Austin Residential Properties - Austin Real Estate

America's Ugliest Homes

2011-07-20T15:21:00.002-05:00

One of our favorite things to do is to help investors renovate ugly homes and turn them into great havens for renters (or for themselves!) or flip them for a profit. HomeVestors, which buys beat-up homes, fixes them up and resells them, is looking for the nation's ugliest home. Check out the link to see the 6 candidates for them on CNNMoney.com.

We have never seen a kitchen in this level of squalor, but we've seen some pretty interesting things. After wading through left-over beverages and appetizers in a gorgeous downtown Austin condo after New Year's Eve, to tiptoeing around holes in floorboards in East Austin rehabs, to counting dead frogs in an abandoned swimming pool, nothing surprises us anymore. And there's nothing more fun than finding one of these abandoned and forsaken houses and envisioning it renovated to a new level of splendor.

If you are looking for a a great deal on a home in Austin for yourself or a turnkey investment property (either a hold and cashflow model, or a flipping model), we can help you find both the "ugly homes" in need of TLC as well as gorgeous move-in ready homes that just happen to be priced at a ridiculously low percentage of their tax values. Our recommended subcontractors will fix them up and our property management partner will take care of the hassles of renting them out if you're not ready to move straight in yourself.

See our latest deal sheet at http://www.austinresidentialproperties.com/AustinRealEstateDeals.html and reach out if you are in the market for a fantastic Austin real estate deal!

Austin Real Estate Flat Fee MLS Listing Service and For Sale by Owner (FSBO) Support Program

2011-04-16T18:28:00.005-05:00

Today, Austin Residential Properties launched a highly competitive flat-fee MLS listing service (starting at $299) and For Sale by Owner Plus (FSBO+) Program to help homeowners sell their homes more cost-effectively than by traditional means, which typically costs homeowners up to 6% of the sales price in agent commissions.

According to the National Association of Realtors, 89% of people use the internet to find a home, 38% of home buyers first learned about the house they bought from the internet, and the internet is the highest-used method for locating a home (higher even than contacting a real estate agent). Therefore, developing a strong presence for your home on the internet is a key driver for maximizing the exposure of your home to potential buyers.

"Although buyers also use other resources, they generally start the search process online and then contact an agent..." (NAR)

Since only 11% of home buyers find a home from driving by a house or attending an open house, home sellers are increasingly relying on the internet to help buyers find and fall in love with their properties. If the internet is such an important sales driver, and owners are willing to provide some simple on-site sales support, it becomes rather difficult to justify paying agents 6% in commissions to sell your house.

That's where the flat-fee listing service from Austin Residential Properties comes into play. For a nominal fee of $299, we'll list your home in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), on Austin Home Search, and on Realtor.com.

59% of home buyers who search online utilize the local MLS service, but the other almost 30% use other online real estate sites like Zillow and Trulia. For $100 more, we'll maximize discoverability of your home on more than a dozen additional leading real estate online search and social media sites, including Yahoo! Real Estate, Zillow, Trulia, Postlets, Oodle, Hotpads, Front Door, Backpage, Vast, Enormo, Twitter and Facebook.

Why list with Austin Residential Properties instead of one of the many other flat-fee listing services?

The way your home is portrayed in MLS makes all the difference in the world and you shouldn't trust your listing (and the widespread online syndication of your listing) to just anyone. Our seller support team consists of a licensed Texas real estate broker with 30 years of experience listing and selling hundreds of homes in the Austin area partnered with a licensed agent with 15 years of marketing and social media experience. After we receive your features list, home photos and basic description wording, we'll review your listing to make sure your home is presented favorably and comprehensively to prospective buyers online. And, we'll provide you with a comprehensive guide entitled "Do You Really Need an Agent? How to Be More Competitive by Selling Your Home Yourself." Our guide provides staging and marketing tips, guidance to contracts and forms, and negotiation advice to help you manage the sales process from start to finish on your own. And if the process of selling your own home ever gets too daunting, we provide the following services to give you the expert assistance you need you while ensuring that you still save a considerable amount of money while selling your property:

Comparative Market Assessment (CMA) and Pricing Recommendation - $250

Professional Home Photography - $300

Real Estate Flyer (we deliver a .pdf and can have flyers waiting for you to purchase at a copy shop) - $100

Text Messaging and QR Code Campaign - $100

Virtual Tour and Mobile Virtual Tour - $200

Customized Yard Sign (yours to keep) and Realtor Lockbox (on loan for length of listing) - $300

Negotiations and Assistance with Offer Paperwork - 1% of Sales Price

About Us

Austin Residential Properties was born out of a search-engine-friendly re-branding effort for a 30-year old Austin real estate business led by broker Jackie Clark, a former leading listing agent for Amelia Bullock in Austin, former agent with Coldwell Banker - Previews Division and RE/MAX, and owner of the successful Westlake-based boutique real estate agency, Jackie Clark Realtors. Jackie has lived in Austin for 30 years, has marketed and sold hundreds of homes in the Austin area, was named by Unique Homes Magazine as one of the top luxury real estate professionals in the country, and holds a B.B.A. from Southern Methodist University. Leading our marketing efforts is Elizabeth Clark, a real estate agent with 15 years of marketing and social media experience, history crafting deals with internet giants like Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, eBay and Amazon, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Austin and Round Rock Among Safest Cities in the U.S.

2010-11-24T10:33:00.000-06:00

Austin Real Estate Continues to Hold Value

2010-11-18T09:30:00.001-06:00

PRESS RELEASE

Austin Real Estate Continues to Hold Value Despite Slower Sales Volume in October

Austin Board of REALTORS® releases October 2010 real estate statistics

November 18, 2010 - According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®, the Austin real estate market continues to hold its value despite a slowdown in sales.

The volume of Austin area home sales in October 2010 was 1,221, down 31 percent from the same month in 2009. Sales volume year-to-date was down five percent from the same period in 2009 with 15,228 homes sold. Homes spent an average of 92 days on the market in October 2010, up 26 percent from the same month in 2009.

The median price of single-family homes in October 2010 was $198,500, up 10 percent from October 2009. Year-to-date, the median home price was $194,990, up three percent from the same period in 2009. Sales activity in the higher prices ranges continued to increase on a year-to-date basis in October with homes priced at $500,000 and above experiencing double-digit sales increases.

According to John Horton, Chairman of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, “Higher priced homes have continued to sell well over the last few months. This trend has been a driver in the steady increases in the median and average prices the market has experienced during the same period.”

Chairman Horton explained, “It has been a unique year in evaluating trends in the real estate market due to the impact of the expired homebuyer tax credits. Monthly comparisons are still being skewed by the artificial stimulus the tax credits provided.”

Horton added, “The market is still providing exceptional opportunities for buyers as we approach the end of the year. Increased active listings throughout the month provide buyers with a good selection of homes to choose from. This, combined with stable home prices and historically low interest rates, makes it a great time for those looking to purchase.”

October 2010 Statistics

•$321,786,003 – Total dollar volume of single-family properties sold, down 24 percent from October 2009.

•$198,500 – Median price for single-family homes, up 10 percent from October 2009.

•1,221 – Single-family homes sold, down 31 percent from October 2009.

•92 – Days on market, up 26 percent from October 2009.

•9,703 – Active single-family home listings on the market, up eight percent from October 2009.

•1,402 – Pending sales for single-family homes, down 23 percent from October 2009.
Year-to-Date 2010 Statistics

•$3,871,811,782 – Total dollar volume of single-family properties sold, unchanged from 2009.

•$194,990 – Median price for single-family homes, up three percent from 2009.

•15,228 – Single-family homes sold, down five percent from 2009.

•74 – Days on market, down five percent from 2009.

•10,497 – Active single-family home listings on the market, up 10 percent from 2009.

•17,235 – Pending sales for single-family homes, down six percent from 2009.

The Austin Board of REALTORS® is a non-profit, voluntary organization representing more than 8,000 licensed REALTORS® in Central Texas. For more information, please contact Angela Brutsché at 512-454-7636.

How Long Does It Take to Sell a Home?

2010-03-31T01:38:00.000-05:00

A homeowner in the residential area of Westlake in Austin, Texas, posted a question on Trulia about how long it takes to sell a home. I am including my full response on our company blog to share my advice (and a special listing offer!) with other homesellers in Austin:

I'm a Westlake-based agent and my broker/teammate has worked in the Westlake market for 28 years. Many factors impact the length of time it takes a home to sell, including local supply and demand factors, seasonality, the price/value ratio as perceived by potential buyers, and the condition of the home. The good news is that a good agent will work with a seller to control as many of these factors as possible through conducting a thorough pricing analysis, providing the owner customized home staging advice, and marketing the home in a favorable light far and wide, utilizing both traditional and new media marketing methods.

We could run the past statistics on your neighborhood for you if you are thinking about selling to give you the average days on market (ADOM) in your area. Please let me know if you are seriously considering selling your home and I'll be happy to prepare a customized listing proposal for you. I have 15 years of marketing experience, utilize the latest online technologies to market homes most effectively, and have an extensive network in Austin and especially Westlake.

In order to help ensure that your home sells as quickly as possible, I'd like to offer you a 3% listing that I'll reduce to 2% in 90 days if you haven't received an offer on your home. If a home hasn't sold in 90 days, it's usually prudent to take a price reduction at that time so this post-90-day reduced listing commission could help offset an eventual price move if one is required to react to changing market factors and keep your home in the appropriate price position to sell quickly.

If you want to sell, spring/summer is traditionally the best time to ensure as quick a sale as possible. Please don't hesitate to reach out if I can help you in any way. We look forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,

Elizabeth Clark
President and Investment Specialist, Harvard M.B.A.
Austin Residential Properties
Email: elizabethclark@austinrp.com

Web Reference: http://www.AustinResidentialProperties.com

Note: We'll honor this same post-90-day reduced listing commission offer to all Austin homesellers who list with us in the month of April or May 2010, so please email me at elizabethclark@austinrp.com if you'd like to request a listing proposal.

Staging with Fountains

2010-02-11T10:36:00.001-06:00

Water Fountains: What Can They Do For You?

By: Amber Liddell

Water fountains have been around for many years. They are often thought of as an outdoor decorating accent or an accent to a large courtyard to serve as a gathering place for people and a drinking source for animals. Fountains have come a long way since inception to now include many indoor fountain styles as well as an expanded array of outdoor fountains styles as well.

Water features indoors can be found in tabletop styles, floor standing or wall mounted styles. They are the perfect addition to home decorating and can often be used as the main decorating piece of a room. Interior designers and architects love to use indoor fountains in their various styles. Commercial fountains are also very common in lobbies, waiting rooms, conference rooms, behind reception desks and in spas and medical offices. They are impressive and often give customers and patients a sense of calm and something to remember the place of business by.

Because water fountains bring relaxation and stress-relieving qualities to the environment they have quickly become perfect accents both indoors and out. As discussed above, a wall hanging feature can be the centerpiece of the decorating style in a home or office while a floor standing fountain can be used as a room divider or to separate one are from another. Tabletop fountains can go virtually anywhere. Let’s talk a bit about outdoor fountains.

Outdoor water fountains truly come in a variety of sizes, materials and functions. You will find that you can purchase a fountain for your deck, patio or garden areas for under $100. Solar fountains range from $70 to $150 while you can get a fiberglass wall mounted style for around $150. If you want to go larger you will find fiberglass and cast stone style fountains. Placement on a deck, patio or in the landscaping and yard can truly have benefits ranging from soothing water sounds for relaxation and stress relief to increasing a home’s value and curb appeal. Most outdoor water features do require electricity but you will find many solar fountain styles as well.

You will find the largest selection of water fountains, both indoor and out online. Many retail stores carry fountains as well but with so many styles available their selections are often limited due to space. Find the perfect addition to your indoor and outdoor living spaces today.

About the Author

Amber Liddell is resource for the website Serenityhealth.com, your one stop shop for any type of water fountains and water fountain information. You will find many outdoor fountains for your garden, wall fountains, tabletop fountains and even custom fountains. Visit Serenityhealth.com or call to talk to one of our water fountain experts.

(ArticlesBase SC #1849625)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Water Fountains: What Can They Do For You?

How to Improve the Curb Appeal of Your Home

2010-01-31T16:14:00.000-06:00

Curb Appeal is Essential to Successful Home Staging

By: Terri Marshall

Curb appeal is the attractiveness of your home as seen from the curb. Curb appeal is always desirable and is especially critical when selling your home. Even if your home is absolutely beautiful on the inside, potential buyers may drive right by without stopping if your curb appeal is lacking. Therefore, when you are preparing your home for sale, be sure to remember to stage the exterior as well as the interior.

The following 10 tips will be sure to boost your home’s curb appeal:

1. Trim back overgrown shrubbery (this also allows more natural light into your home, which is always a plus)

2. Mow the lawn and add sod to replace any brown patches

3. Weed and mulch gardens to give a well-manicured look

4. Plant seasonal flowers to add color (in winter use ornamental cabbage)

5. Update outdoor light fixtures and be sure light bulbs are in working order

6. Replace the mailbox, if needed, to coordinated with paint colors

7. Repaint the front door; use a color that accents your exterior color palette (keep your overall color palette neutral)

8. Repaint the front porch if it appears worn

9. Fill any cracks in the sidewalk with filler (available at most home improvement stores)

10. If they appear too small from the street, replace them with larger numbers.

Remember, you never get a second chance to make a great first impression so be sure to make your curb appeal outstanding! For more information on staging your home for sale visit www.tranquilitybaywellness.com/tranquility-bay-real-estate-staging for a copy of The Tranquility Bay Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Home Staging.

About the Author

Terri R. Marshall is a Certified Home Staging Consultant, Green Living Consultant, Certified Stress Management Specialist and Certified Wellness Coach and owner of Tranquility Bay Home Therapy and in Annapolis, MD. Visit her website at www.tranquilitybaywellness.com (Books Tab) for copies of The Tranquility Bay Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Home Staging and The Tranquility Bay Green Living Guide.

(ArticlesBase SC #1748722)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Curb Appeal is Essential to Successful Home Staging

What the June 1 Energy Ordinance Means for Sellers and Buyers in Austin

2009-06-07T14:11:00.000-05:00

At Austin Residential Properties, we believe in maximizing energy efficiency and fully support the green energy movement. To help you improve your home’s energy efficiency either before selling your home or after you've bought your new home, Austin Residential Properties will help you find contractors or service providers you can trust to make the changes noted on the home's energy audit.

The Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) Ordinance for single-family homes went into effect in Austin on June 1st of this year.
Now, all homes over 10-years-old that are sold must have an energy audit performed by the seller. The seller must give the report to potential buyers (by attaching it to the Seller's Disclosure). The ordinance only applies to homes that are over 10 years old and that are also served by Austin Energy.

The energy audit typically costs a home seller between $200 and $300. Sellers are not required to make the repairs listed on the audit, however sellers are required to disclose the audit results to buyers and prospective buyers.

Once a buyer purchases a home, the new homeowner is not required by law to make the energy-efficiency improvements. However, Austin Energy offers rebates to homeowners who want to improve their home's energy efficiency by implementing the changes.

In addition, buyers who make the suggested changes may also have access to lower-cost loans in exchange for making the improvements.

Helpful Energy Audit Links:

In order to see if your home requires an audit before putting it on the market, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/auditcheck

For more general information, visit: http://tinyurl.com/AustinEnergy

To see the actual ordinance, visit: http://tinyurl.com/energyordinance

Overview of Texas and Austin Foreclosure Market

2009-06-07T14:03:00.000-05:00

In all of Texas, 19,963 foreclosed homes are on the market today. In Travis County, the number is 703.

Austin Residential Properties closely tracks foreclosures within a 20-mile radius of Central Austin. Within this 20-mile radius, there are 211 foreclosed houses, condos and 1/2 duplexes available for purchase.

From a pricing perspective, we’ve segmented the foreclosure market into the following categories:

Homes under $149,999

$150,000 to $199,999

$200,000 to $249,999

$250,000 to $349,999

$349,999 to $499,999

$500,000 and higher

We also track the market by the following categories:

Geographic area, subdivision or neighborhood

Homes built within the last 10 years vs. older

Lakefront properties (served by our branch, Lakefront Austin)

Mother-in-law plans

We don’t typically locate fixer-upper homes for our clients, but if you are in the market for a fixer-upper to turn over while the market recovers, this is a good time to look and we can help you find one.

Whatever you’re looking for, we can help you find it. To obtain a list of foreclosures, please email as much criteria as possible (location, price range, home features, etc...) to: ElizabethClark@AustinRP.com

Some Good Ways to Discover Austin!

2009-06-07T13:58:00.000-05:00

The best way to discover Austin is to start by exploring the town by foot or boat and by checking out some of our more colorful Austin restaurants. From lakeside dining to cozying up in an intimate home setting for the best sushi around, Austin's restaurants can't be beat. And from an activities perspective, Austin is teeming with fun things to do both indoors and outdoors.

Check out these fun outdoor activities!

Austin Parks: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/parkdirectory.htm

Barton Creek Greenbelt: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/greenbelts.htm

Capital Cruises: http://www.capitalcruises.com/

Austin Duck Tour: http://www.austinducks.com/

Hike & Bike Trail: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/trails.htm

You can learn a lot about a town from it's culinary hotspots:

BBQ on Lake Austin: http://www.countyline.com/

TexMex on Lake Austin: http://www.hulahut.com/

TexMex on Lake Travis: http://www.iguanagrillaustin.com/

Sunset Dining on Lake Travis: http://www.oasis-austin.com/

Steak Downtown: http://www.sullivansteakhouse.com/

Barton Springs Area: http://www.theshadygrove.com/

South Austin Tex Mex: http://www.guerostacobar.com/

North Austin Tex Mex: http://www.ztejas.com/

Cozy Japanese Dining: http://www.uchiaustin.com/

Dine in a Historic 1800s Hotel: http://www.1886cafeandbakery.com/

Coffee & Desserts on Lake Austin: http://mozartscoffee.com/

Top Residential Areas of Focus

2009-06-07T13:52:00.000-05:00

Jackie Clark and her team have listed and sold literally hundreds of homes in the Austin area, ranging from the rolling hills of Westlake, Riverplace and Steiner Ranch, to Round Rock and South Austin and beyond.

Here are the residential areas we typically focus on:

West Austin

West Lake Hills (including Westlake lakefront)
River Place
Steiner Ranch
Lakeway

Central Austin

Downtown
Hyde Park
Tarrytown
Cat Mountain

North / North Central

Great Hills
Jester / Lakewood
Wells Branch
Round Rock

South Central

Barton Hills
Shady Hollow
Travis Heights

Lakefront Properties and Views of the Lake:

Lake Austin
Lake Travis
Town Lake

Why We Love Austin

2009-06-07T13:50:00.000-05:00

Whether you want to look out over the Texas Hill Country, gaze upon the glistening waters of Lake Austin or Lake Travis, cozy up in a tightly-knit residential neighborhood or pop down from your downtown condo to grab a bagel on your way to run at Town Lake, Austin Residential Properties will help you find your perfect niche in Austin.

The Austin Residential Properties team is comprised of long-time Austin residents who are completely in love with Austin. While we help you search for your dream home, join us in exploring Austin's hidden delights and let us introduce you to the best areas in town that keep Austin's down-to-earth yet sophisticated residents living here in a state of bliss!

Austin is full of little pockets of residential beauty. We have marketed, sold and leased homes in virtually every part of town - ranging from the heart of Westlake Hills, to other beautiful pockets of the Texas Hill Country, to executive homes near Dell and other North Austin businesses. We have experience selling and leasing lakefront properties and also team members with experience in downtown living. Let us help you discover just the right area for you!

From its curvy roads meandering through the Texas Hill Country to its curvy lakes nestled in the hills to its curvy culture punctuated by diverse tastes in food, music, film and lifestyles, Austin is a delightfully unpredictable place to live and work. The convergence of accomplished people working in academia, corporations, start-ups and philanthropic organizations, coupled with an infusion of people from diverse walks of life and countries, makes Austin a great place to discover a new, interesting and exciting experience every day.

With countless live music venues, culinary gems worth driving long distances for, and a huge range of intellectually-stimulating and outdoorsy activities, if you want to soak up the best Austin has to offer, you can always find something well-suited to your unique tastes and interests nearby!

As your real estate team, we’d love to help you explore Austin from our outdoor activities to our best watering holes to our school districts and shopping areas around town. Please ask us your questions about Austin and where to live in Austin and we’ll help guide you through the neighborhoods and major landmarks to help you find the perfect area in which to live.

Austin Residential Properties Launches Marketing and Social Media Department

2009-06-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

In 2008, Austin Residential Properties added a staff position dedicated to Marketing and Social Media to maximize our marketing reach for our clients who list their properties with us and to help us attract buyers from both near and far.

With 15 years of marketing experience and social media expertise, Elizabeth Clark recently joined the firm to perform this role. She has worked in sales & marketing, strategic planning, communications and e-commerce at Dell Inc., Motion Computing (a successful Austin tech start-up) and the U.S. White House She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she recently took a class in Digital Marketing and Social Media from an expert in the field.

In order to take advantage of the internet as an essential tool for marketing homes, Austin Residential Properties avails itself of several online methods for marketing our listings. In addition to utilizing the traditional marketing outlets for our listings (i.e., the Multiple Listing Service, The Statesman, etc…) and to creating a dedicated webpage and/or virtual tours for our listings, we also utilize key sites to ensure broad exposure:

Listing Producer (http://www.4456sangabrieldallas.com/)
Zillow (http://www.zillow.com)/
Postlets (http://www.postlets.com/)
Facebook (www.tinyurl.com/FBAustinRP)
Twitter (www.twitter.com/AustinRP)
LinkedIn (www.tinyurl.com/LIAustinRP)

Two New Divisions Launched: Austin Residential Properties and Lakefront Austin

2009-06-07T13:38:00.000-05:00

In 2008, JCR launched two new real estate divisions. We now market homes under the brand of Austin Residential Properties (Austin RP for short). Lakefront properties, both residential and commercial, are marketed under the brand Lakefront Austin Properties (Lakefront Austin for short).

Please visit us at: http://wwwAustinResidentialProperties and http://www.LakefrontAustin.com .

Bio of Jackie Clark, Our Broker

2009-06-07T07:53:00.000-05:00

Jackie Clark, President and Broker of Austin Residential Properties and Lakefront Austin Properties (branches of Jackie Clark Realtors), has been a successful seller's and buyer's agent and Austin resident for 25+ years.

Once named by Unique Homes Magazine as one of the top U.S. luxury real estate professionals in the country, Jackie's expertise in the real estate market is often sought by top professionals, bankers, brokers and appraisers in addition to individual real estate investors and home buyers.

In addition to running her own brokerage firm for the past 16 years, she was a top listing agent at Amelia Bullock Realtors for 2 years, an agent at REMAX Austin Hill Country for 2 years, an agent with Coldwell Bankers Westlake Previews Section for 2 years, and a co-owner and broker at Cooper & Clark Realtors for 4 years. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from SMU University.

Welcome to the Austin Residential Properties blog!

2009-06-07T07:43:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Austin Residential Properties blog! Jackie Clark, president and broker of Austin Residential Properties and Lakefront Austin (branches of Jackie Clark Realtors), and her team have been serving residential and commercial clients in Austin and from around the world for 25 years. Please let us know how we can help you sell, lease or find a home in Austin.

How to Contact Us:

Jackie Clark
President and Broker
Austin Residential Properties
Website: www.AustinResidentialProperties.com
Email: JackieClark@AustinRP.com
Phone: 512-328-SELL (7355)

Elizabeth Clark
VP, Marketing and Social Media
Email: ElizabethClark@AustinRP.com

Rita Moore
Sales Agent
Email: RitaMoore@AustinRP.com