Another Successful Closing - Congratulations Bryan and Molly!

Another successful closing. Congratulations to Molly and Bryan in the purchase of their home in central Austin.

Austin, Texas. Robin Scott, BROKER. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.

Search for homes through Austin MLS
Find your home's value
Buying or selling? Hire an experienced professional. Call Robin Scott, Broker at 512.589.7988.

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Robin's Austin Monthly Enewsletter

If you are not receiving my monthly real estate newsletter and would like to, send me an email to robin@robinscottrealtor.com. Above is a sample.

Austin, Texas. Robin Scott, BROKER. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.

Search for homes through Austin MLS
Find your home's value
Buying or selling? Hire an experienced professional. Call Robin Scott, Broker at 512.589.7988.

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Austin Area Market Statistics - March

From MARCH 2010 Compared to MARCH 2009

Homes Sold: 1784 - UP 27%

Median Sales Price: $180,000 - UNCHANGED

Days on Market: 73, DOWN 16%

Active Listings: 10,300 - UP 10%

Source: Austin Board of Realtors

I'm Protesting. Should You?

Did you get your tax bill estimates in the mail? I did. It's funny that the tax appraisal for the home next-door to me went down and mine went up. What's up with that? I comped my house and it's been accessed at a value with which I can't argue. However, I plan to investigate the proposed values of other neighboring properties to see if mine is higher than the average. I can protest that.

I also manage two other properties which are only blocks from one another and of comparable size. The value of one went down but the other didn't. A comparative market analysis of the home that wasn't reduced will be an appropriate protest.

Last year I blogged about my experiences protesting taxes and several people asked for my assistance. I was happy to help by providing comps for their homes. My only request was that in return they follow up and let me know about their experience and if they were able to get their taxes reduced. None of them did. I'm very proactive so I followed up with them but none returned my calls. what's up with that?

Austin, Texas. Robin Scott, BROKER Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.

Negotiating for Homebuyers and Sellers

I am a strong believer in win-win situations but sometimes one party is in a stronger negotiating position. That is the party who is less invested in the outcome.

From the buyer's point-of-view, it's hard not to get emotionally involved in the prospect of buying that home for which you just promised to pay more than you have ever paid for anything else. After all, would you have made such an offer if you didn't really, really want it. And sometimes there aren't any better options available.

From the seller's point-of-view, an offer is your opportunity to accomplish your goal of selling your home for whatever reason you have chosen and to move on with your life.
Still there are times when one side is more committed than the other.

If winning is what you desire, you must be the party ready to call the others bluff. You must be the party ready to pass on the deal.

Recently, I experienced just this situation when my seller who has chosen to downsize but not yet looked for another home and was in no hurry to move forward was presented an offer for far less than expected or desired. The other party negotiated hard - only increasing the offer in small increments. It was easy for my seller to stand his ground because he didn't have a time-frame that must be met and he knew his home was properly priced. If this offer didn't fly, there would be another.
And there will be.

Austin, Texas. Robin Scott, BROKER. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.

Search for homes through Austin MLS
Find your home's value
Buying or selling? Hire an experienced professional. Call Robin Scott, Broker at 512.589.7988.

Like us on facebook!

My Daughter Is Buying a House!

Now that's scary. I think of myself as a residential expert but that wasn't enough to cool my nerves as I worked with my son-in-law to help him buy a house. For all my clients I strive for perfection but this seemed like the most important transaction to date.

BB is smart, has experience buying and selling real estate (before I knew him) and understands everything you explain to him. This is the only area in which I know more than he and I wanted to make sure everything went well.

We were really lucky when a house that almost perfectly matched his wish list became available and we were able to jump on the opportunity and write an offer immediately. So far the seller and other agent have been great to work with. We negotiated a price, negotiated repairs and are getting close to the end.

I'm very excited for my son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter.
Austin, Texas. Robin Scott, BROKER Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.