Dripping Springs is a small city west of Austin on Hwy 290, but when you search for Dripping Springs real estate you will see homes in a much larger area than the city limits.  The HD Area of the Austin MLS covers a huge area and we refer to it collectively as Dripping Springs.

Some Dripping Springs homes will be in master-planned neighborhoods like Belterra and Highpointe, but others will be very rural.  Ranches of varying size can also be found in the Dripping Springs area.  Many will have homes on then, but some will not.  Ranch properties in Dripping Springs can range from 10 to over 450 acres.

So what about homes for sale in Dripping Springs subdivisions?  Let’s take a look at a couple.

Highland Creek Lakes – This neighborhood is considered part of the Dripping Springs area, but it is in Travis County and kids attend Lake Travis ISD schools.  There are 2 homes for sale in this neighborhood.  They are priced at $185,000 and $220,000.  The most recent home sales in this neighborhood were during the last 60 days.  Two homes sold and the average sold price was $189,450, which was $123.48 per square foot.  One home is currently under contract.

Hurlbut Ranch – this is a very rural neighborhood in northwest Hays County.  There is one home for sale at this time.  It is a 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom single-story home with 3,654 square feet.  The home was built in 2007 and sits on over 13 acres.  This property also features a pool, a barn and a detached garage with a guest suite.  The property is priced at $799,000. So far this year 1 homes has been sold in Hurlbut Ranch.

If you are interested in looking at homes in Dripping Springs, please call me at 512-293-2422.

Leander Neighborhood Update – April 2012

Leander is in the far northwest Austin area just north of Cedar Park.  Until recently Leander was considered pretty far from Austin.  This is because there was no high-speed highway from the area into Austin.  When the toll roads 183-A and 45 opened, Leander residents suddenly had quick access to Austin and Round Rock. 

Leander homes have traditionally been less expensive than homes closer to Austin.  Land was inexpensive and builders could sell homes for less simply because their cost to acquire and develop neighborhoods was less than closer to Austin.  Having said that, the area does some high-end homes as well, especially in the western part of the area near and on Lake Travis.

Take a look below at some of the real estate activity in some Leander neighborhoods.

Cypress Acres:  3 homes on the market ranging from $299,000 to $764,500. One home has been sold in this Leander neighborhood in the last 30 days and 1 is currently under contract.

Grand Mesa at Crystal Falls:  16 homes are currently on the market ranging from $345,000 to $829,900. Three homes have been sold in this Leander neighborhood in the last 30 days and 6 are currently under contract.

Horizon Park:  10 homes are currently on the market ranging from $119,000 to $179,000. Eight home have been sold in this Leander neighborhood in the last 30 days and 5 are currently under contract.

North Creek:  Three homes are currently on the market ranging from $97,900 to $147,500. Four homes have been sold in this neighborhood in the last 30 days and 9 are currently under contract.

Ridgmar Landing:  Three homes are currently on the market ranging from $549,000 to $600,000. No homes have been sold in this Leander neighborhood in the last 30 days and none are currently under contract.

Summerlyn:  Eighteen homes are currently on the market ranging from $124,900 to $195,000. Eleven homes have been sold in this neighborhood in the last 30 days and 6 are currently under contract.

Volente Peak:  Three homes are currently on the market ranging from $635,000 to $4.5 million. No homes have been sold in this Leander neighborhood in the last 30 days and none are currently under contract.

If you are interested in homes in Leander, call me at 512-293-2422.

Austin Real Estate Market Stats Update – March 2012

In March, 2012 1,735 single-family homes sold in the Austin area.  The median sold price was $209,900, or $104.02 per square foot.  Homes averaged 79 days on market before selling.  In March, 2011 there were 1,587 home sold in the Austin area.  The median sold price was $195,000, or $98.77 per square foot.  Homes averaged 91 days on market prior to selling.

If you look at the median sold price you will see that prices have gone up fairly significantly.  The price per foot shows the same thing.  The Austin area is seeing more homes sell and they are also selling more quickly than a year ago. 

There are currently 7,315 Active single-family homes for sale in the Austin MLS.  There are also 3,599 Pending, which means they are under contract.  If we assume that 80% of these will close, we should see almost 2,900 homes close over the next 15-45 days.  That could mean some pretty good numbers for April.

Click to see more Austin Real Estate Market Statistics.  Or click to read my other Austin real estate blog.

Austin Schools

I changed property search features on my Austin real estate website a little while ago.  The really fun thing about it is that it includes an Austin lifestyle search feature.  For example, I can search for public or private schools in the Austin area by map.  For anyone moving to Austin schools should be important whether they have kids or not.  Homes in areas served by great schools usually hold their value better.

Today I created 6 pages for public and private schools in the Austin area.  Click any of the links that follow to see what I did and to learn about Austin schools.

Austin Public Elementary Schools

Austin Public Middle Schools

Austin Public High Schools

Austin Private Elementary Schools

Austin Private Middle Schools

Austin Private High Schools

Of course if you are interested in relocating to Austin, I invite you to call me at 512-293-2422.

Austin Lifestyle Search

I added something to my Austin real estate website that I hope people will find very useful.  When looking at neighborhoods and homes, have you ever wondered where the nearest coffee shop was?  How about medical offices, gyms and other things?  Did you ever want to get demographic information for a particular area?  Now you can.

Go to my Austin lifestyle search page.  If you have the map centered on an area you like, click the Lifestyle button to the right.  Then click on a category and then a subcategory until you find what you want.  For example, if you want Austin coffee shops, click Lifestlye, Restaurants 7 Coffee and select coffee shops.  Blue dots will show all of the coffee shops.  Hover over one to see the name.  Click the button to see details to the right of the map.  Click now to see Austin coffee shops to understand what I am talking about.

How about demographic information?  Click on Areas and select Zip Code.  Hover over a purple borderto see the Zip Code and when you find one you want to take a look at, click on the border.  Demographic information will show up to the right of the map.  Click More Details and see even more information. 

How about Austin public high schools?  This search feature will let you look at some basic information for Austin area high schools.  Click for Austin Public High Schools.

Over time I will be customizing pages like the Austin Coffee Shops page on my Austin Lifestyle Search page so come back to it in a week or so and see what is new.

Central Texas Farm & Ranch Update April 2012

Central Texas is a large area and much of it is very rural.  Sure we have the metro areas of Austin and San Antonio, but there is still a lot of farm and ranch property in the area.  Farm land is generally east of IH 35 and south of San Antonio.  This is because there is actually soil in this area.  To the west is almost all limestone or granite hills.

Searching the Austin MLS this morning for farm and ranch properties over 10 acres I find 1071 listings.  They range in price from $39,900 for a little over 10 acres near Granger to $29.9 million for 2,282 acres on the north side of Lake Travis with lake frontage.  The price for this property has come way down.  The original list price was over $49 million.

There are 875 properties for sale between 10 and 100 acres with the average size being 33 acres and the average price being a little over $503,000.  There are 127 properties available from 100 to 250 acres with the average size being 153 acres and the average price being a little over $1.33 million.  In the 250 to 1,000 acre range there are 55 listings with the average size being 401 acres and the average price being almost $3.5 million.

When I looked at the really big properties, those being over 1,000 acres, I found 25 farm and ranch properties listed for sale.  The smallest is a little over 1,000 acres.  It is on the north side of Lake Travis and is priced at $11.5 million.  I believe it had previously been listed with the $29 million property mentioned earlier.  These 25 properties average 3,858 acres and just under $7.5 million in price.

Click to search central Texas farm and ranch properties.

Lakeway Real Estate Market Conditions March 2012

Lakeway is a city of around 18,000 people on Lake Travis.  It is around 40 minutes west of downtown Austin.  The Lakeway area contains 4 golf courses, 2 parks, miles of greenbelts, 3 marinas, an Airpark, a swim center, a skate park and a resort hotel.  Being situated on the lake there are a number of very nice Lake Travis waterfront homes in Lakeway as well.

As of today there are 113 single-family homes listed for sale in Lakeway.  The least expensive listing is a 1,797 square foot home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms that was built in 1984.  It is priced at $209,000, which is a little over $116 per square foot.  The most expensive is an 8,052 square foot home on Lake Travis in the subdivision of Water Front.  This incredible home has 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, a swimming pool and a very nice view of Rough Hollow Cove on Lake Travis.  This home is priced at $3.95 million, or just over $471 per square foot.

During the last 30 days there have been 11 homes sold in Lakeway.  The median price was $382,500, which is just under $140 per square foot.  The average days on market before selling was 113.  There are also 28 Lakeway homes currently under contract.

If you are interested in learning more about Lakeway and Lakeway homes, please call me at 512-293-2422.

Austin Home Sales in 4 Austin Neighborhoods

Balcones Greene is in the northwest Austin area.  There are currently no Bella Vista homes listed for sale in the Austin MLS.  One home in the neighborhood is currently under contract.  The list price for this home is $319,988, or just under $149 per square foot.  During the last 30 days there have no homes sold in Balcones Greene. 

Balcones Village is in the northwest Austin area.  There are currently 4 Balcones Village homes listed for sale in the Austin MLS.  They range in price from $279,900 to $600,000.  Eight homes in the neighborhood are currently under contract.  During the last 30 days there have 4 homes sold in Balcones Village.  The median sold price was $384,250, which was $96.62 per square foot.  Homes averaged 140 days on market before selling.

Bella Vista is in the northwest Austin area in the city of Cedar Park.  There are currently 4 Bella Vista homes listed for sale in the Austin MLS.  They range in price from $245,000 to $420,000.  One home in the neighborhood is currently under contract.  During the last 30 days there have 2 homes sold in Bella Vista.  The median sold price was $336,263, which was $96.62 per square foot.  Homes averaged only 8 days on market before selling.

Western Trails is a south Austin neighborhood.  There are currently 2 Western Trails homes listed for sale in the Austin MLS.  They range in price from $254,900 to $319,000.  One home in the neighborhood is currently under contract.  During the last 30 days there have been no homes sold in Western Trails. 

If you are considering purchasing a home in Austin, please give me a call at 512-293-2422.

Austin Home Sales Update March 2012

Single-family home sales are heating up in parts of the Austin area.  We have seen less inventory, increasing prices and homes selling faster than they have in a while.  To measure things I will look at Active listings, Pending Sales, months of inventory and days on market (DOM). 

Active listings are homes actively listed for sale in the Austin MLS that are not under contract.  Pendings are homes currently under contract.  DOM is how many days the house was onthe market before the sale closed.  Months of inventory is the number of Active listings divided by the number of homes sold in the last 30 days.  Activity has been different in different neighborhoods in different parts of the area.

Below is a table showing Austin and various Austin area neighborhoods and information on home sales for the neighborhoods.  A is for Active listing, P is for Pending sales, S is for home sales in the last 30 days, Months is months of inventory and DOM is days on market before selling.

Area	A	P	S	Months	DOM
Austin	7,002	3,153	1,461	4.8	80
Hyde Park	1	8	6	0.2	90
Circle C	24	30	17	1.4	38
Anderson Mill	27	35	13	2.1	78
Avery Ranch	33	34	12	2.8	47
Falconhead	23	11	7	3.4	87
Steiner Ranch	97	40	19	5.1	70
Crystal Falls	80	34	15	5.3	178
Belterra	46	28	4	11.5	115

Of these neighborhoods, Circle C, Stenier Ranch, Avery Ranch, Crystal Falls and Belterra are large, master-planned communities with loads of amenities.  Click on the link for any of these to see where they are on a map and to see homes for sale.

Thinking of buying a home in Austin?  Give me a call at 512-293-2422.

Worthy Day Trips From Austin

If you have a spare day and love the outdoors, there are some very special places to visit just west of Austin.

 

This is Krause Springs, around an hour west of Austin.  See more Krause Springs photos. 

 

The two photos above I took at Hamilton Pool Preserve.  See more Hamilton Pool photos.

 

The two photos above I took at Westcave Preserve, which is out Hamilton Pool Road west of Austin.  The preserve is just a few minutes past Hamilton Pool.  See more Westcave Preserve photos.

How the Recent Rain Affected Lake Travis

 

The Lake Travis weather station has measured over 3.5 inches of rain so far this year, which is great news.  Much of Texas has also gone from exceptional to moderate drought.  Unfortunately for Lake Travis, the heaviest rains have fallen to the east.  What this lake needs is significant rain to the west.

The print you can't read on the sigh says "Beware of steep drop-offs and deep water..."  Would be amusing if it wasn't so pathetic.  Lake Travis is almost 55 feet below the level that is considered full.

BUT - I've seen droughts before and I will see them again.  Although Lake Travis waterfront properties are not the most attractive right now, the water will come back.

Western Trails and Other Austin Neighborhoods

Western Trails is a neighborhood in south Austin that was built in the 1960s.  What I have here is current real estate statistics for homes in Western Trails and a few other Austin area neighborhoods.

River Bend:  Currently 2 homes for sale. List price range from $1.285 million to $3.65 million.  Size range from 4,506 to 8,846 square feet.

San Tropez:  Currently 2 condos for sale. List price range from $484,000 to $795,000.  Size range from 2,621 to 3,363 square feet.

Western Hills at Cherry Creek:  Currently 2 homes for sale. List price range from $238,000 to $259,900.  Size range from 1,645 to 2,057 square feet.

Western Trails:  Currently 1 home for sale. List price is $264,900.  Size is 2,113 square feet.

Western Trails Estates:  Currently 1 home for sale. List price is $329,000.  Size is 2,283 square feet.

River Bend is in the Hill Country of western Travis County and many homes are on Lake Austin.  San Tropez is a condo development overlooking Lake Austin close to downtown Austin.

The other neighborhoods are in south Austin.

Questions about Austin homes or neighborhoods?  Call me at 512-293-2422.

2011 Apache Shores Real Estate Stats

Apache Shores saw a reasonable amount of homes sell in 2011.  In fact, the west Austin neighborhood saw more homes sell and at higher prices than 2010.

In 2010 there were 48 Apache Shores homes sold.  The average sold price was $234,081, which was $134.46 per square foot.  The average days on market before selling was 77.  Homes sold at a little over 91% of the original list price.

In 2011 there were 49 homes in Apache Shores that sold.  The average sold price was $269,528, which was $144.97 per square foot.  The average days on market before selling was 77.  Homes sold at a little over 92% of the original list price.

It seems to me that although the two years were pretty close in terms of most numbers, the increase in the average price of a home sold in Apache Shores in 2011 is encouraging.  Both 2010 and 2011 show much better numbers than those of 2009.

Interested in homes in Apache Shores?  Call me at 512-293-2422.

Three Different Austin Waterfront Neighborhoods

I added pages on my Austin real estate website today for 3 very different Austin area waterfront neighborhoods.  They are Thurman Bend Estates and Siesta Shores on Lake Travis and Aqua Verde on Lake Austin.

Lake Travis and Lake Austin are different in that Lake Travis was build for flood control and water supply.  It is around 63 miles long and 180 feet deep at its deepest point.  Lake Austin is a 22 mile long constant level lake running from Mansfield Dam, which holds the water of Lake Travis back, to just west of downtown Austin.  Once the Colorado River, Lake Austin is much more like a river than a lake.

Thurman Bend is a small and quiet Lake Travis waterfront neighborhood west of Austin in the Central Texas Hill Country.  Homes have either Lake Travis frontage or excellent lake views.  The average home price sold in 2011 was just over $1 million.

Siesta Shores is not far from Thurman Bend, but it a very different neighborhood.  Many homes in Siesta Shores look like they were or still are weekend lake cabins.  There are currently 3 homes for sale in Siesta Shores.  The range in price from $219,995 for a 1,344 square foot bungalow just a few minutes from the marina to a to-be-built waterfront home listed for sale at just over $1.5 million.

Switching gears to a Lake Austin waterfront neighborhood, we find Aqua Verde in northwest Austin.  There were 3 homes sold in Aqua Verde in 2011.  The average price sold was just under $1.3 million.  Being located in the city of Austin, Aqua Verde is much closer to shopping, medical, etc.

Rain on the Way to Texas

Anyone who has followed the news at all knows about the horrendous drought much of Texas has been in.  The Lake Travis rain gauge recorded less than half its average annual rainfall last year.  That has caused many Lake Travis waterfront properties to have no water.  There are boat docks sitting on dry ground all over the place.

Well it looks like at least a little relief is on the way.  The forecast for Austin calls for a 50% chance of rain Tuesday and 90% Tuesday night.  The LCRA Weather Blog, which Bob Rose hosts, is calling for 1-2 inches of rain and boy can we use that.

I just took this photo looking straight up.  The sky has what look like advancing cloud waves.  It looks to me after studying some satellite loops and radars that we will get Pacific moisture combining from a front that is dumping snow right where it is needed - Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

It looks to bring enough energy with it to generate heavy rain and embedded thunderstorms.  My wish is for no violent weather, but for as much rain as we can get.  I would love to see 4-8 inches across all of Central Texas and the basins that feed into our lakes.

By the way, in addition to being a weather enthusiast I am a Lake Travis real estate agent.  So if you are considering buying on Lake Travis, please give me a call at 512-293-2422.

The Homestead Exemption

Did you buy a home in Travis County, Williamson County or Hays County last year?  If so you may be able to reduce what you owe in property taxes by applying for the homestead exemption.  You can download applications for the homestead exemption for these counties from my website on my homestead exemption applications page.  You will find links there to county pages where you can learn more about other exemptions as well.

Question about Austin homes?  Call me at 512-293-2422.

10 Metro Areas in For a Great 2012

2011 was a lot like 2010 – nothing much happened and it seemed like almost every city everywhere struggled.  But who is in the driver’s seat for 2012?  According to MainStreet, Austin and other cities (so what else is new) are in the top 10.

New Orleans was at the #2 spot, but after a few years dwelling at the bottom, why not pick it to see significant improvement.  Tampa is at #5 and some of that is because the RNC will meet there this year.  That will draw a lot of attention and bring a lot of money to the city.  London (yes, the one in England) is at #7.  The Olympics will be held there this summer and that always has a huge impact on a city.

Coming in at the #9 spot is Austin.  With an unemployment rate of just 6.6% (we normally consider that way high) and the price of Austin homes 5% below the national average, Austin’s economy is practically thriving.  The University of Texas and state government also have a huge impact every year.  Add to that the enormous music festivals South by Southwest and the Austin City Limits Festival and Austin is a hotbed of activity.

Houston follows Austin at #10.  Can you say oil and gas?  I’ve also read that Houston should see a huge number of new home starts this year and that home prices may go up as much as 10%.

Coming in at #11 is my birth place, Rochester, NY.  I left when I was almost 3 years old and have never been back.  With both Xerox and Kodak going under, I find it pretty amazing that Rochester made the list at all.

See the complete article and list here.


If you are interested in homes in Austin, call me at 512-293-2422.

Three Central Austin Neighborhoods

Central Austin is home to a variety of neighborhoods. Just like any other large American city, many central Austin neighborhoods are fairly old.  What I am about to do is highlight three central Austin neighborhoods.

Let’s start with Breezy Hollow.  This is a tiny neighborhood south of Koenig Lane between IH 35 and Mopac Expressway.  Most homes were built in the late 1940s or 1950s and many have been nicely updated.  However, there are still homes in the neighborhood that could use some work.  No Breezy Hollow homes are for sale right now, but 4 sold in 2011.  The sold price averaged a little over $221 per foot and homes got over 98% of list price.

Northwest Hills Lakeview is in the hills of northwest Austin just north of RR 2222.  There are currently 6 homes for sale in the neighborhood and one of them is currently under contract.  They range in price from $469,000 to $900,000.  During 2011 there were 5 home sales in Northwest Hills Lakeview.  The median sold price was $540,000, which was almost $165 per square foot.  Sold homes fetched just over 92% of original list price and took an average of 177 days on the market before selling.

Oakmont Heights is a bit closer to downtown Austin than the other two neighborhoods.  It is just off Mopac between Bull Creek Road and West 35th.  There are currently 4 Oakmont Heights homes for sale in the Austin MLS.  They range in price from $360,000 to $725,000.  During 2011, 10 homes in Oakmont Heights sold.  The median selling price was almost $343,000, which was almost $251 per square foot.

You will see that the price per square foot for many central Austin homes is quite high.  You should also note that the smaller the house, the higher the price per foot.  Homes in Northwest Hills Lakeview are larger and even though they are very nice, they don’t get the same price per foot as remodeled smaller homes.

Questions?  Call me at 512-293-2422.

Home Sales in Austin Area Neighborhoods in 2011

Well, the year is about to come to a close and I thought I would share some information about home sales in some Austin area neighborhoods.

Rough Hollow in Lakeway – 20 homes in Rough Hollow have sole this year in the MLS.  I say MLS because builders are active in Rough Hollow and some homes having been built will have not been in the MLS.  Of the homes sold, the median sales price was $457,670 and the average days on market before selling was 173.  As for Rough Hollow homes currently on the market, there are 21 and they range in list price from a little under $297,000 to over $5 million.  Two of the homes for sale are under contract.

Bella Lago is a neighborhood just west of Westlake Hills by Lake Austin.  There have been 26 homes in Bella Lago sold this year.  The median sold price was a little over $766,000, which is about $164 per square foot.  The average Bella Lago home sold this year was on the market for 112 days before selling.  There are currently 5 Bella Lago homes for sale and they range in price from $694,000 to almost $2 million.

Sendero Springs in Round Rock has been very active this year.  There have been 110 Sendero Springs homes sold so far in 2011.  The median sales price was over $269,000, which is almost $93 per square foot.  Average days on market before selling was 90.  There are currently just 3 homes for sale in Sendero Springs.

Home sales in Northwest Hills has also been very active in 2011.  There have been 68 sales so far this year with the average sold price being almost $444,000, which is around $173 per square foot.  The average days on market before selling was just 66.  There are currently 28 Northwest Hills homes on the market with 10 of them being under contract.  The average list price is almost $588,000.

There is a community in Buda, which is south of Austin, called Elliott Ranch.  There have been 13 Elliott Ranch homes sold so far in 2011.  The average selling price has been $382,000, which is close to $118 per square foot.  Currently, there are 9 homes on the market in Elliott Ranch and one of those is under contract.  List prices run from around #303,000 to $625,000.

Interested in Austin area homes?  Call me at 512-293-2422.

Central Austin Neighborhood Update – December, 2011

Central Austin covers a lot of ground and it contains a lot of neighborhoods.  From the Coronado Hills to Rosedale to Hancock, there is a lot of variety in terms of homes and home prices.  I will highlight a few central Austin neighborhoods below to show this.

The Cliff Over Lake Austin can be called a central Austin or northwest Austin neighborhood.  There are no Active listings in the neighborhood right now, but 5 Cliff Over Lake Austin homes have sold this year.  They range in price from under $400,000 to over $2 million.  Days on market before selling ranged from 41 to 158.

Alta Vista is a neighborhood closer to downtown than the Cliff Over Lake Austin.  There are currently 2 homes for sale in the neighborhood ranging from $349,900 to $489,000.  Just 1 Alta Vista home has sold this year.

University Heights is a very small neighborhood close to the University of Austin.  There is 1 home on the market in the neighborhood.  It is a 2,740 square foot home built in 1927 and the list price is $675,000.  No homes in University Heights have sold this year.

Walsh Place is a great neighborhood west of downtown Austin close to Lake Austin.  There is currently just 1 Walsh Place home on the market.  It is listed for $995,000 and has been on the market for 111 days.  Six homes in Walsh Place have sold this year including 3 that sold for more than $1 million.