De-Cluttering TipsWhen listing a home many Sales Agents will tell clients to DE-Clutter the home. What exactly does that mean and how do I do it? De-Clutter is removing anything that will distract potential buyers from seeing your home. It could be too much furniture in a living room, family pictures hung on the walls or a number of things.First thing I always recommend taking down any personal pictures. Without personal pictures this allows potential buyer to vision themselves living in the home. Any Agent who has ever been on a showing appointment will tell you sometimes the buyer will spend more time looking at family photos and never see's the house.Closets should be cleaned out.... Yes clean them out.. This is a great time for a garage sale or donate clothes you haven't worn in yea... 07/09/2009

Video for home in Kyle Texas Search for homes in Kyle Texas now! 06/30/2009

I am concerned with the number of sellers that I am working with that are simply unwilling to reduce their prices. Their state of mind with regard to the asking price is as if the economic environment was as strong as it has been in past years. They believe that their home is special in some way that differentiates it from the statistics based on recent sales. These people are sabotaging themselves irreparably. In Austin's market, your prime selling opportunity is the first ten days the home is listed. After that, you just become one of the crowd and your chances of selling your home diminish daily. Sellers, in some areas of the Austin area, prepare to be under water if you purchased in 2007! 06/05/2009

Yep we think so! Okay let's see Kohl's has opened on the Southwest corner of I35 and FM 1626 and Lowe's has opened on the Northeast corner.  But a lot more is on it's way.  If you are a resident of Kyle like I am, you look at each new building start with anticipation of what it is to come.  Now admittedly when we see it's a bank or a credit union (opening by Kohl's soon) you are a bit let down as, let's face it, how many banks does one person need.  But when the sign comes up that says "Jack in the Box Coming Soon" you can't not get excited.  (We're fans of the Chicken Terriaki Bowls.)    Also the Seton Medical Center Hays building is nearing completion.  We heard the opening has been moved up to October... and I also drove by the new Walgreens which is opening right in front of the hos... 04/06/2009

Market Analysis Report for Kyle Texas.  this report contains data on all Kyle Homes sold through mls over the past 6 months. Property Type: Residential Status: Sold Number of Properties: 232  BedsBathsSqFtListing PriceLP/SqFtSelling PriceSP/SqFtSP/LPSP/OLPDOM High 5 4 3,954 $495,000 $183.29 $455,000 $167.92 110.3% 109.7% 391 Low 3 1 920 $60,000 $22.54 $31,000 $19.57 51.7% 51.7% 0 Average 3 2 1,987 $152,904 $79.34 $148,898 $77.48 97.54% 94.8% 63 Median 3 2 1,888 $144,895 $80.49 $141,400 $78.74 98.35% 95.65% 44   Search Criteria Status S Property Type HOUSE City Kyle Sold/Lease Date 6 months back  Report time: 2/2/2009 3:59 PM 02/02/2009

By: Ashley Messer   I'm all about conveniences and now we Kyle & Buda residents have one more thing to add to our quickly growing list of "Things that make life easier"!   St. David's Urgent Care Kyle is now open and ready for business. Located in the Kyle Marketplace Shopping Center at 5401 S. FM 1626 STE 140, it is just minutes from Plum Creek. No worries for those of you in Buda either with a less than 10 minute drive! Now it wasn't totally awful to drive to CTMC in San Marcos when you were in need of a hospital and many of us use a doctor located in Kyle already, but what about a weekend emergency? You could spend a whole day in the emergency room and I'm sure your family doctor isn't open @ 5pm on a Sunday! With Urgent Care Kyle now open there is no need to wait for your doctor's o... 01/28/2009

There is an excellent article posted on Plum Creek in Kyle as part of the "UnSprawl" case studies at Terrain.org.  This is a big honor for Plum Creek.  The focus of the journal is the meeting place between the built and natural environment, or as they describe it, "the soul of place."  Previous UnSprawl case studies have been written about award-winning New Urbanism projects like Rosemary Beach, I'on, Glenwood Park, and Orenco Station to name but a few. The list puts Plum Creek in very good company. The article takes the time to paint the past, present and future of Plum Creek ... it's a bit of a long read but interesting. http://www.terrain.org/unsprawl/ 01/12/2009

Did you know that, until the year 2010, Kyle is considered rural. That means that you can take advantage of the USDA Loan program to buy one of the great homes for sale in that area. The UDSA Loan, as it is referred to, is 100% loan program that can only be used in areas that have been determined to be rural according to the population density. There is no limit on how much the seller can contribute to the buyer, no PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance), you can do a 2/1 buydown if you would like. Income and property limits do apply. Click here for more information. Contact me Find Your Dream Home. Contact a lender 12/19/2008

Statistics for Home Sales in Kyle sold in the last 6 months Property Type: Residential Status: Sold Number of Properties: 293  BedsBathsSqFtListing PriceLP/SqFtSelling PriceSP/SqFtSP/LPSP/OLPDOM High 5 4 3,954 $495,000 $183.29 $455,000 $167.92 142.5% 142.5% 391 Low 0 1 988 $60,000 $22.54 $31,000 $19.57 51.7% 51.7% 0 Average 3 2 1,980 $157,259 $81.63 $153,753 $80.01 97.88% 95.72% 63 Median 3 2 1,855 $147,000 $81.39 $144,900 $80.35 98.4% 96.6% 43   Search Criteria in Kyle Texas Status S Property Type HOUSE City Kyle Sold/Lease Date 6 months back  Report time: 12/17/2008 10:40 AM This information is taken from the Austin MLS. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. For more information on Kyle and surrounding communities, visit my website. 12/17/2008

Statistics for Home Sales in Kyle sold in the last 6 months Property Type: Residential Status: Sold Number of Properties: 293  BedsBathsSqFtListing PriceLP/SqFtSelling PriceSP/SqFtSP/LPSP/OLPDOM High 5 4 3,954 $495,000 $183.29 $455,000 $167.92 142.5% 142.5% 391 Low 0 1 988 $60,000 $22.54 $31,000 $19.57 51.7% 51.7% 0 Average 3 2 1,980 $157,259 $81.63 $153,753 $80.01 97.88% 95.72% 63 Median 3 2 1,855 $147,000 $81.39 $144,900 $80.35 98.4% 96.6% 43   Search Criteria in Kyle Texas Status S Property Type HOUSE City Kyle Sold/Lease Date 6 months back  Report time: 12/17/2008 10:40 AM This information is taken from the Austin MLS. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. For more information on Kyle and surrounding communities, visit my website. 12/17/2008

I recently signed up for a research tool that allows me (and my clients) to keep up with what's happening in the market.  Now I will be the first to admit that you don't have to be a real estate agent or an expert on the Kyle Market to know this is not the opportune time for sellers to put a house on the market.  So why pay for a fancy shamsy tool?  Well I figured I would spend some time learning about the tool, playing with the charts and finding new ways to explain it.  More importantly I'll see the nuances of the market, those slight dips or hopefully see the very beginning of the line working its' way back up. But I do find that seeing the data I work with every day put in a graphs is interesting and very ...well...graphic.  What's that old expression "A picture paints a thousand wo... 11/04/2008

I have an investment home in Plum Creek and I received a call from my tenant recently letting me know that they were moving.  They were well over their one year term and were on a month by month basis so it was no surprise though I have to admit my immediate thought was "Crap", not very professional I agree and I of course didn't share this with my tenant but I didn't like the thought of having to find a new tenant during the holiday season, getting the house ready etc.  Now I love Plum Creek with it's nostalgic charm and family oriented activities.  And last nights Halloween Trick'r Treating made me realize once again what a nice community it is to raise kids.  It was a warm Halloween night so the kids didn't have to be bundled up.  It was so cute to see all of the little kids coming u... 11/01/2008

I noticed recently that it was a lot easier to show homes lately..why you ask?  Because there are so many vacant homes.  People have moved because of transfers or unfortunately foreclosure situations and I don't need to make appointments, I can just take my clients straight away.  Now a vacant home typically translates into a more motivated seller because the seller is now likely making two mortgage payments or in the case of a pre-foreclosure or foreclosure the bank may be willing to accept a lower offer.  On one such showing day I found over half of my planned showings were VACANT!  That is huge!  So I pulled data to see how many homes were vacant in the areas I serve and found that when I take out new construction (because obviously they are vacant) Kyle had almost a 40% Vacancy rate... 10/23/2008

Hey everybody Halloween is coming and here is a spooky deal for Austin Realtors and home buyers. I am not affiliated with the builder I am simply passing on information that you may find useful. There is a builder that  has just knocked off several thousand dollars off their list prices for a number of new homes. There are several sought after one story brand new homes under $160K in Kyle. These homes have SEER 14 energy efficient Carrier AC units and nine foot ceilings. There is a neighborhood park and its only 1/2 mile from the new Seton Hospital. They are also offering free 2" blinds, washer/dryer/fridge appliance package and rear sod all for FREE!  What a great new home package!! If you are looking in the $130K-190K range, you should call me to go to Kensington Trails! Happy house h... 10/13/2008

Reference:  Click here for a current listing of all of the homes for sale in Kyle and Buda texas by subdivison. I was working with a client recently looking at homes largely in the Kyle and Buda Texas areas and I noticed that many of the homes we were looking at had lowered their prices and were vacant.  I wondered how much of this was perhaps the seasonal slowing down of the market that we start seeing as we approach the holidays, versus a reaction to the current economic news. While it may be a bit too early to see how people are reacting I pulled the current listings in Kyle and Buda and checked to see how many had lowered their prices in the past several days.  Of the 326 active listings in Kyle and Buda, 60 lowered their prices during the last 14 days.  That's a rate of 18.4%.  I w... 10/12/2008

You can learn Spanish! www.meridianlanguage.com   As always, I am looking around the Kyle area for convenient things whatever they may be. I actually found Meridian Language a few months ago when I was looking for spanish classes. I have since finished 2 levels and absolutely love it! About Meridian Language 5500 FM 2770, Suite 102, Kyle, TX 78640 Learn Spanish in small groups all year round. Meridian Language Academy (MLA) offers Spanish courses for 6 levels based on your aptitude and goals, and also Spanish courses for special purposes such as health, law, and business. The Spanish courses are offered in small groups, with maximum 8 students. The school is small, personal and is located in Kyle Texas, one of the fastest growing areas close to South Austin, but also convenient to San M... 10/06/2008

I am always trying to find things that are in Kyle Texas or close to Kyle that would be helpful to people (affordable is also a plus). My most recent find is Violin lessons in Plum Creek!   Seeking dedicated, disciplined, and enthusiastic violin students!!!   Since the age of four, music has been a focal point in Caroline Giles' life. A violinist for fifteen years, Mrs. Giles has extensive experience in individual and group instruction, music theory, violin technique and performance, group ensembles, and studio recording.  Mrs. Giles was awarded the Floyd Cramer Strings Scholarship, the Elsie Artz Memorial Scholarship, and the Lamar Alexander Scholarship while completing her undergraduate degree at East Tennessee State University. She most recently completed her Master of Social Work de... 09/17/2008

What is it with all of the homes for lease in Kyle? When I first moved to Kyle Texas six years ago you never saw a FOR LEASE sign in the neighborhoods.  Then a couple of years ago it seemed that you couldn't go down a street without seeing one.  You can see in the numbers below that this trend seems to have leveled off.  The two major factors I saw causing the investors to come to Austin Texas in droves were 1) The California housing price boom and 2) The popularity of books and tapes about real estate investing such as "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and the Carlton Sheets tape series on purchasing a home with zero down.  Regarding the California home price boom a few years back, many Californians made so much money on the sale of their homes that they headed to places like Texas to cash in on wha... 08/30/2008

I enjoy eating as much as probably anyone I know...when I think back on vacations even from years ago I can likely tell you what I ate.  Well that being said, one of my favorite restaurants in the entire Austin area happens to be in our little town of Kyle...honestly it's in Kyle...it's called Bordeaux.  It happens to be one of my daughter Alayna's (she's 24) favorite restaurants as well.   So I decided to take Alayna out to dinner last night.  When I am here to say that we had a fabulous dinner.   We decided to start with the special Appetizer Of The Day.  It was a Caprizi salad with tomato, mozzarella, pesto, basil and a type of thick vinagerette reduction, (can't remember how they described it but it sounded good).  We lived in Venezuela for several years where we were introduced to ... 08/30/2008

If you ever questioned if Kyle Texas would ever have some of the conveniences of larger cities, wonder no more.  It is growing exponentially.  To give you an idea of what's to come I pulled a diagram of one aspect of the planned growth and copied it below.  This portion of the growth is centered near the Kyle community known as Plum Creek, the master planned community that has a "Leave it to Beaver" quality complete with picket fences.  The diagram gives you a taste of what's to come, as many of us have said, five years from now Kyle will still be Kyle but better!  We'll have the opportunity to live in a community that has a small town feel but with some of the conveniences of a larger city.  As the mom of a teenage driver with another in the drivers permit stage, I for one love the ide... 08/30/2008