According to the Austinist,

A lawsuit against the City of Kyle for violation of the federal Fair Housing Act started yesterday. The suit was filed by the national and Austin branches of the NAACP, the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin and the National Association of Home Builders. It alleges that Kyle has increased the cost of local housing by instituting revised zoning ordinances that increase the minimum living area of a home by 20 percent, increase minimum lot size by almost 14 percent, require that all buildings be covered in brick, stone or other approved masonry product, increase set-back requirements and require minimum 480 square foot garages.

The NAACP maintains that the City is discriminating by encouraging this housing price increase, even if not directly or purposely, because the bottom line is that the people most affected are minorities. Other cities surrounding Austin have filed an amicus brief to show support for the City of Kyle.

• For those of you in Austin, what the heck do you think about this? What could this lead to (positive or negative)?
• For non-Austinites, have you seen this in your city before? If not, what do you think the end result would be in your area if the NAACP jumped into a situation like this?

Yesterday, we all went over to the TXDOT website and voted for the awesomest Texas license plate- you did vote, didn’t you? Robbie of Austin blog Urban Grounds noted that TXDOT didn’t give an option to “design your own” but Robbie took it upon himself and this is what he came up with:

What designs can YOU come up with? Next Monday, I will take all of your suggestions and submit them to the Texas Department of Transportation (I’m not kidding).

This is critical because whether you know it or not, if you’re not already a Texan, you’ll probably end up here someday. Who wants their license plate to have freakin’ bluebonnets on it? The Texas Department of Transportation has opened up online voting on the next issue of license plates for all Texas vehicles (and I voted on the one to the left, especially because it looks like a beer’s logo (I’m counting on Jay to name that beer)).

Make sure to vote- the future of your gorgeous car’s aesthetic appeal depends on it!

This week, I was razzed by San Diego for touting Austin as the best city on the planet. But why shouldn’t I? Almost every magazine this year has awarded Austin the best of whatever list they are running. Now, even Entrepreneur Magazine has taken note of Austin as the “Best Place to Buy a Home” in America due to stable housing prices and consistent job growth.

I know, I know, you’re tired of hearing how awesome Austin is and you’re probably oozing jealousy, but what does this particular nod mean? Entrepreneur took note of Austin *AND* the surrounding areas by including Killeen. Call me crazy, but I didn’t know that Killeen had that lowest average home price in the nation nor did I consider it a part of Austin! Killeen is a bit outside of Austin but I guess you could consider it Austin, would you? Killeen is a great alternative to Austin if you want to be within an hour of the Live Music Capital of the World but you want a more small-town country lifestyle or a military environment (due to its sister city Fort Hood). There is still a lot of land left, they are not landlocked, retail developments are popping up in the IH-35 corridor, and the population is very diverse.

Best Places to Buy a Home:
1. Austin-Round Rock-Killeen, TX
2. Mission Viejo, CA
3. Palm Beach, FL
4. Las Vegas, NV

Worst Places to Buy a Home:
1. Detroit, MI
2. Miami, FL
3. Riverside/San Bernadino, CA

Is your city on this list? If you made the “worst of” list, what positive can you see in making this list?
——————————–
photo credit: Julian Humphries

Barton Springs where we canoe and kayak- gorgeous!
photo credit: Austin photographer OneFiveDoor

If you haven’t met a Texan before, you might not know that a great portion of our identity is wrapped up in state and city pride- we can all tell you the state bird, flower, and tree and probably have a tattoo of the Texas flag somewhere on our bodies (I kid you not). When we are noticed for the greatness that is Austin (or Texas), we are sore winners- you’ve watched UT play football, you know what I’m talking about!

Yesterday, Forbes.com named Austin the Fastest Growing City in America. Back that truck up- did they say we’re number 1? Oh yeah they did. Austin’s population growth is projected to expand by 15% by 2012 (for the math challenged readers, that’s only FOUR years!). The GMP (Gross Metropolitan Product) is projected to skyrocket by 32% which is extraordinarily special, considering the Second Largest Growing City (Cape Coral) trails by ten freakin’ percent!

So why is Austin so much better than [your city]? We’re the live music capital of the world, we’re home to the University of Texas, St. Edward’s University, Concordia University, Southwestern University, Antone’s, Emo’s, Mohawk, Lake Austin, Lake Travis, Lady Bird Lake, Zilker Park, 37th Street, 4th through 6th Street, an aggressively expanding skyline, Austin Museum of Art, Fiesta Gardens, Zilker Gardens, Uncle Billy’s, Hula Hut, Spider House, Rudy’s and Ruby’s BBQ, Salt Lick, and me.

But since you didn’t read any of that, I’ll sum up by saying Austin is prime for relocation and investments because of the extremely diverse lifestyles it attracts, the variety of supporting industries (diverse enough that if one completely fails, 20 are still in tact backing it up), amazing real estate values (median home price in the MSA is $186k but growing), natural beauty of the hill country and easy accessibility to Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.

So, why aren’t you investing in Austin? We are!

Did you know that Realtors in Austin are conspiring to drive down property values by poisoning the trees and killing them?  I kind of thought they looked dead because it’s winter, and the theory of lowering values seems counter-productive to me, but Austin Blogger, Beth, met someone who seems to have deep knowledge about Austin real estate, Watertown in New York, conspiracies about inequities in local schools, geology, and telephone poles.  Then Beth ran away. Beth- are you sure you weren’t talking to Leslie (the houseless cross dresser who runs for mayor of Austin every go-round)?

This one is a hilarious read!

Today marks the passing of one of Texas’ most beloved women.  Lady Bird Johnson left us today and we are deeply saddened.  I don’t normally report non real-estate news, but this is worthy of our time.

Anyone who has ever driven through Texas and marveled at the endless bluebonnets and wildflowers, you have Lady Bird to thank for that.  Her endless commitment to the environment, even before it was “popular” has made Texas the most beautiful land in our nation.  For those non-Texans, you would think her husband would be the more famous, but Lady Bird left the bigger legacy behind.

When you visit Austin, head over to her pet project- the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center across from Zilker park… most Austinites have had their portrait taken there at one point!  She co-founded the National Wildflower Research Center and assisted in opening the LBJ Library on the UT Campus.  Lady Bird was one of the biggest UT fans, being a historically important contributor to the football and basketball programs- you could even see her in attendance over the decades.

God Bless, Lady Bird- you will be missed!

View a film of Lady Bird on You Tube.

Don’t know what “deck” is? You’re just not hip… I’ll clue you in! Liz Barkdale writes my absolute favorite article written thus far in 2007; click here to read on!

Anywhere in Austin south of the Capitol, the “Keep Austin Weird” subculture reigns. I’ve been debating how to use this article in the blogosphere, but it’s too dang funny to not publish. For those of you who have lived in or visited Austin, you’ll giggle as you read this article; for those who have not, you surely have some “deck” element in your own city.

Tell us how deck YOUR city is!
photo (from thatotherpaper.com )/ Fred Benenson

My husband bases his entire Real Estate philosophy on the advice given to him from a busy, sophisticated mother of six- “I never give my kids more than two options for dinner.” No buyer should be equated to a toddler, but the advice still rings true- never overwhelm your client. If your kids opt for chicken, God forbid you serve trout- confusion will abound, dishes will break, and tears will fall.

When someone calls looking to buy, a good Realtor should be able to listen and understand the complicated nuances of subjective wants vs. needs. While discussing a buyer’s future home, the Realtor should already have 5 MLS numbers in mind and be checking availability from his laptop (with a Sprint wireless card if he’s not in the office). By the end of the conversation, the Realtor should know the area the buyer desires (probing questions may reveal that they said they wanted North but they didn’t know the Tollway opened, so now they are open to the more affordable options in the West), have 5 homes in mind to tour, know 5 things the buyer wants in those homes by asking questions regarding subjects even THEY haven’t thought of (you have a baby coming? Perhaps you could use a study instead of an additional bedroom- that will open up some options. You want red brick? You’ll love this red brick with limestone accents featured by a prominent local builder. You say you want to landscape? Oh, you mean you want a 2’x4’ space for your hydrangeas!). After all, knowing 5 things they want is good because, as my husband says, “you can’t argue with your own data.”

If you (as a buyer OR Realtor) find yourself in home number six and are getting closer to a selection, the Realtor should discuss with the buyers their original 5 wants/needs and address how these have changed. Regrouping is pertinent at this point because buyers CAN change their minds midstream. If the Realtor isn’t even close to the mark, the connection might not have been made and the relationship should be optional beyond that point.

Too many Realtors simply have fun playing around in vacant houses and forget that the buyer’s time is precious too! Everyone loves dreaming about replacing floors and what color the valances will be, but shopping should be the easiest, smoothest, and often the shortest part of the home buying transaction. After the home is selected, most Realtors consider their job done and suddenly stop answering calls. This is pathetic- the best Realtors know to hold a buyer’s hand through the lending process, to follow up with title, to go to all inspections, help coordinate insurance and warranty, be at the closing table and be there to open the front door with the buyers. This is an incubation period which is often neglected in the Real Estate industry, but is CRUCIAL to the buying process. No wonder builders are experiencing so many cancellations!

Look, my husband has a 99% closing ratio because his background in PR and marketing has given him the unique advantage of being able to listen effectively and narrow down people’s comments into 5 desires or needs (and being able to distinguish the difference between the two), and in most cases being able to show buyers the home they will buy in the first shot (but will show 2, 3, or 4 more to ease the “what if” questions buyers may have). He tells buyers up front that they will look at up to 5 homes, they will not be stalked (and can walk away if it is not a good fit), and they will have someone on their side watching over the entire process. Most times, they will take their chosen home off the market the same day he shows them. He loathes the long term buyer’s agreement and doesn’t feel the need to subject a client to 120 days of his “service”- if a Realtor hasn’t gotten close within the first 5 homes, maybe they just don’t get it and all parties should part. After all, he wants to be at the house warming party and he will be the Realtor to sell that same house in the future!

To summarize- when your buyer calls and is prequalified, you need to

(1) ask questions, listen, and assess their wants versus their needs into 5 specific targets

(2) don’t beat around the bush, show them the house they described first (often this can rule out your other four homes, but show them the next best thing anyhow).

(3) If you’ve realized that you missed the mark, don’t waste their time- reschedule and research with new current data in hand.

(4) For home number three, with your new data, show them the home most closely matching their new description- since this is post-reassessment, you should be spot-on. And here you are at home number 3 or 4 as opposed to 33 or 34.

(5) Now that you’ve saved time shopping, you can spend more time with the closing process and should be able to give more (aka better) service to the buyer!I see this work every day- it should be the norm in the industry, not the exception to the rule!

My husband and I traveled to Oklahoma City this weekend for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower. We drove all around the city to a few select areas that used to be nice- SoCo type places to live, and my husband was trying to explain to the children that this ghost town feel on the north side was disappointing and upsetting. He could point out where they used to hang out, where fancy homes used to be, and where upscale furniture boutiques were- but alas, they were no more. We felt called to redevelop areas of the city that used to be the “it places”- if only I had an extra few million sitting around (that’s the 10 year plan). Perhaps just a few houses and buildings at a time…

My husband explained to the kids that the closing of GM, AOL jumping ship, and a future potential for Tinker AFB’s closing was detrimental to Oklahoma, while in Austin it would barely be a blip the news. We have become so used to being in a thriving area that it is saddening to spend time in an area that isn’t flourishing quite like ours. We have become spoiled by new tollways opening, constant commercial developments breaking ground, and it seems like a new home subdivision opens every week! We have become spoiled ROTTEN by being in a city that attracts Barney’s NY, Louis Vuitton, Saks, Tiffany’s and the like. We love our Starbuck’s on every corner living happily across the street from the ecclectic local coffee bars- both thriving equally. It reminded us that we have several friends across the country in the Real Estate Industry that are surely struggling, and we tip our hats to them.

We are spoiled and we know it, but we take pause today to pray for those in our field who don’t have the same annoying bragging rights that we do.