About Kyle's Plum Creek

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 up to the door in their princess, dinosaurs and monster outfits. Looking out I could see the parents standing protectively at the sidewalks as their little ones rang the door bell. I looked down the street and saw so many of the homes decorated for Halloween and actually sighed. Next to Christmas, Halloween is one of my favorite times in the neighborhood as the streets are filled with families as the go from one house to the next just like I did when I was a kid. No the houses in Plum Creek aren't huge but the longer I'm here (and admittedly the older I get,) I am finding that I am getting a bit more attached to this charming neighborhood.

So anyway to the point of this blog. I pulled the active homes for Lease in Plum Creek to see what 'competition' I had out there. Here's what I found.

CURRENT HOMES FOR LEASE IN PLUM CREEK IN KYLE TEXAS

My next step was to look at recently leased homes in Plum Creek so I pulled those that leased in September and October to see what was happening.

RECENTLY LEASED HOMES IN PLUM CREEK KYLE TEXAS

I was actually surprised to see that one home about the same square footage as the one I am leasing went for $1450 just this month. I personally think that is too high and it was on the market over two months but they did find a tenant. The home I'll be leasing is approximately 1900 sq ft so I decided to keep it at its' current lease of $1200 a month.

With the permission of my current tenant I went ahead and put the sign in front of the home with a "Coming Soon" on it as I didn't want to list it officially as it is a few weeks away from being available. I was actually surprised by the number of callers I got in the first week. Again I haven't advertised it, it is not in the MLS, I didn't do a blog on it or put it on my website and its on a rather quiet corner, yet I received at least 8 calls on it. In any case looks like I may have a tenant on this one but if any of you are thinking for renting or buying a home in Plum Creek, give us a call 512-449-6070 or email us at info@adkor.net. Plum Creek is a great place to call home and we'd love to help you out!

And just in case you're interested. Here are some handy links to help you out.

Click here for all of the Homes for Lease in Plum Creek.

Click here for all of the Homes for Lease in Kyle Texas.

Click here for Homes for Sale in Kyle Texas by Subdivision.

Click here for all of the Homes for Sale in Plum Creek.

Click here for all of the Homes for Sale in Kyle Texas.

Check out our website www.soldbyceleste.com and you can see homes for lease or sale throughout the Austin and surrounding areas, broken down by neighborhood and price range. These listings are updated daily. If the neighborhood you are interested in isn't there, call us and we'll add it for you. Click here if you are interested in seeing Homes for Sale in Austin by subdivisions by price range.

Hey if we give all of this information to people we don't know...just imagine how we help our clients! Call us and find out why here are Adkor we truly are A Different Kind Of Realty.

I'm frequently asked about how to go about leasing a home.

Now I'll get this question from both sides of the table. That is the person who owns the home, thinking about leasing it wants to know "what's the typical rent and how long will it take to find a renter". While the person who interested in leasing a homewants to know what "they are going for".

The answer is...it depends on the neighborhood. So I thought I'd do a series of blogs about some popular neighborhoods around the Austin Area, looking at them from a Lease Perspective. I'll focus on the landlords perspective. My goal will be to give you, as the prospective landlord, answers to the following 4 questions.

1. What is the current market is in a given neighborhood? (Not what it was last year.)
2. How long will it take to find a renter?
3. How do I know the renter will be a good one?
4. What are the costs involved in leasing?
5. Should I lease my home?
6. Is Plum Creek,a good lease market?

Let's start by looking the current market for homes for lease in Plum Creek, in Kyle Texas.

What's the current competition...how many other homes are there for lease in Plum Creek?

The good news is that there are only 2 homes for lease right now in Plum Creek. That's not much competition. You can see from the 'capture' that there were at least 11 that went under contract in August. Must have been the rush to get kids in school.

So if you know you have a 3 bedroom 2 bath, 1400 square foot home that you are thinking of leasing, then you can see pretty clearly what the market is doing. Depending on how quickly you want to "get someone in there" you can price it between $1050 - $1175/month. That would also make you the 'least expensive available home to rent in Plum Creek' right now which is a good thing.

Keep in mind if you are thinking of leasing a home, you better do it quickly...homes for lease, like homes for sale, start moving slower as you get into the Fall months.

How long will it take to get a renter?

The answer to question number 2, "How long will it take to get a renter?", is one no one can answer. However you can look at the last column in the chart and at least see what has been happening lately. When it comes to Real Estate, Plum Creekor elsewhere, the market is your best view of what is happening. In the column ADOM, Active Days on Market, you can see in general, that the Plum Creek lease market is pretty hot. It might be cooling off a bit with the kids just starting school, but it looks pretty good right now.

How can you guarantee you'll get a good tenant?

So how can you guarantee that you'll have a good tenant...you can't. If someone says they can...they're lying. Before you accept a tenant your agent will have them fill out an application and pay for a credit check. These can include checking references, credit checks, security checks, police record etc, but beyond that there are still unknowns. While you hope it doesn't happen, no one can guarantee it. But usually the past behavior is a good indication of future behavior.

You will usually have built into the contract a security deposit equal to one month's rent, payable before you accept the tenant. You hold this until their lease is up at which time you are required to return it to the tenant, less any unreasonable damages. (Discuss this term with your agent and tenant up front so everyone is on the same page. Saves a lot of trouble at the end.)

What are the common costs involved in leasing a home?

I'm making the assumption that the home is clean, fresh and ready to go. That may require some costs but again that varies so much from house to house that it makes no sense to deal with it here where we are dealing with generalities. So we'll deal with the general costs: Relocking the home and paying the Realtor.

If it's the first time to lease then you have to make sure you have the home 'legally lease ready'. That means that the state law requires that there must be a "peep hole" on any exterior door that doesn't have a window, including the door to the garage. You must also have "keyless locks" that is on the exterior doors you must have bolt locks that do not have a key hole on the outside. These allow the person on the inside to lock the doors and no one can get in...including the landlord. These obviously are only activated when the tenant is home. (This law was put in several years ago as you can guess, because unscrupulous landlords molested their tenants. These locks protect the tenant from the landlord coming in to the home to do them harm. When you think about it, it makes sense.)

Every time you get a new tenant you must always change the locks, (another state law). Hint: The locksmith can put the locks mentioned above and the peep holes in at the same time if this is your first time to lease the home.

The remaining costs is what do you have to pay the agents: While these are not set in stone, the typical fee would be 80% of one month's rent. This is split 50/30 between the listing agent, and the buyers agent and is due after you get the first months rent from your new tenant.

Should I lease my home?

Only you can answer that question. I know I wish I purchased homes years ago when a friend suggested it. I didn't want any part of being a landlord. This person now is worth millions. Reading books like "Rich Dad Poor Dad", makes you realize that investing in Real Estate (wisely) can make a lot of sense. (It's not about the quick buck...many people went bankrupt when they were buying up a lot of spec homes in Las Vegas a few years ago. Then the prices dropped and they were left with homes they couldn't sell. I'm talking purchasing a rental for the long haul) People with young children are starting to look at expanding their investment portfolio by purchasing a lease home, with the idea that they can use it to pay for their child's education. Look at the numbers and see if they work for you.

Is Plum Creek a good lease market?

With the new Seton Hays Hospital coming in down the road, and all of the upcoming shopping centers, movie theaters, I'd say YES! I think we're going to see a lot of people coming to work in those places wanting to lease a home close by where they work. Interest rates are still low and right now there still are some deals to be had. So if after reading this blog and doing some research on your own, if you think you're ready...jump on in. Click here to get some idea of the future of the Kyle and Plum Creek area.

For some historical lease information for Kyle Texas click here.

Oh...in case you're wondering...Real Estate Prices in Plum Creek for a single family home starts about $150,000 and go to the high $200s. There are a few townhomes and cottages that would be less. If you would like to check out all of the active homes for sale in Plum Creek, go to Austin Home Search.

Someone asked me recently what I liked about living in Plum Creek. Even after they left I thought about it a bit more.

I decided that part of what I like about living in Plum Creek is that it reminds me of a simpler time. Sometimes driving into the neighborhood, I'll smile to myself as I see the picket fences and the blooming crepe myrtles, the "gazing balls" in some landscaping, wind chimes that twinkle on some of the porches and other items that are a throw back to my grandmother's house growing up. I don't always stop to think about the feeling, I just know I relax a bit as I drive down the street. Maybe everyone feels that in their neighborhoods, I don't know. But the other night I was flipping channels and came across the movie "The Wizard of Oz". The movie was almost over and for some reason I was in a nostalgic mood and put the remote down and watched it. Within seconds memories of my childhood flooded back.

When I was a child (we won't say how long ago that was), The Wizard of OZ movie was played on the TV once a year. There was always a lot of commercials leading up to it. So the night it came on it was a real event at our house. There were 7 kids and one television in the house (and one bathroom but that's a whole 'nother story). There we'd be, ready for bed, with several big bowls of popcorn, all gathered around what now would be considered a unbelievably small TV, watching a movie that we had seen who knows how many times before.

So why bring this up in relation to Plum Creek? Well I guess when Dorothy decides that "There's no place like home", I have to agree. Plum Creek is home to me. I live in Plum Creek, my daughters live in Plum Creek, my ex-husband and his family lives in Plum Creek...you get the picture. We can run over and borrow a ladder from each other anytime we like. And I like it.

I like the quaint nature of the community. I like the fact that the trees are growing bigger and fuller and the neighborhood is looking more and more like the neighborhoods of 'old'. I like the back alleys, and the flags that get put out at the mailboxes each fourth of July (even though it's another realtor putting them out...but that's okay too).

It's funny but the very thing that many of us love about Plum Creek, some other people dislike about it. I have brought many a client through the neighborhood over the last several years, showing the homes and I can get some really strong reactions. Unlike many neighborhoods around Austin (and believe me I've shown them all), with Plum Creek you get a more split reaction. With Plum Creek many of my clients either love it or they hate it.

I remember years ago when I was new to Real Estate, I was driving a client through the neighborhood the weekend of fourth of July (yes I do work weekends....a lot). I drove in the main entrance on Witte. When I first saw the flags had been put out, I thought the picture it made was so patriotic and quaint. My client's reaction...well let's just say quaint wasn't the word he chose to use.

But that's okay. Call it "Leave it to Beaverville", "Stepfordville", "Pleasantville", it doesn't matter. Plum Creek isn't a neighborhood for everyone. No neighborhood is, or can hope to be. And that's what makes our country great. My challenge as a Realtor, is to get to know a bit about my clients' personalities, their likes and their dislikes and then using that information coupled with their price range, find neighborhoods and homes that work for them.

When asked about the Pros and the Cons in living in Plum Creek: I'd say the biggest pro for me is the sense of community...now I will admit I am always on the go and I don't see my neighbors as often as I'd like/should. But even then I always wave and I know if I have a problem I could give a yell and I'm sure they'd be willing to help as I would be willing to help them as well.

I also like the cuteness of the neighborhood. It has a distinct personality that many neighborhoods of this price point are missing. To me it's different. I like the bungalow look and front porches of many of the homes. I like the fact there is an elementary school in the neighborhood even if my kids are too old to go there. I like that there are pools, parks and activities like "movie in the park" for the kids. I love the holidays with all the decorations that come out near Thanksgiving time. I love the trick or treaters coming by on Halloween. I like seeing young families taking a walk in the evening with their kids passing by the retirees who are also out enjoying the break from the hot Texas afternoons.

Yes there are Cons to living in Plum Creek as well. I have to be honest with my clients about them. I warn anyone looking at homes in our neighborhood, if they don't plan on keeping up their yards or homes, if they get angry when someone else tells them that they need to mow, or paint their home, then Plum Creek is not the neighborhood for them. And while I personally have received a few cards from the HOA saying my yard needed mowing or my beds were looking tacky (honestly they must have come the day before I was having it done), I'm glad the HOA 'police' are keeping on top of my neighborhoods so I don't have to. I can tell you from a Realtor's perspective, if you don't have a strong HOA, if someone isn't making sure that the restrictions are being adhered to, then the neighborhood can begin to really look run down...surprisingly...fast.

Another obvious Con relates to yard size and lack of privacy. Neither are issues for me, but for buyers that want big back yards and privacy fences this isn't likely to happen in Plum Creek. Yes there are a few homes that are built on the golf course and a few cul de sac lots that are larger than the norm, but by and large, let's face it, our lots are pretty darn small, especially when you consider that many have a detached garage taking up a chunk of it. And as for privacy...our little white picket fences, the only ones the restrictions allow by the way, well they don't allow you to have privacy.

For me small yards and lack of privacy isn't a big deal. Geez, I'm well past the "lying out in the sun" days and there is nothing I'd be doing in the backyard that I am not willing to have my neighbors see. And when it comes to missing a big back yard ...let me tell you, I've been there and done that with the big yards and have learned it costs money to mow and water (even more now a days). Besides, with our nice parks and pools, the kids can go to the near by park to play.

We aren't going to see any change happening to the lot size and privacy issues mentioned above, but we are seeing another Con that my potential buyers had about Plum Creek. For several years my clients felt that Plum Creek was too far from things. You had to drive 20 minutes to go to the grocery store or drugstore. But this is no longer an issue now that HEB Plus and CVS and opened their doors. And it's only going to get better. Soon we'll have a hospital (which hopefully I won't need but it's nice to know it will be there), a movie theater and some other shopping within five minutes from our neighborhood, making it what it was always supposed to be, a neighborhood that allowed people to work and play close to home.

So I for one am a happy camper here in Plum Creek. Click your heels together and keep repeating..."There's no place like home." "There's no place like home." And whoosh, you're there.

Oh...in case you're wondering...Real Estate Prices in Plum Creek for a single family home starts about $150,000 and go to the high $200s. There are a few townhomes and cottages that would be less. If you would like to check out all of the active homes for sale in Plum Creek, go to Austin Home Search or you can click her eto search homes for lease in Plum Creek.