Why Staging Matters More Than You Think
Staging is one of the most misunderstood parts of selling a home. A lot of people hear “staging” and immediately think it’s about making a house look fancy or trying to trick buyers into liking something they shouldn’t. That’s not really what it’s about at all.
Good staging helps buyers mentally solve a house.
When a home feels old or dated, buyers tend to fixate on what’s wrong instead of what works. Staging shifts that focus. It helps a buyer see how a home can live today, even if the finishes aren’t brand new. This is especially powerful for homes that are in great locations, have great yards, or sit in strong communities. You can’t change location. You can’t add mature trees overnight. You can’t move a house into a better school path. Those are the unsolvable boxes. And when a house checks those boxes, staging helps buyers get past the solvable stuff.
78749 Market Review: A Strong Start to the Year
78749 continues to show why it’s one of the most stable and desirable zip codes in South Austin. As of the end of January, we’re looking at 40 active listings, 21 homes under contract or pending, and 15 closed sales year to date. That level of activity tells a pretty clear story. Homes are still moving, but buyers are being selective and pricing matters more than ever.
So far this year, the median closed price in 78749 sits around $540,000, with an average sale price just under $537,000. Homes are selling at roughly 99.5% of list price, which is notable when you compare it to national averages hovering closer to 97–98%. That spread may sound small, but it signals confidence. Buyers here are still willing to pay close to asking when homes are priced correctly and well positioned. 78749 January stats
Westcreek: The Artsy Little Pocket With Wild Price Swings
Westcreek is one of those neighborhoods you don’t fully understand until you really look at the numbers.
It’s a small pocket of mostly 70s homes that feels borderline like an artist community. Not in a “everyone wears berets” way, but in a “people actually do interesting things with their houses” way. Creative remodels. Bold choices. Homes with personality instead of copy-and-paste finishes. And the sales dynamics here are… wild.
In just the last couple of months, we saw a fully remodeled 2,300-square-foot home sell for $890,000. Around the same time, a 2,200-square-foot home that needed updating sold for $476,000.
Same neighborhood. Similar size. Very different stories.
The Inevitable One or Two Snow Days of South Austin
It happened again. Like clockwork.
Austin, Texas gets a day or two of sub-zero temperatures and suddenly the city feels like it hit the pause button. Roads empty. Schools close. Group texts light up with photos of frozen lawns like we’ve just discovered a new planet. The first few years I lived here, I thought it was a joke.
I grew up in Utah. Literally on the side of a mountain. I learned to drive in snow. It’s not that hard. Slow down. Pay attention. Don’t panic when your car hits ice. Steer into it. Breathe. So when Austin shut down for what looked like a light dusting, I was confused. Mildly judgmental. Definitely smug. What I didn’t realize is t
Maple Run: The Hidden First-Time Buyer Gem of Southwest Austin
I bought my first house in Maple Run in 2013. At the time, homes were hovering right around $200,000.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
I know. That sentence feels illegal now.
Back then, Maple Run was exactly what it was designed to be: affordable. Most of the homes were built in the 80s, many as entry-level builds. The construction wasn’t fancy. The layouts were simple. Some of them had design choices that only make sense if you remember that Miami Vice was still on TV.
The Golden Handcuffs of Austin Real Estate
If you bought or refinanced between 2020 and 2022, there’s a good chance you’re wearing what we lovingly call the golden handcuffs. That sub-3% interest rate feels incredible on paper, but it also makes the idea of moving feel borderline irresponsible. Those historically low rates are what sent home prices soaring. Cheap money allowed buyers to afford more, which drove values up. Appraisals followed, and with them came higher property taxes and insurance premiums. Suddenly, people weren’t just paying for a house. They were paying for the value of a 2022 house. The only reason the numbers still work is because the rate is so low.
That’s the trap. Even when a home no longer fits your life, your family, or your sanity, the math says “stay put.”
A Guide to Surviving a South Austin Freeze
(Or: Why Your House Is Tough, But Not “Arctic Tundra” Tough)
Homes in Austin are not built for cold weather. They can handle a short freeze just fine, but when temperatures stay below freezing for extended periods, your house starts feeling stress in places it didn’t even know it had. If a plumber were writing this blog, here’s what they’d tell you.
First, they’d laugh gently and say, “Y’all build houses for heat, not for Minnesota.” Then they’d get serious. Because extended cold is not just uncomfortable. It’s expensive.
78739: The Ferrari of South Austin
If South Austin were a parking lot, 78739 would be the Ferrari sitting in the shade.
Not because it’s loud.
Not because it’s flashy.
But because everyone knows exactly what it is.
78739 hosts some of the most sought-after homes in all of South Austin. It’s where people land when they’re done “trying things out” and ready to settle into something that feels permanent. If 78749 is the Lexus, 78739 is the Ferrari. Same reliability. More presence.
78749: My Favorite Zip Code in South Austin
I live in 78749. I’ve lived here since I moved to Austin. And I’m not leaving.
If 78748 is a Kia, 78749 is a Lexus. Not flashy. Not loud. Just incredibly reliable. The kind of place you can drive for the rest of your life and never feel like you need to “upgrade.”
It’s comfortable. It’s practical. It’s quietly elite.
Why 78748 Might Be the Most Underrated Zip Code in South Austin
If zip codes had personalities, 78748 would be the quietly confident one in the room. Not flashy. Not loud. Just sitting there being wildly practical while everyone else fights over bragging rights.
78748 is a big zip code. Like, “you could live in it for years and still be discovering new pockets” big.
It stretches north to Davis Lane (which turns into Dittmar), south past Slaughter all the way to 1626 and even includes Estancia down by the I-35 corridor. It runs east to I-35 and west toward Brodie and Mopac. Translation: it covers a lot of South Austin real estate personality.
Why Is 78745 So Special?
When I first got into real estate eleven years ago, you could buy a house four blocks south of Ben White on a third of an acre for about $250,000.
Lowest Tax Rates in South
When people talk about affordability in South Austin, most of the focus goes to home prices and interest rates. Both matter. But the silent assassin of your monthly payment is something way less exciting.
Property taxes.
In South Austin, the average tax rate hovers right around 2%. That might not sound dramatic until you realize that a small difference in tax rate can mean thousands of dollars a year. And unlike interest rates, you don’t get to refinance your tax rate.
Legend Oaks… More Legend or More Oaks?
Legend Oaks is one of those South Austin neighborhoods that quietly wins without needing to brag about it. It doesn’t scream for attention. It just sits there being incredibly practical, well built, tree covered, and reasonably priced while everyone else argues about whether Circle C is worth it.
New Year, New House?
Every January, without fail, people start asking the same question.
“Is this the year we finally buy a house?”
And then they immediately follow it up with all the reasons they haven’t yet. Which, to be fair, have been pretty valid lately.
Over the past year or two, a lot of buyers hit pause. Some lost jobs. Some got nervous about affordability. Some watched Austin prices come down and decided they were going to time the market perfectly and buy at the absolute bottom. Others just looked at the news, saw interest rates, tariffs, elections, economic uncertainty, and said, “You know what? I’m going to sit this one out and stress quietly instead.”
South Austin Parks: One of the Most Underrated Reasons People Love Living Here
One of the best parts about South Austin is something people don’t always notice right away. The housing is not packed in like a game of Tetris and when the city built out the infrastructure, they actually left room for green space. Real green space. Parks you can use without an HOA password or a secret handshake.
Is Shady Hollow the Best Neighborhood in South Austin?
I lived in Shady Hollow for years, so I say this with confidence. It’s one of the best neighborhoods in South Austin… depending on who you ask. And if you ask people who live in Shady Hollow, they will absolutely tell you yes.
South Austin Real Estate Market Trends and Price Forecasts
(Or why our home values behave the way they do, even when the rest of the city seems to be having an identity crisis.)
If you’ve been watching the South Austin real estate market and thinking “What exactly drives these prices?”, don’t worry. You’re not alone. South Austin is its own ecosystem. It marches to the beat of its own drum, wears Chacos to formal events, and somehow manages to stay one of the most desirable parts of the city even when the broader market goes a little sideways.
But after years of working these neighborhoods, I can tell you there are two major forces that dictate values and trends here.
How to Schedule Home Tours for South Austin Listings
(And how to avoid the classic mistakes that make the process way harder than it needs to be.)
For some reason, scheduling a home tour feels like it should be as simple as clicking a button and showing up. But in South Austin real estate, things are rarely that simple. We have 80s houses, 90s houses, homes with surprise add-ons, and at least three neighborhoods where the streets make no logical sense. And somewhere in the middle of all that, buyers still manage to make the same scheduling mistakes over and over again.
So let’s talk about how to do this the right way.
Best Real Estate Agents Specializing in South Austin Homes
(Spoiler: The best ones know this place like it’s their hometown, favorite restaurant and therapist all in one.)
South Austin is a vibe. It always has been. It is this perfect mash up of older charm, mature trees and neighborhoods that grew one wave at a time. If you want to buy or sell here, you need an agent who understands those waves, those pockets and why one street can behave completely differently than the next.
South Austin is not a one size fits all real estate market. It is more like a greatest hits album with multiple decades represented.
How to Find Affordable Houses in South Austin Neighborhoods
(Spoiler: It’s possible… if you know where to look.)
Trying to find an affordable home in South Austin can feel a little like trying to find a quiet toddler at a birthday party. Technically possible, but it requires strategy, hydration, and maybe a little luck.
South Austin is loved, competitive, full of character, and full of people trying to get into the exact same neighborhoods at the exact same time. So the big question I get is simple:
Where can you still find affordable homes around here?
Good news: they exist. Better news: I know exactly where.