Should You Renovate Before Selling Your Austin Home?
Five years ago, fresh paint, new carpet and a few cosmetic updates could make a house feel renovated. Today, those things don't necessarily command a premium. In many parts of the Austin housing market, buyers simply expect a home to be clean, maintained and move-in ready. When buyers have significantly more inventory to choose from, torn-up flooring, beat-up walls and obvious deferred maintenance aren't things they have to overlook anymore. They can just go see the next house.
How’s the Austin Real Estate Market? It Depends Who’s Asking.
“How’s the market?” is probably the question I get asked more than any other when someone finds out I’m a Realtor. The problem is there really isn’t one answer. The real estate market is constantly moving between favoring sellers, being relatively balanced, and favoring buyers. One of the primary ways we measure that is months of inventory. Basically, if no additional homes came on the market, how long would it take buyers to purchase everything currently available based on the existing pace of sales? Lower inventory generally favors sellers. As inventory grows, negotiating power begins shifting toward buyers.
Why Tree Trimming Matters Before Selling Your Home in Austin
When most people think about preparing their home for sale, they focus on paint, landscaping, and decluttering the inside. One thing that often gets overlooked is the trees. In Austin, tree maintenance isn't just about curb appeal, it's also about timing. If you own Live Oaks, Red Oaks, or protected heritage trees, spring isn't always the best time to trim them. That's because pruning during the spring increases the risk of Oak Wilt, a disease that can spread quickly through healthy oak trees. In general, arborists recommend trimming oak trees between July and January, when the risk of transmission is much lower.