What the June 1 Energy Ordinance Means for Sellers and Buyers in Austin

At Austin Residential Properties, we believe in maximizing energy efficiency and fully support the green energy movement. To help you improve your home’s energy efficiency either before selling your home or after you've bought your new home, Austin Residential Properties will help you find contractors or service providers you can trust to make the changes noted on the home's energy audit.

The Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) Ordinance for single-family homes went into effect in Austin on June 1st of this year.
Now, all homes over 10-years-old that are sold must have an energy audit performed by the seller. The seller must give the report to potential buyers (by attaching it to the Seller's Disclosure). The ordinance only applies to homes that are over 10 years old and that are also served by Austin Energy.

The energy audit typically costs a home seller between $200 and $300. Sellers are not required to make the repairs listed on the audit, however sellers are required to disclose the audit results to buyers and prospective buyers.

Once a buyer purchases a home, the new homeowner is not required by law to make the energy-efficiency improvements. However, Austin Energy offers rebates to homeowners who want to improve their home's energy efficiency by implementing the changes.

In addition, buyers who make the suggested changes may also have access to lower-cost loans in exchange for making the improvements.

Helpful Energy Audit Links:

In order to see if your home requires an audit before putting it on the market, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/auditcheck

For more general information, visit: http://tinyurl.com/AustinEnergy

To see the actual ordinance, visit: http://tinyurl.com/energyordinance

Overview of Texas and Austin Foreclosure Market

In all of Texas, 19,963 foreclosed homes are on the market today. In Travis County, the number is 703.

Austin Residential Properties closely tracks foreclosures within a 20-mile radius of Central Austin. Within this 20-mile radius, there are 211 foreclosed houses, condos and 1/2 duplexes available for purchase.

From a pricing perspective, we’ve segmented the foreclosure market into the following categories:

• Homes under $149,999


• $150,000 to $199,999


• $200,000 to $249,999


• $250,000 to $349,999


• $349,999 to $499,999


• $500,000 and higher
  

We also track the market by the following categories:

• Geographic area, subdivision or neighborhood


• Homes built within the last 10 years vs. older


• Lakefront properties (served by our branch, Lakefront Austin)


• Mother-in-law plans

We don’t typically locate fixer-upper homes for our clients, but if you are in the market for a fixer-upper to turn over while the market recovers, this is a good time to look and we can help you find one.

Whatever you’re looking for, we can help you find it. To obtain a list of foreclosures, please email as much criteria as possible (location, price range, home features, etc...) to: ElizabethClark@AustinRP.com

Some Good Ways to Discover Austin!

The best way to discover Austin is to start by exploring the town by foot or boat and by checking out some of our more colorful Austin restaurants. From lakeside dining to cozying up in an intimate home setting for the best sushi around, Austin's restaurants can't be beat. And from an activities perspective, Austin is teeming with fun things to do both indoors and outdoors.

Check out these fun outdoor activities!

• Austin Parks: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/parkdirectory.htm


• Barton Creek Greenbelt: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/greenbelts.htm


• Capital Cruises: http://www.capitalcruises.com/


• Austin Duck Tour: http://www.austinducks.com/


• Hike & Bike Trail: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/trails.htm

You can learn a lot about a town from it's culinary hotspots:

• BBQ on Lake Austin: http://www.countyline.com/


• TexMex on Lake Austin: http://www.hulahut.com/


• TexMex on Lake Travis: http://www.iguanagrillaustin.com/


• Sunset Dining on Lake Travis: http://www.oasis-austin.com/


• Steak Downtown: http://www.sullivansteakhouse.com/


• Barton Springs Area: http://www.theshadygrove.com/


• South Austin Tex Mex: http://www.guerostacobar.com/


• North Austin Tex Mex: http://www.ztejas.com/


• Cozy Japanese Dining: http://www.uchiaustin.com/


• Dine in a Historic 1800s Hotel: http://www.1886cafeandbakery.com/


• Coffee & Desserts on Lake Austin: http://mozartscoffee.com/
  
  

Top Residential Areas of Focus

Jackie Clark and her team have listed and sold literally hundreds of homes in the Austin area, ranging from the rolling hills of Westlake, Riverplace and Steiner Ranch, to Round Rock and South Austin and beyond.

Here are the residential areas we typically focus on:

West Austin

• West Lake Hills (including Westlake lakefront)
• River Place
• Steiner Ranch
• Lakeway
  

Central Austin

• Downtown
• Hyde Park
• Tarrytown
• Cat Mountain
  

North / North Central

• Great Hills
• Jester / Lakewood
• Wells Branch
• Round Rock
  

South Central

• Barton Hills
• Shady Hollow
• Travis Heights
  

Lakefront Properties and Views of the Lake:

• Lake Austin
• Lake Travis
• Town Lake

Why We Love Austin

Whether you want to look out over the Texas Hill Country, gaze upon the glistening waters of Lake Austin or Lake Travis, cozy up in a tightly-knit residential neighborhood or pop down from your downtown condo to grab a bagel on your way to run at Town Lake, Austin Residential Properties will help you find your perfect niche in Austin.

The Austin Residential Properties team is comprised of long-time Austin residents who are completely in love with Austin. While we help you search for your dream home, join us in exploring Austin's hidden delights and let us introduce you to the best areas in town that keep Austin's down-to-earth yet sophisticated residents living here in a state of bliss!

Austin is full of little pockets of residential beauty. We have marketed, sold and leased homes in virtually every part of town - ranging from the heart of Westlake Hills, to other beautiful pockets of the Texas Hill Country, to executive homes near Dell and other North Austin businesses. We have experience selling and leasing lakefront properties and also team members with experience in downtown living. Let us help you discover just the right area for you!

From its curvy roads meandering through the Texas Hill Country to its curvy lakes nestled in the hills to its curvy culture punctuated by diverse tastes in food, music, film and lifestyles, Austin is a delightfully unpredictable place to live and work. The convergence of accomplished people working in academia, corporations, start-ups and philanthropic organizations, coupled with an infusion of people from diverse walks of life and countries, makes Austin a great place to discover a new, interesting and exciting experience every day.

With countless live music venues, culinary gems worth driving long distances for, and a huge range of intellectually-stimulating and outdoorsy activities, if you want to soak up the best Austin has to offer, you can always find something well-suited to your unique tastes and interests nearby!

As your real estate team, we’d love to help you explore Austin from our outdoor activities to our best watering holes to our school districts and shopping areas around town. Please ask us your questions about Austin and where to live in Austin and we’ll help guide you through the neighborhoods and major landmarks to help you find the perfect area in which to live.

Austin Residential Properties Launches Marketing and Social Media Department

In 2008, Austin Residential Properties added a staff position dedicated to Marketing and Social Media to maximize our marketing reach for our clients who list their properties with us and to help us attract buyers from both near and far.

With 15 years of marketing experience and social media expertise, Elizabeth Clark recently joined the firm to perform this role. She has worked in sales & marketing, strategic planning, communications and e-commerce at Dell Inc., Motion Computing (a successful Austin tech start-up) and the U.S. White House She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she recently took a class in Digital Marketing and Social Media from an expert in the field.

In order to take advantage of the internet as an essential tool for marketing homes, Austin Residential Properties avails itself of several online methods for marketing our listings. In addition to utilizing the traditional marketing outlets for our listings (i.e., the Multiple Listing Service, The Statesman, etc…) and to creating a dedicated webpage and/or virtual tours for our listings, we also utilize key sites to ensure broad exposure:

• Listing Producer (http://www.4456sangabrieldallas.com/)
• Zillow (http://www.zillow.com)/
• Postlets (http://www.postlets.com/)
• Facebook (www.tinyurl.com/FBAustinRP)
• Twitter (www.twitter.com/AustinRP)
• LinkedIn (www.tinyurl.com/LIAustinRP)

Two New Divisions Launched: Austin Residential Properties and Lakefront Austin

In 2008, JCR launched two new real estate divisions. We now market homes under the brand of Austin Residential Properties (Austin RP for short). Lakefront properties, both residential and commercial, are marketed under the brand Lakefront Austin Properties (Lakefront Austin for short).

Please visit us at: http://wwwAustinResidentialProperties and http://www.LakefrontAustin.com .

Bio of Jackie Clark, Our Broker

Jackie Clark, President and Broker of Austin Residential Properties and Lakefront Austin Properties (branches of Jackie Clark Realtors), has been a successful seller's and buyer's agent and Austin resident for 25+ years.

Once named by Unique Homes Magazine as one of the top U.S. luxury real estate professionals in the country, Jackie's expertise in the real estate market is often sought by top professionals, bankers, brokers and appraisers in addition to individual real estate investors and home buyers.

In addition to running her own brokerage firm for the past 16 years, she was a top listing agent at Amelia Bullock Realtors for 2 years, an agent at REMAX Austin Hill Country for 2 years, an agent with Coldwell Bankers Westlake Previews Section for 2 years, and a co-owner and broker at Cooper & Clark Realtors for 4 years. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from SMU University.

Welcome to the Austin Residential Properties blog!

Welcome to the Austin Residential Properties blog! Jackie Clark, president and broker of Austin Residential Properties and Lakefront Austin (branches of Jackie Clark Realtors), and her team have been serving residential and commercial clients in Austin and from around the world for 25 years. Please let us know how we can help you sell, lease or find a home in Austin.

How to Contact Us:

Jackie Clark
President and Broker
Austin Residential Properties
Website: www.AustinResidentialProperties.com
Email: JackieClark@AustinRP.com
Phone: 512-328-SELL (7355)

Elizabeth Clark
VP, Marketing and Social Media
Email: ElizabethClark@AustinRP.com

Rita Moore
Sales Agent
Email: RitaMoore@AustinRP.com