2020 Homestead Filing Deadline is April 30

As a service to our clients, we’re providing the 2017 Homestead Exemption Forms for Travis, Williamson and Hays Counties. Just click the link to access the form you need for your property, complete the form, and return to the appraisal district before the deadline (April 30).

Travis County – includes Austin, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Manor, and Pflugerville

Hays County – includes Dripping Springs, Kyle, Buda, San Marcos, and Wimberly

Williamson County – includes Cedar Park, Georgetown, and Round Rock 

             *Note – Williamson County now offers online submission instead of paper filing

Homestead exemptions allow you to remove part of your home’s value from taxation, thereby saving you money on your taxes. For example, if your home is valued at $100,000 and you qualify for a $20,000 exemption, you pay taxes on your home as if it was worth only $80,000.

In order to qualify for a homestead exemption in Texas, the property must be owned by an individual (not a corporation or trust) and be used as the individual’s primary residence on January 1 of the tax year. 

You may file a Homestead Exemption form with your appraisal district for the homestead exemption up to one year after the taxes on the homestead are due. Once you receive the exemption, you do not need to reapply unless specifically requested to by the appraiser’s office.

There are additional exemptions available for homeowners over the age of 65, disabled homeowners, and disabled veterans. Please contact me if you’d like advice about any of these exemptions.

Wish you had that new home to file a Homestead Exemption on?  Let us help you make your homeownership dreams come true in 2017! 

Feel free to contact Theresa at 512-297-3442 if you have any questions.

Tip #1 – Implement a ‘Coming Soon’ Strategy

Data suggests that marketing properties as ‘Coming Soon’ before listing them in the MLS can reduce their time on market. And for most sellers, this is a welcome reduction in the disruption of daily life that lengthy time on the market can cause. In Austin, there is even an MLS status to denote Coming Soon listings and there are several real estate websites that allow properties to be marketed as Coming Soon.

To expand on this concept and make it even more effective for my clients, I offer an additional 5 Step Coming Soon strategy that you can elect to use to sell your Austin area home quickly and for top dollar. The strategy includes:

·       Placing a Coming Soon Sign in the front yard

·       Sending “Sneak Peek” email to my database of potential buyers

·       Marketing extensively to my network of other Realtors and neighborhood groups 

·       Displaying Coming Soon ads to targeted Facebook users

·       Offering an invitation only Sneak Peek Open House to neighbors and potential

Timing is a question that often comes up at this point. Many times, you’re working through a laundry list of items to prepare your home for the market and for professional photos. The good news is that in order to implement the Coming Soon Strategy, your property doesn’t have to be completely market-ready. If you are still decluttering, or waiting for minor repairs to be completed, or touching up paint in a room, we can still get started with the Coming Soon Strategy to create buzz about your property and maximize market attention. You should, however, be prepared to accommodate showings, if we receive requests from seriously interested buyers.

Let's meet in person to discuss each one of these options in person to determine which of these strategies would be effective and desirable to implement in your specific situation. No strings attached.

Tip #2 – Declutter Without Depersonalizing

One important step in preparing your home for sale is to pack away certain personal belongings that can make your home seem overcrowded or the rooms seem small. While I absolutely agree that this is almost always a necessary step (the typical American family does have an abundance of “stuff”, let’s be honest), I like to caution my clients not to take this too far. There is no need to depersonalize your home to the point that it becomes sterile.

Have you ever been in a home that seemed to have a warm, personal sentiment? A funky, eclectic vibe? How about a modern, intellectual atmosphere? Well, these different feelings can all appeal to buyer who are looking for distinctly different types of properties. If you are selling your home in a subdivision filled with young families, chances are the buyers who will be interested in purchasing it will have young kids or be on the road to starting a family. So while you don’t want to have an entire wall of your baby’s “First Year” pictures in unmatched frames and toddler toys strewn over all the floors, leaving a few nicely framed photos and cute stuffed animals in the nursery is entirely appropriate. There’s no need to hide the fact that you’re selling a family home.

I have over 15 years of experience working with buyers and sellers, which allows me to predict with a high level of accuracy how buyers will respond to certain decorating and personal touches when they tour a property. This allows me to help you declutter your home without depersonalizing it.

Click here to book a no-obligation consultation.     

Tip #3 – Create a Plan for Handling Multiple Offers

Perhaps no situation facing buyers and sellers in the hot Austin real estate market is more frustrating and has the most potential for misunderstanding or missed opportunity, than presenting and negotiating multiple, competing offers to purchase the same property.

Consider the following dynamics:

·       You want to get the highest price and best terms for your property

·       Buyers want to buy at the lowest price and on the most favorable terms

·       Listing brokers - acting on behalf of sellers - represent sellers’ interests

·       Buyer representatives represent the interests of buyer clients.

Will a seller disclosing information about one buyer’s offer make a second buyer more likely to make a full price offer? Or will that second buyer decide to pursue a different property?

If you tell several buyers that each of them is being given the chance to make their ‘best offer’, will this result in spirited competition for your property? Or will it result in the buyers deciding not to make an offer after all?

Knowledgeable buyers and sellers realize there are rarely simple answers to complex situations. But some fundamental principles can make negotiating multiple offers in the hot Austin real estate market a little simpler. And discussing the pros and cons of these scenarios before receiving an offer on your property is the very best way to proceed.

As a seller, you have several ways to deal with multiple offers.

·       You can accept the “best” offer

·       You can instruct your agent to inform all potential purchasers that other offers are on the table and give them all the chance to strengthen their offers by a certain deadline

·       You can counter one offer while waiting to respond to the other offers

·       You can counter one offer and reject the others

Purchase offers do not have to be confidential. Many times, our clients instruct us to make all potential buyers aware that an offer is in hand, or even disclose details about one offer to another buyer in hopes of encouraging that buyer to make a “better” offer.

One tool I created for my clients’ benefit is my Multiple Offer Comparison Spreadsheet. If you’d like to download an example, click here – I’m happy to share it.

Discussing the options ahead of time is the most successful way to create a plan for handling multiple offers. I have the experience and patience to handle these situations sensitively, with the goal of selling your home at top dollar always as my highest priority.

A former teacher, Theresa Bastian now owns Let's Move Austin, an intentionally small real estate brokerage that builds business and personal relationships with honesty and integrity. She is passionate about public education and volunteers extensively in the schools.

The team at Let’s Move Austin can help you buy, sell, lease, or invest in real estate throughout Austin and Central Texas. Call 512-297-3442 and we can get started right away.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU TODAY?

I want to sell my Austin, TX property

I’d like to Search for Austin Real Estate

I’d like to speak to someone from Lets Move Austin

512-297- 3442 – www.LetsMoveAustin.com – Austin, TX real estate and investment specialists.

Let's Move Austin sells another one! We closed on this home in Elgin last Friday. This transaction was a VA loan and we are especially pleased to assist a Veteran in purchasing this great starter home! 

View FULL DETAILS and additional PHOTOS here: Home for Sale in Westwind Subdivision! 

Great starter home in the Westwind Subdivision in Elgin! You’ll love the natural light that pours in the big windows in the living room. The kitchen is open to the dining room, with plenty of counter space and a raised breakfast bar to eat at. All kitchen appliances included in sale. The spacious master, which features a walk-in closet, double vanity, and garden tub, is separate from the other two good sized bedrooms. Fenced backyard. From the cul de sac this home is on, it’s an easy walk to the community park, which features a playset and sport court.

Only minutes to North Austin from Hwy 290 and easy access to the airport too!

It doesn’t make sense to rent when you can own a home like this in a growing area and start building equity now! Contact us to get connected to a lender and see how low your mortgage payment could be!

Westwind is a small neighborhood conveniently located just off Hwy 290 in Elgin, TX. Westwind features a picnic pavilion, sport court and a children’s playground which are all maintained by the Homeowner’s Association.

This home for sale in Westwind in Elgin, TX is served by the Elgin ISD and students are zonedto the following schools: Neidig Elementary, Elgin Middle School, and Elgin High School.

Shops near Westwind in Elgin include an H.E.B. and a Wal-Mart, but there are many local business and artists as well, as indicated in this local business directory. And of course, Elgin has long been famous for it’s BBQ! 

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: Although this property was available at the time of this ad creation, it is very possible that an offer has been submitted or even accepted since that time. This ad was created with the intent to sell THIS property. If you are interested in this property, Please call Theresa Bastian 512-297- 3442 to check on its current availability.

Search the MLS like a Realtor and never miss the newest listings or the latest price changes.Search using criteria used by Realtors and brokers with multiple photos, satellite images, FULL MLS Descriptions and more. It’s easier than the MLS! Search listings in Whispering Hollow, Buda and all the surrounding areas in Central Texas at www.LetsMoveAustin.com.

Theresa Bastian of Let’s Move Austin has set a sales price record in Huntland Heights!

512-297-3442 – www.LetsMoveAustin.com – Austin, TX real estate and investment specialists.

Let’s Move Austin, an Austin real estate brokerage, has sold another home in Central Austin. This mid-century rambler in Huntland Heights sold for $320,000. This sets a record for the highest price per square foot of any home to ever sell in the North Central neighborhood of Huntland Heights.

The 1 story home at 7013 Miranda Drive is located in the North Central neighborhood of Huntland Heights. The home is 1,105 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The property has a lot size of .17 acres and was built in 1962. This house is zoned to the Austin schools of Reilly Elementary, Webb Middle School and McCallum High School. It featured hardwood floors, a remodeled kitchen, and a large fenced private backyard.

Let’s Move Austin represented the sellers of this property, who were enthusiastic at selling their home for top dollar. Let’s Move Austin’s VIP Sellers Program, which includes staging, professional photography, and extensive pre-MLS marketing, assisted in creating buyer demand for the property. Due to her extensive knowledge of the Austin market, Theresa Bastian was able to negotiate aggressively on her clients’ behalf throughout the transaction, saving them thousands on inspections and appraisal concessions.

 A former teacher, Theresa Bastian is passionate about public education. She owns the boutique brokerage Let's Move Austin and is ready to help you buy, sell, lease, or invest in real estate throughout Austin and Central Texas. Call 512-297-3442 to get started today.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU TODAY?

I want to sell my Austin, TX property

I’d like to Search for Austin Real Estate

I’d like to speak to someone from Lets Move Austin