THE CAPITAL METRO RED LINE RAIL

2014 Update: I rode the RedLine from the Howard Station to downtown. It was easy and fun. I highly recommend it as a transportation option.

Service is planned to begin on the Capital MetroRail Red Line on Monday, March 30, 2009. The sleek trains, designed for commuter convenience will be equipped with high-back seats, bicycle and overhead racks,Wi-Fi connections and some will feature tray tables. Initially the service will be during morning and afternoon peak hours with regular and shuttle buses available to carry you to your final destination.

The Red Line will run between Leander and Downtown Austin on 32-miles of existing freight tracks. Future connections are being studied .

The downtown station is complete and The MLK, Jr. Bus Transfer Plaza is expected to be completed in January.

The 9 stations stops are 1. Downtown located on 4th between Neches and Trinity, 2. Plaza Saltillo located on 5th and Comal, 3. MLK, Jr. located at MLK, Jr. and Alexander, 4. Highland located on Airport Blvd., 5. Crestview located west of Lamar between Justin and St. John's, 6. Kramer located near Kramer Lane east of Burnet, 7. Howard located on Howard Lane at Mopac, 8. Lakeline located on Lakeline Blvd. at Lyndhurst and 9. Leander located on Hwy 183 north of FM 2243.

And, I want to be your REALTOR®! If there is any information you would like regarding relocating to the Austin area, let me know. You can contact me at robin@robinscottrealtor.com, 512.589.7988 or just comment on this blog entry.

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 - from November

Quick and easy to understand market statistics for the Greater Austin area.

Statistics from NOVEMBER 2008 Compared to NOVEMBER 2007

Homes Sold 990 - down 40%

Median Sales Price $180,000 - down 3%

Active Listings 9,243 - down 11.5%

source: Austin Board of Realtors

Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.

Pending Sales Statistics in Austin

An interesting article in the Austin American Statesman this past Sunday shows research from austinhomesearch.com about what price range is selling in Austin based on pending sales January 5-11.

How many homes have pending contracts:

$1 million and up 11

$900k-$999,999 3

$800k-899,999 5

$700k-799,999 6

$600k-$699,999 16

$500k-599,999 16

$400k-$499,999 40

$300k-399,999 84

$200k-299,999 184

$100k-199,999 386

$0-$99,999 58

The most interesting thing is that people we assuming that the mortgage crisis was going to make it more difficult for lower income buyers to buy but this doesn't seem to be the case since the highest activity is between $100k-200k.

Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyers Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.

New Construction and Buyer Incentives

According to a customer satisfaction study of homebuilder conducted by J.D.Power and Associates, 92% of new home buyers say they received a sales incentive for making their new home purchase. The incentives includes reduced pricing and credit towards upgrades or closing costs averaging $16,500.

Although 75% of the buyers say the builder did not identify their home as a "green home," 28% believed their home to be environmentally friendly. The features in the home that buyers felt were environmentally beneficial were energy-efficient air and heating, energy-saving appliances, lighting and windows.

If you are considering purchasing new construction and taking advantage of the benifits of buyer incentives and energy-efficient features be sure you have a REALTOR working for you to negotiate those advantages. Remember, the friendly salesperson in the model home represents the seller, not you. I've found new home salesman work well with buyer agents because they know that agents bring them a large percentage of their business.

If you are looking for a home in the greater Austin area, I want to be your REALTOR and negotiate the same great purchases for you as I have for my other buyer clients.

And, I want to be your REALTOR®! If there is any information you would like regarding relocating to the Austin area, let me know. You can contact me at robin@robinscottrealtor.com, 512.589.7988 or just comment on this blog entry.

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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Price Change on 1204 W.43rd. St.

MLS#2450879. Great opportunity to live in Central Austin for under $400K. New price of $379,000. This is NEW CONSTRUCTION with all the bells and whistles. Search my blog for more specifics or visit my Web site at http://www.robinscottrealtor.com for details and a virtual tour.

1204 43rd St. Austin for Sale

Location, location, location. This is a great opportunity to live in one of the hottest & coolest areas is Austin in a new home - no rehabbing for you. Just move in and enjoy being walking distance to Central Market, 10 minutes to the medical center and 15 minutes to downtown Austin, Zilker Park and all the special events that take place. This is a new 3-story home with tons of upgrades: handscraped wood floors in living area, tile in baths, Silestone countertops throughout, stainless appliances, custom doors, crown molding, 6" baseboards, designer colors and fixtures, sprinkler system and more in a 1512 sq.ft. house with 2 master bedrooms - one on each floor. $399,000.

Visit http://www.robinscottrealtor.com for a virtual tour.

Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.

Another Successful Closing

As closings are coming less frequently, I felt it was important to celebrate another successful one. I've been chronically my experiences with this particular buyer because it has been so great. New construction, no hitches and a new friend to boot. There are many satisfying reasons to be a REALTOR and it's not always about the money. I like meeting new people and making new friends. It's great when everything works out well too.

Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist. 512.589.7988.

Milwood Subdivision Information

Writing about the Milwood area is of special interest to me because I have lived in Milwood since 1990. I've seen it grow and develop into a wonderful place to live with trees, parks, amenities and friendly neighbors. The Milwood neighborhood was developed by Bill Milburn and stretches a long distance along North Parmer Lane. It is divided east/west by McNeil Rd which also divides it into two different zip codes (78727 and 78729) with some of the area in the City of Austin and some of the area in a municipal utility district (MUD) plus some of it is in Travis county and some in Williamson.
The area south of McNeil in 78727 has a neighborhood association with a wonderful Web site and the MUD also has a site for additional and updated information about the areas.

And, I want to be your REALTOR®! If there is any information you would like regarding relocating to the Austin area, let me know. You can contact me at robin@robinscottrealtor.com, 512.589.7988 or just comment on this blog entry.

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!

AUSTIN AREA MARKET STATISTICS - from October

Statistics from OCTOBER 2008 Compared to OCTOBER 2007

Homes Sold 1,331 - down 25%

Median Sales Price $192,520 - UP 7%

Active Listings 9,944 - up 5%

Average Days on Market 75 - up 7%

source: Austin Board of Realtors

Robin Scott, Broker. Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited buyer's Representative, Seller's Representative Specialist.