OK, let’s talk about finding homes for you. The market moves fast. Two days on the market with multiple offers is not uncommon. So we’ll work collaboratively to keep an eye out for properties. We’ll send you ones that we think are interesting, and you’ll have resources to search on your own.

We’ll be setting you up with a “portal” soon. You’ll receive an email that allows you to view MLS properties, and tag those you like. If you feel at any point that the search is not returning sufficient results, just let us know. We can always adjust the criteria to fix that.

We’ll also post in some agent groups and check some lists of off market homes to see if we can find something before it hits the MLS.

Please make sure to let us know if you’re also interested in new construction, and we’ll make sure to look in some different areas and with builders to find more potential homes.

Use the favorites and heart features to keep track of homes you like. We don’t always get alerts when you do that, so please let us know when you do so we can go take a look at your list.

Want to attend open houses? Great! With some notice, we can often join you.

• The open house agent does not represent your best interests. They represent the seller’s best interests. Anything you share with them about your budget or preferences or timeline can and will be used against you in negotiations. Okay, that might sound a little scary. But really. They represent the seller, and they’re there to help the seller get the most money possible for the home. That means they’re there to talk you into making an offer today for as high as possible, regardless of whether that’s in your best interest. So save yourself the trouble by deflecting them early. Just say “We’re represented. Thanks.”

• This will avoid annoying and unnecessary follow up from other agents. Imagine this: You go to seven open houses. You sign in to seven open houses with your email. You’re now getting followed up with by SEVEN different agents. So do yourself a favor, avoid the spam, and sign in with my email instead, and a note that you’re already working with me.

You’re welcome. 🙂

It’s often a waste of time to drive around and look for ‘For Sale’ signs, as most of the homes are probably already under contract. But as you start to gather a list of homes you like, we encourage you to take a drive through the neighborhood.

Sometimes there are lots of good options, and we hate to squander time on our tour together driving up to a house and going “We hate it. Next!” That’s a spot on our tour that could have been saved for a more viable option. So if you aren’t familiar with the street, take a look when you have time. Or use Google maps. It will make our home tours together more successful.

When you’ve chosen a few homes you like, let’s schedule a tour. Please let us know...

• When you’re free. More than one time block/date helps.

• What you’d like to see.

• If any homes look extra awesome to you, and you think you might want to make an offer, please let us know so we can make them a top priority. They move fast!

• If you’d like us to add any at our discretion.

• If your criteria has changed at all, so we can adjust and find more options.

• If this sounds like too much work, then just email us “Hey, I want to see some stuff,” and we’ll figure it out.

We work as a team, and at times, team members cover for us on days off, as needed, etc. We’ll do our best to make sure we can accommodate you at the times that are best for your schedule. We don't want my busy schedule to be the reason you miss out on a great house!

Please let us know any questions you have about the homes (what stays, HOA, etc.) and we’ll discuss or find out for you.

Here are a few other things to consider when checking out homes…

• Turn on faucets to check water pressure

• Try opening doors and windows. Do they operate? Are any sticky?

• Check the breaker box. Is it labeled? If yes, then this person probably maintained their home pretty consistently.

• Garage door openers: are they there, and do they work?

• Gutters? Sprinkler systems? Not all houses have them, and they’re not necessarily on all sides

• Electric or gas dryer hookup

• Crazy neighbors: Want to avoid living next to party animals, drug dealers, or just plain weirdos? There’s only one way to find out. Meet them. Don’t hesitate to knock on the door and introduce yourself, ask questions, etc. Seems forward, but it’s one way to mitigate your risk of moving in next to crazy.

• School districts: The MLS is not always accurate, so if you have school-aged children and this is really important to you, check websites or even call the school directly to check that this address does in fact feed into that school.

• Consider driving the neighborhood at a different hour than the showing. If we saw it during the day on a weekend? Go by in the evening on a weekday, for example.

Demographic resources:

https://www.austintexas.gov/department/gis-and-maps

Crime statistics:

https://www.austintexas.gov/department/crime-information

Search permit history:

Interactive Development Review Permitting and Inspection

https://abc.austintexas.gov/web/permit/public-search-other?reset=true

Check if the home is in a flood plain:

https://www.austintexas.gov/FloodPro/

Understanding how long the process takes will help you get clarity on all these points. So here’s how a typical resale contract goes.

For financed transactions, it will take 30-45 days from a signed contract to your closing date. (Cash is faster; we can close in 7-10 days usually.) If you have a lease expiration date to work around, it’s a good idea to review your early termination and month-to-month extension options now so you can plan accordingly. We don’t like our clients to find themselves homeless or surprised by large lease termination fees.

Pre-Contract (Timeline: 1 day to infinity; depends on how long it takes you to make decisions!)

• Look at homes

• Submit an offer

• Negotiate offer

Contract (30-45 days)

• Executed Contract: when all parties agree and sign off

If cash, the contract period can be as short as around 10 days.