Austin Real Estate

I have worked with buyers relocating to Austin, Texas for almost 12 years now.  Of course, I also work with sellers and local buyers, too.  Many of the people that are coming from other states are quick to note how friendly everyone seems.

I read a story this evening that was sent to me by Brian Block (thanks!) about how Austin is experiencing its hottest summer since 1925.  This is not surprising to me, as I can't remember ever hearing so many people complain about the heat.  Old people, young people, everyone is getting in on the game.

"Wow!  It is really hot today, huh?"

With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, I would like to present a few real-life examples of bad Realtors that I have dealt with in the past. 

My wife Pam and I had a true date night yesterday evening, which means all three children were at home with our sitter and my mother-in-law.  Pam understands the importance of my blog, so she suggested that we go some place local so that I could write this review.

We both enjoy Japanese food, so we selected Beluga Japanese, which is located in the strip center next to the H-E-B on Louis Henna in Round Rock. 

The title above refers to an old Dana Carvey routine when his son asks him, "Dad - does God have feet?"  We use the phrase "must...get...help" pretty often around our house these days.  In fact, we have said it with all three of our kids ever since my son was a baby.

Abby continues to be ridiculously cute, with her blond curls and funny vocabulary.  She continues to mispronounce "f" as "s":

"Daa - here's you cossee".  Translation:  Dada - here's your coffee.  Of course, this is usually accompanied by me frantically leaping from my chair in an effort to keep Abby from spilling hot coffee on herself or others, or my crotch.

I took my family to IHOP for a late breakfast (or early lunch) today around 11am or so, and I was surprised to see that there was a wait of about 15 minutes before we could be seated.  We sat on some long cushioned benches together while we waited.  I like to "people watch", partially because I just like trying to figure people out, and partly because I might see someone that I know.  The longstanding joke with my wife is that we will likely always see someone that I know if we go anywhere remotely crowded. 

As a real estate broker and co-owner of Austin Texas Homes, LLC, I always train my agents to get their clients pre-approved before they look at even one home.  If you are a home buyer, you may be thinking to yourself, "Wow, that seems a bit harsh.  Couldn't we just look at a few places first?"

Well, no. 

And this is why:

Hello Sir/Madam - In the interest of protecting your identity, I will not reveal your name on this post.  However, I did want to take a couple of minutes to give you my opinion of your spam email with the following subject:

"We can do the hard loans!"

Really? 

Wow, that is an exceptionally creative means of marketing yourself.  Sorry for the sarcasm. 

My daughter Aleah loves board games.  I think of some of them as "bored" games, but I do try to indulge when I can.  I am usually hoping for a quick game that doesn't require too much thought, like Chutes and Ladders, or a game that I actually sort of enjoy, like Yahtzee (at least there is some skill involved). 

The other day, she was begging me to play a game with her, so I asked which one she wanted to play.  Then I heard the dreaded response: