Loading ...I’ve been thinking recently about my now four year career in Austin real estate. Why I got into Austin real estate, what I’ve learned, what I like and don’t like about it and why we have been successful.
I was not always an Austin real estate agent. I’ve always been interested in Austin real estate but most of my working career in Austin was spent as an Engineer in various technology and management jobs. I got into Austin real estate slowly by first convincing my wife to get into it while I maintained my Engineering career. Starting in 2002 and over a couple of year period, she diligently took all of the necessary real estate agent courses and passed all of the tests and became a Realtor® and then did the same thing with her Texas Broker’s license. I followed Susan and received my Texas real estate license in 2005.
We both started learning the business part time by doing lots of Broker Price Opinions (BPOs), a few leases, some sales. I remember how exciting it was when we got our first listing which was a lot in Hidden Springs in Salado Texas and shortly after that we helped our first buyer find a great home that happened to be in our own Round Rock Texas neighborhood. We have enjoyed steady growth since our start in 2002. I attribute our success to some luck, lots of hard work and a few key factors. The major contributors to our success has been hard work, a passion for learning all there is to know about Austin real estate, enjoying helping and meeting people and an in-depth knowledge of the Internet. Early on, most of our business came from the Internet, but as time goes on, we continue get more business from referrals from happy Austin home buyers and sellers.
My Engineering background has taught me to be detail oriented, black and white (avoid the grey areas) with a never ending desire to learn new things. One of the things that I enjoy most about Austin real estate is that I learn something new with every transaction and it never gets boring. One of the things that is not so enjoyable about Austin real estate is when people hire me as their Austin real estate agent for my knowledge of the Austin real estate market and then they don’t take my advise. It seems to me that one of the biggest problems of any service provider, including Austin Realtors®, is developing a trust relationship with a new client.
A few of the thing that I think make a good Realtor® are:
- Honesty/Integrity
- Local Austin Real Estate Experience
- Been in your Clients Shoes as a Homeowner, Investor, Job Relocation, etc.
- Financially Stable (Don’t need to make a sale to pay the bills)
- A Passion for Real Estate
- Computer/Internet Experience
- Enjoy Helping People
A couple of other topics that I’m curious about and would love to get feedback on are;
- Do you prefer to use a male or female Realtor® and why?
- Do your prefer to use a national franchise or and independant Austin real estate company and why?
Whether you want to sell your Austin Texas Home or buy an Austin area home, or both, please utilize our websites to learn more or contact us for more information on Austin-Round Rock Texas Real Estate.
Regardless of the reasons, I think there are three items which do not bode well for commercial real estate prices in the next few years. First and perhaps most overlooked, investment or income producing properties, during the boom years, where purchased more for appreciation, rather than “income”. In other words, many deals were justified by investors who were willing to forego a rate of return (income), for future price appreciation. But as its name suggests, this is not what “income producing property” is all about. If it doesn’t give you an income stream in good times, it sure won’t be able to in bad ones. Only a “flipper” can make money on appreciation, and the trick is to know when to get in and when to get out. Second, the credit crisis has reduced the chances of obtaining loans, and also the leverage previously afforded owners/purchasers. Less money means less deals, and more cash out of pocket. This can only lead to lower prices. Third, we are for now in a “new” economy (although Americans often prove to be driven by fads and can be short sighted), where we will consume less, which should mean less need for commercial space. If there is one truth that history makes clear over and over again, it’s that most sectors of the economy will move in conjunction with one another, not in spite of one another. No doubt prices are tied to supply and demand issues, but too much of a swing invites change. So when prices double and triple in one sector while the rest of the economy isn’t going in that direction, chances are some force will snap that imbalance back into its proper place in the overall economy. And that change can be from social, economic, and/or political means.