Joe Gage Austin

"Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow." --Aesop

Texas friends, check the status of your voter registration here:

Am I Registered?

Sometimes I forget that I am totally used to helping investors who are 2000+ miles away buy and sell sight-unseen. But I never take their business for granted and always want to make sure they have trust and confidence in me all along the way.

This kind of stuff is super exciting to me. I think, and hope, it is the future of American residential construction.

InstaBuilt Announces U.S. Launch with First Homes in Austin’s Whisper Valley - WhisperValleyAustin.com InstaBuilt, a pioneering force in modern construction technology, announces its official launch in the United States in Austin’s Whisper Valley with Cherry Communities, comprised of three new product lines: Cherry Traditional, Cherry Millennials and Cherry Multifamily

It's this investor's first property in the Austin area. This is a great time to buy before interest rates go back up and cause prices to do the same!

This gorgeous property changed hands yesterday. The sellers signed already remotely from Florida, but the buyers were stuck in Dallas because of the nasty storms. Thankfully, everyone was safe, but the buyers were so disappointed that they couldn't make it to Austin for their closing. Fortunately, my trusted escrow expert, Rochelle Lam at Chicago Title, found a CT office in Dallas that still had power and could accommodate the buyers at the last minute. She got it done!

I helped my investor client buy this home a little more than 10 years ago. Whenever I help investors buy, I look for "the Honda Accord of homes" that will attract and retain great quality tenants, and be the kind of home that I would love the chance to sell in the future. Well the future is here and this was indeed a great house to sell and the buyer was as happy to have it as my seller was happy to cash out so he could use the money to buy a personal residence in FL. (BTW, it almost doubled in value!)

I just asked ChatGPT: "By how much did the average property tax rate decrease in the Greater Austin Metro area?" The Answer: "In the Greater Austin metro area, the average property tax rate has decreased due to recent changes in how properties are taxed, particularly for school funding. On average, homeowners in the area saw a reduction in their property tax bills, with Travis County homeowners experiencing an average decrease of $658 from the previous year【6†source】【7†source】. This reduction follows the approval of a voter proposition in November aimed at lowering property taxes by adjusting the funding mechanisms for schools.

For a detailed look at the property tax rates for various counties within the Greater Austin area, in 2023, the rates were as follows:
- Travis County: 0.304655%
- Williamson County: 0.333116%
- Hays County: 0.2875%
- Bastrop County: 0.32149%【6†source】.

These changes are part of a broader effort to manage the high property taxes in Texas, which are among the highest in the United States, largely due to the absence of a state income tax【7†source】."

Some clients are just fun. Kevin is a fun client. Having a beer on the driveway in the middle of the day kind of fun.

See attached for shameless self-promotion.

I really love the bottom part of my sign.

It will be exciting to see what happens with this property. It was purchased by a developer and will be torn down to make way for something new and exciting.

I sold this pretty little house to a repeat investor client. They are super excited and keys have already been delivered to the property manager (thanks Crosstown Properties! ) and it's well on its way to becoming someone's happy home!

There are some amazing deals on new construction. This was one of them. This is a GREAT time to buy, Austin!

😉

This was a tough one. But all the client knew is that we got it sold "without issues." That's how I know I'm doing my job.

This home is one of my favorite neighborhoods in all of the Greater Austin area. I hand-picked it for my investor buyers back in 2016 who bought it sight unseen as a rental/investment home. It has served them when they told me they were ready to sell I knew it would do well even though market conditions are much different today than they were back when they bought the home.

This was a challenging listing. Lots of potential pitfalls. I always assume there was maybe a little luck involved, but I know there's no substitute for good planning and hard work to bring about the desired outcome.

These were some of the nicest clients I've gotten to work with. We set some high goals and worked together to pull off a nice success. My congratulations to them as they start a new chapter of their life in retirement, traveling the world!

INVESTORS!!! $475,000--Tenant in place through 4/30/2024. Professionally managed. Rent is PRE-PAID.--This is a one-story with builder-optional bonus room/bedroom/bathroom upstairs, making for a 2-living, 4-bedroom, 3 full-bath arrangement that lives like a one-story. Located on a large lot on a quiet street in Cat Hollow. Low 2.0696% tax rate!

$475,000 in Cat Hollow! This is an awesome 2200-SF, 4/3 (one-story living with a huge bonus room plus full bedroom and bath up). Tenant in place through 4/30/2024, PRE-PAID rent of $2300/mo., professionally managed. This home is in great shape but ready for updates.

Already!? Yes, already! Went under contract the first weekend. Woohoo! Broken record here, "never bet against Austin!"

Awesome one-story, 4-bedroom plus a study, meticulously maintained with amazing native Texas landscaping front and back.

We went under contract after multiple offers just like that!

I always say, "Never bet against Austin." The numbers seem to be confirming that confidence in our great city as a great place to park your money in real estate.