Real Estate Saviors

Buying or selling a home? Then you want a Central Texas Realtor on your side.

A Central Texas Realtor can help in more ways than one.

Photo courtesy of Austin Board of Realtors

Now might be the age of the DIY-er, but there are some things you should still leave to a professional. Even with an abundance of apps out there promising to find your perfect next home, nothing beats the guidance of an experienced Central Texas Realtor.

These real estate saviors know the local housing market better than anyone, because it’s where they live and work. And in this white-hot Austin market, where homes are available and then gone in the blink of an eye, it’s essential to have an expert on your side.

But back to those apps. They can be helpful when you’re first testing the waters of your home search. But once you’re ready to buckle down and seriously start the hunt for a home — or put your current home on the market — nothing beats an experienced, real-live person with years of knowledge and experience. Plus, the sheer reach Realtors have greatly increases your chances of finding exactly what you want.

Central Texas Realtors have built a strong network of useful contacts over the years, spanning everyone from home inspectors to mortgage lenders, contractors to down payment assistance programs. Realtors can also be there when you can’t, negotiating on your behalf and digging into the process so you don’t get lost in paperwork.

And if you’re looking for a specific type of home, be it senior housing, an energy efficient home, or a rental property, or if you’re an international buyer, Realtors are your best bet for the most thorough search.

You’re also guaranteed a Realtor who’s ethical, because members of the National Association of Realtors must adhere to a strict code of ethics.

Once you’ve signed the paperwork, Central Texas Realtors are still there for support. They can help you to evaluate and contest your property appraisal as well as provide valuable information on school districts, local employers, and other parts of your community. There’s no reason to do-it-yourself when such an experienced person is right there, ready to help.

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Rental Rumblings

Cramped? Austin renters feel the squeeze in more ways than one.

Algarita Apartments/Facebook

Austin renters have less space than they did in 2009.

Feeling cramped? There's a reason. In a recent study, real estate website Trulia found that renters — especially those with children — have less space than they did several years ago.

Trulia looked at U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 American Community Survey data to determine the number of needed bedrooms based on children and married couples in the family. Married couples together only need one bedroom, while non-married adults as well as children were assumed to each need one bedroom. Households with fewer bedrooms than non-married adults or children are considered to suffer the “space crunch.”

In the nation’s biggest metro areas, 14.7 percent of households had fewer bedrooms than family members, an increase of half-a-percentage point since 2009. The study showed that renters with kids are especially cramped, and the larger and pricier the metro, the more likely renters are tight on space. Trulia found that just 8.1 percent of nationwide homeowners are tight on space, versus 26.4 percent of households who rent.

Contrary to the national trend, a few major Texas metros, including Houston and Dallas, posted a bigger drop among space-crunched renters compared to homeowners. Austin, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, on the other hand, are consistent with the national trend, where more renting households are sharing bedrooms than they did in 2009.

In the Austin-Round Rock metro area, 13.2 percent of residents face the space crunch. The bunk-bed wave hit just 7.3 percent of Austin homeowners in 2014, down .6 percentage points over a five-year period. In comparison, 22.8 percent of renting households have fewer bedrooms than they need, up 2.4 percentage points since 2009 — the highest increase in Texas by far.

While space is seemingly getting worse for renters in Austin, as well as Fort Worth and San Antonio, the share of cramped renters in Houston and Dallas has dropped more significantly between 2009 and 2014 than the share of cramped homeowners. Still, 28.8 percent of Houston-area renters are bunking up. In Dallas, the figure is over 27 percent.

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