Austin TX Real Estate - Hill Country Austin Lakeway Homes for Sale: January 2010

Why stop blogging when you're busy?  This morning, I read a post by Amy Hahn that was featured and discussed how she has to stop blogging because the blogging worked to grow her business.

Does that make sense?  Something is working, so let's stop doing it?  What amazed me even more is that all the comments were just about congratulating her on getting the new leads and referrals.  Not a single person, until my comment, pointed out that if she stops doing what she's doing, the leads and referrals are going to stop coming in too.

Doesn't that make more sense?

Here's her logic, paraphrased:  I've been blogging and with my efforts, I got two buyer leads and a referral. I'm so busy with my three new potential clients, that I can't find the time to continue my efforts to pick up new buyers, sellers, or referrals.

Do you see the flaws in that logic?  From day one, aren't you told about the peaks and valleys of real estate?  The average agent gets a client and gets so wrapped up in that client that they forget about their business that they're running.  That one client closes and there are no other clients waiting for that agent, so the agent has to start all over again trying to get one client.

If you can't multi-task in this business, it's not for you. You can't work with just one or three people at a time.  You need to be consistently and constantly prospecting to avoid peaks and valleys!  And if this logic doesn't make sense to you, I would be happy to work your database and pass on a referral fee. Having multiple balls in the air is the art of true Real Estate.

Stopping the blogging because it's working is one of the "silliest" things I've heard...

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Rebut to "No Time for Blogging"... * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

AquaPalooza is coming to Lake Travis in Austin TX in July 2010.  No exact date has been set yet, but it's supposed to be one of the last two weekends in July.

What is AquaPalooza?  Aqua means Water.  AquaPalooza's debut was in 2006 and it's a huge, FREE, on-water celebration open to anyone who shows up.  Last year on Lake Martin in Alabama, with Alan Jackson as the headliner, there were 4000 boats and 35,000 people.  I saw Alan Jackson in concert in Dallas TX back in the Fall of 1994... yes, a loooonnnng time ago...

Yes, Lake Travis was very dry last year, but the water has already gone up over 20 feet since then. We're in a rainy El Nino, it's even raining today, so the hopes are that the Lake Travis will be back up to normal, if not above normal, by July.

As more details are released for this fun Austin TX activity, along with who will be playing, I'll post more about the event, so keep coming back for updates!

Photo courtesy of www.aquapalooza.com.

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* AquaPalooza Coming to Lake Travis Austin TX July 2010 * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Alyssa has learned how to fly and let the wind blow through her hair... and this was a soft landing.

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Speechless Sunday - Learning to Fly * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Lake Pointe Austin TX is a very nice neighborhood with a lot of activity going on.  You can get a house for $250k or you could get a house for over $1M in the gated section. 

You could get a one story or a two story home, an older or a newer home, upfront with all the action or secluded in the back.

Take a look at the current activity since the fourth quarter of 2009.

What do you see?  What I see is an interesting trend, but still consistent with my previous market reports on the area.  The smaller, less expensive homes are the homes people are buying.

Why?  I still don't have an answer for that.  Speculation would be that this is such a popular community that people are just buying into the lower end in order to ride the wave of appreciation up.

We'll be able to tell more after the first quarter of 2010 since many of the listings above are fairly new on the market.  I'll keep an eye on the activity and compare the chart at that time.

If you're in Lake Pointe Austin TX and are thinking about putting your house on the market, please call me TODAY to get more detailed information.  If you're looking to buy a house in the Lake Pointe Austin TX area, also call me TODAY and let's schedule an appointment to view some homes.  The tax credits are still in full effect, so why not take advantage?

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Lake Pointe Austin - Bee Cave TX - Market Activity * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Have you ever looked at your house from a child's view?  I have a two year old, and we play on the floor a lot.  Much of the time, I get to walk around on my knees as we play.  We also play in the bath tub, and you can't forget about the potty training...

What does this have to do with real estate?  Simple, get down to the level of a toddler before you put your house on the market.

Every night I give my daughter a bath, I see that the painters forgot to paint under all three of the window sills.  Do most people see this?  No, probably not, but this should still be painted as it helps seal the wood.

The multiple times a day we run to the bathroom to sit on the "Good Girl Potty", I've had the opportunity to see that our pedestal sink in the half bath is missing some caulk where the sink and the pedestal meet as well as where the plumbing meets the wall.

In the kitchen, where two sets of cabinets meet together at a corner, the wall is not painted because you're not supposed to look under the cabinets, but when your daughter likes to sit on the counters while you cook...

We also noticed chips at the bottom of the fireplace in which they've already come and given us a brand new fireplace and did a faux paint.

Basically, don't just look at the surface when cleaning your house and getting it ready for the market.  Get down on the ground, and look at things from all different angles.  You'll see things from a completely different perspective.

If you're thinking about putting your house on the market and need an opinion on price, as well as an unbiased look at your house, please contact me today so we can discuss your options.

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Look at Your House from All Possible Angles * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

There are still a few spaces available...

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**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Painless Prospecting - 2 Hours MCE - Austin Title January 20 * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

The Ridge at Lantana in Austin TX is a little community right off the beaten bath off Southwest Parkway in Travis County.  This community is surrounded by tons of mature trees, great topography from almost every angle, and businesses very near by.

Lantana is almost completed, but there are a few homesites left to choose from.  Some have trees, while others don't. Some have large backyards to where you might need a riding lawnmower, while others have average yards.  There are a couple of corner lots left, but mostly interior.  There are homesites facing north, south, east, and west, so whatever orientation floats your boat, there's at least one left.

Here are some pictures of some of the lots.

The two main builders still building homes for sale in The Ridge at Lantanta Austin TX are Plantation Homes and Meritage Homes.  These are two very good builders in the Austin TX new construction market with great reputations.

What's going on with the resale in Lantana right now?  There are several pre-owned homes for sale.  Take a look at this chart.

This chart does include a couple of new construction homes, but it's the pattern I wanted to point out.  You will notice the majority of the homes are clumped together in price.  When you look at the properties further up the chart on the right, you'll notice the higher the prices are going, the higher the days on market (DOM) are going.

What does that tell me as a Realtor?  And what should that tell you as a home owner who might be putting your house on the market in Lantana fairly soon?  List with the masses and don't try to be the loan house trying to get the highest price or you'll sit and sit...

If you would like more detailed information about The Ridge at Lantana in Travis County or houses for sale in Austin TX in general, please don't hesitate to contact me today and we'll discuss your situation and your options.  The Tax Credits are still available, and why not take advantage of them?

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* The Ridge at Lantana - Austin TX - New Construction and Resale Homes for Sale * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Internet Leads are not like "Regular" leads from ten years ago.  If you don't know how to work or take the time to understand Internet Leads, your business is going to suffer greatly, as now the large majority of buyers and sellers start their research online.

I've been working with Internet Leads since 2004 and I've got a very detailed process in place that has helped me close hundreds of transactions. You can read much of what I do along with example emails I send out if you read the new book Make the Move: How to Move Your Real Estate Business Online by Claudia Wicks as all of Chapter 15 is about me and my business.  **I get no royalties whatsoever, but buy it because it's good**

For those who haven't read it yet, I'll give a brief summary.

When you get an Internet Lead, you need to follow up immediately.  Immediately is the most important part.  From a survey Realtor.com conducted, the average response rate for follow up is 57 hours!  That's WAAYYYYY too long to leave these leads out in cyberspace exploring other people's websites.

You need to have systems in place that contact each lead as soon as possible so if you're out on an appointment or if you're in bed because it's the middle of the night, these people get an immediate response.  After that, the first week is crucial.  I have drip campaigns set up and each lead gets about 3-4 drips along with listings or a CMA that first week.  For the next week, follow up is still aggressive, but since I know the averages of Internet Leads, follow up then goes to a 10 or 15 day follow up for months, depending on whether they're a buyer or seller.

Sellers are typically further out in time than buyers and will require a longer drip campaign. A drip campaign is like your very own personal assistant following up for you, but cheaper!

Internet Leads don't like to feel pressured, so calling them five or six times a week is not the way to go.  They're online for a reason, because they like to research at their own leisure, and they don't need someone bugging them.  Most won't respond to anything you send them until they're ready. This gets frustrating for some, as they want an "instant gratification" buyer or seller, but Internet Leads are not instant anything.  And many aren't buyers or sellers at all; they're just leads waiting for you to lead them wherever they need to go.

Since 2004, the majority of the Internet Leads that I have closed have been leads that have sat in my database for over a year.  One day, they just contact me out of the blue like we're old friends.  I pull up their profile in my contact management database to see what kind of communication they've received, and I talk with them like I've known them for years.

I've built the relationship with them even though we've never met, and more than likely, we've never spoken before.  The biggest feedback I get is that from everything I have sent them over the months and years, they feel they know me and feel comfortable working with me.

The biggest responder email I have is one called "I'm feeling ignore".  Every so often, if a lead has been in my database with no communication for several months, I send an email letting them know that I'm feeling ignored and that I can't help them unless they let me help them.  Since I've now made things personal after being in the background for so long, many people feel obligated to respond to this email, in which I find out lots of reasons and excuses for not getting previous responses.  You would be amazed at how many responses are, "I was going to contact you in the next few weeks to start looking..."

It's not rocket science, but there is a science to it.  You have to be prepared for bogus names, but just go with the flow.  If they entered their name as Mickey Mouse, address all their correspondence as Mickey
or Mr. Mouse.  They'll get a kick out of it thinking they've pulled the wool over your eyes.

For other methods of converting internet leads, be sure to check out giftofshift.com/activerain where you can purchase a limited edition hardcover of Gary Keller's book SHIFT, which comes with a free version of the eBook Soci@l: Attract Friends, Followers and Connections to Your Business, written by Ben Kinney and Jay Papasan (in which Ben shares his 'ten days of pain' lead conversion method) as well as free audio versions of Millionaire Real Estate Agent and Millionaire Real Estate Investor all for $19.99. I get no royalties from this plug either...

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Internet Lead Conversion is a Science and Not for the Lazy * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

It's good to occasionally play a little hookie and have some Friday Fun!  This morning, we ventured out to a playdate at 3F Fitness in Lakeway TX.  We had a lot of fun.  There's something for all ages, from barely crawling to adults.

Here's a little video of Alyssa playing on some of the equipment, and after being hesitant with the trampoline last time, she loved jumping on it this time!

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Friday Fun - 3F Fitness Lakeway TX * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

One more part of my miserable building saga has been completed!

Remember the mess with the Fireplace?  How gross and dingy it was?  Well, they came out in October and replaced the entire Fireplace... however, they did a very poor job. 

They spread the mortar all over it so the entire thing then appeared with an orange smear coating.  "Oh don't worry. When it dries out, in the next 4-6 weeks, it'll all be the same color."

Oh really??  I think not.  After two months of letting it "dry", the fireplace still looked bad.  Instead of having them tear it out and put in a new one again, we (I) opted for a faux paint.  I think it completely changes the look of the room, and I love it!

What do you think?  My husband absolutely hates it, but I think it'll grow on him.

If you're looking to spruce up your living room, this is a very inexpensive way to change the look to a higher end look.  This is also a good idea when putting your house on the market to sell. Your house won't look like the other 20 houses the buyers are looking at.

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* My New Faux Paint Fireplace - More Building Saga Completed * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

                                               Click Here to Register

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Painless Prospecting - 2 Hours MCE - Austin Title January 20 * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

This is my chair and you can't have it...

So, I'll just spread out in the entire thing!!

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Wordless Wednesday - My Chair!! * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Esurance.com is such a SCAM and I wasted so much time with them I can't believe it, as they baited and switched my quotes!

Here's what happened, long story.  I've been with Allstate since I was 16 years old.  You can do the math if you want.  The last time I had to research insurance was when I became a Realtor and had to get "Business" coverage, which not all companies offer. I set my plan, and on I went.

I got my renewal a couple of weeks ago, and I decided it was too high, so I started searching online.  I had seen tons of commercials for esurance.com so I went there.  When I first went to their site this past Friday, my quote was $340 for a 6 month period.  Seriously?  I had to be missing something.  So I called their customer service rep to get some questions answered.

Since I didn't put in my actual street address, though zip code should be enough, and since I didn't put in my social, the quote given is strictly for Tier 1 credit, best case scenario.  No problem, I understand.  How much could the quote go up once credit is pulled?  Maybe $20 or maybe $100 depending on how your credit looks, she tells me.

Since I knew the insurance companies don't really look at credit score, but what you owe, I paid off my monthly credit card, and went back to their site yesterday for my full quote since the $340 was significantly lower than my Allstate bill, and even if it went up $100, it would still be less.

I enter my full address and my social, and am quoted $377.  Seriously?  That's pretty darn good!  I called to make sure that included them running my credit. 
Yes, ma'am. I'm showing you're in Tier 1 which is great.  I very rarely see people in Tier 1.

Great!  What do I do next?
Let's go over all the option to make sure everything is correct.

We go over everything in front of me on my screen.  She then says, "Ok, great, I've got that for $418.50"
Excuse me?  My screen says $377.
Well, there's a $25 fee for excluding your husband from the policy.
What? That makes no sense. Even if you pack out the $25 hidden fee, that doesn't equal $377.

This conversation went on for 36 minutes!  Even at $418.50, she says that's not my final number until she gets credit card information.  After arguing for several minutes about how I wanted a bottom line, but that she couldn't provide that, I humored her by giving a credit card number... and what does her next screen say??

$486.50!!

I raised my voice explaining very sternly about how that's why I wanted a final number first!  Their $340 quote turned into $486.50 in a blink of an eye!  And that turned out to be higher than Allstate, of course. She then transferred me to their partner company, who wasted even more of my time because they don't even write business policies!!

I completely feel esurance.com is a scam, and buyer beware before you sign that bottom line and switch, as there might be a bait and switch on the hook.  It's sad how companies treat people with the awesome credit.  You would think they would beg for my business knowing I would actually pay my bills on time... I waited until the very last day of my previous policy, so I had to call Allstate's 800 number to make a payment by phone, which they did not charge for, thank you!

Now, since I don't like my current Allstate agent since he took over the company from my long time agent last year, I have to switch agents out of principle... so frustrating!!

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Esurance.com Scam with Bait and Switch Quotes * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Is the new 2009 Survey of Home Buyers and Home Sellers accurate?  I was reading the summary of the results posted on Realty Times, and I'm fairly confused by some of the answers.

For example, how are they having the buyers distinguish between finding the house on the internet verse finding the house on the internet through their agent's website, or any agent's website?  That's one of the strong points of working with a Realtor is to have access to either their website with the most up to date listings, or receive listings via a saved search set up by the Realtor within the MLS to send out to the buyer.

When I, as the Realtor, send listings to my buyers and they click on the link and an internet browser window opens to view the home, is this buyer saying they saw the property on the internet or from their Realtor?  I think there needs to be more distinction because the numbers the survey is showing are weird.

36% of Buyers found the home they purchased using the internet with the exact same amount of Buyers finding the home they purchased using a real estate agent.  Again, how could buyers really say their agent didn't help them find the homes when most of the web-based searches are run by agents with MLS feeds?  Are the buyers really giving the Internet all that much credit now when the sites wouldn't exist without the cooperation of the Brokers and the Realtors?

When asked which sources of information were useful, 81% said real estate agent, however only 77% said the internet. What did the remaining people think was useful?  Foreclosure Bus Tours?

Something else I found interesting is that the 2009 Survey of Home Buyers and Home Sellers said 10% of buyers found Open Houses to be useful, though statistics consistently show less than 1% of houses are sold at an open house.  Just another stat showing that buyers aren't really looking for open houses anymore, and that even the ones who think they're useful aren't out buying at Open Houses.

Maybe it was because they only had about a 7% return rate on the survey results, but the above stats don't seem very representative... but that's just my observant opinion for my market.

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Is the New 2009 Survey of Home Buyers and Home Sellers Accurate? * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Alyssa completed her first week at her new school, Primrose School of Bee Cave.  I'm not very excited that her other school closed and that I had to scramble to find a new one in under a week. 

I'm not thrilled with the lack of choices in the Bee Cave TX area for child care.  In the immediate area, there are two daycares plus three Montessori schools. One daycare is for ages 2 1/2 and up, so that was eliminated easily.  Plus, when I was in there last year to check them out, there was one teacher for about 30 kids at the moment as she said she was waiting for the other teacher... 2 teachers for 30 kids still didn't seem good.

One Montessori school closes at 3:30pm and is only opened Monday through Thursday.  That does not work.  The other two are full time,  but you have to bring lunch each day for the kids at one of them and I prefer the hot lunch option until she's in "real" school.  The other one was in a very "rustic" building, meaning old, and that wasn't very appealing.

With the process of elimination, that left me with Primrose.  When I first interviewed them last year, I was not impressed at all. As a matter of fact, I was disgusted with the entire visit. As I mentioned, I don't have many choices, so I had to look at the school again, with an open mind.  I'll admit, the presentation was a heck of a lot better, but they also knew lots of parents were coming over to tour. They could have cleaned up.  The front desk and Director people are all fairly new, so they weren't part of last year's bad experience.

I would never leave my child in a bad situation or environment, so don't get me wrong. This place is definitely up to standards... but it's not like the old school. There are no cameras so I can't watch her when I have a free moment.  There is no splash pad area for the summer time for the kids to run around in the water.  There is no cafeteria area or gym for the kids to run around and stretch their legs and get a change of scenery from their classroom. There aren't all her old friends as they've all been scattered around the area because of availability to place all the kids.

Just another change she'll have to get used to.  I know I changed schools a lot growing up, and I was hoping to prevent that with my daughter, but she's barely two and she's starting her third school already!!

She seemed to have fun as she was always happy when I picked her up.  Dropping her off was an issue three of the five days.  Their potties are much bigger than her old school so she's afraid of them and the potty training took a dive...  She's tough, and I'm sure next week will be much better!!

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* First Week at New School * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Could you image anything else possibly going wrong with my house??  Take a look at this...

There are many valves exploding throughout the neighborhood, and thus far, all are the same builder, imagine that!!  I had my husband knock on this guy's door and let him know.  He just moved in a couple of weeks ago and we hadn't had a chance to meet him yet.

Ours exploded before the shutoff valve, so the only other shutoff is the main water line to the house.  We have been without water for about an hour, and since it's Saturday, who knows how much longer, especially since they have several to work on...

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Water Lines at my House Exploded this Morning in Austin TX Cold Weather * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Today was my first day as a stay at home mom, and I failed...

Let me back track - A couple of days ago, my husband pointed out that my expenses in 2009 were higher than in 2008.  Well, duh, of course they were.  In 2008, I stopped all marketing expenses in August to gear up for our move.  In January 2009, I started all marketing expenses again.

Simple math would tell me that I spent more in 2009 than in 2008.

The "silly" man that he is, he decided more discussion was needed about my expenses.  Excuse me, but my business is my business, and it's not yours to run... you have to spend money to make money, right?

The end discussion was that I would become a stay at home mom and eliminate all of my expenses.  However, I had to show houses yesterday, so I told him my new career would have to wait until Thursday, today... but I've already failed...

I've been working all day today.  I've been sending buyers new listings.  I've been working on my training presentations.  I've been signing up for FourSquare.  I've been blogging...  and I dropped my daughter off at school this morning, so she's definitely not home for me to be watching her.

The one thing I'm bad at is doing NOTHING!  I can't imagine not working.  I would be bored out of my mind!  I guess my new career will have to be put on hold for now.

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* I Failed at Doing NOTHING! * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

I'm so glad I take the time to read people's posts to learn new things because this evening, I clicked into Brad Andersohn's blog only to find out that RainCamp is coming to New York next week, January 12, 2010, and I'm the topic!!

Yes, lil 'ol me and my blog will be the topic discussing how I've made a nice income just from blogging and the relationships I've developed right here in the Rain.

If you're going to be in New York for this event, let me know how it goes.  If you're not going to be in New York, you can read more about how I have created an internet presence by reading Chapter 15 of Make the Move... but I recommend reading the entire book for other ideas as well. ** I get no royalties for you buying the book **

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* ActiveRain RainCamp - New York - January 12, 2010 * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Have you resolved to change your ways in 2010?  If you need help figuring out where to start, I highly recommend Claudia Wicks' new book, Make the Move: How to Move Your Real Estate Business Online.

Why is this a great book?  Because I'm in it, silly!! 

Just kidding... no, seriously, I am in it.  I'm all of Chapter 15, starting on page 113: A Business Built on the Web.  It's all about how almost all my business is created from something I do online.

Why else is this a great book?  Do you really need another reason?  I already told you I'm in it!!

Ok, ok, seriously... there are a handful of other agents who also explain their move to an online business.  You get not only my perspective, but the perspective of others, and you can see which way would help you Make the Move in 2010.

You'll read about creating a database, going through your database, blogging, creating an internet presence, and so much more.

I get no royalties from the book, so don't think I'm plugging it for my own benefit. I'm plugging it because I'm proud to be part of it, and because it's a great book!  You can order it on Claudia Wicks' website.

Let me know how you decide to Make the Move after reading it!

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Resolve for 2010 - Make the Move - How to Move your Real Estate Business Online * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Some day, I'm going to discover a new star... or better yet, a new galaxy...

Baby Bloomer's Day at the Austin Children's Museum.

**Are You Packed Yet?** 

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

Copyright© 2010 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Speechless Sunday - Discover the Stars * was first published on donnahomesblog.com