Look Inside

Peek into Austin's hottest neighborhoods during virtual spring homes tour

7909 Yellow Thistle Trail Austin house for sale

7909 Yellow Thistle Trail is in Cayena, a new community of modern detached city homes close to downtown.

Photo courtesy of Compass

A local real estate company is making sure COVID-19 doesn't take away at least one spring staple: the homes tour. Compass Real Estate is going online so you can peek into exclusive properties in neighborhoods including Tarrytown, Lake Travis, Mueller, Barton Creek West, and Hyde Park.

But the event, scheduled for May 19 from 10 am-12 pm and 2-4 pm, isn't just a collection of pretty listings. Viewers can also access expert advice and insight into Austin's hottest neighborhoods and properties.

The "headliners" of Austin Homes Live will be Compass agents who have become neighborhood or subject-matter experts after years of serving specific areas and markets. Audiences can tune in for sessions such as "Buying Historic Homes" by agent Eileen Gill, "Pricing Strategies for Sellers" by agent Paul Reddam, "Living in 78757" by agent Jason Heffron of Juice Real Estate Group, "Development in East Austin" by agent Austin Stowell, "Waterfront Properties" by agent Monica Fabbio, and many more.

"In the spring, our Compass agents typically come together on a single day to promote their preeminent listings during a home tour, but we've decided to do that virtually this year to keep the safety of our agents and clients as our highest priority," says J Rene Walker, Compass Austin sales manager. "Our Compass team in Austin has unveiled a digital platform that will allow consumers to participate in virtual neighborhood education sessions and home tours in a safe and socially responsible way, while also giving a nod to Austin's rich music and festival history."

Oh, yes. This virtual home tour is also promising to "simulate a music festival atmosphere," with five "stages" representing the top real estate markets in the city, including Central Austin, East Austin, West Austin, Far West and Lakeway, and South Austin.

"Our Compass agents are experts on the intricacies of Austin, and during times like these the importance of being guided by an agent with deep market knowledge and expertise on each street, neighborhood, and pockets of Austin has been more essential than ever before," says Dara Allen, Compass Austin sales manager. "Our Austin market remained busy during the stay at home period and we anticipate a very busy summer, as Austin remains a top relocation market and as consumers continue to gravitate to our area."

Prospective homebuyers in Austin and beyond can tune in live on Compass agents' IGTV via the AHL website to learn more about each respective neighborhood and the businesses that make up that community, as well as ask questions about the schools, potential commutes, and more.

Here's a teaser of homes you can virtually tour:

If you are interested in Far West Austin, join agents Guy and Morgan Oberg to see 424 Treasure Peak Pass, a luxurious, custom-built home mid-construction in Lakeway.
Go with agent Paul Reddam to see 803 Garner Ave., storybook home just minutes from downtown and nestled among lush landscaping.
Venture to 7909 Yellow Thistle Trail in Cayena, a new community of modern detached city homes close to downtown Austin, listed by agent Nicole Kessler.
Take a look inside a hip multilevel in West Austin — 8602 Alverstone Way — listed by agent Jim Dunham.
Listed by Susan Doyle and Lisa Sexton, a virtual tour of 8524 Parismina Ln. will offer a peek inside a stunning contemporary home in Amarra Drive at Barton Creek with views of downtown above the negative-edge pool.

More details on Austin Homes Live are available at www.austinhomeslive.com.

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Eviction Notice

Major landlords with Austin ties being investigated for illegal rent hikes

Photo courtesy of KVUE

Some of Austin's rent woes could be a result of this alleged scheme.

The Justice Department (DOJ) is suing six of the country's largest landlords, along with RealPage, alleging they took part in a pricing scheme that harmed renters.

We already know the increase in population and businesses moving to Austin raised rental prices. But lawyer and owner of Texas Tenant Law Jennifer MacGeorge said the new DOJ lawsuit could prove illegal rent hikes made it even worse.

"It's about collusion versus competition," MacGeorge said. "It's just about trying to gouge the market and get as much as they can."

The antitrust lawsuit claims six property management companies — Cushman & Wakefield, LivCor, Cortland, Greystar, Dallas-based Willow Bridge, and Houston-based Camden, which have numerous locations in the Austin area — are using software like RealPage. Together, the landlords control 1.3 million apartment units.

According to the lawsuit, the software uses an algorithm to help set rents and privately share sensitive, non-public information with competitors, allowing landlords to align their prices and avoid competition.

MacGeorge said the result is higher rents, for not only residential but commercial properties. She said this type of behavior exacerbates affordability issues and displaces residents and small businesses.

"We're getting rid of people that help the economy sustain itself and be stable, which is what everybody's looking for in this environment where you can't even afford your groceries, and now you're worried about your rent. It's absolutely unacceptable," MacGeorge said.

The lawsuit names the Austin-Round Rock metro area multiple times, saying 30 percent or more of the residential properties in the area are using this type of software.

While MacGeorge mainly represents tenants, she found out some of her landlord clients are using similar pricing strategies to artificially raise prices.

"They are engaging in other practices that are artificially raising prices, such as putting in a rental rate at a renewal that's maybe 20 percent above what the tenant was paying before and leaving it that high only until the tenant moves out and then immediately dropping it," MacGeorge said.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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