David Poisson

This past Monday I went and previewed a new development in Austin on the old Concordia University grounds. The development is going to be called University Park, which will feature 22 townhomes going by the name of Soltiva, as well as two office towers, an upscale hotel, some multi family units and what appears to be some great retail shopping and entertainment.

The townhomes, although about a month from being finished out, were extremely nice! 3 bedroom, 3.5 baths, 3 stories, approximately 2500 sq ft, including a nice patio off the second floor and a super sweet roof top deck overlooking downtown and west austin. Top of the line Miele appliance, quartize countertops, and a 4 star energy rating. There was no corner or cost cutting on these units. The townhome price competitively with the surrounding much smaller homes within the neighborhood, around 550K.

The best thing that a resident of these future townhomes could look forward to was the all-inclusive nature of the amenities provided by development. You're going to have a top line natural grocery store within a block, restaurants, shopping, and a movie theater. And if that isn't enough, it is located a mere 3 blocks from the University of Texas and less than 3 miles from downtown, so in keeping with the eco/green theme, a person could ride their bike, walk or take the bus downtown to their work or entertainment.

I think this should be a very succesful development and have a lot to offer the person who is seeking to return to the urban core of the city, and escape fleeing to the home some 15 miles away from work. Seems to be a general theme returning from the days of the past, pre '1940's, where being downtown was the place to be!

Once I get some pictures and youtube videos shot, I will post them

Here's the website to give you an overview of the development, incase you haven't heard about it ... http://www.soltivaliving.com/lifestyle.html

Enjoy your upcoming weekend and stay dry!

I have a great house for sale in Canyon Creek in Austin TX. The house, built in '89, really hasn't had any upgrades done with the kitchen and baths, although the house was just painted and carpeted. There have been structural upgrades (low e windows, roof, deck, granite flooring) and major component upgrades (appliances, ac, etc). The house is the third lowest price per sqft in the area, which when I do a CMA I use 8 comps and establish a high and low average to get a selling price range based upon the condition of the house compared to the other. It is now priced about $5k below my low range, which I think accurately reflects its current state, and if it were to have been completely updated would have been at the high price range, which is about 30K higher than its current listed price. The lowest price per sq ft house is a distress sale and has been on the market for 8 months, so I don't think it is accurate to really compare it to the others.

The owner wants to do a counter top, sink, hardware upgrades through out the house in about a month, but I told her to hold off and perhaps reflect it in offers on the house, as her tastes may not be someone else's. I may have an offer coming which is going to reflect a complete interior update, cabinet fronts, island rebuild, replace front door, painting, counter tops, sinks and hardware, which I expect this to be reflected in a low offer price. How far should one typically go in accommodating for certain upgrades within an offer, especially considering where the house is priced at?

As always thanks for your input!

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Just want to write a quick post about this fall season in my neighborhood that I love so much - Barton Hills in South Austin TX.

This fall I have seen some unusual wildlife in the 13 years I have now lived at my house. I back up to the Barton Creek greenbelt, so there are always all types of critters around, but the latest and the greatest was having a wild turkey family in and around my house. I first saw the tom turkey, who I think was accidentally treed by my German Shepherd, Zelda, who was chasing after a squirrel. I was sitting up on my deck and I kept hearing this clucking noise and went to investigate and just about freaked out as this thing was casually sitting in one of my oak trees, grooming its feathers, and it was HUGE!!!! I tried to get some photos but all my batteries were dead. Luckily enough two weeks later the hen appears in my next door neighbor's yard and I got lots of photos, which I will add one here today.

One a somewhat scary note, although I have heard them in the past, I had a coyote come up in my yard, which my dogs chased after. I promptly called them off as a coyote could tear up a dog in the right circumstance, and I wasn't about to let that happen. So, now i have the proof of which to defend myself and my german shepherd Zelda against the accusations of my new neighbors who were convinced she was a cat killer. As I told them, all she likes is the chase, once the cat stops and stands up to her, she hits the brakes. I reminded them about the predators in the area, coyotes, grey foxes, great horned owls - all of which would find a cat to be a nice dessert.

Ok, well, last but not least I love watching NFL football on sundays, as I take my tv outside on my back deck, fire up the bbq, invite some friends over to watch the games, and enjoy the outdoor scenery and nice fall weather.

Over and out for now