activities. Better yet, invest in flood-lights that double as cameras so you can share the images of those up to no good with your police department.
  • Install Austin 3-1-1 app on your phone and request a safety walk with a member of APD to learn how you can better secure your home!

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and always remember to call me with any and all real estate questions and needs!

With so many to choose from, how do you know who is the right real estate agent for you? How do you even narrow it down? You can stop your search right here, I’m a REALTOR® and an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®), and I would love to help you find your next home!  

The Second Most Important Homebuying Decision You’ll Make: Tips for Finding the Best Agent for You by Caroline Biggs. © 1994-2017 Apartment Therapy, LLC.

FOR BUYERS: OUR HOUSE IS A VERY, VERY, VERY FINE HOUSE
Nowadays, it’s rare to see houses without some form of smart home technology. It’s popular for a reason. Be it reducing your electric bill, or sheer convenience, there’s something for everyone and for nearly every purpose. Here’s a list of top home technology trends for 2017. Do you have any of these in your home? Would you like to?

5 Top Trends for Smart Homes In 2017 by REBAC Staff. © 2016-2017 REBAC.net.

One of the questions I receive the most is, “when is the best time to sell a home”.  There are many ways to dissect this, most notably is your own personal situation. But assuming one has no outside pressure and is simply trying to “market time” the sale, let’s see if we can shed a little light statistically.

It’s no secret that the home selling season follows the school year and the bulk of recorded sales in the MLS definitely show this. May through August consistently have the highest number of closings and that of course has been the case for at least the past five years.

(Click to enlarge: Monthly units sold from January 2012 – December 2016)

Maximize Negotiation Strength 

The ratio of closed price to list price follows a similar trend line with April through July showing the fewest seller concessions.

(Click to enlarge: monthly units sold & percentage of closed price to list price)

Maximize Price per Foot

However, when you look at price per squarefoot, a slightly different story emerges.  Sales closed in July and August contracted during months of high inventory, resulting in a lower price per foot.

(Click to enlarge: monthly units sold & sold price/sqft)

Maximize Potential for Both

Though the bulk of home sales happen in the summer months, March through May are clearly the best months to sell your home. Additionally, the fall months bring sellers greater opportunity than the popular summer months as illustrated in the graph below.

(Click to enlarge: sold price/sqft & percentage of closed price to list price)

It’s important to note that these graphs report on closing dates, not when the contracts were signed nor when the properties were listed. The average time on the market is roughly 51 days and the average escrow period is roughly 30. Therefore, if you are targeting an April closing date, you’re also targeting a March contract date and likely a February listing date.

Conclusion

If it’s me, I’m eyeballing mid February through the end of April to list my home or I’m waiting until late August through mid October as a list date. That should put me in a market with some of the best sales of the year and high seller negotiation strength, and yield one of the highest prices per foot for the year.

FOR BUYERS: WHAT’S IT WORTH?

Many people view homeownership as a primary goal, even when the initial benefits aren’t financial. I’m an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) and I’d love to discuss your homeownership goals!

Report: Homeownership Is More Than Just the Facts by Suzanne De Vita. © 2017 RISMedia.