Erika's Austin Insights Blog

Imagine this.  You purchase your dream home.  It has a great open floor plan, large windows that look out over the oak tree filled lawn, and a closet big enough for his shoes too. Then, six months later you suddenly get pregnant, and realize there is no way you could raise a family in what you th...

  If you have been thinking about buying a home on Lake Austin, you have probably been debating the pros and cons of different Lake Austin neighborhoods.  There are many different waterfront communities along the shores of Lake Austin, and they can have very different vibes. You have gated neigh...

  A few months ago, I spoke with a couple who were referred to me by a previous client.  They were interested in selling their new home and buying a new one.  They mentioned that they were considering selling their home with Opendoor.  I’m not going to lie, my first instinct was to tell them to ...

Purchasing a vacation rental offers a unique opportunity to grow your wealth and personally benefit from the investment.  If you were to invest in the stock market, would it also offer you a comfy bed to relax in on the weekend?  I don’t think so.    Investing in real estate has a few inherent re...

Have you ever considered putting a funky retro tile in your bathroom? Or, maybe you’ve been wanting to add a farmhouse sink to your kitchen thinking it will make doing the dishes enjoyable. Or, maybe you’ve been dying in the Texas heat and you’ve been dappling with the idea of installing a pool i...

 Are you thinking about selling your home?  Maybe, you feel like the REALTOR commission fees seem awfully high, and you could save a ton of money by listing your home for sale by owner (FSBO).  Possibly, you were ok with paying a listing agent fee, but then you found out the buyer’s agent fee wou...

Congratulations!  You have finally found a house that you want to call home!  Once you are officially under-contract (which means that you submitted an offer on a house, and the sellers have accepted the terms and signed the offer to acknowledge the acceptance), there are a few things you will ne...

  Around April 15th, you should have received a Notice of Appraised Value from the Travis County Appraisal District (TCAD).  This notice includes the market value and the assessed value for your home.  If you feel that the value is not correct, you can protest your assessed value.  It’s worth men...

Do you remember the first time you met your spouses parents or the last time you went on a job interview?  If you’re like most people, I bet you gave some thought into what you wore, or how you styled your hair.  I can’t remember the specifics of getting ready for either of these scenarios in my ...

    If you’re looking at buying a brand new home, you may think you don’t need a REALTOR.  In fact, you may even think that buying a new construction home without a real estate agent will save you money.  However, new home communities usually have a marketing budget for the entire community and R...