Radical Real Estate - The Bouldin Castle - South Austin 78704

This property puts Austin real estate on a whole new level. A medieval-modern castle located in one of South Austin's most vibrant urban neighborhoods and cultural scenes, Bouldin Creek, this home began life in 1925 as a catholic church. In 2008, visionary home builder Urban Nature, Inc. purchased the property and began restoring, renovating, and modernizing it inch by inch. Sitting on more than a 1/3 acre corner lot in the heart of the city, the Bouldin Castle, as it is rapidly becoming known, is a magical residence, truly fit for a king...and it's for sale for $1.6M.

The original church structure now encompasses the main living area, the formal dining, and the gourmet kitchen. The flagstone floors, roof beams, and heavy stucco walls are original to the church structure. There is a 3 story addition that connects to the original church via a medieval turret. In all, the castle has 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths and measures about 4270 square feet.

The castle has its own saline lap pool surrounded by a flagstone patio. The stone privacy fence, inspired by gothic architecture, is made from locally sourced aquifer rock.


This is the master bedroom which encompasses the entire 2nd floor and has its own private balcony as well as a sitting room. The wood floor is made from reclaimed oak and laid out in a 7-sided polygonal pattern.

The master bath includes this magnificent bathtub along with a marble shower, double vanity, toilet, and bidet. To the right is a generous walk-in closet.

To see all of the glorious details on this luxury Austin home and more pics... go to www.bouldincastle.com

(or email me)

Lovely South Austin Home 78745 - Still time for tax credit!

This sweet little house is located just a short 10 minute drive down South 1st street from downtown Austin in the hot zip code 78745. The home is 1215 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with a one car garage and recent updates.



The current owner has lived her for 8 years and did the updating for herself. Recent updates include laminate floors throughout, bathroom vanities, hardware, and toilets, a privacy fence, outdoor wooden deck, the AC compressor, and even the roof. She is selling the home so that she can move to Paris, France. (a lifelong dream!)

Currently listed at $158,000 - the seller is also contributing $3000 to buyer's closing costs. First time home buyers... don't miss this sweet little house in 78745.

Austin Real Estate Market: Buyers or Sellers Market?

Are we really in a buyers market here in Austin? I have seen many scenarios of multiple offers this past summer and I am often explaining to buyers that there isn't a "fire sale" in Austin Real Estate.

The answer is that when looking at the entire Austin real estate market, we have roughly 7.4 months of inventory, which yes, is technically a buyers market. This means that there is enough homes currently for sale to last 7.4 months at the current rate of sales. Generally, anything more than 6 months is considered a buyers market.

However, when you focus in on specific neighborhoods and areas, you see a different picture.


The hottest selling Austin neighborhoods/Austin MLS areas:


1. Area 10S - 2.24 months of inventory
(north of Slaughter, west of I-35, east of Mopac, south of William Cannon)
2. Area 2N - 3.8 months of inventory
(north of 183, west of I-35, east of Mopac, south of Parmer Lane) Includes popular Quail Creek neighborhood.

3. 10N - 4.95 months of inventory
(north of William Cannon, west of I-35, east of Mopac, south of Ben White Blvd) Includes popular Cherry Creek neighborhood.

Average sales price range in these 3 areas is $125,000 - $175,000. (First time home buyer range...we can thank the tax credit I think.)

The slower moving Austin neighborhoods / Austin MLS areas?

1. Downtown - 24 months of inventory
(north of Colorado River/Town Lake, west of I-35, east of Lamar, south of MLK)

2. 1B - 15.6 months of inventory
(south of 2222, west of Mopac until 35th St, west of Lamar until Colorado River / Town Lake, east of Lake Austin) Includes Tarrytown, Clarksville, Highland Park West, and Pemberton Heights neighborhoods.
3. 8W - 11.82 months of inventory
(south of Colorado River, west of Mopac, east of 360, includes zip code 78738) Includes Rollingwood, West Lake Hills, and Lost Creek neighborhoods.


Average sales price in these 3 areas is $350,000 (downtown) - $650,000.


Here's a map of the Austin MLS areas.




Find out before you are buying or selling the market statistics for the area you are buying or selling in.

Austin Real Estate July 2009 Statistics

The counts are in for July 2009 and ABOR has posted the MLS results for Austin Real Estate sales.

July 2009 Statistics

$508,810,549 was the dollar volume of single-family properties sold

$191,500 was the median price, a two percent decrease from one year ago

$245,921 was the average sales price, a 4 percent decrease from one year ago

2,069 was the number of homes sold, unchanged from July 2008

According to Jay Gohil, chairman of ABOR: “The sales volume momentum in Austin continues, now reaching 2008 levels. That’s good news, but I think it’s even better news that we’ve achieved that increase while maintaining a steady median home price. Throughout 2009, the median price has fluctuated only slightly compared to 2008. Looking back further, prices have remained above 2007 levels, one of the most lucrative years of the last decade in Austin real estate. That long-term price stability, particularly in the face of market fluctuations, bodes well for Austin’s future.”

Personally, I think the the surge in home sales this past month that finally puts us equal to 2008 (we have been dramatically behind until now) is the result of the first time home buyer credit. First time home buyers only have 2 months to find their houses in order to meet the December 1st closing deadline.