August 2013 Austin Market Satistics

Active Listings DOWN 22%
Sold Listings UP 8%
Median Sold Price UP 8%

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

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Buying or selling? Hire an experienced professional. Call Robin Scott, Broker at 512.589.7988.

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Austin Fun for August 2013

1-11 Swing!
A musical revue featuring hits like It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Aint’ Got That Swing)
The Long Center, Austin

1- 17 Little Shop Of Horrors
Free, annual production runs throughout the summer at the Zilker Hillside Theater, Austin

2 @ 7 pm Marcus Luttrell’s Patriot Tour
Features retired Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell and retired Army Special Operations Capt. Chad Fleming.
The Long Center, Austin

3 Lake Travis Hot Air Balloon Flyover
Lake Travis

7 Annual Ice Cream Festival
Games, activities, contests, live entertainment and ICE CREAM! Kids 8 and under free
Fiesta Gardens, Austin

7 @ 6 pm Blues on the Green
Free summertime concerts. Bring a blanket and the family for some live music.
Zilker Park Rock Island, Austin

21-25 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents DragonsSM
Frank Erwin Center, Austin

23 - 25 Home & Garden Show
The latest in products and services for the home.
Austin Convention Center

24 @ 5 pm - midnight Batfest
2 million Mexican Free Tail Bats emerging from under the bridge at dusk,live music, arts & crafts vendors, food, drinks, children’s activities, costume contest, and bat activities.
Congress Ave Bridge, Austin

25 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival
Capital area food bank donation & raffle, hot sauce competition, bands, cooking demonstrations, hot sauce makers and more.
Fiesta Gardens, Austin

25 @ 4 - 9 pm Austin Italian Festival
Art, crafts, portraits, jewelry, Italian food, pizza, gelato, espresso, wine, live music and more.
Laguna Gloria, Austin

8/27 - 9/2 Out of Bounds Comedy Festival
A seven-day live performance festival.
DT, 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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Austin is a Boomtown

Boomtowns in the United States. Three of them are in Texas!

When we first came to Austin from Houston 26 years ago, Austin was a small town to me but I new it had potential and it would grow. It did. I meet many people who don't like the growth and prefer to live in a small town but I like the excitement of a large city.

Austin has so much to offer. Diversity, culture, the arts, sports, outdoor activities, lakes and was recently awarded 2nd hippest city.

Within the last tallied year Austin has grown by 25,395 residents! The unemployment rate is low and housing is strong. If you want to move here, I want to help. Call me for more information about relocating to Austin - 512.589.7988.

From July 1, 2011 - July 2, 2012
New York +67,058
Houston +34,625
Los Angeles +34,483
San Antonio +25,400
Austin +25,395

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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Does Your Education Level Correlate to Home Ownership

Interestingly, they don't vary significantly. People still want to own their own home regardless of education level.
52% Less than a high school graduate
65% High school graduate or GRE
65% Some college including an associates degree
75% Bachelor's degree or higher
Source: REALTOR magazine

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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Keeping Good Records

Oh my, isn't there a lot of communication and documents related to a real estate transaction! At one time, I just kept the basics: listing/buyer's rep agreement, contract, amendment and settlement statement. Now I keep everything in every format I can and that has paid off.

Every email is saved in a folder with the clients name and closing date, every document is saved to my hard drive with the clients name and closing date plus printed and organized in a folder referencing the transaction. That way, if something has been overlooked in one filing system, it can be found in another. You know that no matter how diligent you are, something is bound to get lost, misplaced or overlooked.

Yesterday, a client with whom I recently closed a transaction emailed me that they found a roof leak and they specifically remember asking that the rotted wood around the chimney be repaired but couldn't find the receipt showing it had been and could I provide that to them. That put me in a panic because I have been so busy I thought I had neglected to follow up and get a copy of the receipt before closing and perhaps the repair had never been made.

After scanning a folder of 145 emailed conversations and looking through the folder of saved documents on my hard drive, I found the email the buyer had sent me requesting a seller contribution toward closing costs with an itemized list that included the roof repair and the pdf of the amendment showing the agreed upon amount. Phew!

The buyer's response was "Thank you!  That helps a lot."

It was a relief to confirm I had been doing my job well and that I could assuage the buyers concerns that there had been a flaw in the transaction.

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
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Buying or selling? Hire an experienced professional. Call Robin Scott, Broker at 512.589.7988.

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Congratulations first-time homebuyer Matthew!

First-time homebuyer Matthew bought this great home in south Austin with a screened in balcony and pool. Have a great summer Matthew!

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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11th Largest City in U.S. - Austin

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a report that named Austin as the 11th largest city in the U.S. Over 25,000 people moved to Austin in the year between July 2011 and July 2012.

The Austin area's steady growth population has created a low supply and high demand of housing which is creating a "HOT" market.

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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July 2013 Market Stistics for Austin Area

The report is in for the May 2013 Statistics.

Active listings at 5,735 - DOWN 24% from the same time last year creating a "HOT" market based on supply and demand.

Sold listings at 2,991 - UP 29% from the same time last year creating a highly active market.

Median sales price at $231,500 - UP 8% a reflection of the low number of listings and high number of sales.

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 Aquarium

In November, the owners of aquariums in Boise, Idaho and Portland, Oregon are opening an aquarium in Austin! If you are familiar with the old Lacks Furniture store on US 183 near Anderson Mill, that's where you will find it. Specifically 13530 Research Blvd. There will be 22,00 sq. ft. of space with 35 exhibits plus an area where you can feed and pet some of the animals. See you there!

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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Recent Client Rating is a 10!

When a third party vendor surveyed my buyers for a recent closing in Davis Spring, Austin, the following was their response:

Rating: 10

Comments:

"Robin is very knowledgeable about the real estate market. She listened to our needs and kept them in mind. She was always available to us."- Lopez

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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