Erika's Austin Insights Blog

In a Texas real estate transaction involving third party financing, ie. a loan, lender approval is required for the deal to close.  That approval is broken down into two parts.  The buyer must obtain approval for the loan based on their finances, credit, income etc. and the property must also be ...

If you have driven across Austin’s South Congress street bridge recently you may wonder why there are hundreds of people gathered along the eastern side of the bridge.  A little before sunset, spectators appear on the sidewalk along the bridge to watch North America’s largest urban bat colony.   ...

If you are considering buying a home, it’s highly likely that you are looking at homes on Zillow.  Zillow spends exorbitant amounts on advertising, and their platform is incredibly user-friendly.  While Zillow may be great for casually browsing homes, it’s not the best platform when you are serio...

I was recently chatting with a friend and she mentioned how it was odd that Austinites often refer to their neighborhood by zip code.  This is often the case when talking about Austin’s 78704 zip code.  You will frequently here people say they live in the ’04.  Alternatively, one might mention li...

As you may recall, in my previous blog post titled, When’s The Best Time to List My Property, I mentioned how most families prefer to move during the summer.  This has resulted in sellers getting the highest price for their home in May/June.  In fact, over the past five years, we have consistentl...

3 Day Trips From Austin Sure to Keep You Cool During The Summer Heat! Krause Springs:Krause Springs is located about 45 minutes west of Austin in Spicewood, Texas.  The property features a man-made pool as well as a natural swimming hole created by the springs.  The entire property is filled with...

The Homestead neighborhood is located in the City of Bee Cave, approximately 20 minutes west of Austin.  As you drive into the neighborhood you are greeted with serene scenes of the hill country.  The homestead allows horses, and trails meander through this picturesque neighborhood.  While it onc...

Are you thinking about moving to Austin?  Did you hear that our summers are HOT, and realize a waterfront home or a house with a pool might be the way to go? Well, spending some time on the lake is a great way to cool off from the Texas heat.  There are two main lakes in Austin:  Lake Austin and ...

This great, spacious, open floor plan condo just got a new owner.The stand-alone condo is located in the South Austin's gated community of Gabardine.  The community has hiking trails, a pond, community center, and a pool. Gabardine is being built in two phases and this condo is located in the ori...

My Austin clients frequently have questions about who pays for what in a real estate transaction.  In Texas, almost everything is negotiable; however, there are certainly norms and the promulgated forms used by Texas REALTORS naturally lend way to certain cost distributions. In order to think abo...