North Austin Real Estate Information and Home Search » Home Staging

North Austin Market Snapshot

jmorelli — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:36:34 +0000

I noticed an interesting trend yesterday when I was doing some research for a customer in North Austin. What you will see in the report below is in this particular North Austin subdivision, Willow Run, there are currently 15 active listings and only 3 pending sales. What this tells me is that competition for buyers is very competitive as there is only 1 pending sale for every 5 active listings. Another interesting note is that of the 15 active listings 10, or 66%, have had recent price reductions, as evidenced by the downward arrow adjacent the price (as always, click on the chart to see a larger version).

Sellers in today’s market need to also realize that while price is an important component in the sales process, condition / staging and marketing are also very important. Sellers should aslo have a good understanding of inventory levels in their area, this is also sometimes referred to as the absorption rate. This will give you an idea of how long it may take to sell and how aggressive one should be with their price.

To sum things up, I feel the market in North Austin is going to take a slight dip due to the shortage of buyers. Once we get deeper into the summer things will begin to pick back up as more buyers come in. With so many buyers having taken advantage of the tax credit deadline of April 30, 2010 we will need time to ramp back up.

If you are thinking of selling or need an assessment of why you might not be able to sell, call Jim Morelli at 512.918.1562

Spring Selling Season Is Heating Up

jmorelli — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:37:59 +0000

All signs indicate that the spring home selling season in Austin is heating up. Sales and listing data for February 2010 and the partial numbers for March 2010 show increased activity. Sales have increased by 19.64%, pending sales are up 18.37% and the good news is new listing volume is only up 8.22%. If you are thinking of selling this is great news. If you qualify for the $6500 move up tax credit there is still time to act before the deadline of April 30, 2010.

For those that are contemplating selling I would keep two things in mind and they are price and condition. Buyers in today’s markets are looking for clean move in ready homes that have a market based price. Even well priced homes can sit on the market if not staged correctly which is why we send a decorator out to every property that we list to insure the property shines. If you are thinking of selling there is a lot you can do prior to meeting with a realtor to stage your home.

Good luck! Please remember we are only a call or email away from helping you with your Austin real estate needs.

Ten Hot Tips to Sell Your Austin Home

jmorelli — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:32:03 +0000

If you’re following the news you can hardly miss hearing that the real estate market in Austin, Texas is heating up! Due to the $8000 tax credit for first time buyers, the $6500 tax credit for move-up buyers, and the lowest interest rates in years, homes are moving fast. If you’re thinking of selling your Austin home our recommendation is to strike now before the deadlines on theses credits expire.

More information on the tax credits

Once you’ve decided that you want to sell, it’s always good to get a general idea of what the market is like in your particular neighborhood. In addition to looking at all the available listings in the MLS that you’ll be competing with, it’s also important to look at what homes are actually selling for. Always keep in mind that many of the active listings will not sell. While many Realtors will prepare a Comparative Market Analysis for you, I’ve found that it’s better if a seller has an idea of value prior to our meeting. With that in mind, we always like to email a Market Snapshot prior to our first meeting to familiarize the seller with the available active MLS listings and Sold MLS listings.

Your Market Snapshot

Once you’ve decided on a Realtor to list your house and a good list price it’s time to get it to market! We aways like to caution sellers that you are entering into a price contest and a beauty contest, so be ready. The following video will give you some tips on what to do and expect as you move forward in selling your home.

We hope this information has been helpful. If you have any questions or would like to meet with us please let us know.