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    <title>Central Austin Realty Bits</title>
    <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/</link>
    <description>Austin homes, neighborhoods and lifestyle</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2735231/austin-home-sales-higher-in-2011</guid>
      <title>Austin Home Sales Higher in 2011</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title="austin texas home sales" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/1/7/2/ar13269930027183.jpg" height="137" alt="austin texas home sales" width="200"&gt;Austin, Texas&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;home sales&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; were &lt;strong&gt;up about 7%&lt;/strong&gt; area wide in 2011 vs. 2010.&#160;&#160;Some Austin neighborhoods saw even bigger sales increases.&#160; Austin &lt;strong&gt;condos&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;had a &lt;strong&gt;1% sales increase&lt;/strong&gt;. Many price segments and neighborhoods saw prices higher vs. 2010, while some remained flat.&#160;&#160;The luxury market firmed again as higher priced homes in Central &amp;amp; West Austin, as well as Westlake, drew higher prices than the year before.&#160;&#160; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inventory&lt;/strong&gt; has changed quite a bit in the last 12 months.&#160; The number of homes for sale continues to &lt;strong&gt;shrink &lt;/strong&gt;as the&lt;strong&gt;&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;number of homes for sale is &lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;15% lower&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; than a year ago. It would take about&#160;4 months to sell all the homes currently on the market at the current pace city-wide--representing the lowest inventory-to-sales ratio in at least 3 years.&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Price segment matters&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&#160; The lowest priced properties&#160;(under 250k)&#160;have the lowest inventory vs. high sales rate,&#160;while the luxury segment has the highest number of homes for sale vs. sales rate, as is usually the case.&#160; In general,&#160;Austin properties priced &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/listings/propertytype/SINGLE/minprice/300000/maxprice/450000/areas/24844,24845,24846,24879,24883,24884,24842,24852,24886,24861/"&gt;under $450,000&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; show the &lt;strong&gt;greatest&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;demand&lt;/strong&gt; relative to inventory, and thus upward pressure on prices in&#160;some areas.&#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&#160;I sold&lt;/strong&gt; a couple of properties in 2011 for &lt;strong&gt;a higher price&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;than they had last sold for about 2 years prior.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Homes in the most popular neighborhoods&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, with the best location, in the best condition, sell for top dollar quickly. Even though inventory is tighter, buyers are still &lt;strong&gt;choosy&lt;/strong&gt; and have heightened expectations vs. years past.&#160; There are also many "bargain hunters" still on the prowl.&#160; They are being left in the dust because the very &lt;strong&gt;best buys from 18 months ago&lt;/strong&gt; are gone--at least in the most&lt;strong&gt; Central&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;neighborhoods&lt;strong&gt;--&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;although there are still&#160;some opportunities.&#160; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&#160;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;img title="downtown austin condos" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/0/1/0/ar13269931201018.jpg" height="238" alt="Downtown austin texas condos" width="138"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/listings/propertytype/CONDO/areas/24842/"&gt;Downtown Austin condo&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;inventory is&lt;strong&gt; lower&lt;/strong&gt; now too.&#160; Active MLS&#160;listings downtown(which&#160;include&#160;some developer inventory), have declined by about &lt;strong&gt;30%.&lt;/strong&gt;&#160; Developer inventory is dropping&#160;as almost all units under 500k have been &lt;strong&gt;sold&lt;/strong&gt; and no new projects are coming on-line for at least the next 3 years (none&#160;are under&#160;construction). Resales will dominate this market in 2012 and 2013 at least, and already we are seeing signs that prices for units under $450,000 are firming in the most favored buildings, especially if they&#160;have good views.&#160; The &lt;strong&gt;Austin luxury downtown condo&lt;/strong&gt;&#160; market has excess supply in my opinion...but sales continue to occur there, and prices are fairly steady.&#160; There have been &lt;strong&gt;several multi-million dollar sales&lt;/strong&gt; in the W, 555 Hilton&#160;and&#160;Austonian in the past few months. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&#160;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;The&#160;rental market is red hot.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&#160; Rentals in this town are harder to come by and can attract multiple applications.&#160; Rents are rising steadily.&#160; City-wide occupancy is almost at an &lt;strong&gt;all-time high&lt;/strong&gt; (96%),&#160;even downtown, where rents can be twice as high as the rest of the city.&#160; Two new apartment towers have broken ground in downtown Austin, and 2 others have been announced as imminent.&#160; Meanwhile, the area off Riverside Dr. is about to explode with new apartments in an effort to increase supply.&#160; Increasing rents is a precursor to an increase in home sales.&#160; When rentals fill up, and rents rise, it makes buying look a lot more &lt;strong&gt;attractive.&lt;/strong&gt; Add in &lt;strong&gt;low interest rates&lt;/strong&gt; and we have a nice recipe for another &lt;strong&gt;improving year&lt;/strong&gt; in Austin home sales. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&#160;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact me&lt;/strong&gt; to start your &lt;strong&gt;Austin&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/"&gt;home search&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; or to find out what your existing home might sell for.&#160; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&#160;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:17:06 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2735231/austin-home-sales-higher-in-2011</link>
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      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2657578/we-ve-lost-millions-</guid>
      <title>We've Lost Millions!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Austin Texas real estate" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/3/0/8/1/ar132441790118034.jpg" height="207" alt="Austin Texas homes" width="240"&gt;In Austin and Texas, the &lt;strong&gt;Texas Forest Service&lt;/strong&gt; says the severe drought has cost us&lt;strong&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/20/us/texas-drought-trees/index.html"&gt;millions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; of trees across the state. &#160;Between 100 million and 500 million Texas trees have &lt;strong&gt;not survived&lt;/strong&gt; record high temperatures and record low rainfall. &#160;This is estimated to be 5-10% of the tree population in Texas. &#160;How does this &lt;strong&gt;impact real estate&lt;/strong&gt;? &#160;Trees &lt;strong&gt;add value&lt;/strong&gt; to your home. &#160;A home nestled beneath a large tree canopy can sell for thousands more than one on a barren lot. &#160;Trees help keep &lt;strong&gt;temperatures down&lt;/strong&gt;, especially in urban areas and tree shaded buildings have&lt;strong&gt; lower energy&lt;/strong&gt; usage. &#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keep your trees &lt;a href="http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/trees/downloads/watering_guidlines.pdf"&gt;watered&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; in these extreme climate times. &#160;The &lt;strong&gt;recent rains&lt;/strong&gt; have helped tremendously, but when it dries up again, be sure your trees are getting the moisture they need. &#160;A simple lawn watering is &lt;strong&gt;not enough&lt;/strong&gt; to get to tree roots. &#160;Save your trees, it will help preserve and enhance the value of your &lt;strong&gt;Austin&lt;/strong&gt; home.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;direct: 512-917-8142&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:08:05 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2657578/we-ve-lost-millions-</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2566193/w-residences-downtown-austin-tour-and-update</guid>
      <title>W Residences Downtown Austin Tour and Update</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;img title="W Austin residences condominiums" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/3/5/5/8/ar131921364985531.JPG" height="320" alt="W Austin residence condominiums" width="240"&gt;I have written before about the new&lt;strong&gt; W Residence&lt;/strong&gt; condos in Downtown Austin. &#160;Yesterday, &lt;strong&gt;The W&lt;/strong&gt; hosted a select group of&#160;80 Austin Realtors to tour the property and enjoy a reception by the resident pool. &lt;strong&gt;&#160;I really like this property!&lt;/strong&gt; &#160;The finish out is impeccable and the views are spectacular. &#160;10'&#160;ceilings, wide plank hardwood floors, &lt;strong&gt;Miele&lt;/strong&gt; appliances, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.en.bulthaup.com/#/6DD55F1376431D0DC1257757002E1902"&gt;Bulthaup&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; cabinetry, marble counters and baths. &#160;The residents have their own pool separate from the hotel, and receive a 20% discount on food and drinks from the hotel restaurant, bars and the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.whotelaustin.com/awayspa"&gt;W Away Spa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;strong&gt;Concierge&lt;/strong&gt; services are at each resident's disposal as well. &#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Service at W Austin&lt;/strong&gt; residences is a priority as is making sure upscale living is enjoyed by all who purchase here. &#160;The petite one bedroom is a great pied-a-terre&#160;and starts in the &lt;strong&gt;upper $300's.&lt;/strong&gt; &#160;HOA fees are &lt;strong&gt;55 cents&lt;/strong&gt; per square foot--lower than other &lt;strong&gt;luxury buildings&lt;/strong&gt; but much higher than other new buildings that offer slightly less service and amenities. &#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;According to the sales director at W, &lt;strong&gt;65%&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;of the residences&lt;/strong&gt; are under contract and/or sold. &#160;That leaves &lt;strong&gt;50 or 60 units still available&lt;/strong&gt; in the 37 story building with prices up to a few million dollars. One of the upper level &lt;strong&gt;3 bedrooms&lt;/strong&gt; just went under contract for over $2 million.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;W is a great addition to&lt;strong&gt; Downtown Austin&lt;/strong&gt; living. &#160;I think I prefer the W to the Four Seasons or Austonian because the design is edgier and the building has a more&#160;&lt;strong&gt;energetic vibe, &lt;/strong&gt;although&lt;strong&gt; I know &lt;/strong&gt;every person must decide for themselves what environment suits them best.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact me&lt;/strong&gt; any time for an appointment to see the &lt;strong&gt;W&lt;/strong&gt; or any other &#160;Downtown Austin luxury condominium.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="W austin residences" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/6/7/8/ar131921463287611.JPG" height="445" alt="W austin residences" width="520"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/community/area/Downtown+Austin+Condos/"&gt;SEARCH Downtown Austin Condos For Sale&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;512-917-8142&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:51:58 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2566193/w-residences-downtown-austin-tour-and-update</link>
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      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2375036/travis-county-historic-tax-exemption-to-remain-for-2011-</guid>
      <title>Travis County Historic Tax Exemption to Remain for 2011!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="austin historic tax exemption" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/3/2/2/1/ar130929818812233.jpg" height="157" alt="Austin historic tax exemption" width="233"&gt;In a 3-2 vote, &lt;strong&gt;Travis County&lt;/strong&gt; commissioners did the right thing today and &lt;strong&gt;retained the historic property tax exemption&lt;/strong&gt; for 2011.&#160; Judge Biscoe and Commissioners Gomez and Huber gave a thumbs up&#160;to &lt;strong&gt;historic preservation&lt;/strong&gt; tax incentives.&#160;City of Austin and AISD are still mulling over whether to change their policies. Let's hope our elected officials continue to see the&lt;strong&gt; value&lt;/strong&gt; of preserving our past.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This vote was a &lt;strong&gt;victory for the history and heritage&lt;/strong&gt; of our town.&#160; Commissioners expressed an interest in identifying more properties east of I-35 for historic designation...a great idea!&#160; Meanwhile residents of buiildings like the&lt;strong&gt; Brown Building&lt;/strong&gt; are happy that they retain part of their low property tax rate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;UPDATE: &#160;&lt;strong&gt;Austin Independent School District&lt;/strong&gt; also voted to put in place the historic exemption for 2011 along with the &lt;strong&gt;City of Austin&lt;/strong&gt;. &#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Historic Brown Building Lofts for sale:&lt;/strong&gt;&#160; &#160;&lt;a href="http://trueaustinhomes.com/listings.asp"&gt;http://trueaustinhomes.com/listings.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:08:33 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2375036/travis-county-historic-tax-exemption-to-remain-for-2011-</link>
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      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2481318/how-much-does-that-austin-lot-really-cost-</guid>
      <title>How much does that Austin Lot really cost?</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Austin lots" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/7/5/6/ar131471737965747.jpg" height="177" alt="Austin lot for sale" width="182"&gt;Having been through the marketing of &lt;strong&gt;Austin lots and&#160;home building sites&lt;/strong&gt; a few times recently, it struck me how much information must be dispersed to potential buyers.&#160; Most people have never built a home from scratch before and simply don't realize all the things that can add up to make a home site ready to build on, and how those things should be considered when &lt;strong&gt;comparing the prices&lt;/strong&gt; of various lots and land.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In Austin, we have to think about &lt;strong&gt;slope and access&lt;/strong&gt; quite often.&#160; If a lot barrels straight down from the street, you might have to build on concrete pillars or pour the mother load of foundations.&#160; This can add&lt;strong&gt; tens of thousands&lt;/strong&gt; to building costs.&#160; That cheap lot that careens to the bottom of the canyon is not so cheap when you consider what it costs to get a home built there. That more expensive flat lot may be cheaper in the&lt;strong&gt; long run&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Also&lt;strong&gt; consider access.&#160;&lt;/strong&gt; Is it an easy curb cut or is there a need to blast through a 10 foot stone embankment to get a driveway in?&#160; And what about&#160;&lt;strong&gt;retaining walls&lt;/strong&gt;?&#160; Will the adjacent hillside&#160;end up in your living room unless you spend &lt;strong&gt;thousands&lt;/strong&gt; to brace&#160;it with a wall?&#160; &#160;And then there are utilities.&#160; Is &lt;strong&gt;sewer and water available&lt;/strong&gt; at the street?&#160; Or do you have to build a septic system or drill a well?&#160; Is the area environmentally restricted?&#160; Is it over an &lt;strong&gt;aquifer&lt;/strong&gt; or in a critical watershed or near a creek?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Check with city &lt;strong&gt;zoning rules&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;environmental regulations&lt;/strong&gt; before going forward.&#160; I find many Austin lot buyers think the regulations that exist&#160;within Austin are far more stringent than they really are.&#160; They&#160;hear&#160;water quality mentioned and they&#160;&lt;strong&gt;run&#160;fast&lt;/strong&gt; in the other direction.&#160; &lt;strong&gt;Much of Austin&lt;/strong&gt; is environmentally "sensitive" but&#160;can be built on anyway with reasonable restrictions.&#160;&#160;&lt;strong&gt;Impervious cover&lt;/strong&gt; limits are another thing to watch for when comparing sites.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All these things should be considered&lt;/strong&gt; when deciding whether to purchase Austin lots or land to build a new home. Consult a builder to determine how these unseen costs can add to the bottom line. When shopping for Austin lots,&lt;strong&gt; understand all the costs&lt;/strong&gt; that go into construction&#160;at each individual site so you can make a true comparison when faced with many seemingly similar home sites.&#160; This will help you know &lt;strong&gt;what to pay&lt;/strong&gt; and what you are really going to spend to build that &lt;strong&gt;dream home&lt;/strong&gt; you have always wanted.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thinking of building?&#160; Contact me for a list of Austin home sites for sale. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker&#160; 512-917-8142 direct&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; &lt;a href="http://www.trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;www.trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:31:10 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2481318/how-much-does-that-austin-lot-really-cost-</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2372110/save-travis-county-historic-landmarks-commissioners-vote-june-28</guid>
      <title>Save Travis County Historic Landmarks! Commissioners Vote June 28</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="pease mansion travis county historic tax exemption" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/9/2/3/ar130918605332902.jpg" height="165" alt="Travis County historic tax exemtion" width="224"&gt;Tomorrow, June 28, Travis County commissioners will decide whether to continue to offer property tax exemptions to &lt;strong&gt;historic properties&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; Right now, there is a proposal that will&lt;strong&gt; gut the exemption&lt;/strong&gt; and offer a mere &lt;strong&gt;$350&lt;/strong&gt; annual property tax reduction for historic properties.&#160; This miniscule exemption will further work to &lt;strong&gt;discourage&lt;/strong&gt; property owners from maintaining and restoring historic structures in Austin and Travis County. Already AISD has eliminated this&#160;and&#160;the city of Austin is still trying to decide what to do.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There is value&lt;/strong&gt; in preserving historic structures.&#160; One of the things that especially makes &lt;strong&gt;Downtown Austin&lt;/strong&gt; so attractive is that so far, it hasnt't been wholly dismantled and replaced with boring &lt;strong&gt;anywhere USA&lt;/strong&gt; structures.&#160; The &lt;strong&gt;fabric and history of our city still lives&lt;/strong&gt; in historic buildings all over town.&#160; We need to maintain incentives for developers and homeowners to&lt;strong&gt; preserve the past&lt;/strong&gt; with tax exemptions.&#160; That preservation leads to&#160;desirable environments that people &lt;strong&gt;want &lt;/strong&gt;to live and work in.&#160; That desirability drives property prices&lt;strong&gt; higher&lt;/strong&gt;, ultimately &lt;strong&gt;increasing the tax base&lt;/strong&gt; and bringing more cash to government.&#160; It is short sighted to kill this program for &lt;strong&gt;short term budget&lt;/strong&gt; concerns.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;Please tell Travis County commissioners you support historic tax exemptions.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact County commissioners:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:sam.biscoe@co.travis.tx.us"&gt;sam.biscoe@co.travis.tx.us&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:ron.davis@co.travis.tx.us"&gt;ron.davis@co.travis.tx.us&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:Karen.Huber@co.travis.tx.us"&gt;Karen.Huber@co.travis.tx.us&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:Sarah.Eckhardt@co.travis.tx.us"&gt;Sarah.Eckhardt@co.travis.tx.us&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:commissioner.gomez@co.travis.tx.us"&gt;commissioner.gomez@co.travis.tx.us&lt;/a&gt;&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;Preserve history in Travis County!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;512-917-8142&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:04:18 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2372110/save-travis-county-historic-landmarks-commissioners-vote-june-28</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2329891/kick-back-in-austin-s-deep-eddy-neighborhood-78703</guid>
      <title>Kick back in Austin's Deep Eddy Neighborhood 78703</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Deep Eddy Austin" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/8/6/4/ar130772417646808.JPG" height="212" alt="Deep Eddy Austin" width="176"&gt;The leafy &lt;strong&gt;De&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ep Eddy&lt;/strong&gt; neighborhood offers some of the most eclectic homes for sale&#160;in &lt;strong&gt;West Austin&lt;/strong&gt;. &#160;In 1915, AJ Eilers bought land around a spring fed swimming hole in the Colorado river and built the state's first outdoor concrete pool. Now a public pool, it is still in use, not chlorinated, and still spring fed. &#160;It is a registered &lt;strong&gt;National Historic Landmark&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Blocks from Deep Eddy pool, a &lt;strong&gt;neighborhood emerged&lt;/strong&gt; beginning around &lt;strong&gt;1915&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; Frame and stone &lt;strong&gt;bungalows and cottages&lt;/strong&gt; were built on Deep Eddy Ave,&#160;Upson St and Hearn&#160;St.&#160; Eventually the neighborhood spread north and west across the rolling hills and creeks throughout the 30's, 40's and 50's.&#160; A &lt;strong&gt;resurgence&lt;/strong&gt; in the early 1990's &lt;img title="deep eddy pool" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/7/4/4/1/ar130703746514473.jpg" height="122" alt="deep eddy pool" width="177"&gt;brought&#160;new construction of larger homes, and by 2000, much larger&#160;traditional homes were built along with a number&#160;of homes that&#160;celebrated the renewed interest in &lt;strong&gt;modern architecture&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; New homes are still being built around Deep Eddy today and many of the vintage bungalows and cottages have been &lt;strong&gt;renovated &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;and expanded&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; Buyers like the lazy &lt;strong&gt;tree lined&lt;/strong&gt; streets and gently &lt;strong&gt;rolling hills &lt;/strong&gt;and awesome location&lt;strong&gt; near Downtown.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Deep Eddy homes" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/8/7/6/ar130703723467808.jpg" height="135" alt="Deep Eddy homes" width="183"&gt;While all this physical built change is going on, the neighborhood retains its &lt;strong&gt;true Austin vibe&lt;/strong&gt;. It's right in the city but still feels sleepy and original. I live in this area and&#160;love it&#160;for it's excellent central location&#160;1&#160;mile&#160;&lt;strong&gt;west of Downtown Austin&lt;/strong&gt; and the quick access to &lt;strong&gt;Lady Bird Lake&lt;/strong&gt;and Mopac.&#160;&#160;&lt;strong&gt;Magnolia Cafe&lt;/strong&gt; on Lake Austin Blvd. is open 24 hours with good food whenever you want it&#160;and one of my favorite margaritas (on the rocks with a splash of sangria) is at &lt;strong&gt;Maudie's Tex Mex&lt;/strong&gt; right down the street.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Homes generally range from the low &lt;strong&gt;300's to 800's&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; In 2011, 10 Deep Eddy homes have sold with a &lt;strong&gt;median price of $421,000&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact me&lt;/strong&gt; to find your &lt;strong&gt;Deep Eddy&lt;/strong&gt; home.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="deep eddy homes for sale" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/2/2/4/ar130703764542263.jpg" height="187" alt="deep eddy homes for sale" width="197"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/community/area/West+Austin/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Search West Austin Homes For Sale&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;512-917-8142&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:15:00 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2329891/kick-back-in-austin-s-deep-eddy-neighborhood-78703</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2330509/austin-texas-luxury-homes-sales-humming-along</guid>
      <title>Austin Texas Luxury Homes Sales Humming Along</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Austin luxury homes" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/5/4/6/5/ar130705606956456.jpg" height="151" alt="Austin Luxury homes" width="223"&gt;Not just for &lt;strong&gt;Austin luxury homes&lt;/strong&gt;, but to see what's happening overall in the market, I&#160;pull my Austin MLS "hotsheet"&#160;quite often and&#160;review price changes, pending contracts, sales etc.&#160;&#160;A few luxury sales at &lt;strong&gt;full price&lt;/strong&gt; caught my eye so here is the year to date Austin luxury home sales update.&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*Sales are &lt;strong&gt;up over 20%&lt;/strong&gt; vs 2010 for all single family&#160;homes priced &lt;strong&gt;over $650,000&lt;/strong&gt; in the Austin area.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*Sales have &lt;strong&gt;doubled&lt;/strong&gt; for homes priced over &lt;strong&gt;$2 MM--&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;21 so far this year.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*Sales of homes price &lt;strong&gt;$1 MM&lt;/strong&gt; to &lt;strong&gt;$2 MM&lt;/strong&gt; are&lt;strong&gt; up 30&lt;/strong&gt;%.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*Homes priced &lt;strong&gt;under $2 MM&lt;/strong&gt; sell in an average of &lt;strong&gt;115 days&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*Homes priced &lt;strong&gt;over $2 MM&lt;/strong&gt; sell in an average of &lt;strong&gt;190 days&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*The number of luxury &lt;strong&gt;home sales&lt;/strong&gt; has&lt;strong&gt; increased&lt;/strong&gt; in the &lt;strong&gt;last&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;30 &lt;/span&gt;days&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*The &lt;strong&gt;inventory&lt;/strong&gt; of available luxury homes for sale has &lt;strong&gt;decreased&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;in the &lt;strong&gt;last &lt;span&gt;30 &lt;/span&gt;days.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When you look at &lt;strong&gt;all sales&lt;/strong&gt; across the &lt;strong&gt;entire Austin area MLS&lt;/strong&gt;, they are down slightly from last year. Inventory is down slightly too.&#160;&#160;But while the overall market is a &lt;strong&gt;mixed bag&lt;/strong&gt;,&#160;&#160;the Austin luxury home market has&lt;strong&gt; strengthened&lt;/strong&gt; in terms of sales volume and&#160;a drop in inventory&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160; &lt;img title="austin luxury homes" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/8/0/5/2/ar130705622225087.jpg" height="144" alt="Austin luxury homes" width="166"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One other thing I noticed is that as the year has progressed, the average &lt;strong&gt;size &lt;/strong&gt;home at each price level has &lt;strong&gt;decreased &lt;/strong&gt;for luxury homes. That means for instance that the average&lt;strong&gt; $1.5 MM&lt;/strong&gt; home is now slightly &lt;strong&gt;smaller&lt;/strong&gt; than a year ago by &lt;strong&gt;2-3%&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; Put another way, you will now &lt;strong&gt;pay slightly more&#160;for slightly less&lt;/strong&gt; house than in 2010.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact me&lt;/strong&gt; to buy or sell an Austin luxury home.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/listings/propertytype/SINGLE/minprice/600000/areas/24844,24845,24846,24861,24883/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Search Central Austin Luxury Homes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/listings/propertytype/SINGLE/minprice/600000/areas/24874/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Search Westlake Area Luxury Homes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:13:48 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2330509/austin-texas-luxury-homes-sales-humming-along</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2305799/austin-s-burnet-rd-is-funky-mix-of-true-austin-lifestyles</guid>
      <title>Austin's Burnet Rd is Funky Mix of True Austin Lifestyles</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/4/8/9/6/ar130582934669849.JPG" height="167" alt="" width="214"&gt;Funky, eclectic Burnet Rd&lt;/strong&gt; runs from W. 45th street in north central Austin to north of 183 and out past the Domain.&#160; The south end of Burnet Rd , up to 2222/Koenig Ln is evolving and&#160;changing to become a destination for N. Central Austin and beyond. Once a 50's and 60's era commercial mess, &lt;strong&gt;new businesses have opened up&lt;/strong&gt; and are thriving.&#160; I enjoyed my &lt;strong&gt;breakfast tacos &lt;/strong&gt;at Torchys this morning.&#160; It's in the 5100 block across from a futon store and tatto parlor.&#160; It struck me how much&lt;strong&gt;&#160;Burnet Rd has changed&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; Finally, the &lt;strong&gt;right mix&lt;/strong&gt; of businesses is settling in along side long time thrift stores,plumbing supply stores and saloons.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Burnet Rd Austin" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/4/8/9/ar130582943498469.JPG" height="128" alt="Burnet Rd Austin" width="205"&gt;The neighborhoods of &lt;strong&gt;Rosedale, Brentwood, Shoalmont, Allandale&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Crestview&lt;/strong&gt; flank each side of the lower Burnet Rd. corridor.&#160; Vintage bungalows and ranchers, built mostly from the 1930's to 1960's, along with condos and new &lt;strong&gt;modern infill&lt;/strong&gt; construction populate the area.&#160; &lt;strong&gt;Condos&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;are abundant too. &#160;I like that prices range from the &lt;strong&gt;low $200's&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;so most buyers can find something to &lt;strong&gt;satisfy their housing itch&lt;/strong&gt;--even someone looking to spend $500,000 will be&#160;happy to see how&#160;far that goes in this part of town.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There is nothing&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;high brow about South Burnet Rd (SoBurn?) but that is what gives it a true Austin &lt;strong&gt;appeal.&lt;/strong&gt;&#160; On Lower Burnet Rd (LoBurn?) you can eat a taco, bbq&#160;or an omelet, get a &lt;strong&gt;tattoo &lt;/strong&gt;or&lt;strong&gt;&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;drink a beer. You can&#160;buy pottery, antiques, vintage clothing, naked furniture, refrigerators, toothpaste, tequila, used bookshelves and used cars....mostly from &lt;strong&gt;local&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;purveyors.&#160; And if you live in the neighborhoods along the route, &lt;strong&gt;you can walk&lt;/strong&gt; to it all!&#160; &lt;strong&gt;Try and do that at the mall!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;img title="Burnet Rd Austin" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/5/2/3/0/ar130582950003257.JPG" height="132" alt="Burnet Rd Austin" width="194"&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/community/area/Allandale+-+Crestview/"&gt;Search Burnet Rd area homes for sale.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 14:26:36 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2305799/austin-s-burnet-rd-is-funky-mix-of-true-austin-lifestyles</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2249221/modern-austin-metrohouse-in-funky-eclectic-burnet-rd-corridor</guid>
      <title>Modern Austin METROHOUSE in Funky, Eclectic Burnet Rd. Corridor</title>
      <description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;
&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;
Modern Metrohouse&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/span&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Overview&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;a href="http://listings.realbird.com/Real_Estate/Modern-Metrohouse/Austin/TX/B4D2B5A8/105184.aspx?tab=maps"&gt;Maps&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;a href="http://listings.realbird.com/Real_Estate/Modern-Metrohouse/Austin/TX/B4D2B5A8/105184.aspx?tab=photos"&gt;Photos&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;a href="http://listings.realbird.com/Real_Estate/Modern-Metrohouse/Austin/TX/B4D2B5A8/105184.aspx?tab=features"&gt;Features&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;a href="http://listings.realbird.com/Real_Estate/Modern-Metrohouse/Austin/TX/B4D2B5A8/105184.aspx?tab=description"&gt;Description&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;a href="http://listings.realbird.com/Real_Estate/Modern-Metrohouse/Austin/TX/B4D2B5A8/105184.aspx?tab=market-statistics"&gt;Market Stats&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;
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&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;$334,000&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;span&gt;Single Family Home&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Main Features&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/span&gt;
&lt;span&gt;2 Bedrooms&lt;br&gt;2 Bathrooms&lt;br&gt;1 Partial Bathroom&lt;br&gt;1 Unit&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;span&gt;&lt;b&gt;Location&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/span&gt;
&lt;div&gt; 4905 Woodrow&lt;br&gt;A&lt;br&gt;Austin, TX 78756&lt;br&gt;USA&lt;/div&gt;
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&lt;hr&gt;
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&lt;span&gt;Jeff Harris&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;div&gt;
&lt;br&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;br&gt;(512) 323-5626&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;http://www.trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://activerain.com/blogs/jeffharris" title="Meet us on ActiveRain" class="nohover"&gt;&lt;img src="http://listings.realbird.com/3rd/icons/social/activerain.gif"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
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&lt;h3 class="realbird_nearbyhomes_header"&gt;Nearby  properties for sale&lt;/h3&gt;
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&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:26:08 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2249221/modern-austin-metrohouse-in-funky-eclectic-burnet-rd-corridor</link>
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      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2243811/austin-tx-real-estate-market-report-downtown</guid>
      <title>Austin TX Real Estate Market Report-Downtown</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Downtown Austin condominium sales&lt;/strong&gt; recorded in MLS totalled &lt;strong&gt;38&lt;/strong&gt; in first quarter of 2011. &#160;Additionally, sales were made in several of the new downtown buildings which are generally not reported in MLS. &#160;The MLS sales in existing buildings sold at a median price of &lt;strong&gt;$308,000&lt;/strong&gt; in about &lt;strong&gt;121 days&lt;/strong&gt; on average. &#160;Downtown Austin condos sold for 97% of asking price and the most number of sales occurred &lt;strong&gt;under $450,000. &#160;&lt;/strong&gt;There were 2 sales over&lt;strong&gt; 1 million dollars. &#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Sales were also recorded at the new &lt;strong&gt;&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Four Seasons, W, Austonian&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;and&lt;strong&gt; Spring Condominiums,&lt;/strong&gt; but these sales are generally not recorded in MLS. &#160;I am aware of quite a few sales at each project first quarter and in general, these building's prices are mostly &lt;strong&gt;over $400,000. &#160;&lt;/strong&gt;Although Spring has some smaller affordable units under $300,000,&#160;&#160;Four Seasons and Austonian prices are well over $500,000 per unit. When adding in these buildings, the number of Downtown sales easily &lt;strong&gt;doubles,&lt;/strong&gt; and the median price would skew much higher. &#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The average&lt;strong&gt; price per square foot for resale&lt;/strong&gt; condos Downtown was &lt;strong&gt;$325 per square foot, &lt;/strong&gt;while the new construction projects are commanding &lt;strong&gt;$400-$600 &lt;/strong&gt;per foot regularly. There are &lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/listings/propertytype/CONDO/areas/24842/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;114 active MLS&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/a&gt;condo listings in downtown Austin, plus at least that many more available in newly completed projects downtown. &#160;&lt;img title="downtown austin condos" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/4/1/7/1/ar130271585717141.jpg" height="376" alt="Downtown Austin condos " width="520"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Contact me to buy or sell Downtown Austin condominiums.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Search Downtown Austin&lt;/strong&gt; condos for sale &lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/listings/propertytype/CONDO/areas/24842/"&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker, ABR&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;512-917-8142 direct anytime&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:39:26 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2243811/austin-tx-real-estate-market-report-downtown</link>
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      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2243664/austin-tx-real-estate-market-report-westlake-hills-rollingwood</guid>
      <title>Austin TX Real Estate Market Report- Westlake Hills Rollingwood</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Just west of the Colorado River, with quick access to &lt;strong&gt;Downtown Austin&lt;/strong&gt; and encircled by Loop 360 Capital of Texas Hwy, are the communities of &lt;strong&gt;Rollingwood and Westlake Hills&lt;/strong&gt;. &#160;Each incorporated as its own city in the 1950's. &#160;Older modest homes mix with newer often grand construction on larger than average lots.&#160;&lt;strong&gt;Davenport Ranch&lt;/strong&gt; anchors the north end of the area with homes built mostly in the 1980's and '90's, while more modest &lt;strong&gt;Bee Cave Woods&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Westwood--&lt;/strong&gt;built in the '60's, '70 &amp;amp; '80's&lt;strong&gt;&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;are the more southern neighborhoods.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Because it's &lt;strong&gt;hilly and wooded,&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;many homes offer views, and because Lake Austin wraps around it, the area has some premier &lt;strong&gt;waterfront&lt;/strong&gt; properties and wonderful new construction homes. &#160;Add in an &lt;strong&gt;exemplary Eanes ISD school system,&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;and proximity to major employers and shopping, and you have one of Austin's most popular spots to call home.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First quarter 2011 saw &lt;strong&gt;41 home sales&lt;/strong&gt; at a median price of &lt;strong&gt;$714,000&lt;/strong&gt;. &#160;Homes sold for 94% of list price on average and in about &lt;strong&gt;100 days.&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;&#160;There were &lt;strong&gt;19 sales over $800,000 &lt;/strong&gt;and &lt;strong&gt;6 sales between $300,000-350,000&lt;/strong&gt;. A wide &lt;strong&gt;variety of price ranges&lt;/strong&gt; are found in the Westlake area depending on the neighborhood and whether homes are on acreage or have views or waterfront. &#160;Almost 1/3 of homes sold in less than&lt;strong&gt; 30 days&lt;/strong&gt;, over half sold in less than&lt;strong&gt; 60 days. &#160;There are 129 active listings &lt;/strong&gt;in these great neighborhoods in the&lt;strong&gt; 78746 zip code.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Austin Tx Real Estate Westlake Hills" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/6/8/4/4/ar130271165944864.jpg" height="375" alt="Austin Tx Real Estate Westlake Hills" width="523"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact me&lt;/strong&gt; to buy or sell Westlake or Rollingwood Homes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SEARCH&lt;/strong&gt; for Westlake homes over $650,000&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/listings/propertytype/SINGLE/minprice/600000/areas/24874/"&gt; here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SEARCH&lt;/strong&gt; ALL Austin homes for sale&#160;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/"&gt;here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker, ABR&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;512-917-8142 direct line&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:30:49 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2243664/austin-tx-real-estate-market-report-westlake-hills-rollingwood</link>
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      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2241931/austin-tx-real-estate-market-report-south-austin-78704</guid>
      <title>Austin TX Real Estate Market Report- South Austin 78704</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Austin Texas&lt;/strong&gt; home sales in the neighborhoods south of Lady Bird Lake numbered &lt;strong&gt;61 &lt;/strong&gt;(excluding condos)in the first quarter of 2011.&#160; The areas that straddle &lt;strong&gt;South Congress&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;(SoCo),&lt;strong&gt; S. First&lt;/strong&gt; St. and &lt;strong&gt;S. Lamar&lt;/strong&gt;&#160; include &lt;strong&gt;Travis Heights, Bouldin, Zilker&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Barton Hills&lt;/strong&gt;. These popular neighborhoods are hilly, leafy and mostly vintage although there is a generous sprinkling of new&#160;construction and condos throughout.&#160; &lt;strong&gt;Modern architecture&lt;/strong&gt; is very popular among the newly constructed homes that infill these&#160;True Austin neighborhoods that stretch&#160;as far south as Ben White Blvd/Hwy 290.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The median price of homes sold in &lt;strong&gt;78704 was $326,500&lt;/strong&gt; in first quarter 2011.&#160; On average, homes sold for 95% of the last listed price, similar to other Central Austin neighborhoods. As the chart shows, one third of homes sold in less than 30 days, while one third sold in 30-90 days. Most 78704 sales occur in the &lt;strong&gt;$250,000 to $450,000&lt;/strong&gt; price range although there are lower and higher priced properties available, especially east of Congress Ave.&#160; &lt;strong&gt;140 homes&lt;/strong&gt; are currently listed for sale in South Austin across all price&#160;ranges.&#160; &lt;img title="south austin real estate" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/2/3/1/2/ar130263533421324.jpg" height="389" alt="south austin real estate" width="479"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Contact me to buy or sell&#160;South Austin homes.&#160;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Search all South Austin homes&lt;/strong&gt; in 78704 for sale&lt;span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/listings/areas/24845/propertytype/SINGLE/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;here.&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker, ABR&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:16:31 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2241931/austin-tx-real-estate-market-report-south-austin-78704</link>
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      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2241754/austin-tx-real-estate-market-report-west-austin</guid>
      <title>Austin TX Real Estate Market Report-West Austin</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Austin Tx real estate&lt;/strong&gt; varies by neighborhood and price range.&#160; Popular &lt;strong&gt;West Austin&lt;/strong&gt; is mostly vintage homes on tree filled lots with a generous amount of new construction mixed in.&#160;West Austin is&#160;popular with folks who appreciate the &lt;strong&gt;shady streets and homes of character and distinction&lt;/strong&gt; that are minutes from Downtown, The State Capitol and the University of Texas.&#160; Lady Bird Lake is the southern boundary, with Lake Austin wrapping the west side of these&#160;neighborhoods that rest immediately west of Dowtown Austin.&#160; Neighborhoods include &lt;strong&gt;Tarrytown, Clarksville, Pemberton Heights, Brkerwoods, Old Enfield, Balcones Drive, Highland Park West&#160;&lt;/strong&gt;and&lt;strong&gt;&#160;Deep Eddy.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Home sales (excluding condos)for &lt;strong&gt;first quarter 2011 totaled 58&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; These homes&#160;spent an average of 109 days on the market.&#160; As the pie chart indicates, &lt;strong&gt;about half were on the market more than 120 days&lt;/strong&gt; before &lt;img title="austin real estate statistics" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/0/7/4/ar130262800547002.jpg" height="288" alt="austin real estate statistics" width="360"&gt;selling, 40% sold in 60 days or less.&#160; The&#160;&lt;strong&gt;median sales price&lt;/strong&gt; was &lt;strong&gt;$527,000,&lt;/strong&gt; and homes were selling&#160;for an average of 95% of the last listed price.&#160; Marketing times were &lt;em&gt;lowest&lt;/em&gt; for homes priced between $600,000 and $900,000.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In West Austin, having a lower priced home, did not translate into a quicker sale purely because the home had&#160;a lower price.&#160; This might be because more&#160;&lt;strong&gt;buyers here tend to seek out&lt;/strong&gt; the amenities and features of&lt;strong&gt; finely updated &amp;amp; remodeled &#160;properties&lt;/strong&gt;, which tend to be priced &lt;em&gt;above&lt;/em&gt; the median area price.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There are &lt;strong&gt;160 homes listed for sale&lt;/strong&gt;&#160;in West Austin across all price ranges, with an average of&#160;19 selling per month first quarter 2011. &#160;In the&#160;&lt;em&gt;quickest&lt;/em&gt; selling &lt;strong&gt;$600-900,000&lt;/strong&gt; range, there are 30 active listings with an average of 4 selling per month. At 7 to 8 months inventory, the market appears fairly balanced, but there are still instances of&lt;strong&gt; multiple offers&lt;/strong&gt; on the best properties that are priced appropriately at the best locations.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Call me to buy or sell West Austin homes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Search all Austin homes for sale:&#160; &lt;a href="http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/"&gt;http://www.myaustinhousehunt.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris, Broker, ABR&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;512-917-8142&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:04:40 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2241754/austin-tx-real-estate-market-report-west-austin</link>
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      <guid>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2232648/heritage-society-homes-tour-austin-is-this-weekend</guid>
      <title>Heritage Society Homes Tour Austin is This Weekend</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Heritage Homes Tour 2011" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/7/1/2/7/ar130218565572174.jpg" height="135" alt="Heritage Homes Tour 2011" width="202"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Heritage Homes Tour&lt;/strong&gt; is this Saturday &lt;strong&gt;April 9 from 10-4&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160; Five grand homes from Austin's past will be open&#160;for the public to view.&#160; Each year, the &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.heritagesocietyaustin.org/hht2011.html"&gt;Heritage Society of Austin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; puts on this tour to showcase homes from Austin's past and raise money for an organization that is very active in preserving Austin's historic architecture.&#160; It is a great opportunity to explore vintage neighborhoods and a true Austin style of living from&#160;times gone by.&#160; Tickets&#160;can be obtained at &lt;strong&gt;9th and Rio Grande&lt;/strong&gt; (Tea Embassy) on&#160;Saturday&#160;and &lt;strong&gt;cost $28&lt;/strong&gt;.&#160;&#160;Stop by and say hello as I will be manning the ticket booth at noon.&#160; Hope to see you out there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Broker.&#160; True Austin Properties.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:jeff@trueaustinhomes.com"&gt;jeff@trueaustinhomes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="agent_signature"&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jeff Harris&#160;&#160;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Realtor/ Mortgage Broker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;True Austin Properties&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.centralaustinliving.com"&gt;www.centralaustinliving.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/Jeff-Harris-Austin-Real-Estate-Page/311613983110" title="Jeff Harris Austin Real Estate Page"&gt;&lt;img src="http://badge.facebook.com/badge/311613983110.3217.1326440203.png" height="181" alt="" width="120"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/" title='target="_TOP"'&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Jeff Harris Your True Austin Home Specialist (TRUE AUSTIN PROPERTIES)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:23:58 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>http://austinrealestatepost.com/post/2232648/heritage-society-homes-tour-austin-is-this-weekend</link>
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