January 2012

Who watches HGTV and can resist dreaming about redoing a little bungalow or ranch style house in a great walkable neighborhood?  They make it look SO easy!  Never mind that they have all the experts on staff you could dream of to make it look that way.  Enh, details, schmetails.  With Home Depot, who needs experts??

Central Austin abounds with houses ranging from original owner homes that are very dated, to those that have had some recent updating, to those that are over the top redone.  An extensive remodel isn’t everyone’s cup of tea understandably, but if you are looking to buy a fixer upper, there are some things to consider.

Recently, some clients and I looked at a house in Allandale that was a 50s era rancher. They would have been…

One thing I occasionally run across as a real estate agent is owners who want to sell their home themselves.  Thinking about it from their perspective, I completely understand why they might think that’s a good idea. 

First, they’re thinking of the money they can save by not having a commission to pay.  Well, who wouldn’t want to do that?  Second, they see agents putting signs in the yard, making flyers, and holding open houses.  How hard can that be?  Thirdly, they believe they can handle the negotiations and transaction themselves.  That’s just a little paperwork shuffling isn’t it?

I know it’s easy to think this way because, before I got in to this field, I thought all those things too!!  And I will be the first to admit…

Have ya noticed that Austin has a penchant for bestowing its various shopping and business scenes with nicknames?  Our most famous, of course, is SoCo.  Ha, I knew S. Congress when rents were low and it was still a little seedy and funky.  NOW, it’s all hip and cool and everything, no telling what it costs all those food trailers to set up shop in what used to be a parking lot.  Then, South First wanted to get in on the act although as far as I know it goes by the very cool nickname of, well, South First.  Hmmm, they may need some branding work.  SoFi, maybe?  Uhhh, maybe not.  Well, anyway, there is SoLa.  Guess anyone?  Yep, South Lamar.

So now, parts north want to get in on the act.  With the support of the Austin Independent Business…

I freely admit having a case of split personalities when it comes to home design.  While I love, and own, a cute little 1929 bungalow in Rosedale, over the past few years I have come to LOVE modern design.  

I never ‘got’ modern in my younger days.  It looked old, or just plain weird. As I have matured though, I have found myself craving the clean lines, open space and abundance of light these homes feature.  And, the 60s ranch homes I grew up in?  Are you kidding me?  Boring. Then. But NOW I realize how well they lend themselves to a nice modern aesthetic and I've come to like them.  So there ya go, what goes around comes back around.

I bring all this up because I’ve noticed recently it’s suddenly coming up modern on Shoal Creek…

When I moved to Austin in the mid 1990s, I was enchanted with its central neighborhoods because of their pedestrian-friendly, eclectic and urban character.  It was fascinating to me then, and central Austin remains my favorite area! 

There were many older homes with little stores and shops close by.  There were people out on their front porches, walking down the streets, riding their bikes, pushing the kids in strollers, sitting in coffee shops...it was completely different than the suburban areas I’d lived in for many years.

I rented for a year to give myself time to explore various areas of town, and when all was said and done, I bought my 1929 bungalow in the charming central Austin neighborhood of Rosedale.  And I can happily say that…