To price your Austin home for a timely sale, I start with relevant recent sales, competing listings and your property’s condition. There is no fixed discount that guarantees offers or a higher final price. My guide to pricing your home accurately explains how I put that evidence together. Table of Contents Step 1: Start With […]
What Home Improvements Add Resale Value in Austin?
Thinking about a pre‑sale remodel? I’ve seen homeowners pour thousands into projects that barely move the needle on price. Below I break down the upgrades that actually lift resale value, the pitfalls to avoid, and how to decide if a project is worth the spend. Table of Contents Which Home Improvements Usually Add the Most […]
How High Inventory Changes the Way I Price a Highland Lakes Home
Pricing a Highland Lakes home has never been as simple as finding a few nearby sales, calculating an average price per square foot, and choosing a number that sounds appealing. In a market with high housing inventory, that kind of shortcut becomes even more dangerous. When buyers have more homes to consider, sellers are not […]
Leave Your Ego at the Door: Real Estate Works Better When Both Sides Cooperate
Real estate has a funny way of making people feel like they have more power than they really do. A seller gets a listing. A buyer gets under contract. An agent represents a desirable property. Another agent has a strong buyer. Somewhere along the way, it can become easy to start thinking that the other […]
How Sellers Should Handle Buyer Repair Requests
Repair requests are one of the places where a real estate transaction can get emotional very quickly. The buyer has inspected the home, the inspection report arrives, and suddenly the seller is looking at a list of things somebody else thinks need attention. Some of those items may be legitimate. Some may be minor. Some […]
Why Buyers Still Need Access After Your Home Goes Under Contract
One of the things sellers sometimes expect after accepting an offer is that the stream of people coming through the house is finally over. The showings are done, the buyer has been found, the contract is signed, and it feels reasonable to think the home should now be left alone until closing. In reality, that […]
Best Tips: How to Prepare for a Home Appraisal
When a lender orders an appraisal, the appraiser’s notebook becomes the story of your home. A tidy space, clear paperwork, and easy access can lift that story enough to meet or beat your asking price. Below are the essential items to line up before the appraiser walks in. Table of Contents Robbie English, REALTOR, Broker […]
How Does a Home Appraisal Work? A Texas Guide
Wondering what actually happens when a lender orders a home appraisal? The short answer: an independent appraiser visits, measures, compares, and writes a report that the lender uses to decide how much it will lend. In this guide I walk you through the whole process, from who orders the appraisal to what you can do […]
Is Now a Good Time to Buy in Austin? What Moves Affordability
Is now a good time to buy in Austin? It doesn’t come down to the season or a headline about “the market.” It comes down to three things that move independently of each other: mortgage rates, home prices, and how fast local wages are growing. Understanding how those three interact tells you more than any […]
Homeowners Insurance in Austin: What Buyers Should Know
Every buyer I work with in the Austin area eventually asks some version of the same question: why is my insurance quote so much higher than what a friend in another state is paying? It usually comes up right after their lender orders a quote during underwriting, and the number catches people off guard. Central […]
How to Vet a Realtor Before You List Your Home
Most sellers interview one agent, maybe two, and pick whoever they liked best in the meeting. That’s not enough information to base a decision on. The agent you choose controls your price strategy, your marketing, and how many headaches you deal with between now and closing. A short list of pointed questions in that first […]
Low-Cost Home Improvements That Actually Recoup Their Cost at Resale
You don’t need a full renovation budget to move the needle on what your home is worth. Every year, Remodeling magazine’s Cost vs. Value report and the National Association of Realtors’ Remodeling Impact report track which projects actually recoup their cost at resale, and the answer is usually the same: small, visible, well-maintained details beat […]
What FSBO Sellers Actually Give Up in Austin’s Market
Every year, a few sellers ask me to look at a home they tried to sell themselves first. The story is usually the same: it sat on Facebook Marketplace and a yard sign for six or eight weeks, the calls were mostly agents fishing for listings or buyers lowballing because they knew there was no […]
Preparing Your Home to Sell: What to Fix, What to Skip
Sellers usually ask me the same question first: paint the walls, call a stager, or start packing? The order matters more than the checklist itself. Spend money on the wrong thing first and you’ll run out of time and budget for the fixes that actually stall a sale or knock down an offer. I’m Robbie […]
Seller Blind Spots: What You Stop Seeing in Your Own Home
One of the hardest things about getting a home ready for the market is that the seller knows the house too well. That may sound backwards, but familiarity changes what we notice. We all get used to the rooms we live in, the way the house smells, the things we leave on the counter, the […]
Why Showing Your Home Is an Inconvenience You Actually Want
One of the hardest adjustments for sellers is realizing that putting a home on the market means their normal routine is about to get disrupted. Buyers want to come through at inconvenient times. The house has to stay cleaner than usual. Pets need to be managed. Meals, work schedules, children, appointments, and quiet evenings at […]
You Have to Sell Your Home Four Times in One Transaction
One of the things I tell sellers at a listing appointment is that they may have to sell their home four different times before we ever make it to the closing table. That usually gets a puzzled look because most people naturally think a house is sold when a buyer makes an offer and everybody […]
Your Home Is for Sale. Now Someone Has to Want to Buy It
There is a moment in almost every listing conversation when I need a seller to look at their home a little differently. It is still the place where they wake up in the morning, make dinner, let the dogs out, pile the mail on the counter, and live their normal life. But once they decide […]
How to Choose a Real Estate Agent You Can Actually Trust
The right agent makes it easier to ask questions, admit uncertainty, and hear honest advice—even when that advice is not what you expected. Trust Begins With How an Agent Listens Pay attention to the questions an agent asks before offering solutions. Do they want to understand your timeline, financial comfort, decision-makers, and worries? Or do […]
Is AI Replacing Home Appraisers?
Artificial intelligence is changing residential real estate, but the idea that a computer is simply replacing every home appraiser is much too neat for what is actually happening. Technology can collect data, identify patterns, review reports, recognize images, estimate values, and help determine whether certain eligible mortgage loans require a traditional appraisal. What technology cannot […]
Can a Seller Refuse to Pay Buyer Agent Compensation in Texas?
Yes. A Texas seller may refuse to pay compensation to a buyer’s broker. Buyer-agent compensation is negotiable and is not automatically owed by the seller simply because the buyer is represented. A seller may agree to pay some, all, or none of the compensation stated in the buyer’s written representation agreement. The buyer and buyer’s […]
New Home Appraisal Report Changes in 2026: What Buyers, Sellers, and Homeowners Need to Know
A major residential appraisal reporting change is already entering the mortgage market. The new UAD 3.6 standard and redesigned Uniform Residential Appraisal Report will change how appraisal information is organized, displayed, and delivered, but it does not replace the appraiser’s professional judgment or rewrite the basic meaning of market value. My name is Robbie English, […]
Introducing the Real Estate Resource Center by Robbie English
There is no shortage of real estate information online. You can find market predictions, home improvement opinions, financing explanations, neighborhood rankings, investment advice, and plenty of people telling you what you should do next. The problem is not finding information. The problem is knowing which information is dependable, which advice applies to your situation, and […]
How Fast Are Homes Selling in Northwest Austin? As Asked On Reddit
If you’ve been wondering how fast are homes selling in Northwest Austin, you’re not alone. I see this question come up often, and recently I noticed it being discussed on Reddit. It is one of the most common concerns buyers and sellers have because the speed of the market affects nearly every decision they make. […]
Do I Need To Stage My Home In Austin
If you are asking yourself do I need to stage my home in Austin, you are already thinking like a smart seller. That question shows awareness, intention, and a desire to get the best outcome possible. Around Austin, where buyers move quickly but still expect a strong first impression, staging is not just about decorating. […]
Why Are Homes Sitting Longer In Austin
If you’ve been watching the market and wondering why homes are sitting longer in Austin, you’re not alone, I get that question from buyers and sellers almost every week. I’m Robbie English, REALTOR, Broker with Uncommon Realty. Austin has always moved to its own rhythm. But even in a strong market, real estate doesn’t stay […]
What Happens If My Home Does Not Sell Right Away In Austin
If you’re asking yourself what happens if your home doesn’t sell right away in Austin, you’re not doing anything wrong. A home that doesn’t sell immediately isn’t a failure, it’s information you can act on. I’m Robbie English, REALTOR, Broker at Uncommon Realty, and here’s how I help Austin sellers read that information and adjust. […]
How Do I Sell An Inherited Property In Austin
If you are asking yourself how do I sell an inherited property in Austin, you are not alone, and you are not wrong to pause before making a move. Inherited property comes with emotion, legal steps, tax considerations, and market realities that do not show up in a standard home sale. Austin adds another layer […]
Should I Sell My Austin Home Before Buying Another One
If you are asking yourself should I sell my Austin home before buying another one, you are already ahead of most people who rush into this decision without slowing down to understand the full picture. This is one of the most common and most consequential questions I hear from homeowners all across Austin, from long […]
What Is The Impact Of Property Taxes When Selling In Austin
Property taxes are one of the most misunderstood parts of selling in Austin, and the numbers don’t sort themselves out at closing on their own. I’m Robbie English, REALTOR, Broker at Uncommon Realty. Texas’s property tax system doesn’t work like other states, and how it’s handled in a sale directly affects your proceeds, negotiations, and […]
