Why Our Western Oaks Home Proves Real Estate Is a Long Game

When my wife and I bought our home in Western Oaks back in 2020, we snagged it for $500,000 which, at the time, felt like we had just pulled off the greatest heist in South Austin history. The house had great bones, tons of potential, and a layout that said, “Go on, remodel me. I dare you.”

So we did what any homebuyer with a vision (and a willingness to eat ramen for a few months) would do: we remodeled. And not a little facelift, either. We invested close to $200,000 into transforming this place into the home we wanted. New look, new life, new everything.

And guess what? A year after the remodel, the home appraised for $880,000.
Cue the high-fives. Cue me pretending I’m a real estate genius even though I already work in real estate.

But here’s the part that most homeowners forget... markets move. They rise, they fall, and sometimes they fall at the exact moment you’d prefer they didn’t. Since that appraisal, the Austin market has cooled, and if we sold today, we’d probably land around $750,000.

Which means… yep. We would be underwater if we sold within five years.

And that’s exactly the point.

The Real Money in Real Estate Isn’t Made in Five Years

Most people think real estate is a fast flip: buy, remodel, cash out, profit, repeat. But the truth, the not-as-fun-but-way-more-accurate truth, is that the real money is made long-term.

Austin has dipped before, and it’s always come back stronger. We’ve already seen our home valued at $880,000, and odds are that at some point down the road, maybe not this year, maybe not next, the market will cycle back upward. Values recover. Neighborhoods appreciate. Time does a lot of heavy lifting.

Western Oaks is still one of the most desirable pockets in South Austin. The schools are strong, the trees are mature, the community is quiet but connected, and people love living here. Those fundamentals don’t vanish just because the market takes a breather.

What Our Story Really Shows

Real estate rewards patience. Sometimes a lot of patience.

In a short window, you can “lose money” on paper. But zoom out, and the long-term trajectory almost always trends up especially in neighborhoods with lasting demand.

Our home isn’t just where we live. It’s a reminder that:

• Markets shift.

• Timing isn’t always kind.

• And long-term ownership is where real wealth is built.

So if you’re feeling discouraged about your home’s current value, you’re not alone. But trust me, real estate isn’t about what your home is worth today. It’s about where it’s heading over the years to come.

And if Western Oaks has taught me anything, it’s this: the long game is worth it.