Austin Real Estate News http://austinhomelistings.com/blog Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:24:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 en New Look. New Rules. http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/10/08/new-look-new-rules/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/10/08/new-look-new-rules/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:54:20 +0000 sreilly Austin Home Listings News http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/10/08/new-look-new-rules/ Today marks a new chapter in AustinHomeListings.com’s history.  Great Austin Properties, an Austin residential real estate company, created AustinHomeListings.com to provide users with the easiest to use Austin home search tool for finding properties and reviewing neighborhoods.  You’ve probably noticed that we’ve made some changes to the site today in terms of appearance and functionality. In addition to the new site look and feel, we are now asking all visitors to create a free personal profile in exchange for access to the listings data. By registering you will also benefit from the following free tools:

1. Favorites Folder - This tool allows you to save listings to your “Favorites Folder” so you can conveniently manage and view your favorite listings at any time.  When you find a listing that you would like to add to your Favorites Folder, click the “Add to Favorites” link in the Tools box. Once you’re logged in, you can manage your Favorites (add, remove, view, email, etc.) without having to reenter your login information. Additionally, you can recall your Favorite Listings from any page using the “Favorites” tab at the top of the page.

2. Search Saver - This tool allows you to save searches to your “SearchSaver” folder so you can conveniently manage and view your searches at any time and receive email notification when new listings that fit your search criteria become available. When you run a search that you would like to add to your “SearchSaver” click the tab located on the top of the page that says “Email me when new listings match this criteria”. Once you’re logged in, you can manage your “SearchSaver” (add, remove, view, email, etc.) without having to reenter your login information.  Once you run an initial search, you may opt to refine your search. This will narrow your search results to fit your new criteria, such as price range, minimum square footage and more. Anytime you receive search results, you will have the option to “Save This Search” and receive an email notification when new listings that fit your search become available.

Thank you for using Austin Homes Listings. If you have any questions or thoughts about our new data access policy, please feel free to call me direct at 512-600-1800 or post a comment below.  I’ll be happy to answer all your questions. Rest assured, Great Austin Properties will NEVER sell, rent or release your personal information outside of our company. For more information about our privacy policy, please visit Our Privacy Policy.

Sincerely,

Michael Reilly, Owner

Great Austin Properties, LLC

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/10/08/new-look-new-rules/feed/ Lakeway TX Neighborhoods http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/22/lakeway-tx-neighborhoods/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/22/lakeway-tx-neighborhoods/#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:46:07 +0000 sreilly Austin Home Listings News http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/22/lakeway-tx-neighborhoods/ Lakeway, Texas is a growing city just northwest of Austin. Once known as a lakeside retirement community, Lakeway is now home to a number of young families. Thanks to its close proximity to Austin, the great schools in the Lake Travis School District, growth of business in the area (nearby shopping in Bee Cave, TX at the Hill Country Galleria, new banks, new retail in Lakeway proper), and the variety of outdoor recreation in the area, families are flocking to Lakeway.

If you are considering a move to a Lakeway Texas neighborhood or just want to learn more about the area, be sure to read about our Lakway neighborhoods in our Austin Neighboroods Guide. We’ve just added five Lakeway TX neighborhoods to our website: The Preserve at Lakeway, The Courtyard at the Preserve, The Terrace at the Preserve, The Canyons at Cardinal Hills, and Yaupon Creek - and we plan to add more soon - so keep checking back.

To learn more about the Lakeway area or to see Lakeway Texas Real Estate, please call your Lakeway area experts at Great Austin Properties. You can reach us at 512.600.1800 or email us. Or search Lakeway Homes for Sale.

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/22/lakeway-tx-neighborhoods/feed/ A Not So Big Luxury Home http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/19/a-not-so-big-luxury-home/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/19/a-not-so-big-luxury-home/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:01:42 +0000 sreilly Housing Market http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/19/a-not-so-big-luxury-home/ Those with interest in home design have likely heard of Sarah Susanka’s ingenious book, The Not So Big House. Ms. Susanka encourages readers to consider how spaces in a home are used rather than how big they are - the idea of building homes that fit and function well rather than overwhelm.

In the high-end market it’s rare to find a small home with luxury finish-out. That’s in part because so many of us equate luxury with high square footage, and partly because it’s more profitable for builders to create large spaces with luxury details than smaller ones. Think about it. A small luxury home may have the same appliances, toilets, bathtubs, and light fixtures as a larger home, but because the framing materials, sheetrock, trim and other materials needed to construct a larger home is a small incremental cost, a builder can charge less per square foot and appeal to a larger audience with the large luxury home. 

Once in a while, though, a small luxury home does become available - and in today’s Austin real estate market, you may find small luxury homes you couldn’t build for today’s purchase price. As an example, look at the photos of this small luxury home in Spanish Oaks Austin. At 3,233 square feet, it’s one of the smallest homes in the neighborhood, but the attention to detail the builder put into the home is second to none. Eight hanging fixtures grace the open living and dining room, fir beams add structural interest in ceilings, and a built in banquette and large center island help create a kitchen that truly is the heart of the home. At $900,000, this home is a steal for Spanish Oaks, and a value to anyone who knows the Austin luxury real estate market.

 

 

To learn more about this home visit www.11919labarzola.com. To schedule a showing for 11919 La Barzola Bend or to learn more about other Austin Homes for Sale, please contact Michael J. Reilly at 512.600.1800.

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/19/a-not-so-big-luxury-home/feed/ Austin Job Growth - 2nd Nationwide http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/15/austin-job-growth-came-in-2nd-nationwide/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/15/austin-job-growth-came-in-2nd-nationwide/#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:22:53 +0000 sreilly Austin Economy http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/15/austin-job-growth-came-in-2nd-nationwide/ The Austin Business Journal (ABJ) reported this week that Austin came in second nationwide in a study conducted by the American City Business Journals. In fact, Texas held the top three spots with Houston coming in first and Dallas-Fort Worth rounding up third. Specifically, Austin posted an annual employment growth rate of 6.4% since June of 2008.  The study utilized a formula that analyzed employment in the nations 100 largest labor markets which held over 116 million private sector jobs as of June 2008.  The study continued to report that Austin has seen 22% job growth in the last five years which puts Austin on par with Las Vegas which ABJ said, “is often heralded as the fastest growing American city”.  As the rest of the nation falters economically, Austin continues to buck the trend and hopefully side step the worst effects of the national housing downturn. 

Visit www.austinhomelistings.com for more information on Austin Real Estate including a map based search tool.

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/15/austin-job-growth-came-in-2nd-nationwide/feed/ Bee Cave Neighborhoods http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/03/bee-cave-neighborhoods/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/03/bee-cave-neighborhoods/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:09:09 +0000 sreilly Austin Neighborhoods Austin Home Listings News http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/03/bee-cave-neighborhoods/ We love the City of Bee Cave - a community just 20 minutes west of downtown Austin. With the opening of the new Hill Country Galleria and a 50 acre city park underway, Bee Cave residents enjoy modern conveniences in the Texas hill country. Want to know more? Check out our Bee Cave neighborhoods. We’ve added several in the last week - The Homestead, Bee Caves West, Meadowfox Estates, Falconhead West, and the Heights of Falconhead. We’ve also added several neighborhoods in the Bee Cave extraterritorial jurisdiction - The Preserve at Barton Creek, Barton Creek Preserve and The Madrones.  Spanish Oaks, Lake Pointe, The Uplands and Falconhead complete the Bee Cave neighborhoods list.

To learn more or tour Bee Cave real estate, please contact us at 512.600.1800.

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/09/03/bee-cave-neighborhoods/feed/ Austin Ranked #5 on New Forbes List http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/26/austin-ranked-5-on-new-forbes-list/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/26/austin-ranked-5-on-new-forbes-list/#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:41:28 +0000 sreilly Home Pricing Austin Economy http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/26/austin-ranked-5-on-new-forbes-list/ Today, Forbes ranked Austin #5 in a list of cities where home prices are likely to rise. To calculate their rankings, Forbes.com analyzed statistics such as Moody’s job growth (4.7% for Austin), the National Association of Home Builders record of housing starts (down 28.2% in 2008 for Austin) and their own projections for the increase in number of families moving to particular cities (5% for Austin).  Although Austin is still doing relatively well compared to the rest of the nation, they noted that large builder’s bearish attitudes about the whole economy has caused them to slow down on new home starts everywhere, including Austin. Additionally, Forbes.com specifically cited Austin as one of the rare cities that have “largely avoided the real estate crash” pointing out homes price increases of 4.1% for Austin since last year. They concluded that Austin home prices would likely continue to rise due to the reduction in new home starts while job growth increases and people continue to move to Austin.  

Click here to search all Austin Homes For Sale.

 

 

 

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/26/austin-ranked-5-on-new-forbes-list/feed/ Austin Home Sales Down 21% from 2007 http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/22/austin-home-sales-down-20-from-2007/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/22/austin-home-sales-down-20-from-2007/#comments Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:18:35 +0000 sreilly Housing Market Austin Economy http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/22/austin-home-sales-down-20-from-2007/ The Austin Board of Realtors reported this week that Austin area home sales fell nearly 21 percent in July compared to this time last year.  Although the sales drop was spread across all price ranges, the majority of the reductions in sales came from the high and low end of the market.  For example, homes in the Austin area priced between $100,000 and $129,000 saw a 30% drop in sales from July 2007. Worse, homes priced over $1,000,000 experienced a decline of 33% for the same time period.  Compared to the rest of the nation, the value of an Austin home is holding up extremely well. The median price of an Austin area home is up 3% to $195,000 compared to this time last year. On another positive note, new home listings in Austin fell 5% which could help contain values as the inventory of available homes fall in line with the reduced number of buyers.

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/22/austin-home-sales-down-20-from-2007/feed/ Austin Condo Projects Stalling http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/21/down-austin-condo-projects-stalling/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/21/down-austin-condo-projects-stalling/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:49:30 +0000 sreilly Condos Austin Economy http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/21/down-austin-condo-projects-stalling/ The Austin Business Journal (ABJ) reported this week that 700 condos from 12 different projects located near downtown were either put on hold or canceled indefinitely.  The ABJ’s analysis concluded that the main driver behind the stalled projects was a combination of the national economic slump, the tough credit market conditions and competition from the current supply and the 3,000 new Austin condos already on the market or soon to be released.  The list of projects the ABJ reported as either stalled, canceled or unknown status includes 1705 Guadalupe, Metropolitan, Hotel van Zandt, Aquaterra, San Jose Lofts, Don Mar, Sungari Pearl, Skyline, The Orsay and Texas Gameday Center.

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/21/down-austin-condo-projects-stalling/feed/ Austin will recover faster than U.S. http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/20/austin-will-recover-faster-than-rest-of-us/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/20/austin-will-recover-faster-than-rest-of-us/#comments Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:10:37 +0000 mreilly Housing Market Austin Economy http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/20/austin-will-recover-faster-than-rest-of-us/ The Austin Business Journal reported comments today from Mark Dotzour, chief economist at Texas A&M University’s Real Estate Center. Mark predicted that “Austin will outperform the rest of the country in job growth and in the health of its housing market.”  The ABJ went on to quote Mark saying “Austin will add 8,500 new jobs between now and August 2009, despite a negative job growth across the country. The local housing market will turn around faster than the rest of the country by next summer”.  

Here at Great Austin Properties, we can’t help but like Mark’s optimism. As a leading website for Austin real estate, we have the opportunity everyday to talk with people moving to Austin. Whether it’s the beautiful scenery of the hill country and lakes, the culture of central Austin, or a growing job market, we hear the same thing over and over… folks want to move to Austin, Texas.
 

]]> http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/08/20/austin-will-recover-faster-than-rest-of-us/feed/ Meet Our Austin Realtors http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/07/07/meet-our-realtors/ http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/07/07/meet-our-realtors/#comments Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:08:34 +0000 sreilly Austin Home Listings News http://austinhomelistings.com/blog/2008/07/07/meet-our-realtors/ Did you know AustinHomeListings.com is available to you thanks to a team of local Austin Realtors who want to help you purchase and sell Austin real estate?  That’s right…the professional Austin Realtors at Great Austin Properties, LLC run this website hoping you will love the site so much that you will allow one of our Austin real estate agents to assist you on your next Austin home sale or purchase.

Whether you are a regular Austin Home Listings visitor, or just starting to get familiar with our premiere Austin real estate search site, we hope you will take a moment to meet our Austin Realtors. Michael J. Reilly is the founder and broker of Great Austin Properties, LLC. Along with Michael, David Hallonquist, Tara Hays, Brian Abbott, and Sonia Berry make up the team - a team ready to show and help you purchase a great home listed on AustinHomeListings.com, and ready to help you sell your existing home.

To learn more about our Austin real estate agents, visit our new Austin Realtors page. And give us call at 512.600.1800 - we would love to hear from you!

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