Listing A House | Support Local Austin

Archive for listing a house – Page 2

5517 Agatha Circle in The Statesman

January 17th, 2011

My listing at 5517 Agatha Circle has been spotlighted in the Austin Statesman. Here is a link to the article. This stunning home is a head turner due to its modern 3-story design. The home fits right into it’s community of modern homes, which is called Agave. Agave was originally referred to as 969, which is what Martin Luther King Boulevard transitions into as you head further east.

Over 12 architects contribute to the modern floorplans, colors and details of this community. Keven Stewart was the architect who designed 5517 Agatha Circle. The first floor includes 2 bedrooms, and one full bath with polished concrete floors. Make you way up the bamboo wood staircase to find a living area, eat-in kitchen and utility room with plenty of extra storage space. The floor also feature a half bath and outdoor deck. The third level of the house includes a master bedroom, master bath and flex room. There is also a large deck off of the master bedroom.

5517 Agatha Circle is ideal for someone really looking to make a statement. It is finished with green details like silestone counters, a tankless water heater, low V.O.C paint and Energy Star rated appliances.

Listing # 6640723

The Agave Community is nestled within a hillside in east Austin. It is about 3 minutes to 183, 6.5 miles from the University of Texas and less than 10 miles to downtown Austin.

Categories Buying a home
Comments (1)

Call First: Go!

by Doreen Zelma

December 29th, 2010

When going on a listing appointment, one of the things I discuss with my Sellers are showing instructions. Showing instructions are entered into the listing database, so that agents understand what they need to do to gain access to a house. Instructions can include anything from the need to make an appointment with the listing agent, to simply showing up.

Most Sellers think that Buyers plan ahead to see homes, so they always think they are going to have time to prepare for a showing. More often then not, that is simply not true. Buyers do plan ahead to buy a home. They talk to me about where they want to live and what they are looking for in a home. Buyers often make an appointment with me in advance to view homes, but often don’t know what they want to see until the last minute. Everyone always wants to see what new inventory might come up, so some homes are scheduled ahead of time, but others are often chosen at the last minute, which may alter the overall itinerary and change appointment times.

Convenience is Key

Understand, Buyers’ schedules are often not as flexible as you might think. I often have clients that will have a babysitter watch the children, so they can view some homes with me for a few hours. Other times, buyers are only in town for a day or two and need to see as many homes as possible in a small window of time.

Sellers can’t sell what Buyers can’t see, so flexibility is key to getting a house sold. The easier it is to show, the more Buyers will have the opportunity to see the home. When I am on a listing appointment, we talk about how to we are going to manage the dogs, and how the morning routine might change. Beds need to be made, sinks need to be cleaned and laundry needs to be put away. This way, if a call comes in as the day progresses, no one panics. With Buyers you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The happy medium that seems to work best with my clients is Call First, then Go as a showing instruction. It gives my clients a head up that someone is coming, but offers the flexibility agents often need to show it.

Categories Selling a home
Comments (3)

What’s your home’s walking score?

by Doreen Zelma

April 11th, 2010

When I’m working with Buyers, I always want to know about where they work and how they live, because the house they ultimately decide to purchase has to fit in with their lifestyle. People don’t often consider how walkable a neighborhood is when they find a house they love. More often than not, we then to take a step back and figure out if Johnny can walk to school, or how close we are to the running trail.

When I refer to a house being walkable, I am talking about proximity, not necessarily walking distance. Not everyone in Austin has a commute. Many of my clients work from home, so even the nearest place to get milk, can be a consideration. Those who work from home have no commuting flight path. Everyone has something they want to be convenient to. For me – it’s a movie theater.

Walking scores do actually exist. Overall, Austin has a walking score of 49, with 100 being the best. It is rated the 29th most walkable city in the country. Looking to find out how walkable your house is? Go to http://www.walkscore.com/

I support local Austin, after all, I think it’s only neighborly.

Categories Buying a home, Selling a home
Comments (0)

Spring into Listing, the Selling Season has Begun

by Doreen Zelma

February 22nd, 2010

I’ve been flooded with questions lately by both Buyers and Sellers, and I love questions, because it means you are thinking. I would like to take a minute to share what some of my clients have been thinking about, since you might have the same questions racing through your head as well.

For Sellers, the questions I am getting are more like, “do I put on a deck?”, “do I power wash the house?”, “do I install a new kitchen?”. My universal response to most of these questions is, don’t. Don’t do anything you would not have done, if you weren’t moving. The reason is more about the cost of time, because time can cost more than you will ever get back. We are entering the selling season.

A deck is not going to necessarily bring you more money. If the deck takes twice as long as it was intended, you have not only spent money on something that wasn’t necessary, but you have missed the Spring buying season as well.

Power washing your home, could result in your house needing a new paint job. Do you have time for that? Do you have the money? Using a garden hose, might easily do the trick, without creating a problem you didn’t have.

Installing a new kitchen? Out of all the questions I have received this week, this is the one that would add the most value to your home, and will bring you the most return on the cost, but kitchens take time. If the kitchen costs $25,000, and isn’t going to be done for 9 weeks, we have lost the Spring buying season. That $25,000 remodel, may only net you $15,000 in the fall. When interest rates go up, house prices generally go down because people have less buying power.

The #1 thing I want people to do when I list a house is clean. When Buyers see a 1970′s kitchen that is spotless, they comment on how clean it is. It’s a blank canvas that can updated someday and is considered usable the way it is. When the same Buyers see a modern kitchen, that is dirty, it is a turn off. It’s funny how the brain works, it doesn’t say “I can clean this”, like you would think; instead it says “I could never cook in here”. If you don’t like to clean, hire someone. It’s money well spent and I guarantee you will get 100% return on your cost, instead of a remodel that will cost you to miss the Spring season. Do those remodeling projects in the fall, six months before you are planning to sell.

Categories Selling a home
Comments (1)

« Previous Page