Team Ensor

West Austin Condo Sales Report For June 2010

Joe Ensor — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:23:10 +0000

We were curious how condominium sales have been in West Austin, most specifically the areas beyond Capital of Texas Hwy toward Lake Travis. Usually condominiums are the first sales to suffer in a market downturn, but are also the first to rise during market appreciation periods. Below is our findings from a recent MLS report we pulled for West Austin condo sales in MLS Area RN:

Property Type: Residential

Status: Sold

Number of Properties: 5

	Beds	Baths	SqFt	Listing Price	LP/SqFt	Selling Price	SP/SqFt	SP/LP	SP/OLP	DOM
High	3	2	2,126	$295,000	$202.7	$287,000	$202.7	100%	100%	274
Low	2	1	814	$156,000	$122.15	$154,000	$114.82	94%	88.3%	0
Average	2	2	1,340	$202,179	$157.5	$197,700	$154.53	97.78%	95.14%	94
Median	2	2	1,259	$165,000	$138.76	$165,000	$135	98.7%	94.5%	76

How are West Austin Condos Selling?

For the month of June 2010, there were 5 condos that sold in Area RN. Two of these five were in MonteVista Condos — a condo conversion off of 360 and 2222.

As you can see from the data, the average price per square foot is $154.53, and the median price per square foot is $135, based on June 2010’s sales comps. There are currently 29 condos for sale in MLS Area RN, 18 of which are in MonteVista. For those who are unfamiliar with these condos, we recently wrote a blog post titled The Great Debate About MonteVista Condos in West Austin, where we outlined whether we felt that purchasing one of these condos was a wise investment decision.

In a few days July will be over, and we will be able to compare June sales to July sales, and see just how condos sales are performing this summer in the greater West Austin area.

The Great Debate About MonteVista Condos in West Austin

Joe Ensor — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:09:34 +0000

There has been great discussion about whether condo conversions are a wise purchase, particularly the MonteVista condominium project in West Austin. We have had a chance to do some initial research on the MonteVista condos, and here are our findings.

MonteVista Condos Overview

Our initial reaction to MonteVista is that the location is spectacular. Being on the corner of 360 and 2222, as a resident you would be nearly equidistant to downtown Austin and Lake Travis. This would be great for a resident who worked downtown, but likes to spend their weekends on the lake. The grounds themselves are beautiful, with two resort-style pools and outdoor BBQ grills. The amenity center is complete with a private theater and a modernized fitness center. Unit finish-outs vary from basic to upscale. All units have 9 foot ceilings, and feature large balconies.

MonteVista Condos For Sale

There are currently 18 MonteVista condos on the market, 2 are pending and taking backup offers, and 5 have sold since January 1, 2010, according to recent Austin MLS data. Units that are currently for sale range from $99,900 to $229,900. Square footage ranges from 608 to 1150.

Are Condo Conversions a Wise Purchase?

In my opinion, condominium conversions are generally a poor purchase. Reason being that there are usually plenty of better alternatives in a similar price range. Any of these alternatives would generally hold their value better than a condo conversion, for a bounty of reasons. A few that come to mind are quality of workmanship, overall quality of living, and most importantly financing challenges. I have personally seen some condominium conversions that cannot obtain any financing at all, and most of which are not FHA approved.

MonteVista Bucks the Trend

But in the case of MonteVista condos, I think it makes sense. There are not many alternative condominiums near MonteVista that offer a similar lifestyle, and none can match the spectacular location in West Austin. And the best part, MonteVista condos are FHA APPROVED. Finding a condominium conversion in West Austin that offers FHA financing in today’s market is worth serious consideration if you are a looking for an attainable way to live in this upscale area.

Do you have an opinion about MonteVista condos? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Round Rock Community Open House on July 18, 2010

Shannon Ensor — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:16:31 +0000

Following the success of the Teravista event, we are once-again joining up with other real estate brokers in Round Rock West, Creekmont West and Cimarron to host a community-wide open house! Large-scale events like this are exciting, and they provide home sellers with increased exposure and traffic. The more traffic a home gets while it’s on the market, the greater the likelihood of it selling.

There are 13 Open Houses scheduled to be on the tour, all of which are in the highly-regarded Round Rock school district.

Round Rock Open Houses – July 18, 2010

706 Riverlawn Dr
2606 Hunlac Cove
1611 Messick Loop
2013 Shadowbrook
1902 Creekview Dr
1607 Blanchard Dr
1607 Scenic Loop
1101 Aqualine Cv
1003 Crestview St
608 Lake Creek Dr
1202 Saint Williams Ave
1008 Bluff Dr
907 Blue Jay Way

Be sure to come out this weekend for a wonderful opportunity to see 12 open houses, and see a great sampling of the homes that are available in these areas. We will have refreshments at our listing, 706 Riverlawn Dr, and I’m sure other brokers will be doing the same. See you on Sunday from 1-4pm!

Where: Creekmont West, Round Rock West, Cimarron

When: Sunday, July 18, 2010 from 1-4pm

New Home Construction Accelerates in Crystal Falls

Celeste Hare — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:34:03 +0000

Looking for a brand new home in the northern suburbs of Austin for under $500,000 that’s move-in ready? Better look quick and a good place to start might be in Crystal Falls in Leander / Cedar Park. Hindsight is 20/20 as the saying goes and right now may be the best opportunity a buyer has to snag a brand new home at a great price, big enough to spread out in and grow roots for a long time to come without having to go through the construction process or possibly even wait for a lot to come available.

Lot Inventory Shrinking

According to the Austin American Statesman article published July 6 and quoting Bill Hinckley, president of the Lookout Group Inc., a Texas-based real estate and investment company that is Crystal Falls‘ master developer, every builder he knows in the area is scrambling around looking for lots to buy.

Also quoted in the article was Terry Mitchel, a local real estate developer who said that with a 6-7 month inventory of new and existing homes for sale there is no excess housing inventory here and with 2000 lots currently available to build on in the area, inventory is being depleted faster than it can be replaced. He believes there may be evidence of a tighter housing market here as early as 2011.

Stunning Views

Right now there are 23 new homes for sale in Crystal Falls. They range in size from 2300 to over 4000 square feet and in price from $345,000 to over $700,000. With most of them having 4 or 5 bedrooms and three car garages, they’ll make a great home for any growing or large household. The amenities in Crystal Falls are excellent and many of these homes offer hill country, greenbelt and stunning panoramic views.

There are several builders in Crystal Falls including David Weekley, Perry, Mercedes, Drees and Highland Homes, so buyers have many options and floorplans to choose from. Also, Taylor Morrison Homes has just completed a purchase of 1200 lots in the Highlands at Crystal Falls. They estimate that they will begin construction in September and that their new homes will range in price from $200,000 to over $600,000.

Best Time to Buy

Buyers looking for a new home, take advantage of this opportunity to pick and choose what you want without going through the hassle of construction, get it for a comparative bargain, and secure historically low financing. There is evidence to indicate this may not last much longer.

NACA Program Helps Low to Moderate Income Families Achieve Home Ownership

Allan Mexas — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:12:50 +0000

In addition to loan programs like Bond 77 and USDA financing, there is yet another program that is out there for the consumer in need of assistance buying a home. NACA, a non-profit organization and consumer advocate, offers free services to the consumer. NACA offers both a Purchase Program and a Home Saver Program. Best part: it’s all free.

NACA Purchase Program

The Purchase Program is for the low to moderate income community. It offers loans with no down payment, no closing cost fees, no fees whatsoever! The NACA Purchase Program is funded with $10 billion dollars in mortgage money to loan to consumers. Interest rates are competitive, and can even be below the current market rate. NACA works particularly well with new home builders. Since NACA loans carry no fees, require no down payment, and have no closing costs, any and all of the incentive money that builders offer can be put toward rate buydowns to even further lower the cost of home ownership. Based on a 40 percent debt to income ratio, the mortgage company will only approve what a consumer can afford. NACA will also approve loans with less than perfect credit. For consumers who are really serious and want to purchase a home of their dreams, but have been stonewalled by typical buyer restrictions, this mortgage program could be just for you.

NACA Home Saver Program

For those who fell victim to predatory loans or perhaps are caught upside-down.or are otherwise having trouble keeping up with their mortgage payments, the NACA Home Saver Program may be the solution for you.

How To Qualify for NACA Programs

If you are interested in these programs, or would like additional details regarding how to qualify, please do not hesitate to contact Allan Mexas for more information. I’m here to help you achieve your homeownership goals, and to make you a more informed consumer.

Teravista Community Open House: A Huge Success!

Shannon Ensor — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:24:37 +0000

Thank you to all who helped make the Teravista Community-Wide Open House a huge success. We had an unbelievable turnout! We would like to thank the event sponsors: John McClellan with Supreme Lending, Laurie Nunnallee with First American Title and Nunnallee Inspections, and also Newland Properties for providing The Ranch House as a venue for visitors to relax in the shade.

We were excited for the opportunity to help bring together all of the community for an event of this scale. Our contributions at Team Ensor included submitting a press release, organizing the list of homes to be held open with other Realtors, promoting it on a local radio show, and placing ads in the Statesman. We believe that anything we can do to increase the traffic for our Teravista home for sale is a worthwhile endeavor!

Here’s some pics we took as we were just setting up at The Ranch House:

Builders and Realtors to Host Community-Wide Open House in Teravista on Sunday, June 27, 2010

Shannon Ensor — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:27:26 +0000

Teravista Community Open House to Showcase 40 (yes, forty!) Homes

Realtors and new home builders are teaming up together to host a community-wide open house this Sunday, June 27, 2010 from 1-4pm in Teravista, a golf course community in Round Rock, Texas.

Excerpt taken from our Press Release on the event:

“In Teravista, homes are listed for sale by numerous Round Rock real estate brokerages and agents. Today’s modern real estate brokerage understands the power of a team effort, and will often participate in collective efforts such as this to help their sellers home get noticed. “It is a buyers market, and sellers desperately need exposure to get their home sold. This is a wonderful way to get that exposure.” said Shannon Ensor, principal of Team Ensor at Sky Realty.”

Developer, Lender Show Their Support

Newland Communities, the developer for Teravista, has expressed an interest as a result of our marketing efforts, and we are thrilled to have their participation. Newland will be providing us with use of The Ranch House at Teravista as a place for visitors to relax, and John McClellan of Supreme Lending will be providing a free BBQ lunch. Lender representatives will be on-site to answer mortgage-related questions and to pre-qualify any potential buyers.

List of Participating Teravista Homes For Sale

Below is the growing list of Teravista homes for sale that are going to be open to the public. All prices are deemed to be accurate but are not guaranteed:

Property Address	List Price	Listing Agent / Builder Representative

1694 Greenside Trail	$187,000	Shannon Ensor, Sky Realty \| Team Ensor
1712 Greenside Trail	$258,192	Centex Homes
1713 Stonehaven Lane	$219,000	Nancy Moore, Keller Williams
4215 Meadow Vista Trail	$277,900	Carol Chafin, C-21 Summit
1105 Winding Creek Place	$238,900	Paula Thomas, Prudential Texas Realty
1129 Winding Creek Place	$255,880	Janet Murdock, J.B. Goodwin
4210 Flat Stone	$176,500	Teresa Roberson, Private Label Realty
531 Centerbrook Place	$244,000	Katherine Ditchman, Coldwell Banker United
4119 Hidden View Court	$169,500	Shelly Finleon, Canady Realty
1011 Hidden View Place	$237,900	Doug Mellen, Hill Country Lakes Realty
4124 Green Vista Place	$284,900	Pat Gunter, Re/Max, Capital City III
706 Old Ravine Court	$298,000	Sabrina Butler, Re/Max, Heart of Texas
1723 Woodvista Place	$249,900	Shannon Black-Hartzell, Market Point Realty Services
1733 Woodvista Place	$260,000	Karnika Campbell, J.B. Goodwin
4300 Parkvista Trail	$319,000	Rose Brown, 98th Meridian
1607 Greenside Drive	$206,071	D.R. Horton

1616 Greenside Drive	$186,032	D.R. Horton
1618 Greenside Drive	$192,014	D.R. Horton
1620 Greenside Drive	$189,133	D.R. Horton
4210 Fairmeadow Drive	$224,990	CastleRock Communities
4235 Fairmeadow Drive	$215,330	CastleRock Communities
4237 Fairmeadow Drive	$224,520	CastleRock Communities
4215 Windberry Court	$265,283	CastleRock Communities
4284 Ridgebend Drive	$331,900	Buffington Homes
4286 Ridgebend Drive	$314,970	Buffington Homes
4297 Ridgebend Drive	$353,150	Buffington Homes
4520 Wandering Vine Trail	$239,900	Cheri Alderman, J. Paul Real Estate
4497 Wandering Vine Trail	$304,024	Lennar
2107 Green Tree Cove	$398,500	Faith Laciste, National Agent Network
1916 Kempwood Loop	$251,038	Wilshire Homes
1942 Kempwood Loop	$294,480	Wilshire Homes
4531 Monterosa Lane	$343,820	Ryland Homes
4533 Monterosa Lane	$308,169	CastleRock Communities
2013 Sunny Trail	$250,002	Lennar
1908 Summit Hill Drive	$268,082	Lennar
1910 Summit Hill Drive	$248,670	Lennar
2000 Sunny Trail	$248,270	Lennar
2008 Sunny Trail	$280,004	Lennar

Please contact us for additional information on the Teravista community-wide open house, and be sure to clear your calendar for this educational and fun-filled event!

Video of Home at 137 KLBJ in Smithville, Texas

Becca Davis — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:34:44 +0000

Are you looking for a beautiful home in Smithville, Texas? This is the home for you. It sits on 1.5 acres with mature trees. What better way to enjoy the country afternoons.

Features Of Home at 137 KLBJ

You will find that this home has custom upgrades such as tiled counters, stainless appliances, jetted garden tub in the master bath along with a seperate shower and many more. There are walk in closets in each bedroom as well as his and her walk in closets in the master. This home spacious with vaulted ceilings.

Please visit HomesFromBecca.com for more information on this home.

Video of 137 KLBJ in Smithville, Texas

This video was embedded using the YouTuber plugin by Roy Tanck. Adobe Flash Player is required to view the video.

10 New Listings of Downtown Austin Condos as of June 15, 2010

Joe Ensor — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:36:36 +0000

Here are the 10 newest listings of Downtown Austin condos that were listed in the Austin MLS, as of June 15, 2010:

Showing properties 1 - 10 of 232. See more Downtown Austin.
(all data current as of 7/29/2010)

$189,900 : 54 Rainey St, Unit 1011, Austin

1 beds, 1 full bath

Size: 756 sq ft

Lot size: 174 sq ft

Year built: 2005

Parking spots: 1

Walk Score™: 78
$295,000 : 410 5th St, Unit 403, Austin

1 beds, 1 full bath

Size: 1,278 sq ft

Lot size: 958 sq ft

Year built: 1999

Parking spots: 1

Walk Score™: 100
$335,000 : 40 Interstate 35, Austin

2 beds, 2 full baths

Size: 1,360 sq ft

Lot size: 1,045 sq ft

Year built: 1983

Parking spots: 2

Walk Score™: 75
$1,195 : 201 4th St, Unit 220, Austin

1 beds, 1 full bath

Size: 621 sq ft

Lot size: 479 sq ft

Year built: 1983

Parking spots: n/a

Walk Score™: 95
$146,000 : 1800 Lavaca St, Unit 608, Austin

2 beds, 1 full bath

Size: 857 sq ft

Lot size: 392 sq ft

Year built: 1966

Parking spots: 1

Walk Score™: 94
$1,499 : 507 Sabine St, Unit 604, Austin

1 beds, 1 full bath

Size: 728 sq ft

Lot size: 130 sq ft

Year built: 2007

Parking spots: n/a

Walk Score™: 97
$1,400 : 54 Rainey St, Unit 610, Austin

1 beds, 1 full bath

Size: 756 sq ft

Lot size: 174 sq ft

Year built: 2005

Parking spots: n/a

Walk Score™: 78
$1,650 : 510 18th St, Unit 106, Austin

1 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

Size: 1,270 sq ft

Lot size: 1,960 sq ft

Year built: 1980

Parking spots: n/a

Walk Score™: 92
$1,650 : 360 Nueces St, Unit 1703, Austin

1 beds, 1 full bath

Size: 728 sq ft

Lot size: 87 sq ft

Year built: 2008

Parking spots: n/a

Walk Score™: 94
$240,000 : 710 Colorado St, Unit D-2, Austin

1 beds, 1 full bath

Size: 754 sq ft

Lot size: n/a

Year built: 1940

Parking spots: 1

Walk Score™: 98

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

June 2010 Calendar of Austin Events

Joe Ensor — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:39:19 +0000

Check out these Austin Events taking place during June, 2010:

June 3

First Thursday, SoCo District/South Congress Ave. www.firstthursday.info

June 4

Project Transitions Texas Swing at Saengerrunde Hall. www.projecttransitions.org/events/texas-swing.html

June 5

Conspirare/Dynamic Convergence at University Presebyterian Church. www.conspirare.org

June 6, 13, 20, 27

Austin Symphony / Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park at the Long Center. www.austinsymphony.org

June 10-13

Republic of Texas Biker Rally, starting at Travis County Expo Center. www.rotrally.com

June 11-12

Austin Symphony Promenade Pops Pink Martini at Palmer Events Center. www.austinsymphony.org

June 13

Return to the Oracle: A Shining Masterpiece/Conspirare at the Long Center. www.conspirare.org

June 19

Jose Carreras at Bass Concert Hall. www.utpac.org

June 19 – August 31

100 Years of Texas Aviation event at Bob Bullock State History Museum. www.thestoryoftexas.com

June 30 – July 7

Junior Olympic Boys Volleyball Championships at the Austin Convention Center. www.usavolleyball.org

Other June 2010 Events

KGSR’s Blues on the Green at Waterloo Park. www.kgsr.com