Beautiful 4-bedroom, 2-bath, approx. 1,841 SF home sitting on extra large lots (33 &34). No carpets stained concrete floors throughout, open floor plan with kitchen that opens to the living room with granite counter top island. Backyard has covered patio with propane fire pit for family and friend gatherings. Call or text or call agent to schedule showings. | |
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Austin Condo For Sale
Do you want to own a downtown Austin Condo?
Have you ever considered downtown condo living in the music capital of the world? Well now is your opportunity to own this absolutely stunning penthouse condo located on the 13th floor of the Milago in the heart of Austin with a partial Lady Bird Lake view.
This awesome 2-bedroom, 2-bath 1164 SF (+/-) condo comes with two reserved parking spaces (213 & 214). This condo is located in the Rainy St. District with lots of entertainment, food and music with access to Town Lake Hike and Bike trail. Not suitable for short term rental, 12-month minimum with HOA rental requirements.
If you want to take a preview of this condo or any other Austin condo please give me a call, I would love to earn your business.
903 West Village Ln Austin, TX
You wont find a 1,246 SF (+/-) 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath condo in Austin at a better price. This condo comes with a one car garage, 1-reserved parking spot, private back patio, community pool, hot tub, tennis courts, dog park and huge oak trees providing an abundance of shade throughout the community. Perfect for home owner or investor. Owner is a real estate agent. Request showing through CCS.
118 Saddle Court Bastrop, TX
If you are a horse enthusiast, animal lover or just prefer country living with plenty green space between you and the neighbors this will be the perfect home for you and the family. This very large 2,761 SF +/- SF, 5-bedroom 3-bath home is located on approx 6.2 acres, fully fenced and comes with a large horse barn and tack room and an in-ground swimming pool. The concrete slab from the old home will make the perfect garage or covered pavilion.
101 Ways To Prepare Your Home For Sale
101 Ways To Prepare Your House For Sale
A great first impression is a key to selling your house or condo. Prospective buyers want to see your home in “showplace” condition. Most buyers select their home based on emotion and then justify the decision with facts, so it’s important to make the house look great. Remember, you have just a few seconds to create a winning first impression. Here are 101 ways to prepare your house for sale to help boost your bottom line and sell your home quickly.
Start with the outside
The first impression people have of your home is what it looks like from the outside. Believe it or not, some buyers make a decision to keep on driving to the next property just by looking at the outside of the house. Here are some tips to make them want to come inside:
- Spruce up the lawn by cutting, trimming, weeding and removing all yard clutter. A great-looking lawn makes a great first impression.
- Weed and apply fresh mulch to flower beds – it gives a fresh and maintained look for a low cost.
- Trim your trees and bushes.
- Apply fresh paint to wooden fences.
- Power wash home’s exterior, driveway, walkway, patio and deck.
- Consider painting if the house needs it, or if the color is “dated” – a fresh coat of paint on the outside can make the house look completely updated.
- Ensure all gutters and downspouts are firmly attached and functioning.
- Paint the front door.
- Buy a new welcome mat.
- Place potted flowers near the front door.
- Plant some bright flowers in places that could use some brightening.
- Tighten and clean all door handles.
- Clean windows inside and out – make them sparkle.
- Make sure your house numbers are easy to see, and consider getting new ones if it would improve the look from the street.
Now let’s go inside
The way you live in a home and the way you sell a home are two different things. Once your home is on the market it’s in competition with other properties – it needs to always look like a model home. Even if you aren’t Mr. or Ms. Perfect, your home needs to look like you are. Here are tips on keeping the inside of your home looking its best.
The entryway sets the stage:
- Replace the entrance light bulbs to brighten up the entry, and make sure the light is on if people are coming at dusk or after dark.
- Make sure the doorbell works.
- Make sure the door is in perfect working order. No squeaking, jamming or sticking locks. Make it effortless to get in the house.
- Once inside, make sure the entryway is free of clutter: shoes, coats, umbrellas and anything that takes up space.
- If you have an entry table or shelves keep them clutter free.
- Make the front closet look spacious and uncluttered by removing any extra coats, shoes, hats, gloves, etc.
Tips for every room in the house:
- Go through your home room by room and pack up 30% of your stuff. You want it as clutter free as possible.
- Evaluate the furniture in each room and remove anything that interrupts “the flow” or makes the room appear smaller. Consider renting a storage unit to move items off-site.
- Clean or paint walls and ceilings. Use a neutral color. You don’t want buyers to remember your home as “the house with the purple bedroom.”
- If carpeting is in good condition and neutral in color, have it cleaned. If not, replace it. Off-white carpet is best; this makes the rooms look larger and cleaner.
- If replacing the carpet pad, select a very thick one then install just a modest grade of carpeting. The feel will be plush and expensive, but it’s not.
- Clean or refinish wood floors.
- Pack everything from all closets that you don’t need. You want to create the perception of roominess.
- Remove everything but a week’s worth of linens from the linen closet. Fold them neatly and color-coordinate them. I’m not kidding.
- Remove out-of-season clothes from clothes closets.
- During the day, have all your curtains and blinds open. If the day is cloudy, turn on all lights as well.
- Make sure blinds, shades and window coverings hang level.
- Brighter is better. Upgrade all your light bulbs to at least 100 watts to make your house appear bigger more inviting.
- Replace all burned out light bulbs.
- Clean all light fixtures and ceiling fans.
- Remove any family photos you have displayed. Too much of your personality in evidence does not allow for the potential buyer to “mentally” move in.
- Repair all plumbing leaks, including faucets and drain traps.
- Make minor repairs (torn screens, sticking doors, cracked caulking).
- Replace worn door knobs.
- Fix or replace discolored grout.
- Replace broken tiles.
- If you have pets, get rid of pet odors.
Make the most of your kitchen and dining room:
- Make your kitchen look more spacious by removing everything from the counter like the coffeemaker, toaster, flour container, etc.
- Your eat-in kitchen and dining room should have a table and chairs in it to showcase the rooms’ purpose.
- Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room look larger.
- Set the dinner table or counter bar to help buyers envision the room.
- Make sure the inside of your cabinets are organized and clean. Store non-essential items elsewhere to make the cabinets look more spacious.
- If your cabinets show wear and tear, you might want to paint them. A simple trick to update the look of your cabinet doors is to replace your current knobs with new ones.
- Make sure that your counter is spotless and shiny.
- Remove notes, pictures and coupons from the refrigerator door.
- Keep garbage and recycling bins out of sight.
- Keep the exotic spices and fish to a minimum when cooking the night before a showing. Work towards achieving a “clean” smell.
- Get rid of kitchen odors by pouring hot salt water down the drain twice a week. Also, grind some lemon rind in the disposal.
Help buyers see themselves in the living room:
- Take down personal photographs and family items that create the sense that this is your home. You don’t want the buyer wondering, “Who lives here?” You want the buyer to see themselves living there.
- If you have a favorite “old” chair that doesn’t go with the rest of the furniture, remove it. Big furniture can weigh down a space.
- Clean your fireplace.
- During “showings” turn on all lights and lamps.
- If your furniture shows the effect of raising kids or if pets have ruined the rugs and upholstery, think about storing or removing your existing furniture. Buy, borrow or rent what you need.
- Have your DVD collection, CDs and video games out of sight.
- Open the drapes and blinds. Nothing is more depressing than walking into a home where shades, curtains and drapes are closed.
- Remove all knick-knacks under 10 inches tall.
Make the bathrooms sparkle:
- Put the trash can under the vanity to clear floor space to make the bathroom appear as big as possible. Always empty bathroom trash cans before showings.
- A new shower curtain is a great investment – very little money for a big impact.
- Things like toilet cleaners, plungers, and hampers add clutter; put them away while you’re selling your house.
- Keep all reading material out of sight in the bathroom.
- Place personal items (such as hairdryers, makeup kits, and hairbrushes) in cupboards or drawers.
- Hang matching new towels; go for the best-looking towels you can. Like shower curtains, they add a nice impact.
- Remove everything from the countertop, except pretty soap sets, candles or fresh flowers.
- Check the faucets for leaks, drips or disrepair. Repair or buy new faucets if they are leaky or worn out.
- New silicone beading can do wonders for your shower, tub and sink area…especially if the caulking is stained or cracking.
- Shine your faucets and knobs and use cleaner to prevent water spots.
- Keep your shower and tub spotless. Buyers will often look behind the curtain. Keep shampoos and soaps to a minimum.
- Scrub tiles and bleach – or replace – the grout so it all sparkles.
- Replace or paint the vanity if it shows excessive wear and tear. Replacing knobs can give an updated look to an older vanity.
Make the bedrooms look big:
- Remember that buyers love to snoop and are likely to look in your closets. Make sure the closets are as spacious looking as they can be. Remove all the clothes, shoes, and items that you won’t be using right away.
- Candles and fresh flowers are excellent accessories on bedroom furniture.
- New bedspreads or quilts make a bedroom look inviting.
- Make your bed look pretty and make sure the bedspread or quilt fits the bed properly and hangs low enough to cover the view under the bed. Buyers won’t look under the bed, so you can store other non-essential items there.
- Put away the stacks of reading material on night stands and leave room for one good book.
- In kids’ rooms, posters, photos, drawings and awards are all personal items that should be taken down for showing the house. You want the buyers to imagine the rooms as their own.
- Put away all items that are hanging off the backs of doors. Cluttered and clanking doors often make the room feel smaller – especially if they don’t allow the door to open all the way.
- Hang your clothes by category: all blouses together, all shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
- In kids’ bedrooms, be sure to put the toys in boxes or bins, and slide them under the bed.
- Items that you don’t need should be taken out of the closet to make them more spacious. If you need to, get a storage space for them.
- Coordinate your clothing in your closets and line shoes up neatly so it looks as organized as possible.
Create a clutter-free home office:
- Store all the files and paperwork you don’t need for everyday function.
- Remove big, bulky filing cabinets that take up a lot of space and store them somewhere else to make the office look bigger.
- Clean everything off the desk surface, leaving only your computer and desk lamp. A neat desktop makes the work space look more functional.
- Store all personal and confidential or client information out of sight. Set up a password protected screensaver on your desktop.
- Weed out the postings on bulletin boards or wall organizers. A few things are okay to make the office look organized and functional, but an overcrowded bulletin board looks crowded.
- If your office is a part of another room, make sure it doesn’t overpower the main function of the room. If it’s in the dining room, consider setting up temporary space elsewhere.
Make the most of the basement/laundry spaces:
- Tidy up and organize your basement. Discard, donate or recycle items you can give away.
- If you have unfinished concrete floors, paint the concrete to give it a cleaner look.
- Be sure to clean and polish the washer and dryer to give them a bright and shiny look.
- Put all detergents, laundry items and irons out of sight. Remove any residue that may have accumulated in the laundry sink.
- A bright throw rug in front of the washer and dryer will often help cheer up unfinished laundry rooms.
Finally, tackle the garage
The garage is usually the catch-all area where everything goes that has no other place to go, so it’s usually a mess. If your garage isn’t neat, no buyer would surmise that you take good care of the whole house. You’re going to say I’m going to extremes but believe me, this works every time.
- Empty everything out of the garage. Hose down the floor, and if there are stains remaining, paint it porch gray.
- Paint the garage walls off-white using a flat latex paint.
- After the paint is dry – put everything back in the garage piece by piece and throw out what you won’t be taking with you. Then organize what’s left.
- If you have a storage shed, organize it the same way and if it needs a coat of paint or stain, do it.
- Use an open bag of charcoal to absorb moisture in the storage shed.
- If you have too much “stuff,” rent a storage unit and store it there.
Want to know more about getting ready to sell your home? Give me a call.
David L. Board, Realtor
512-629-6107
Summertime 2014 in Austin Should Be Prime Open House Season
Short & Sweet—Austin and Bastrop Open House Checklist
Estimates so far indicate that summertime 2014 is likely to be a better than usual season for Austin home sales. The past winter threw a wet blanket over all kinds of business activity, creating a perfect scenario for a sales bounce back—and that’s exactly what is beginning to show up in the stats. As Bloomberg News reported last week, sales of homes “climbed in April for the first time in three months…the biggest in six months…”
If you will be taking advantage of the uptick by listing your property for this summer’s market, having an open house in Austin, Tx is a prime way to attract prospective buyers. With a little focus and energy, getting your home in shape can be easier than you might imagine.
The checklist is short:
Landscaping
The place to begin is with the Summertime Open House starts with the landscaping—it frames the picture that’s the first thing buyers see when they pull up during the warm months. If you don’t have summer flowers planted, that’s okay—improvise! Purchase a few hanging baskets and potted plants. Place them along pathways, the entrance, and other places that could use a little bit of color. Hose the exterior, but if the years have been too tough, you may need a refresher coat of paint or trim. Perk up the lawn with an easy-to-apply lawn food spray; edge where needed; then mow and admire!
Get a Fresh Outlook
Give your windows a good cleaning (outside first)—it’s surprising the amount of sparkle that simple job can add to your Austin open house. Air the house thoroughly as you do a deep clean where it’s needed: usually a shampoo of carpets and rugs will accomplish the lion’s share of the work. Add some summer color to your rooms with fresh throw pillows, and as your open house draws near, see where a few well-placed floral arrangements would add bright color to draw the eye.
Last Checks
Before the day of your open house, there are a few more quick checks to be made. Walk around the house. Are the air conditioner units clean? Are the gutters and rain spouts in good shape? Outdoor spaces are great selling points to make your home more attractive to buyers, and a summertime Austin open house creates the perfect opportunity to show them off. There are always a few little things you’ve been meaning to attend to…now is the time!
Looking for more open house tips? Call me today if you’re thinking of listing your {Your Region} home for sale. We can discuss a marketing plan to get your home S-O-L-D this
Easter Bluebonnets in Bastrop
I mentioned in one of my recent blogs that its not illegal to pick bluebonnets. However, I strongly recommend against it and since we are talking about Bluebonnets let me share with you where you can find this official treasured Texas flower. One of the largest patches of Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paint Brushes that I have seen in a number of years are located just a short drive from Austin or Bastrop. If you live in Austin take the enjoyable drive out Highway 71 towards Bastrop and about nine miles from the airport you will find one of the largest most beautiful fields of colorful Bluebonnets mixed with the native Indian Paint Brushes you have ever seen. If you live in Bastrop or somewhere between Bastrop and Houston take Highway 71 towards Austin and just look for the cars lined up on the shoulder of the roadway and be careful when pulling off the roadway because there are lots of small children eager to make their way to the Bluebonnet fields.
Its really great to see the excitement of many families on this Easter Sunday taking some memorable photographs of their children and grandchildren and I’m no exception. And don’t be surprised if you’re asked to take a few pictures for the single parents with their children because it happened to me several times and I was glad to help. I can see these family pictures hitting Facebook before they even drive away. These Bluebonnets and Indian Paint Brushes make awesome backdrops and can only be found in Texas. So if you’re traveling for the Easter Holiday’s take my advice and visit this little bluebonnet treasure between Austin and Bastrop and drop me a line, post your favorite family picture and share your thoughts.
Northeast Austin Home For Sale $189,000
This 3-bedroon, 2-bath, 1,68 +/- SF home is a great buy in the up and coming area of North East Austin is by far the best deal in the neighborhood an is offered at on;y $195,000. This Austin home has a beautiful private backyard with outdoor shop (man cave) fully functioning above ground hot tube, playscape for the kids, BBQ patio and large trees offering plenty of shade. If your a first time home buyer or looking for a home with easy access to downtown Austin, UT campus, Bergstrom International airport, Formula One or the Mueller Community this is the perfect home for you. The owner will convey refrigerator, wash, dyer and backyard swings. Hurry this home will not last long.
FHA Loans and Low Down Payments
If you think you need a 20% down payment to purchase a home think again. According to a recent survey nearly 2/3 of all home buyers put down 5% or less and with the interest rates at an historic low there has never been a better time to buy. If you’re thinking about buying your first home in the Austin or Bastrop, TX area, contact me today, I would love to earn your business. There are many options available for those who need assistance with down payments, including a FHA loan.
FHA Loans
An FHA loans is a US Federal Housing Administration backed mortgage which is lent to you by a FHA-approved lender. Federal Housing Administration loans are offered in conjunction with the U.S. Government. These loans are designed to assist home buyers overcome many of the obstacles to buying homes of their own. FHA loans are a loan that affords buyers the following benefits:
- Low down payments
- Closing costs can be covered by grants or even gifts
- No cash reserves needed
- Co-borrowers that are non-occupying are permitted
- Depending on the program, loans may be fully assumable
FHA loans are recommended for first time home buyers, people lacking a down payment, those who plan to use gifts or grant money, individuals lacking credit history, and those who are concerned about qualifying income. These loans are also limited to single family homes, townhomes, condos, and manufactured homes on permanent foundations. While there are underwriting requirements on these types of loans, the FHA can allow home buyers to get down payments as low as 3.5 percent. The underwriting requirements tend to be less stringent than conventional loans. While these loans may be a good option for those who cannot come up with the minimum 5 percent down payment of traditional loans, most people would benefit from exploring all of the options available to them, including down payment assistance programs. Check out some starter tips for getting an Austin or Bastrop mortgage.
First Steps to Buying a Home
If you find yourself in a position where you are thinking of buying a home, you may have thought that it would be easy to simply drive around town, make your way into a few open houses, and make a purchase of the home of your dreams; while this would be nice if it were the case (and while there are, in fact, a handful of people who get lucky in this way), it is far more often the case that buying a home requires you to make the right moves every step of the way, in order for you to end up in the house that is truly right for you!
The first couple steps you will need to take for purchasing a home are for you to get ready to purchase a home by understanding what you can spend, and by making a checklist of the things you want to find in this house of your dreams – and then, it will be time for you to find (and team up with) a real estate agent who will be able to help you find exactly these things.
After you have accomplished these two steps, the next couple steps are going to be for you to start looking at houses and to get a feel for what the market looks like; oftentimes, once you start looking at houses, you will be surprised at what you find is available (or at what you find is unavailable!), and will be surprised as well (either pleasantly or unpleasantly!) to find the prices you are looking at – which is where getting a feel for the market comes into play.
After taking these first four steps, your agent will be able to help you find a home and negotiate a deal – which is the next two steps to take care of; as long as you have teamed up with an excellent agent, they will be able to help you each step of the way on this leg of the process, and will be able to ensure you are getting the best possible deal on your home.
Finally, you will be ready for the last two steps: getting a loan and closing the deal; the sort of loan you are able to get will depend a lot on what the current interest rates look like, and on what your personal credit score and credit history look like – so make sure you know these things even before you start shopping around for a loan, so as to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Buying a home is often an exciting process, but can be a difficult one as well – especially if you are not prepared with the right knowledge, and with the right action plan to get you into your dream home; if you are preparing to look for a house, be sure to keep these steps in mind, and get ready to find your way into your dream home today!