(512) 215-4785

A while back, I started to send out letters to folks at Mueller based on the floor plan of their homes. I felt a little bad about stalking a home for a client. My letters were apologetic – I had to use tax record data to find plans that matched our needs and then contact the owners directly. But it paid off – I managed to help someone find a place here in Mueller in a competitive market.

I did it again a few months ago for another friend – sending two messages to two very specific homes, and helping her buy one.

When I had a list of buyers competing for another listing, I called another neighbor who had experienced issues selling his home and given up and found a home for one of these buyers. The sellers had the opportunity to sell with a minimum of showings and fuss, and everybody was happy. Aside from perhaps the people who seemed to think that I wanted to get them out of the neighborhood by sending them letters all the time.

So, what’s the moral of these three seemingly dull and self-congratulatory stories? I’m a great home matchmaker and go the extra mile and use a cattle prod to chase people from the neighborhood? Stalking works?

Not really. Well stalking does work. But that’s not the message. I got two emails last night from past clients in the space of 5 minutes saying they had received these handwritten cards:

MuellerAustinMarket

The notes in question

The neighbors in question realized that their homes were in demand. It’s true – most people don’t really track the market so much when they’re not looking to buy or sell. These seemingly innocent cards are quite a good idea on the part of the agent who sent them. Maybe they have a client interested, maybe they don’t. One job of the agent is to find people who are interested in selling homes and this certainly piques people’s interest. So hats off to them for sending the cards. And also at the time when some people are feeling the pinch due to rising property tax bills.

The moral of the story is that it really is a desperately low inventory scene around here, a nose-bleed sellers’ market, and if anyone is thinking of selling, they can do so with as much or as little fuss as possible – either publicly with the avalanche of MLS hunting buyers all queuing up outside their home desperate to take a look, or privately with a handful of showings. Either way, selling homes in Mueller is like shooting fish in a barrel right now. It’s always nice to be able to tell people that their homes are worth 10% more than they were last year, or whatever the number is right now.

Get in touch if you need any thoughts or help in finding out what your home is worth. Or perhaps more importantly how to buy smart if you do sell in a sellers’ market. 512 215 4785

 

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I got this Mueller Austin question today, and I thought I would answer it here for the benefit of anyone else who is interested.

“I am interested in receiving Mueller guidelines for income to qualify for an Affordable Home for Rental.”

The essence of the Mueller Affordable Rental program are that you must earn less than 60% of the Austin Median Family Income for your family size to qualify for the program. Each year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development releases the figures for the Austin area. Right now in 2013, the numbers would be:

Austin Median Family Income – $73,200. This is for a family of four people.

Depending on your family size, the qualifying amount under which would have to earn is:

Single person $30,780.00
Couple $35,160.00
Family of 3 $39,540.00
Family of 4 $43,920.00
Family of 5 $47,460.00
Family of 6 $51,000.00
Family of 7 $54,480.00
Family of 8 $58,020.00

This is based on my interpretation of the numbers for the income guidelines with some extrapolation, so it would be best to check with the rental community in question before you assume you are or aren’t qualified. Also, this is based on numbers from December 2012, and again they vary a little. You can see the old Austin Median Family Income here back in 2010. It changes a little each year, but not by a vast amount, or hasn’t at least in the last 6 years since I’ve been watching it. Again, it’s best to check with the experts and give one of the numbers below a call.

Another few questions I get asked are listed here:

“Can I rent a free-standing home under the affordable program?”

As of Spring 2013, the answer is no. You can rent in one of the rental communities here (apartments).

“What are the Mueller Affordable Rental Communities?”

Right now, there is Mosaic (no age limit) and the Wildflower Terrace (over 55s only). In August 2013 or thereabouts, Elements at Mueller will be added. All three are mixed-use with shops and office space below.

“How do I apply for the Mueller Affordable Rental Program or double check income?”

The best way is to select your community and get in touch – Mosaic is at (512) 474-5483 and The Wildflower Terrace is at (512) 843-3801.

I hope that helps with your plans to live in Mueller Austin TX! 512 215 4785

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Mueller Affordable Homes – More Tax Appraisal Woes

May 15, 2013

I love the Mueller Affordable Program, I’ll just put that out there as my bias before I start talking about tax appraisals. It’s that time of year when Travis County Appraisal District give everyone the bad news that property taxes are going up. The real estate market in Austin is booming and many homes are [...]

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Can I rent out my Affordable Home at Mueller?

May 9, 2013

There are so many misconceptions about the Mueller Affordable Program – the income qualified housing scheme at the old airport redevelopment in Austin that I thought I’d better answer this question. The reason I’m compelled to answer this particular question was that it changed the course of someone’s life very recently. Here’s what happened. One [...]

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Mueller Detached Home For Lease

May 8, 2013

Can I lease a home in Mueller? It’s a common question – both for people wanting to try the neighborhood before they buy, or for those waiting for a new home to be built. More recently, it’s been the only option for people who want to live here at all as the housing market is [...]

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Where is the Mueller Northwest Greenway?

April 18, 2013

One of the quieter parks in Mueller Austin is the Northwest Greenway. It borders Dell Children’s Medical Center and The Greenway Lofts lo-rise condominium project. If you look for the park online you’ll see the address as 1311 Philomena Street, and this marks the Northwest extremity of the park. Mueller is designed to have hike [...]

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Mueller New Home Building FAQ

April 17, 2013

Yesterday, a friend of my wife called me to ask me a few questions about living here at Mueller. She was a first time home buyer, and had many concerns and questions about building a new home here. She was already working with a real estate agent, so I answered as a resident. What’s it [...]

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Do You Need A Third Party Home Inspection When Buying a New Home at Mueller?

March 12, 2013

As any home builder will tell you, new homes at Mueller fall under the purview of the City of Austin’s building inspection schedule, and homes come with a variety of warranties. So should you spend $350 – $1100 on your own inspections? Here are a few different perspectives and platitudes that I have heard. As [...]

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How Much Are My Green Home Utilities?

March 11, 2013

Living in my green home bubble at Mueller Austin, I sometimes forget that other Texans don’t always enjoy the same low utility bills that I do. This became apparent on Friday when a prospective buyer asked me how much my electricity bill was after seeing the solar panels on my rooftop, and it got me [...]

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Mueller Homes – Time To Sell While the Going Is Good?

March 7, 2013

As some of you may know, I’m selling my home at Mueller, and moving into another new home here in the ‘hood. While I’m busy patting myself on the back for getting pre-construction pricing on a new yard home, I’m also thinking about the thoughts going through my mind in the appraisal process for my [...]

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