Here's a little-known Austin real estate fact: The average time a city-view property priced over $6 million takes to sell is 369 days, and it usually ends up going for 8-15 percent off list price.
However, 3312 Bee Cave Rd., also known as Belle Hill Estate, hit the market privately in December 2018 for $13.5 million, and it went under contract with multiple offers on the very first day.
How did Darin Walker and Kuper Sotheby's International Realty pull off such a feat? Expert marketing and invaluable connections were key. In addition to being a West Lake Hills City Councilman, Walker is the No. 1 Westlake agent at his firm, a member of Austin's Elite 25, and he's connected to an underground network of top agents called Austin Luxury Network, which market many of Austin's best listings privately.
"I was able to identify very early on which agents were working with buyers in this price point, and I made it a point to get those agents and buyers to the property before it hit the private market," he says. "There's nothing that sells a property faster than creating a sense of urgency between multiple buyers, and that's exactly what unfolded in this sale."
Walker also had a gem of a property to work with. The six-acre hilltop home offered its buyer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of West Lake Hills history that dates all the way back to 1870. Five years after the end of the civil war, Milton and Lucinda Jackson purchased 82.8 acres on the north side of Bee Cave Road, which included what is today the Westbank Market Shopping Center and the Las Lomas subdivision directly behind.
"What makes this property unique is not just the magnificent home to complement the property, but the spectacular downtown city views and the historical touchstones still standing," says Walker. "The cisterns, water towers, barns, cobblestone road and old concrete tennis court are reminiscent of both the freedman community and the following era when Austinites used this property as an out-of-town vacation property.
"Unlike most West Austin city properties that are located on steeper hillsides, what makes this property special is its flat, six-acre hilltop surrounded by beautiful oak trees and panoramic views of downtown," says Walker. "It's actually the largest tract of land of its kind not only with a city view, but also an agricultural exemption that results in substantial property tax savings."
Many well-known Austinites owned the property, including Tom Wallace Miller and his wife, Mary Jo. Miller's father was Austin's mayor from the 1930s-1950s and his brother-in-law, Emmett Shelton, was the founder of West Lake Hills.
In 2015, the owners constructed — with the assistance noted architect Bob Wetmore of Cornerstone Architects and builder Rick Schatz of Schatz Custom Homes — the five-bedroom main house, guest casita, pool, cabana, and outdoor living spaces, as well as restored the onsite water well that irrigates towering heritage oak trees and lush Zoysia lawns.
This historic property provides the ultimate in privacy while being only minutes from downtown Austin, shops, schools, and other amenities. Belle Hill Estate couples timeless interior design and quality craftsmanship with energy-efficient features, innovative home automation systems, and breathtaking views of the downtown Austin skyline.
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This home was marketed and sold by Darin Walker of Kuper Sotheby's International Realty. Click here to contact the agent and see more available listings.
