Kentucky Real Estate Business

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Texas is a very big state, nearly 900 miles from east to west, with dramatic diverse landscapes and over 500 cities to explore. This remarkable state is organized into seven regions, each with its own Texan personality. Texas real estate comprises of Texas homesites, farm and ranch properties, riverfront properties on the Colorado River, fine custom homes and commercial properties in different counties inside Texas.

People who are involved in active buying and selling of real estate properties to earn commission are realtors or real estate agents. There are many real estate agents working inside Texas to help people in buying, selling or relocating a home.

A good agent will first listen to your needs, desires, and will help you find a dream home. Customer satisfaction will be their first priority. They will also help the customer to sell their home for top dollar and in a timely manner. Again, if someone is moving to Texas, the agent will assist him/her in collecting the information; they need and make their transition as smooth as possible.

Role of a real estate agent in Texas;

1. Help you find the right community

2. Negotiate on your behalf

3. Schedule inspections, closings, and document review

4. Ensure all deadlines are met

5. Provide consultation services during transaction

Unless specifically contracted, all real estate agents in Texas are seller’s representatives, since the seller pays the commission and the selling agent is acting on behalf of the listing broker. Many present themselves as buyer’s agent, but there is no legal relationship unless a specific contract is signed between buyer and the real estate agent. There are many licensed real estate agents in Texas. If you want to purchase a home and wish to use an agent, then you can hire an agent to represent your interests. That makes him a buyer’s agent.

In Texas, second home sales have been increasing over the last few years with more people becoming second homeowners. Over 40 percent of homes sold were second homes. Healthy rise in home prices have contributed to this development in the second home market. With the help of real estate agent, who have a proper knowledge of these kinds of properties, you can relax a bit. Whether you are a buyer or a seller, the professional real estate agent you select, always plays an important role. Therefore, a real estate agent is one of the most useful resources for a real estate investor.

 

Zip code 78749 in Southwest Austin is one of the few places in the United States where the real estate market is robust and booming. Recently ranked second in a Business Week magazine study on the fastest selling US zip codes, homes in this high-end neighborhood were second to only Sunnyvale, California.

Austin real estate brokers are positive about the implications such market behavior will have on Austin, TX real estate, especially for sellers. Interviewed by Business Week magazine Jay Carter, a veteran realtor with Living in Austin says, “This truly is one area of the Austin Real Estate market where sellers are still in control.”

Real estate in Texas has definitely been looking up as zip codes like Houston, Plano and economically forward areas like Portland and Oregon have been drawing homebuyers and sellers in numbers. Nonetheless, Austin real estate agents have revealed that the 78749 zip code is as exclusive as it can get in terms of prime real estate in Texas.

Where prices are concerned, the superior condition of the homes in such an elegant neighborhood commands enormous potential for profit for the seller. The high standard of the homes in this locality speak for themselves and realtors like Jay Carter cannot be any happier.

Similarly, for a buyer interested in prime Real Estate in Austin, Jay thinks the location is ideal. A recognized realtor in the Austin real estate business, Jay explains, “It’s a high-end neighborhood surrounded by scenic hills, but it’s just a 5- or 10-minute drive to downtown.” The price you pay for real estate in Austin is the price you pay for exclusivity, convenience and aesthetically pleasing environs. Unlike other Austin, Texas real estate brokers, Jay Carter, realtor and co-owner of Living in Austin walks the talk. His views are featured regularly in magazines like the Personal Real Estate Investor and Business Week.



The Living in Austin team has established a name for themselves as one of the best firms to approach for real estate in Texas. Jay Carter is an established authority on the Austin, Texas real estate market and along with his extremely resourceful team works towards educating and enriching the Austin community and culture about smart real estate choices.



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If you wish to know more about buying and selling homes in Austin, Texas, you can visit the Living in Austin website www.livinginaustin.com or call Michelle Kim Carter at 512-997-7653.

 

Steiner Ranch, in MLS area RN, or zip code 78732, was named “Best Master-Planned Community” in the greater Austin area from the Austin Business Journal in 2004. And for good reason. This mega-community, bordered by RR 620 to the north, Lake Austin to the West and South, and neighboring River Place to the east encompasses a nature preserve-like atmosphere to complement its stellar location of rolling hills and the winding placidity of Lake Austin, which, moderated by the LCRA, retains a constant depth year round. 

With 819 acres set aside for preservation and 12 miles of trails, Steiner prides itself in fusing well with its environment. The 27,000-acre Balcones Canyonland Conservation Preserve surrounds the development, offering many homes and sites the backyard of a consistent greenbelt. The general area hosts 10 golf courses, eight boat launches, 19 marinas and 15 public parks. Water enthusiasts are within 5 minutes of either Fritz Hughes, Selma Hughes or Mary Quinlan Parks, all providing public access to Lake Austin.

Within Steiner, homeowners are required to respect the design standards and upkeep of the community by paying two installments totaling $640 in HOA dues. These dues not only include trash and recycling service, but also employ a full-time activities director who helps organize events such as summer camps and wine tastings. Gated areas within Steiner Ranch have additional fees to cover the gates and private street maintenance.

The University of Texas’ own Golf Club, a 71 – 7,225 yard championship course, sprawls over 275 acres in the middle of the neighborhood. Wincing and regrouping from a fire that downed the clubhouse at the beginning of 2008, the home course for the University’s Men’s and Women’s varsity golf programs offers very limited membership opportunity for local golfers.Lake Austin Spa, the only destination health spa in the country with a waterfront location, is located at the southern tip of Steiner Ranch. Ranked #2 by Conde Nast Traveller as the best destination spa in North America, the spa has recently renovated its rooms with an eye on the top spot. Housing an intimate 40-room resort with a new 25,000 sq foot spa facility, their laid back approach on 19 acres continues to live up to its reputation.

Not surprisingly, schools get good marks at Steiner Ranch. Served by the Leander Independent School District, students attend Recognized Steiner Ranch Elementary, and both Exemplary Laura Welch Bush Elementary and Canyon Ridge Middle Schools, all located within the community. Nearby Cedar Park High is the destination for 9th-12th grade students.

With so much to offer, Steiner Ranch still manages to offer homes for many different types of buyers. Starting in the low $200’s (and heading well over $1 million), homeowners enjoy larger homes ranging from 2,000-7,000 sq feet. 

The Deer Park at Maple Run subdivision is one of the many southwestern Austin neighborhoods comprising what is more commonly called Oak Hill.  A more recent addition to this area, Deer Park developed rather quickly from the mid to late 1990s, where nearly 150 homes popped up in just a few short years.

Deer Park’s boundaries are generally Mopac to the west, Brodie Lane to the east, Alexandria Lane to the immediate north and the Sendera subdivision to the immediate south.  Boundaries in this part of Austin though can be confusing, as it is not uncommon for neighborhoods to share streets and flow into one another.  Turn off of one street heading south or west and you may suddenly be in Sendera; go too far down Alexandria or Copano and you’re in the older Maple Run neighborhood.  Development in this part of town was fast and furious in recent years, and those abrupt transitions from one neighborhood to another are a sign of that.

Like the rest of Oak Hill, Deer Park sits at the tip of a visually beautiful but also environmentally sensitive area that is critical to the region:  the Edwards Aquifer, a massive underground layer of porous, water bearing rock 180 miles long that serves as the major groundwater system for central Texas. Much closer to home, you will find to the east of the subdivision the 18 acre Karst Preserve, a network of cave structures, rock formations and a sinkhole.  The City of Austin and the Texas Cave Management Association jointly oversee the preserve, protecting the caves and the species that inhabit them.

Children here will attend Cowan Elementary School, Covington Middle School, and Bowie High School.

Homes here are indicative of the style of 1990s construction that can be found throughout newer Austin neighborhoods:  a mix of one and two story structures spaced closely together, with brick or stone exteriors, vaulted ceilings and two car garages.  There are typically modest front and back yards with privacy fencing in the rear of the home. Because this is still a fairly young neighborhood, homes here are generally in excellent condition.  You can find homes here in a variety of sizes, on the small end at about 1,600 square feet to the 2,500 range, and in a few cases as much as 3,000 or 4,000.

Like the other neighborhoods in this immediate area, Deer Park at Maple Run makes a good first impression, due to the fact that properties are as a general rule immaculate and very well-maintained.  This owes in large part to an active homeowners association which has a strong presence here. The rules are clear, and strictly enforced:  keep your yard trimmed and free of weeds and clippings; no boats, campers, trailers or commercial vehicles parked in driveways or on the street; trash cans out of site after garbage pick-up; prior written approval before any exterior changes to your home or yard.

Deer Park’s homeowners association has what is called an “architectural control committee” which was involved in some headline-generating controversy in the late 1990s, when the subdivision was still developing.  When homebuilder Kaufman & Broad arrived here and bought up several dozen lots on which to build new homes, residents were angered and the committee was alerted to a possible problem.  Many were convinced that K&B had strong-armed its way into the area to build low-quality, ugly, shoddy prefabricated homes that would destroy the aesthetics and standards of Deer Park and drive down overall home values.  This was unacceptable to neighbors, many of whom had purchased new homes just a couple of years earlier and were worried that their new home investments would now be for nothing.

News stories of the day chronicled the intensive efforts of residents, including picket lines, yard signs and even the use of an FM radio frequency to advise buyers against doing business with K&B.  Accusations flew back and forth and it even came to dueling lawsuits between the homebuilder and residents.  By 2005 the lawsuits were settled out of court, and K&B even agreed to fund certain improvements to common areas of the neighborhood. It would appear that no long-term harm came to the subdivision, its neighbors, or property values.

Deer Park’s activism also included efforts in 2003 to turn back a move by Wal Mart to build a 200,000 square foot Supercenter at Slaughter Lane and Mopac. Much like the K&B controversy, many residents feared that increased traffic congestion and urban sprawl would negatively impact their property values.  Along with other neighborhood groups as part of the larger Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods, Deer Park successfully defeated the plan and celebrated when it was learned that not only would the development never happen, but a large tract of the land was deeded to the city of Austin for use instead as permanent parkland.  Deer Park residents have been vigilant to make sure that no “big box” retail or other development would come here that might upset the quality of life.

It looks as if Deer Park at Maple Run has survived these early turbulent battles and has emerged as a maturing and pleasant neighborhood in which to live.

Sendera is one of the neighborhoods you will find among the cluster of multiple adjoining southwest Austin subdivisions better known collectively as Oak Hill.  This is a more recent addition to the immediate area, with construction on homes here having started in the mid 1990s and finishing around 2003.   

Its boundaries are Davis Lane to the north, Mopac to the west, Slaughter Lane to the south (although there are homes on both sides of Slaughter) and to the east it sits adjacent to the older Deer Park at Maple Run neighborhood.  Yet as you drive the area keeping track of boundary lines could be tricky business: you may find yourself abruptly outside of the official Sendera boundaries and inside the Deer Park section.  Due to the way in which this area developed, it is not uncommon to turn off of one street and suddenly find yourself in another subdivision.  Don’t let this concern you, since the neighborhoods flow together nicely and are fairly uniform in their look and feel.

Like other neighborhoods here, you can expect Sendera to make a pleasant first impression:  it is clean, quiet and nicely landscaped; yards are neatly trimmed and exteriors and public areas well-maintained.  Some streets dead-end to cul-de-sacs and most streets are set back from busy Mopac and Slaughter Lane, giving an interior, insulated feel.

Sendera is just minutes away from downtown Austin, due to its close proximity to northbound Mopac.  It’s also a short drive from the famed Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center and the beginning of the Hill Country, and minutes from the Escarpment Village Shopping Center, opened in 2006.  That’s where HEB located a new supermarket to serve residents of all the local neighborhoods.  The center also includes several popular restaurants.

You’ll also now find some other options much closer, almost at your doorstep. As you immediately exit the subdivision toward Slaughter Lane, you will encounter a grouping of retail sites, including a Walgreen’s pharmacy, Wendy’s, Starbucks and other “fast casual” restaurants.  Slaughter Lane on this side of the neighborhood is noticeably busy, with a fairly heavy and constant flow of traffic.

Sendera is dominated by owner-occupied single family homes, although it includes the Camden Stoneleigh apartments on Sendera Mesa. The complex is fairly large with multiple buildings, but because it sits on several acres, has a gated perimeter and is positioned far from the street, it blends with its surroundings in a way as to be almost unnoticeable.

Otherwise, Sendera is a mix of one and two story dwellings, ranging in size from 1,500 square feet to 2,800.  Construction is what has come to be expected in more recently built Austin neighborhoods – brick or stone exteriors, two car garages, vaulted ceilings and modest front and back yard space, with privacy fencing separating the properties.

Sendera has its own outdoor pool facility at Sendera Mesa and Lanna Bluff, not far from the apartments.  It is a generously sized pool with up to six lanes for swimming.  The facility itself is immaculate, monitored by security cameras and surrounded by a handsomely landscaped lot with swings and a playscape for kids. In addition to the pool, a recreation committee oversees events like the annual fun run, a garage sale and a Memorial Day barbeque cook-off.  There is a playgroup for parents and small children that meets weekly at the pool.

Sendera, like the other neighborhoods in Oak Hill, is governed by an active homeowners association.  In addition to enforcing strict deed restrictions on building, property maintenance and noise, the association is also alert to crime and nuisances.  Recent discussion here concerns efforts to discourage solicitors from canvassing the neighborhood, as well as the revamping of a neighborhood watch program. 

The Sendera Homeowners Association is part of the larger Oak Hill Association of Neighborhoods, a politically active group of residents from surrounding subdivisions who have the ear of local developers, city council members and other local community leaders.  Like other Oak Hill neighborhoods, Sendera has been right in the middle of recent battles over growth, development and the environment.  In 2003 residents had a major role in helping defeat Wal Mart’s plans to build a massive Supercenter at Mopac and Slaughter, at the edge of the subdivision.  Sendera expects to remain involved in these kinds of issues, as the Austin City Council in 2005 mandated a long-range strategy for the future development of this and the rest of Oak Hill.

Neighbors have found natural allies in partnering with local environmental groups as they fight to protect the environmentally sensitive Edwards Aquifer, the massive underground porous rock formation that serves as the major groundwater supply for central Texas.  It begins here and stretches some 180 miles through several counties.  While environmentalists lobby to limit any industrial or retail development that might negatively impact the water quality, residents keep track of anything they feel might drastically increase traffic congestion and urban sprawl, ultimately driving down property values and upsetting the quality of life here.

Children here will attend Cowan Elementary School, which has been given a very good “Recognized” rating by the Texas Education Association.  Covington Middle School is rated “Academically Acceptable”, as is Bowie High School.

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“A number of new projects in the state of Texas are worthy of note. In Bee Cave, a new project promises Tuscany-style homes with lots of green space. The project, undertaken by Tennessee-based Southern Land Co. will be a $160 million residential development near SH 71 and RM 620. The project, Cielo, will feature a number of residential options, including town homes, condos, and one and two bedroom homes. In addition, buyers will also be able to choose from 400 luxury flats. The designers hope to offer buyers unprecedented levels of choice. The homes alone have more than 20 floor plans. The homes will start in the high $300,000 and building is expected to be completed in 2013. At that time, homeowners will be able to enjoy the more than 28 acres of preserved green space on the 78-acre development and will have easy access to the nearby Balcones Canyonlands Preserve as well.

In Austin, the Avalon Palms apartment complex has been purchased by Los-Angeles-based Palms of Avalon Apartments Texas LLC. The 352-unit apartment complex situated just off US 183 in North Central Austin was constructed in the early 1970s and boasts 13 acres at 9001 and 9003 Northgate Blvd. According to Travis County tax records, the complex has a value of $10 million. In the sale, the buyer was represented by Los-Angeles-based Greg Salyers. The seller was represented by Hendricks & Partners.

Another new project in Austin promises to make a school more effective for children. About $110 million is being offered in state funds to The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI). The money is earmarked for renovations. The 150-year-old campus will be modernized so that it is more child-friendly, according to TSBVI staff. TSBVI is considered one of the top schools in the nation for the visually impaired. Now, the campus will be top-flight as well, with renovations scheduled for the next four to eight years. Landscaping and security will be updated and some buildings will be demolished to make room for new construction. A new student activity center, a vocational building, eight dormitories, a new physical education and therapy building, an indoor pool, track-and-field facilities, and independent apartments will be added to the campus. New student housing will be designed by Dallas firm Halff Associates, a company that has offices in Austin. Staff and students at TSBVI are excited about the proposed renovations, which promise to make learning far more enjoyable in the future.”