Austin Real Estate Guru

Beginning of a 5 part series for Buyers. We'll discuss how to be a savvy buyer when the odds or number of participant bidders might be stacked against you !

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

10 SIMPLE WAYS TO change a house from ordinary to extradordinary.  

When comparing homes on the market, What makes a house extraordinary?  I’ll name a few 

• FRONT EXTERIOR OR FRONT ELEVATION
• LIGHTING PACKAGE
• FLOORING AND BASE MOULDING 

FRONT ELEVATION

1- Front Door and HARDWARE. Go all the way to welcome a buyer with shiny new door hardware. It screams deferred maintenance when a realtor or buyer has to struggle to open the door. Have a locksmith do it. And they won’t destroy your door. Estimated cost $150 or $300

2-Power wash - Every type of home based upon it’s age and foot traffic shows wear and tear.  Homes that say BUY ME have SPOTLESS, FLATWORK with entryway and commanding front porch. Estimated cost $150 - $300 based upon the size of your exterior entry

3-Declutter the yard - I have seen full remodels done with a bunch of trash left out front.  GONG! ELIMINATE landscape debris,  including half filled mulch, bags, fire-ant bait, old planters or planting paraphernalia. Estimated cost $0.

I’ve attended many Home Builders Association meetings in Austin and top trends that attract buyers to homes are

LIGHTING

4-Light Fixtures- Designers never miss this one. Shiny new light fixtures create positive focal points that create OOHHH AHHH from the minute you enter a home.  Estimated cost $400 - $1000 - spend more make more

5-Technology package - While you’re Changing out old bulbs update some to Smart bulbs so you Or the future owner can use Alexa. Add an electronic doorbell while you’re at it. Estimated cost. $250-$350 depending on how many bells and whistles you want to add.

FLOORING AND BASE MOULDING

6- Steam and/or lighten the tile - It's totally possible to lighten dark grout to be brighter by a few shades using bleach. If you don’t want to do this on your own call a professional.  The same guy who does carpet cleaning can handle the task. The cost  . 50 to . 80 cents per square foot cleaned.   So  ESTIMATED COST for a room that’s 1000 sqft would be $500-$800 = priceless!

7-UPDATE with carpet.  New homes in all price points today actually sell with carpeting.  Upgrade the pad height then invite future buyers in and tell them remove their shoes, they will actually feel the difference. Laminate flooring is trending but if you want to save money a neutral carpet DOES THE TRICK

8-Flooring Consistency

Did you know the most modern homes have only one or two flooring types throughout?  TRY NOT to have more than two types of flooring otherwise it looks floozy and outdated.  If you can’t afford a full flooring replacement, change all of the bedrooms or all of the iving areas.  Be as consistent as possible.

9-Baseboards.  DON’T FORGET to update the baseboard trim at the same time you do flooring.  Change the story in a house with bright shiny new baseboards.

Last but not least

10-DEEP CLEAN AND AERATE A HOME FOR AT LEAST A DAY.  

 - Even if you don’t smell your pet, cat litter, spicy cooking or smoking odors, BUYERS MOST CERTAINLY NOTICE.  Don’t try to fix this a plug-ins.  Estimated cost to clean a home is a minimum of .10 cents/sqft  so expect $300 or more if your home is sizable. Price also depends upon whether you are doing a one time or regular cleaning.

Be that house that delivers the- extraordinary - and when your picking a home look for the best features from this list.  It will pay off handsomely in any Housing market. 

Our next podcast begins the series   SURPRISING new CONSUMER TRENDS IN REAL ESATE

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

A solid look at fundamentals today compared to the Great Recession of 2008, 2009, and 2010 under the counsel of brilliant economists and the Economic Forecasts of Fannie Mae a leading source of mortgage financing in the United States. 

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

DECELERATED APPRECIATION IS NOT DEPRECIATION.  MOST PEOPLE WILL MISUNDERSTAND THIS and think prices are going down.  WRONG.  Listen to this Austin Housing update for October.  

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com

Top 10 characteristics Characteristics of Todays Homebuyers 

Today I will bring you up to speed on real estate trends

The 2020 consumer profile of home buyers and sellers is an annual survey produced by NAR = a trade association called the National Assn of Relators (NAR) .  

Here are the highlights t- What does today’s buyer look like 

1. They’re first time buyer = 31% 
2. The buyer is 47 years old
3. They Earning a little under $100k (median income $96k)
4. 62% are Married Couples 
5. 18% are Single Females
6. 9% are Single Males
7. 18% are Veterans
8. 12% live in a multigenerational home care for aging parents or kids over 18 who moved back home
9. The most commonly will buy a detached single family home (81%) 
10. They typically paid 99% of Asking price

How did they find their home?

1)They look online

The share of home buyers who used the internet to search for a home increased to an all-time high of 97 percent.  

2)They serious ones use an agent

88% percent of buyers recently purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker

Why do they buy?

64% percent of first-time buyers purchased to fulfill the American Dream of owning a home.  10% are moving up - to a larger home or they want to move be closer to family, friends 9% or they’ve had a change in family situation i.e marriage, birth, divorce

Where do homebuyers desire to live?

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

What are the Factors that influenced specific neighborhood choices 

The three most important factors that influenced their choices were 

• 62 percent- Quality of the neighborhood
• 45 percent - Convenience to job 
• 43 percent Overall home affordability 

What else do buyers care most about?

35 percent said commuting costs were not important to them when they recently

purchased their home. 

83 percent of buyers found heating and cooling costs to be somewhat important 

Let’s get to sold!

I'm Lisa Marie Contaldi, and my family has proudly called Austin home since the late 80s. Over the course of my career. I've had the privilege of celebrating 100s of success stories, helping buyers and sellers create memorable housing experiences while reaching their financial goals. 
We've all witnessed the incredible transformation of a rapidly evolving housing market in Austin. With change comes opportunity. So, is it time for your next move? 
Follow me on YouTube at Lis

WE ARE knowledge brokers offering an authentic ongoing conversation that will develop your natural intelligence in real estate and other endeavors. 
http://lisacontaldi.com