 Who should sell their home this fall? Anyone who doesn’t want to deal with the crazy competition of the spring and summer markets.So you’ve decided to put your home on the market, but you aren’t sure if listing right now makes sense or not. Maybe you’ve heard that it’s better to wait until the spring or summer when the market is hot. However, now might be the perfect time to list. Here’s why.It all comes down to competition. Yes, there are more buyers on the market during spring and summer, but there are also many more sellers. Because of that, the difference in the number of sales versus the number of homes on the market is basically the same whether it’s June or January. "It all comes down to competition."If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want to fight the crowds and the competition you’ll see in the spring, now might be the perfect time for you to get your home on the market and get it sold quickly.If you have any questions for us or need any help in making your decision to buy or sell, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Austin Texas Real Estate Podcast With Shawn Culhane

Why It Makes Sense to List During the Fall

We’re excited to announce our partnership with Chris Motal from Loan Depot. After all, the loan officer is a key player in your real estate purchase. When you purchase residential real estate, the lender or loan officer you work with can be very important.  When you sign an agreement to buy a piece of property from a seller, you are agreeing to a roadmap. The purchase agreement says that you are going to do all of the critical things from the inspection to the appraisal in order to close on a certain date.  In my opinion, the lender is the most important person in this process. We are here to guide you through this process and help you but ultimately, closing is up to the lender or loan officer.  That’s why I couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to our new partnership with Chris Motal of Loan Depot. Chris is going to serve alongside us and help our clients."Chris and his team have great people, great products, and great values." Chris and his team have great products, great people, and great values. They are just plain fun to work with.  Even if you have already bought a house, Chris and his team can help you. If you plan on making some changes, renovations, or remodeling, let Chris and his team know. He has an amazing product suite that you can use to fulfill any of your dreams.  Whether you are moving up, down, or across town, let Chris know. “I have a great loan product that’s perfect for this market with great rates and a low fee structure,” says Chris. “And I’ve got one that I’m really proud of: a zero down VA renovation mortgage.”  If you are a veteran and want to buy a home with zero down, you can get the home of your dreams as well as up to $35,000 to renovate the property before you move in.  If you have any questions, you can reach Chris at 512-485-7970 or cmotal@loandepot.com. As always, if you have any real estate questions, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

The Loan Officer Is Key to Closing on Your Home

 Lakefront properties are a passion of ours. Here are a few that we just listed on the market.We have a passion for helping people buy and sell waterfront property here in Central Texas. We’ve got four amazing properties on the shores of Lake Travis and Lake Austin that we’d like to talk to you about today. We also want to talk about where home values are going, what trends we are seeing in the real estate market, and what’s changed in the last few years. The first property is located at 17216 Northlake Hills Dr. in Jonestown. It’s located within the gated community of Northlake Hills and is just a quick 20-minute drive to the new Whole Foods in Cedar Park. This home is just over 10,000 square feet with eight bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, multiple pools, a detached guest house, and an income-producing 22-slip marina.The second one is also located in Jonestown in The Hollows, one of the top communities in Lake Travis and one of the best marinas on the lake. This home is located at 17607 Breakwater Drive. If you want an 11,000 sq. ft. home with one of the best views of the lake, this is it."Some of the best views on the lake."The third property we have is at 21902 Briarcliff Drive in Spicewood, where some of the best water on Lake Travis is. There is a main house with three bedrooms and a guest quarters with one bedroom and a full kitchen and bath. This is great for short-term rentals or guests. Right now, the owner is leasing this property out for $16,000 in the month of July.Last but not least is 13240 Shore Vista. It sits just under three acres and just over 7,000 square feet. It’s located in an area with some of the most private water and private estates on Lake Austin.Values can vary immensely, depending on the lake and the area within the lake that we are talking about. When the drought came in 2011, the levels of Lake Travis dropped significantly. People started shifting their purchases more towards Lake Austin. We saw a low point for values in 2014, but they have since recovered. There has been a slight dip in values in both lakes in 2017, so we’re keeping a close eye on that.If you have any questions for us about any of these properties or want to know anything else about this kind of real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Some of the Best Lakefront Properties in Texas

Seeing a home sit on the market can be frustrating, but there are a few ways to help get it moving. Here are five tips that could make the difference in selling your home.Seeing a home sit on the market for too long can be a frustrating and confusing ordeal. As a seller, there a few key things to check when you notice that your home isn’t moving as quickly as you’d like it to. First of all, you want to look at the price for which you’re listing the home. Both over- and underpricing your home can have undesirable effects. When it comes to overpricing, the result could be that your home will receive fewer showings, sit longer on the market, and may compromise your final sales price.At the same time, underpricing your home may leave you with less money than your home is worth. Luckily, there are a number of things we can do to help to help you maximize your return. If your price isn’t the problem, consider taking a look at the condition of your home and how, or if, you have it staged for potential homebuyers. Homebuyers want to see a clean, uncluttered home with good curb appeal when they turn up for showings. Staging your home is one of the best ways to make it look its best in showings and photos alike. In our highly digital age, listing your home is a much different experience than it once was. This brings us to our next point, which is marketing. Is online content about your home accurate? Is it painting a good picture for potential buyers? Proper marketing is one of the best ways to generate demand for your property. "Even if your home is otherwise perfect, it simply won’t sell if it can’t be shown."Another factor that can impact the amount of time a home spends on the market is convenience and showability. Having your agent readily available to show your home is extremely important to ensuring that potential buyers don’t feel hassled by the experience of visiting the property. Even if your home is otherwise perfect, it simply won’t sell if it can’t be shown. The last thing that can help to move a home off the market is style and finish. For example, if all the other homes in the area come equipped with certain updates, like granite countertops, but yours does not, buyers may overlook your home in lieu of a more recently renovated property.If you want more information, have questions, or have any real estate needs in our Central Texas area, feel free to get in touch by sending me an email or giving me a call. I look forward to hearing from you.

5 Things You’re Doing to Sabotage Your Listing

 There are many great Austin area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Value Report so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (512) 590-0850 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.As you know, almost everyone begins their home search online. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you take information from sites like Zillow and Trulia with a grain of salt. These sites are often inaccurate and outdated, and have frustrated many buyers and sellers.For example, a few weeks ago a client sent us 12 homes they wanted to see that they had found online. We discovered that only 2 of the homes were available - the others were sold, under contract, and a few hadn't been on the market for years. Another problem with Zillow and Trulia is that their algorithms can't take into account trends in the local market and upgrades that have been made to homes. Since Texas is a non-disclosure state, what a home sells for is not public record. This makes it even more difficult for these sites to give you an accurate home estimate.As you can see, Zillow and Trulia simply don't have access to the relevant information to make your buying or selling process any easier. That's why it's best to work with a local real estate professional. Don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email if you have any questions about the market. We will help get you the information you need for a successful transaction. 

Why You Shouldn't Trust Zillow and Trulia?

Austin Real Estate Agent Shawn Culhane promotes his new website, with a much more user-friendly interface and a more advanced "Search for Homes" function.There are many great Austin area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Value Report so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (512) 590-0850 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.Hey everyone, I just wanted to send out a quick message to you today to let you know about some exciting news in our company. We are currently transitioning from having multiple websites with different functions to one easy-to-use site. It will have all the same listings, same content, and same features as our sites have had in the past, but in a more organized and easy-to-digest way. One thing we have done to strengthen our site is enhance our "search for homes" feature. Now you can search by nearby schools, waterfront proximity, and lot size, in addition to price, location, and features.If you haven't checked out the site yet, head on over to www.shawnculhane.com now!

Why Are You Going to Love Our New Site?

Whenever a client asks me how the market is doing or where it’s headed, I usually have one answer for them: it depends on where you look.Today I’d like to answer a question that I get frequently from many of our clients: where is the market going?My answer to this question is usually, “It depends on where you look.” We’ve put together some specific market stats that help us align where different price points of certain areas of town are either appreciating or depreciating; however, it’s important to realize that every area is appreciating or depreciating at a different rate.How the market is doing depends on a lot of specific factors. No matter what neighborhood you live in, whether you have a waterfront property or a condo or any other kind of property, the market can vary drastically from area to area. For this reason, it’s important to be educated on the microeconomic concepts that we’re discussing.When somebody asks us where the market is going, we can usually give them a general answer, but after that, we have to get very specific with the types of properties and locations that we’re talking about.If you’re curious about what’s going on in your particular neighborhood or you have any questions about buying or selling real estate in the Austin area, give us a call or send us an email. We’d be happy to point you in the right direction!

Where Is the Austin Market Headed?

Have lake property values gone up now that Lake Travis is back to full pool? We’ll break down the numbers today. Thank you for sending us your questions. Today, we’ll answer Rebecca, who asked, “Have lake property values accelerated now that Lake Travis is full?” Lake Travis dropped to its lowest point in 2011 thanks to the drought. In May of 2015, the rains came, and the lake went back to full pool in about a month. Home values did slide in 2011, when the lake was at its lowest point. Then, home values proceeded to bottom out in 2014. That year, the median price for a Lake Travis waterfront property was $565,000. In 2015, the rains came and the median price rose to $675,000. At the end of 2016, home values made a full recovery with a median price of $774,000. The water levels in Lake Travis also impacted the number of home sales. In 2014, Lake Travis only had 63 closed transactions. That number went up to 93 home sales in 2015, and in 2016, 157 lakefront properties sold. So, lakefront properties are now back to pre-drought values. However, just because Lake Travis has seen an increase in home values doesn’t mean that your home has seen the same rate of appreciation. Lakefront home values have made a full recovery. Home values vary from property to property and from area to area. The Austin area Board of Realtors says that from November 2015 to November 2016, home values in Austin grew by 7%. If you break that down, though, you’ll see that Williamson County appreciated by 12%, Travis County appreciated by 1%, and Hays County appreciated by 8%.  If you have any other questions you would like us to answer or if you want to know what your home is worth in today’s market, just give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Have Lakefront Home Values Gone Up?

You've probably heard that old real estate myth that when you sell your house, you should price it above market value to 'leave room for negotiation.' I have two examples today that show why that's a terrible idea.When homeowners sell their house, one of the most common questions they have for real estate agents is how to price it properly to sell. I think many people believe the myth that in order to sell something, you need to elevate the price to 'leave room for negotiation.' It sounds logical on the surface, but it can actually be one of the worst things you can do.When we help people sell their house, we analyze what's currently active on the market, home sales that are pending, and recent sales to give them a number or range for the current market value of their property. That's the first step. The second step is to determine the marketing and pricing strategies.Consider West Lake and Lakeway as an example.In Lakeway between the $1 million and $2 million price points, there have been 38 properties that sold in the last 365 days. Of those 38 homes, 17 elevated their price to leave room for negotiation and sold for an average of $1.358 million. The other 21 sellers were more aggressive with their pricing and averaged $1.329 million, which is $29,000 less.Remember, the value of the property and the pricing of the property are two very different conversations. Just by elevating their price, those 17 sellers netted almost $30,000 more on average.In West Lake, we can look at homes in the same price range and see that the sellers who priced their homes aggressively made $125,000 more on average than those who elevated the price of their home to leave room for negotiation. This is just a small example of what we see all around the Austin area.In West Lake, sellers who priced aggressively netted $125,000 more on average last year. As part of the selling process, we'll help you make sure you price your home well to maximize your bottom line. It's something we enjoy doing, and we know that the numbers don't lie. We even use special software that helps us analyze pricing to help you find the best price for your home. To boot, we've added a third office in San Antonio to help serve you at an even higher level.If you have any questions about pricing your house to sell or you're thinking about buying a home in the Austin or San Antonio area, give us a call or send us an email. We'd be happy to help you.

The Key to Pricing Your Austin Home for the Highest Net Profit

 Buying an Austin Home? Search all Homes for SaleSelling an Austin Home? Check out our FREE Home Value ReportYou may think that the first showing takes place the moment a buyer pulls in to your driveway, but this isn't the case. The first showing takes place on the Internet, which is where the majority of home buyers begin their home search.    The quality and effectiveness of your photos online is absolutely crucial when listing your home. The first thing you need to do is get your home show-ready. We help our clients do this by sending out a professional home stager and designer. The stager will make the home look its absolute best!  Once the home is looking fantastic, we send out a professional real estate photographer. They will ensure your home looks as best as it possibly can in the photos that are eventually posted online.If you follow these two steps, you shouldn't have too much trouble attracting buyers to your home. If you have any questions about getting your home ready for the market, or if you would like our assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

The Key to Presenting Your Home in Its Best Light

 Buying an Austin Home? Search all Homes for SaleSelling an Austin Home? Check out our FREE Home Value ReportSince Austin is one of the most competitive buyer environments in the country, it's quite common to see multiple contracts offered on a single property. This can make life stressful for buyers, who find themselves forced to bring their highest and best offers to the table in order to win a multiple offer situation. Today, we want to share a few tips to ensure you don't miss out on the home of your dreams.The first and most important thing is to be ready to submit an offer. In Austin, if you do not have a pre-approval or a funds verification letter to prove you have cash in hand to purchase, a seller will not acknowledge your offer, much less consider accepting it. Having your pre-approval letter in hand while aggressively looking for a home is the most important thing you can do when buying in Austin.If you find yourself in a multiple offer situation, upping the option money is something that can sweeten the deal for the seller. When you do this, option money is given to the seller upfront for what we call the option period; often, for seven days it's $150, but making it $500-$1,000 can make the offer more attractive. Another option is offering a greater amount of earnest money, which is held in escrow once the contract is executed. You will only get that money back if you terminate within the option period or some other outlet in the contract. This allows the sellers to see on paper that you're highly motivated and that you're serious about buying the house and less likely to terminate the contract.Giving the seller the choice of the closing date is another way to make your offer stand out. If you're not in a situation where you need to move into a home in the next 30 days as soon as the loan is process, it will benefit you to be flexible with your timetables. Let the seller choose their close date, or if the seller prefers, close as soon as possible.Writing a personal letter to the seller is a great way to grab their attention. Explain what you love about the home, why you're moving, where you're from, and what you plan to do with the home. This humanizes your offer, as you become more than just a name on a piece of paper.Lastly, you need to be patient when buying in a competitive market. Ultimately, in this market, everything is in the seller's hands. Submit the strongest offer you can and relax the best you can; pestering the seller's agent is only going to make you look anxious and desperate, two qualities you don't want sellers to pick up on.If you have any questions about making the most of this competitive marketplace, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to help you find success in this difficult buying environment!

How to Get Your Offer Accepted

If you are looking to buy or sell a home, get all the information and the latest updates, tips, and tricks from Shawn Culhane - your professional Real Estate Agent.

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Austin Texas Real Estate Podcast With Shawn Culhane

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