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

New Construction Homes - Austin TX Home Builders - Do you ever wonder why some houses are built with a wall that's not square or a wall that seems warped or curved?  Take a look at this picture and you'll see part of the reason for this...

This wood is sitting across the street from me waiting to be put on a house. When it was dropped off last week, the wood all seemed to be perfectly straight. Look at where the numbers 589 are. Does the wood look straight to you? To me, it looks like the weight of the wood is giving in, and thus creating a huge sag in the middle of the pieces of wood.

Do you think the builder is going to do anything about it? No, why would they? Their stock answer is that no house is perfect and no two pieces of wood are exactly the same, so you can't expect walls to be perfecting squared.  I understand their point, but does it not make sense that the builders can also help prevent much of the issue?

If this wood was put flat on the ground, there would be no room for it to bend and warp, hence there would be many less issues during the construction process of the new house. With the heat we've had, we're in TEXAS, the wood is bending more and more each day.  I'm so glad the home builders treat our houses like they were their own (yes, that was said tongue in cheek)!

For the consumers, when you're building a new construction home with an Austin TX home builder, do not settle for warped walls. Have them fixed. This will save you issues in the future for things as simple as hanging a picture on the wall straight.  Make sure you have a REALTOR® working for you and with you during your new construction home building process!

**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.
* Why Can't a Home Builder Build a Straight Wall? - New Construction Homes - Austin TX Home Builders * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Aquapalooza 2010 Lake Travis is in just 2 weeks. It's typically at the end of July, but they have decided to have the main event mid-July this year on Saturday July 10, 12-8pm.  You can get further information at the official website, as well as register your boat.

Your boat is your ticket for this free event, so register here, and they say there will be no land entrance.

Brad Paisley is the headliner and expected to bring in upwards of 30,000+ people! Here are some of the other activities going on.

Where, specifically, is Aquapalooza Lake Travis? It's on Lake Travis, mile marker 22, The Reserve.

**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 2010 Coming to Lake Travis Austin TX July 10 - Brad Paisley Headlines * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

New Construction Homes - Austin TX Home builders - Why working with a Realtor can save you thou$and$ in the long run.  Take a look at the picture below... What do you see?

I see a HUGE plumbing issue!!

Can you believe this was not caught prior to the concrete being poured? What are they going to do now? The exterior wall of this house is going to have exposed plumbing pipes for the entire existence of the structure! Even if they put some concrete over the pipes for a cosmetic change, do you think that's going to solve any problems?

This house is being built across the street and over a couple of lots from me, so I've been watching them build it. A "good" Realtor, like me, would demand something be done so my clients don't have bursting pipes in the Winter or constant hot water running through in the Summer. If left like it is, the exterior pipes are going to be very vulnerable. Even some teenagers wanting to cause problems could easily saw through that pipe any time they want over the years, it's only PVC, plastic! I can't imagine all the potential problems in the future, I just think each problem is going to cost more and more money.

I haven't met the lady building the house, but I know she's single as a neighbor spoke with her. More than likely, she's not working with a Realtor to help represent her best interests. As a consumer, no matter how good of a deal you think you're going to get by approaching a home builder on your own, it's going to cost you even thou$and$ more when you don't have someone looking out for you and your family's interests!

**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.
* Why Working with a REALTOR can Save you Thou$and$ - New Construction Homes - Austin TX Home Builders * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

The City of Lakeway TX had a great exhibit this weekend, the Lakeway Emergency Services and Bike Rodeo.  There were people from every branch of the different emergency services ready to give tours of their vehicles and explain everything about what they do.

By far, Alyssa's favorite was the Bomb Squad Robot. They had it moving in all sorts of directions to show how versatile it was. The hands of the robot are so steady that they can grip a zipper!  The suit the Bomb Squad people wear is 85 pounds. That is heavy!  One of the people explained that the suit isn't completely explosion proof, which can be scary!

The helicopter was also a hit!  She liked all the buttons. She was concerned it would be loud if it was turned on.  Everything is "loud" to her these days...

She sat up high in the firetruck, but didn't seem too impressed with that. The fireman even showed her his big boots and mask and explained how they get dressed really fast, and all she could think about was how scary the mask looked. He reassured her that it might look scary, but if she ever sees someone come towards her in a mask like that, she needs to know they're just helping her. I wish I got a picture of the mask, as it is a little scary looking.

Others things around were motorcycles, the rescue boat, and an ambulance.  We took home a DNA kit. Basically, it's recommended for all parents to swab their child and put it in a sealed bag in the freezer for the "just in case". The finger printing booth wasn't set up yet, so we didn't do that. There was also a Bike Rodeo thing going on where they were checking helmets and going over safety stuff with bikes, but Alyssa is too young for all that right now, so I have no information about that part of the exhibit.

All in all, the City of Lakeway, the City of Bee Cave, The Travis County Sheriff, as well as the City of Austin all participated in the events and they're already planning another event for the fall when it's much cooler! Thanks for a great event!

**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.
* City of Lakeway TX - Emergency Services and Bike Rodeo - Bomb Squad Robot was a hit! * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Real Estate - Austin TX Homes for Sale - Closings for residential real estate in Austin TX were up in May, by 24% compared to May 2009, with a total of $508M in inventory, being 2074 single family homes. That sounds like a great number, right?

Well, let's look at some other things going on.  The median price of Austin TX actually decreased 2% in May over last year, to $192k, however, this number is up from last month April 2010 at only $190,700.  Two percent is nothing to lose sleep over, as Austin is still a bargain being under $200k, on average.

A startling number to look at is that pending sales decreased 34% compared to May 2009. Why? My theory, and many other people's theories is that the tax credit expired on April 30, so people rushed and rushed to get under contract by the deadline, and then this huge sigh of relief or frustration was let out by all the buyers. Buyers who contracted in time are loving life. The buyers who didn't find a home in time are very frustrated, and many have decided to wait and calm down before moving forward again.

Even though pending sales decreased such a large number, the average days on the market for the listings in the area have gone down a whopping 20%!! That's huge! So, even though there were less sales, the homes that are on the market for buyers to chose from are selling quicker, in a mere 63 days.

So, where does that leave us here in Austin TX and the surrounding Hill Country area? It's summer, it's hot, people are on vacation, but the serious buyers are still out there. If your house is on the market, make sure it's priced and presented properly. The more obstacles a buyer has to go through to view your home, the less chance your home will be on the pending list for next month!

Call or email me today, and let's discuss your particular situation to get the best results for you. When you get serious about selling, you get top dollar!

**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.
* Real Estate - Austin TX Homes for Sale - Closings up, Pendings down * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

BabyHarris2 update. This is week 17. My fingers have been crossed that all the previous complications I went through are now long behind me and the rest of the 23 weeks will be drama-free.

At week 17, I now have some energy back. I'm not running marathons or anything, but I'm not sleeping on the couch at 2 in the afternoon either. The baby should be about 5 inches long. That's a little smaller than my open hand.

Thus far, it looks like I'm off the track of gaining 60+ pounds like with Alyssa. At this point with Alyssa, I had already gained 11 pounds. This time, I've only gained 2 pounds thus far.  My knees are happy about that!

I'm now two weeks away from finding out if it's a boy or girl. Healthy is really the only main concern, but it's always nice to stock up on clearance clothes at the end of the season if I get the chance.  With that, there is still time to guess in the guessing game, so click here. With Alyssa, I had over 50 guesses, but this time, no one wants to guess and I have only about 10. Come on people, it takes 10 seconds to click the link and enter your guess.

Week 18, here I come!

**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.
* BabyHarris2 Update - Week 17 * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Falconhead West - Bee Cave Austin TX - The new park is expanding!! This is awesome news! I was hoping they would announce a pool was going to be built for the community, but they didn't.

Instead, the City Council approved a parking lot, a restroom, and 3+ miles of hike and bike trails. And get this, it is supposed to be taken over by the City of Bee Cave, so it's not my HOA dues paying for the upkeep!

It's very exciting to have a restroom going in because there are plenty of times when we have to hurry home so there isn't an "accident".

I wonder when they'll start construction on this...

**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.
* Falconhead West - Bee Cave - Austin TX - Community Park and Playground * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Price adjustments are very common in today's market. Would you agree that most price adjustments you see would be going in the down direction?  This morning, I was browsing the MLS and came across a very interesting listing. Price adjustments went up, and not just one, like happens sometimes, but FOUR!

Yes, this house has had four price adjustments UPWARD. It has been listed for 221 days. It listed on 11/14/2009 for $427,395.  On 2/1/2010, the price went UP to $436,995. On 4/11, it went UP to $439,995. On 5/7, it went UP to $474,995... but I guess they thought that number wasn't good enough because on the same day, it went UP even further to $489,995.

I've seen list prices go up on properties when they're originally listed at one price, then the home owner decides to do some repairs or upgrades and wants to recoup some of the money, but to go up so many times, and so drastically? I don't see anything in the listing warranting this behavior.

I wonder who is controlling this listing, the seller or the listing agent... I always try to work as a team with my sellers, and part of that teamwork is consulting. I can't imagine there ever being a situation where I advise my sellers to continuously increase their asking price when it hasn't sold at the price we were already trying to get.

**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.
* Price Adjustments Going Up? What Are They Thinking? * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

We had fun in the sun at Bull Creek in Austin TX. I had never been there before, but Mike talks about how he used to go there all the time as a kid, so we took Alyssa there on Father's Day.

It's not quite what I had imagined as I would have thought it would have been more family friendly with more tables and shaded areas and such, but it was just a couple of picnic tables and that's it.  Stuff goes on the ground and you hope no one walks off with it...

We walked up and down the creek. Parts are what I consider "gross" while other parts are nice. There is a section where the water is running like rapids and there is an indent in the ground. There is so much algae that the bottom is slippery, and this makes for a great slide for the little ones. Take a look at the video of Alyssa having a blast.





There is also a section of little water falls. I wish I took a picture of that area. Alyssa had fun ducking in and out of the water falls with the water landing on her head. One area was even cave-like and that amazes her as she would look at me from the other side of the water.

All in all, Bull Creek in Austin TX was a fun time, and we'll probably go there again, many times.

**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.
* Bull Creek - Austin TX - Slip 'n Slide * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Alyssa has been reading to me for a few weeks, and I finally got one on video. It beats the heck out of sitting and reading her 20 books everyday!!

**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 - Alyssa Reads Me a Book - Cute Video * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Today was an interesting day.  I went to the Travis County Appraisal Review Board to protest my property taxes. In the past, I had only gone in, spoken with someone, told them about my concerns, and was done with it.  This time, I'm in a different situation. I'm in a brand new community and all the properties are being assessed all over the board.

I tried to do the informal thing where I explained what I was talking about, but apparently I went over the manager's head and he didn't understand. How he didn't understand, I don't know, but honestly, I think he just didn't want to deal with the situation.

In my neighborhood, there are equal and comparable new homes to mine that I would consider apples to apples comparisons, but values from $389k up well into the $400k's!  How could that be??

I looked at a lot of information to find out what was going on, and you'll never believe it.  I know different styles are common in different parts of the world, so this might not mean anything to some people, but my community has homes that are stucco, stone, or brick, and many homes with a combination of two different materials.

Because of the area and the amount of relocation we have from out of the area, the stucco homes are in high demand.  Because of this high demand, the builders charge a pretty penny for the stucco elevations. However, do you think the appraisal district is following this same logic??

NO! They're not!

They are giving the stucco homes an inferior cost analysis causing my brick home to be valued higher that the others.  When I brought this to the attention of the Travis County Appraisal Review Board, they were shocked.  They were more shocked that the response from the Travis County Representative was that the stucco replacement costs were less so therefore, it's valued less.  I'm sorry, but this isn't about replacement cost. This is about market value and what a buyer would pay for the house. If the builders are going to charge a premium, and the buyers are going to pay it, that's the cost analysis that should be used.

We had a little schooling going on, and my typical 20 minute hearing took over 45 minutes!  Overall, I'm extremely happy with  my results. I got my property tax value lower by over $20,000! That doesn't equate to too much over the year, but it'll add up year after year if I fight this stucco analysis each year. Bottomline, if you think you're not being valued like your neighbors' properties, do something about it!

Keep in mind, if you're in Texas and you're not happy with the Appraisal Review Board decision on your property, you can file arbitration and request me through the State of Texas' Comptroller's Office!

**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.
* Success at the Travis County Appraisal Review Board - Lowered My Property Taxes * was first published on donnahomesblog.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.
* Wordless Wednesday - My First Ice Cream Cone, Yummy! * was first published on donnahomesblog.com

Twin Lake Hills in Deer Creek area of Dripping Springs TX has two adjacent lots available. This is a great opportunity to bring your builder and build your dream house, or just buy your piece of the rock!

From ground level, there are spectacular views, imagine what it would look like if you built a front Balcony on a 2 story house!  You would be able to see the Texas Hill Country views for miles!

The community is fairly secluded and quiet. Not much traffic going through. The lake is not very far, and would make for a nice walk, approximately a couple of miles.

According to the tax records, one lot is .2124 acres and the other is .2086 acres. When bought together, they will get you almost a 1/2 acre, which is a nice size to build on and still have room to not touch your neighbors!

Water and electricity are both available, but septic would need to be installed. Asking price is $13,000 each which is a give-away price compared to the $19k and $25k lot prices in the neighborhood. Scoop these up today, before someone else does!

17610 and 17612 Village Dr, Dripping Springs, TX 78620. There is a sign in the yard to easily spot 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.
* 17610 & 17612 Village Dr - Twin Lake Hills and Deer Creek - Dripping Springs TX * was first published on donnahomesblog.com