Lewitt X2 Exhibit at AMOA

Right now at AMOA downtown is an exhibit featuring both the artwork of Sol Lewitt and his personal art collection. Lewitt's pencil drawings, colorful gouaches, and wood/aluminum "structures" are continually recognized for pushing the limits in the minimalism and conceptual art genres during the past 40 years. Runs until August 17th...and next Saturday, August 9th, is family day at AMOA!

June Market Stats

Report from Austin Board of Realtors just released....July 18, 2008 - Both single-family home sales and leased property in Central Texas have reached their highest point this year to date, according to the June Austin Board of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Report. “Austin remains one of the best cities to become a homeowner,” said ABoR Chairman Socar Chatmon-Thomas. “Locally, our homes are holding their value and the average mortgage payment is not much higher than renting.” Last month 2,211 single-family homes were sold, with their median price rising four percent to $200,000. These homes spent an average of 65 days on the market and contributed $577,471,191 to the economy. There were 10,886 active listings in June. Leased property rose two percent since last year to total 1,146. With a median price of $1,250, these properties contributed $1,541,370 to the Austin-area economy, a nine percent increase from June 2007. June 2008 - Single-Family Homes
2,211 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 20 percent decrease from one year ago
$200,000 was the median price for single-family homes, a four percent increase from June 2007
$577,471,191 was the total dollar volume of properties sold, a 20 percent decrease from last year.

The Austin Board of REALTORS® is a non-profit, voluntary organization representing more than 8,000 licensed REALTORS® in Central Texas. For further information, please contact Angela Brutsché at 512/454-7636, ext. 1300.

Screaming for a Makeover

This awesome Austin 1960's architectural home just popped up on my radar when the price was reduced from $459,700 to $435,000 or $170/sq ft. Located on .23 acre wooded lot in Northwest Hills area. It's screaming for someone to come in and make it fabulous. As you can see, the current owner has updated a few things in the home...but not everything...and easily could have chosen materials closer to the home's original charm / design.

It's slightly under market value for a home in the neighborhood, especially an architectural home of this stature and with so much potential. Can make it a dream home for yourself or flip it for profit. The subdivision has other homes that have sold recently for as high as $820K or $225/sq ft. Northwest Hills neighborhood has some of best schools in Austin and is great proximity to downtown entertainment districts, entertainment venues, and shopping. Seller's disclosure shows no major issues with home. Email me if you want to see the full listing!

My New Favorite Place to Work

This is my new favorite place for breakfast and to take my laptop and work...the Blue Dahlia on East 11th St on the East Side. They serve big cups of coffee in real porcelain mugs with little tiny metal pitchers of cream on the side. Good music. Free wi-fi. They will let you sit at one of the big wooden tables and let you work away for hours ...and after you feel like you visited a cafe in Paris, not Austin's East Side. Seriously...it's my new favorite place. I've been there 3 times this week.

They also have this awesome covered outdoor seating area in the back with lush landscaping, overhead fans, and loads of candlelight (at night). Incidentally, they are open for lunch and dinner too...but I haven't tried that yet.

Current Austin Market Stats

Austin-Area Real Estate Market Remains Stable
June 19, 2008 – As buying season heats up in Central Texas, the May 2008 Austin Board of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service (MLS) report indicates single-family home sales are up slightly since April 2008, homes are spending fewer days on the market and overall, the real estate market continues to reflect conditions similar to those of 2005.“Despite economic conditions across the nation, Austin continues to have a relatively low unemployment rate and cost of living index,” said ABoR Chairman Socar Chatmon-Thomas. “While we’re not enjoying the booming real estate markets of 2006 and 2007, we have seen steady increases in sales volume since January 2008.”
Single-family home sales in May 2008 reached their highest point in eight months, totaling 2,154 and contributing $566,827,254 to the local economy. The median price for single-family properties was $196,120 while active listings increased to 10,577. Homes sold in May 2008 also fell, averaging a total of 64 days on the market.
May 2008 - Single-Family Homes
2,154 was the number of single-family homes sold, a 20 percent decrease as compared to May 2007
$196,120 was the median price for single-family homes, a seven percent increase from May 2007
$566,827,254 was the total dollar volume of properties sold, a 16 percent decrease from May 2007.

The Austin Board of REALTORS® is a non-profit, voluntary organization representing more than 8,000 licensed REALTORS® in Central Texas. For further information, please contact Angela Brutsché at 512/454-7636, ext. 1300.

What We Did for the 4th

We spent the warm evening of July 4th this year on the banks of Lake Austin with our kids and close friends. This is the view from Austin Country Club’s golf course where we situated ourselves to watch the amazing fireworks show that went off about 100 yards from us. The kids were in complete awe and it was really cool to watch their reactions!
I also heard that the Auditorium Shores fireworks show was pretty cool this year as well as all of the neighborhood parades around town during the day.

A Bidding War Outside My Window

Okay seriously…I watched a bidding war unfold before my eyes this past weekend over this 1940's, 840 square foot bungalow next door to me in East Austin. Original list price was $139,900. Final sold price in a little over 24 hours after the listing went live was $150,000, CASH. Needless to say, East Austin is a little gold mine if you are ready to jump on a deal when it arises.