Some buyers and sellers wonder about whether they can save money by not using an agent for their home sale and/or purchase. I'll do my best in this post to explain the variables for different types of transactions.

IF YOU ARE SELLING A HOME, you will probably be best served to hire an agent to list it for you and to represent your interests throughout the transaction. This is known as a "fiduciary responsibility", and Realtors must abide by a code of ethics which means that we are working for y...

This question is not typically one that I hear asked out loud, but I know it's important to educate our clients on the importance of obtaining a pre-approval before shopping for a house.

There are multiple reasons to do this:

You won't waste your time looking at properties that are too expensive. Many first-time home buyers (and buyers in general) are payment-conscious, and they have a strong sense of how much they are willing to pay for a home each month. If you speak with a mortgage lender...

This is a relatively common question, especially for first-time buyers that we work with here in Austin.There's a very quick answer to this, but sometimes there are underlying questions as well, so I'll try to address this as clearly and thoroughly as I can.

If you're selling your home, you will be paying both your own agent and the buyer's agent, with rare exceptions. As Realtors, we are not allowed to tell you that any amount of commission is customary or standard, because it's considered a vi...

In a nutshell, earnest money is a deposit that home buyers submit whenever a contract is executed, in order to show that they're sincere about the purchase. An executed contract means that every term of the contract has been agreed upon, and all parties have initialed and signed as necessary. A typical amount for earnest money is 1% of the sales price or thereabouts. So, if you're buying a home for $300,000, expect to put up $3,000 as earnest money. In Texas, this money almost invariably goes...

I had someone ask me today what I felt was my favorite part of being a real estate broker. I hadn't really thought about it much lately, but the question provided me with some food for thought, and when I think, I often write.

My very favorite part is too easy - getting paid. (Thanks, Captain Obvious.) However, my real answer probably won't surprise those of you who are in the business.

I most enjoy seeing that moment when someone decides on their dream home, regardless of the price range. I'v...

Lake Austin is a constant-level lake which winds through west Austin, offering waterfront homes near downtown, which is an enviable combination. It's tough to find a nice home on Lake Austin for less than $2 million these days, and you're more likely to spend $3-4 million or more to find a luxury estate home there. Since many of the properties are relatively flat, you won't typically have a hike to get down to the water, which is often the case on other local lakes. We have experience helping b...

I started a small marketing company in 1996, leaving behind the fascinating and glamorous world of retail and restaurant management. I was 25 years old, and I was tired of working for someone else. Much of our focus for my fledgling venture was on selling marketing and printing services to real estate agents. I quickly realized that many of our customers were making really good money, and some (most?) of them weren't even that sharp. Real estate couldn't be rocket science, right?

Right.

The truth...