Board is going BOLD

Posted on September 24, 2013

I am pleased to announce that after three successful years as a real estate agent with Keller Williams, the Nation’s largest real estate agency, I am ready to take my business to the next level.  Starting October 21st I will be taking the highly recommended and sought after course BOLD.  BOLD is a 7-week intensive course that’s based on the book BUSINESS OBJECTIVE: A Life By Design, written by Dianna Kokoszka, BOLD  is designed to condition agents with powerful mindset exercises, language techniques, business-building strategies and live lead generation activities. My overall purpose for taking this course is to improve my business skills and gain the additional knowledge, expertise and education so that I can better serve my clients in the Austin and Bastrop, TX communities.

I mention this only to reenforce my commitment to the good folks in Austin and Bastrop that when it come to representing you in all of your real estate matters you can count on a level of knowledge and experience standing beside you. So if you’re are thinking about buying or selling in the Austin or Bastrop areas or if you know who might be, I would appreciate you giving me a call today.

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8 Interior Home Features Buyers Crave

Posted on August 12, 2013

Home buyers are sizing up homes with a long list of preferences. The typical home shopper buys a home with three bedrooms and two full bathrooms, according to the National Association of REALTORS(R) 2013 Home Features Survey. What feature did home shoppers report they most desire in a home? Central air conditioning, according to the survey of 2,000 buyers on 33 home features. Central air conditioning was overwhelmingly the top home feature desired by home shoppers. A home that is cable/satellite TV-ready/Internet was also ranked highly. What else should you be spotlighting on your listing ads for homes that you’re selling? The NAR survey revealed the following eight interior design features that buyers ranked as “very important” in their home search:

1. Walk-in closet in the master bedroom
2. Ensuite master bath
3. New kitchen appliances
4. Eat-in kitchen area
5. Hardwood floors
6. Granite countertops
7. Kitchen island
8. Stainless steel appliances Interior Home Features Buyers Want

Bastrop Homecoming & Rodeo Aug 1-3, 2013

Posted on July 24, 2013
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Bastrop Homecoming & Rodeo History

The name for Bastrop’s home-town celebration results from its beginnings. During World War II, business boomed in Bastrop as 90,000 military men were based at Camp Swift a few miles north of town. When the war ended and camp essentially closed, business lessened. As an attempt to give the city a boost, civic and business leaders created the first Homecoming Jubilee for area residents and to entice former residents, who spent time there during the war, to “come home” for the festivities. Past celebrations took place in various months, May-August, and some included such things as fishing class boat races from Montopolis Bridge in Austin to the boat docks at Fisherman’s Park, Beauty Pageants, arts and crafts shows, kiddie parades, pet parades, canoe races and dances at the American Legion Hall. This annual tradition has provided an enjoyable weekend for the citizens of Bastrop and the surrounding area while maintaining a positive impact on the community.

The following information was taken from an edition of The Bastrop Adveriser dated 1972 during Homecoming’s 25th Anniversary: In a joint effort of the American Legion, Chamber of Commerce, the city and county, and other organizations, the community came together to bring about the 1st Homecoming Jubilee. After two months of concentrated hard work, Bastrop citizens relaxed after a job well done. Some citizens and their committees mentioned for their amazing results were: William Higgins and his rodeo committee, who in less than 6 weeks’ time, (with the help of county and city officials, and other individuals) built a real rodeo arena. It was not just a field, but also a beautiful arena with chutes and pens, all necessary fencing, with stands having a seating capacity of over 4,000, with reserved seats and judges stands-which compared favorably with any arenas around our area. Mayor Dr. Bryson and Frank Green (food committee chairman) in arranging a free barbecue dinner that was served immediately after church services on Sunday. There was plenty of good food, quickly and easily served-with plenty of shaking of hands and greeting of old friends in a real reunion. J. V. Ash, Jr., chairman of the two equally successful dances held in the beautiful terrace on the east side of the American Legion Center on Friday and Saturday nights. Sam Gurwitz., the financial chairman-for successfully raising the money that many businessmen up and down Main St. said was too much to raise-the highest priced affair that Bastrop had ever undertaken-and came out with some to spare.

 The event is held every year during the 1st full weekend of August at Mayfest Hill Park. Festivities include three nights of live music, rodeo, a carnival, food and gift vendors, the Mike Mathison Memorial Horseshoe Tournament, the Fred Wright, Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament, high school class reunions, 4-H Cake Auction, and exhibits. A Grand Parade is held on Saturday morning and immediately following the parade, an all BHS Class Reunion is held at the Bastrop Convention Center.

 

 

First Steps to Buying a Home

Posted on July 17, 2013

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!

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