Donna Harris, REALTOR® & ASP - Hill Country Austin Lakeway Homes

Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate shows over and over again that we're in a good place in the market. Are we as strong as we were a year ago? Not quite... but look at the chart below to tell you some of the story.

In the Third Quarter in 2008, the market was very strong. There were well over 6000 units sold through Hill Country Austin TX. Fourth quarter last year was not a fun time as interest rates spiked and mortgage criteria changed on a daily basis. That was then followed by the First Quarter of 2009, trying to get out from under some rocks, but consumers were scared.

First Quarter of 2009 also saw the least amount of sales in several years.

However, things have changed! The Second Quarter of 2009 shows about 5500 units being sold, which is almost as much as Third Quarter of 2008.

I can't wait to see what happened in the Third Quarter as yesterday was the last day, but I can't imagine the number going down. Sales had to of gone up because consumer confidence continues to go up. The $8000 tax credit didn't hurt either, but that's not where even fifty percent of the sales have been.

Stay tuned for Third Quarter stats of Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate as I'll post them when they're available, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the
surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park,
Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in
between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way.

For real time Austin MLS listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

All my blog posts were first published on donnahomesblog.com.
Copyright© 2009 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate - Sales Have Increased *

Homes for Sale Austin TX - I hear over and over again that it's not a good time to put your house on the market. I don't know why people think that, because they're missing out on all the action!

In just the past two days, according to the Austin MLS, there have been 273 new listings for homes for sale Austin TX. With all the activity for the new homes listed, 317 properties have had price adjustments, some up but mostly down.

Even though there have only been 258 properties that closed in this two day time frame, there have been 251 properties marked as Pending. Another number to look at is 447, as this is the number of listings that have either expired or been withdrawn from the market.

At first glance, it looks like we just keep adding more and more listings to the market without getting the inventory number down, but when looked at closer, 273 new listings offset 956 properties that are no longer available for sale because they've sold, are contract pending, expired, or withdrawn from the market.

When you see numbers like that, it shows our market is decreasing its inventory, and the supply and demand will probably start to sway back in favor of the seller more than the buyer.

Homes for Sale in Austin TX are jumping off the shelves, and buyers need to jump off the fence they're sitting on. Aren't those fence posts starting to get uncomfortable? Some even give splinters, especially when interest rates go up as you're slowly sliding down.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the
surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park,
Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in
between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way.

For real time Austin MLS listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

All my blog posts were first published on donnahomesblog.com.
Copyright© 2009 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Homes for Sale Austin TX - Inventory is decreasing *

The Hill Country Galleria Bee Cave TX is more than just a mall. It is also a place for hosting many events throughout the year. Each season, they host a concert series. Some friends and I went to see Matt Skinner and Amanda Brown, opening by Drew Kennedy, on Saturday night.

We got there early, but Drew Kennedy had already started. Talk about not having to wait around.

In between the acts, the kids took it upon themselves to run around and enjoy the beautiful evening we were having, so here are some pictures of Alyssa just having some fun.

Then, Matt Skinner and Amanda Brown began their set. I had never heard them before, but apparently that's one of the good things about Austin Texas is that there is so many musicians, you can hear someone new everyday.

To keep up with all of the events, visit the Hill Country Galleria website for further information.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way.

For real time Austin MLS listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

All my blog posts were first published on donnahomesblog.com.
Copyright© 2009 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Hill Country Galleria Bee Cave Austin TX - Concert Series *

The Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary is located in Austin just West of the 71 and 290 "Y". Lions and Tigers and Bears... in Austin? That's right! Did you know that Austin TX has a Zoo?

Alyssa and I visited the Austin Zoo on Friday with about 50 of our friends from the Lakeway and Bee Cave Meetup.com group. The group is always looking for new and exciting things to do to introduce our kids to new things.

Before going, I was told it was a Rescue Zoo. I assumed that meant it was very small without too much variety.

However, including the Lions, Tigers, and Bears, they also had Cheetahs, Jaguars, Leopards, Monkeys, Wolves, and even a Wolf Hybrid. The talking birds were hilarious. It was a small Zoo compared to the Dallas Zoo or San Antonio Zoo, but for a local, rescue zoo, it was a perfect size and a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

I think Alyssa's favorites, besides the monkeys, were the big turtles and tortoises. There were even some little ones swimming in the reptile house.

The Austin Zoo survives on donations, so anything you can contribute helps keep them open.

Here are some more pictures... my camera had an issue with focusing on the chain-link fences rather then the animals, but you get the idea.

The location is 10807 Rawhide Trail, Austin, TX 78736 and can be reached at 512-288-1490.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way.

For real time Austin MLS listings, click here.

** #1 Agent in my Office for all of 2008 **

All my blog posts were first published on donnahomesblog.com.
Copyright© 2009 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary - Austin TX *