Thank you Austin Business Journal for 2014 Residential Real Estate Awards luncheon.

Yesterday the Austin business journal held their annual Realtor recognition awards luncheon.

It was an honor to be selected as a finalist in the individual agents category. I want to congratulate all of my colleagues in Austin that were recognized for their hard work and contributions to the Austin real estate community.

I wish you all a successful 2014!

Top Austin Agent Joins Reilly Realtors

 

Posted by Michael Reilly on Monday, February 10th, 2014 at 8:20am.

Reilly Realtors agent Robert Kenney http://www.austinhomelistings.com/agents/robert-kenney/
We at Reilly Realtors would like to welcome Robert Kenney to our team of expert agents. Bob comes to Reilly Realtors with 12 years of experience as a Realtor and over $5 million in sales in 2013. He has consistently established himself as one of Austin’s top producers thanks to his diverse portfolio of not only real estate experience, but marketing, website development and management as well. Prior to his success in real estate, Bob was the principal in a textile commodity business, where he gained experience working with national as well as international clients from regions such as Europe, South America, Africa and Australia. Bob not only brings his in-depth knowledge of the real estate market with him to Reilly Realtors, but over five years of corporate relocation experience, as well. Having made a successful transfer to Austin himself 16 years ago, Bob knows what clients are looking for when they make the move to the Texas capital. Bob’s expertise isn’t just limited to relocation, but extends to all aspects of real estate and knowledge of the Austin area.

We're also excited to announce that Bob has been nominated for the Austin Business Journal’s 2014 Residential Real Estate Awards! These awards honor the top 50 residential real estate agents as well as master-planned communities and builders for custom, production and green homes. Bob was nominated as one of the top licensed agents in the Austin area with no licensed assistants. Nominees will be honored with a lunch and awards presentation at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Austin on Thursday, March 6th. This is not the first time Bob has been honored as a top agent in the Austin area. He was also a finalist for the Platinum Top 50 Realtors Awards Program in 2011, 2012 and 2013, which recognizes achievements in sales, civic leadership and education. When he's not working hard for his clients, Bob enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, which often involves coaching youth sports teams. He is also very active in the Austin community with Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a charity that provides food and other goods to the Austin homeless.

Bob’s addition to the Reilly Realtors team makes us more confident than ever that we have all the experience and tools to help our clients reach their real estate goals. We now have over 40 top-producing agents that specialize in all areas of Austin real estate and focus on providing the best service to their clients. Bringing in top agents like Bob Kenney is just one of the exciting plans unfolding for Reilly Realtors in 2014. After bringing in about $120,000,000 in residential sales in 2013, we are focused on continuing to develop the best products and services to help our agents better serve their clients in 2014. You can look forward to many exciting changes to our easy-to-use search tools as well as other aspects of our popular website. If you’re interested in working with Robert Kenney or any of our other top agents, please contact us today.

Salt Lick BBQ - Drift wood/Austin Texas - If you come to Austin you really should plan time to have a meal here..

 

 

Source: http://www.saltlickbbq.com/pages/FAQ.html

 

 

Photos: Bob Kenney, Realtor

 

®

 

Just after the Civil War in 1867, the Roberts family loaded their possessions onto a wagon and set out from Biloxi, Mississippi, eventually settling in Driftwood, Texas. On the trip, they barbequed meat by searing it and then slow-cooking it over coals on a pit made with rocks. An earthen berm was created to block the wind and hold in the smoke. Those original family recipes from the Southeast are the basis for what we do now.

Over the years, the recipes were “Texafied” taking on the local flavors of the land – like chili, cumin and cayenne. In 1967, one hundred years after the Roberts family settled in Driftwood, Thurman Roberts cleared an area on the family’s land and built a barbeque pit. The limestone used to make the pit was quarried from the land. (That pit is still in use today.) He would start cooking on Thursday night, sleep on a cot next to the pit, and sell the meat until it was all gone.

From those small beginnings, we now seat over 800 people and on an average Saturday we feed around 2000 people.

 

 

 

 



 I have lived in Austin for 14 years. This is hands down one of the best places to go with family and friends. The addition of a wine tasting room that show cases Texas wines just adds to the uniqueness of the experience as you drive through the beautiful Hill country.

This area is halfway between Austin and Wimberley and the food is fantastic.  Cash only policy so bring your $$$ (They do have ATM's)

 It is OK to BYOB here. If you go with a group make sure you have designated driver! Sundays you can get their amazing baby back ribs one order is easily split for 2.  everything else is served family style so really brings together your group.. There is usually live music to help spend the time waiting for a table.

 These photos are from the grounds and entrance to the salt Lick. when I 1st started going there you had to know where to turn into the dirt parking lot of you would go right by. Lots of changes over the years to the facilities. The food remains an amazing experience and treat that can be enjoyed as many times as you make the trip!

If you are looking for real estate in the area there are several convenient areas to choose from. From Equestrian estates to vineyards to amazing communities. Do not hesitate to call me for a tour of the area.. and maybe a bite of BBQ you will not soon forget!



Fun facts about Austin Texas.

 

 

On your first visit to down town Austin you might have to walk around this statue on Austin's Congress avenue. Unless you know the story you are left to wonder: what's up?

Here is a brief version of the story courtesy of: Humanities Texashttp://www.humanitiestexas.org/programs/tx-originals/list/angelina-eberly

 

Angelina Eberly

July 2, 1798– 

August 15, 1860

On Austin’s Congress Avenue stands a striking bronze sculpture of a woman firing a Howitzer cannon. That woman is Angelina Eberly, the heroine of the little-known, but distinctly Texan, Archive War of 1842.

Eberly was born in Tennessee in 1798 and came to Texas as a young woman. By 1839 she was widowed and running a boarding house in Austin. That year, the Texas Congress moved the Republic’s capital from Houston to Austin.

President Sam Houston, however, wanted to keep the capital in the city that bore his name. So when an invading army from Mexico reached San Antonio in 1842, ole Sam took advantage of the alarm to secretly order that government archives be transferred from Austin back to Houston, effectively moving the seat of government.

But as the boxes of land titles and other documents were being stealthily loaded onto wagons, Eberly spotted the activity. She made her way to an armed cannon to defend the city. She fired it, alerting the citizens of Austin. The archive conspirators bolted, but were caught less than twenty miles outside of town, and the vital documents were reclaimed.

The archives remained in Austin, and Austin remained the capital of the Republic—and subsequently of the state, when Texas joined the United States three years later. Eberly died in Indianola in 1860. Her gravesite is lost, but her likeness still stands guard over the streets of Austin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your visit. There are a lot of facts about Austin and the surrounding hill country that amazes even the "Local" population.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need to find a home in the Austin area!

Regards
Bob Kenney, Realtor

Mobil/Text:  512-922-4922

What Palm trees in Texas? Yes Austin is the place that intrigues and surprises people from all over the world. We have an amazing country side, away from the Capital of Texas, that even amazes and mesmerizes Texans1 this is an overlook of one of the many lakes in the lake region to the west of Austin.

Keep you eyes open for more beautiful photos of the area...

Let m know if you want a view like this!

Bob Kenney,
Realtor
®
 Email: bobkenney@reillyrealtors.com
  

My friend told me that if I listed my own home, Realtors with buyers will do all the work and I wont have to pay them? Is that true? It doesn’t sound right.

Thanks Bill for email.

“If it sounds too good to be true than it is”. I a homeowner lists their own home we refer to that in the industry as a FSBO (for sale by owner) 90% of the time a FSBO will offer to work with buyers agents. This means if and agent brings a buyer, the seller will agree to pay a compensation in the form of a commission to the buyers agent. In the case of the other 10% they say they will not work with an agent and compensation is between the buyer and their client.

It doesn’t sound right because, the FSBO who does not want to work with the buyers agent, puts all of the exposure on performance on the buyers agent who is now obligated to represent their clients interests and be fair to the FSBO making sure that contracts are explained and understood, procedures are followed, time lines met and that the seller complies with any additional addendum or requirements of the sale (such as repairs etc.) As a professional real estate agent, Realtor®, I would make sure all of this is done and have an agreement with my client that they pay me compensation for my representation.

At the end of the day the compensation is being generated by what they are willing to pay for the home so in the end the seller is ultimately paying for the compensation depending on sales price because his net proceeds is a reflection of what the buyer is willing to pay GROSS. Hope that makes sense!

Look Realtors® are like all professionals. They need to work to provide for their families. A commission is a % of transactions proceeds. Much like the sales of any item you purchase has some accommodation for profit over and above the cost of goods that a vendor is selling. From the “profit” there is a “gross profit” and a net “profit”. If a Realtor® generates $1000 in commission, they need to set aside federal and state taxes, deduct expenses directly related to that transaction & deduct brokerage fees (each broker has a fee schedule that they charge each agent on each transaction) so their net is going to much less than that of the whole amount.

As a Realtors® business and volume grow they also have an increase in expenses for advertising, infrastructure, assistance, office/storage space, travel, advertising for a realtor is working and marketing 7 days a week.

If you get buyers agents that don’t want to coordinate a deal if a FSBO is not working with agents don’t think of them bad agents. It is a lot of exposure legally if something is to go wrong and a lit of pressure treating all parties fairly while maintaining the fiduciary relation ship of their client. If everyone works with one another the trans action will be smoother and chances are there will be less issues resulting from unmet expectations or lack of understanding of the contract and its terms.

I strongly suggest if you are selling your own home that you spend a little money having an experienced real estate attorney look at any contract that is presented for you to sign.

Hope this answers your question Bill. I hope that you have a successful transaction. Don t forget to consult with an reputable full service real estate broker in your area to see all of the services that they can provide for you as your listing agents, Realtor® representative.

Let me know if you need a referral or have any further questions.

Regards

Bob Kenney, Realtor®

Reilly Realtors

Mobile/Text: 512-922-4922

Why when I sign up on real estate web sites do I get a bunch of agents calling me right away?

Hi Rose,

It's great people are paying attention! I love to hear that !

So your on a real estate brokers web site, 85% of the people that come to the site are there to see property listings. Most sites will let you look at a min 3 property listings and then figure that you have a level of interest that may require some assistance from and expert.

The Broker has working for them, real estate agents developing their brand recognition in a given market. Different brokers focus on different aspects of services they provide their client base. You know what is important to you with someone who works with you: dependability, knowledgeable about the area of choice, experienced in real estate transaction, honest and other personalities you feel important to have predetermine criteria.

On the agent side they are interested in providing excellent service for their client in the hops of concluding a successful transaction and perhaps receiving referrals from you if they do a great job.

So in the pursuit of providing the client with a great experience there has to be a starting point in communication. Auto email responses let you know a system is functioning but we have found does not give the client an attachment to a person. A quick phone call while you are most likely on the site lets you know that there is an agent available to answer any questions you may have or just make the initial personal contact.

So some consumers are trying to avoid talking to the agent or brokers especially early on in a search process. There are several logical reasons for this. “I don’t even know if I am going to move”, “I am not moving just curious for a friend”, “I already have an agent just don’t like their web site”, “I am busy and don’t want to be bothered at work”, “My spouse doesn’t know I am looking at buying a new home”. Yes I have heard all of these responses!

The agent can tell pretty quick if it is a lead that has some sort of success in converting but the good agents are not going to call you several times a day and keep asking you the same questions or pestering you to meet in person. Once they talk to you they can make their notes and set up time for a follow up or Email/Text with contact information.

If you have several agents calling you it could well be that you have signed up for similar services on different brokerage sites and as such they each have an agent reaching out to you so it seems pretty overwhelming.

Form the clients perspective. If you just let the agents know that you have chosen to work with another agent or that you are undecided about your timing and they should call back in 3 months (you pick time line) they will call you back typically. Once you do choose a Real estate agent as your representative give them as much information as you can about reasons for a move, all criteria that is going to make you want one home over another and work with him as a partner in the process. You will get the occasional agent trying to persuade you to use their services, simply tell them you are represented by an agent and would appreciate if they took you off of active lead list.  Uses this as your initial interview period to ask agents questions you know are important about who you want to be working with.

This will help save time and effort for everyone and you will be getting a lot less calls.

Hope this information helps Rose. Don’t forget you can always contact me direct Mobile/Text @ 512-922-4922 with any questions of if your need an experienced real estate agent in the Austin area.

Regards,

bob Kenney, Realtor

I am thinking about listing my home and a friend referred me to an broker who provides limited services. What does this mean?

Hi Jennifer,

Great question.

There are some brokers that provide "limited services" for buyers and sellers of real estate. If you include the phrase “limited representation” in this description you would have a clearer picture of what they are offering.

From my experience they usually offer a seller to list the home in a locale MLS and maybe put a sign in the year. The seller is responsible for making appointments, following up on agent visits, any interaction with interested parties and all marketing and advertising expenses. In some cases they will receive an offer but consulting on the offer is an additional charge from their “services menu”.

Most of these “limited services” brokerages will offer all of the additional services from a “services menu”.These services are on a fee basis(A la caret). $$ for sign, $$ for asking agents what they thought about your property, $$ for negotiating contracts etc. There may be some advice given when an offer is received but typically the seller is relying on his or her knowledge about the real estate market to make decisions.

For this limited service they will charge you less than what a full service brokerage would charge you to list the home. Full service brokers on the other hand become your partner in the process. Running interference with buyers agents and their clients by gathering answers to questions that they know will be asked beforehand, marketing and advertising costs are paid by the agent/broker, getting the best possible exposure for your property, advising on strategies, pricing and timing of market conditions, advising on what needs to be done to get a home ready for market, doing analysis of the market so you can be competitive when you list, handling all of the paperwork that will be needed for a successful transaction. There is much more that each individual agent brings to your table that is not on a Service menu basis but part of the obligation that the real estate agent has with their client.

For buyers similar limited representation, they may get notified of listings in the area they are interested in but when it comes time for making appointments with listing agents or sellers it is all up to the buyer. They will produce an offer for the buyer at the time the buyer identifies a home they are interested in and in a lot of cases prepare offers for homes they have not even visited. I once had an out of town buyer contact me to see a home my broker had listed because his agent said if they were only in town to look at homes he did not have time to show them properties, just let him know when they found something they liked and he would write an offer!!

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on this type of service. I had a client once mention after talking to a limited service company it felt like having to go to court with out your lawyer!

In either buyer or seller case it depends on how comfortable the client is with dealing with the whole process by themselves. Sometime the opposing agents get a little frustrated by doing the work of 2 agents but having to pay the other agent a commission for less than full service. For the full service areal estate agent at the end of the day it only matters if their clients interests are best served so you do what you have to for your client.

I would strongly suggest you meet with a full service brokerage in your community and compare the level of services and dedication you may find with a full service brokerage. Keep in mind it takes a lot of the stress off of you during the selling process when you have someone working side by side with you instead of being available just a FEE away!

Good luck in your listing. Please feel free to contact me for Full brokerage services if in the Austin, TX area or if you need a referral for anywhere else in the world!

Kind Regards,

Bob Kenney, Realtor®

Reilly Realtors

Mobile/Text: 512-922-4922

What is a CMA? Who do I ask for more information about pricing my home?

Hi Frank,

If you were in Austin Texas,  I would tell you to give me a call!

CMA stands for Comparative Market Analysis. There are a couple of avenues you can go to obtain a CMA based on available data in your area.

The most obvious is your trusted Realtor. Realtors as professionals belong to locale organizations that compile market data in your area. From this data a Realtor can pull together a comparative analysis of current properties on the market, Number of days on the market, number of homes pending waiting to be closed and number of home closed or sold.

Some people are surprised when they receive their CMA and a home 5 door’s away is not on the analysis’. I try to include close proximity homes in the comments section of the report but do not always use them for comparison. Why? When doing these analysis it is important to have as many features between your home (target home) and the comps (comparative) homes.

The CMA helps give the consumer a clear picture of what the value of his/her home is at a given time in the market. I try to stay as close to what an appraiser is going to be looking at the time the home is sold so there are not any surprises when the finale appraisal comes in for the new buyer. Appraisers try to keep sold comps to w/in 90 days of the appraisal but sometimes may have to go back further depending on activity in your area. It is not un-common to have some areas that do not have close by comps.

So SQFT, Location, age of home, construction, lot size and schools are the main things to begin an analysis’. From there you want to try to keep sold comps to w/in 3 months or 90 days. So I usually start with a SQFT range of 200 SQFT on either side of target property, Range in home age and I plug in elementary, middle and high school campuses and see what activity there is. I might add 30-60 days onto the sold’s if there are not enough comps.  Once I get a selection of listings I then start to analyze each listing and see how they compare to target. # of stories will have an effect, lot size, amenities etc.

Once the listings are narrowed down for active I repeat same for any Pending listings and sold listings. Most Realtors have a presentation method that is unique to them. I like to show the client the average, minimum and max values for the final selection. This will help guide the client as to how to price their home and help manage expectations on expected final sale price range.

If an area does not have a lot of comparables then the Realtor must expand the search area until they are able to come up with more listings to use in the analysis. This becomes a little more complicated because you then take into consideration what another community might have to offer then start making adjustments in comparison to the target property criteria (either up or down).

A second alternative to the Realtor is to hire a locale licensed appraiser to come in and do an appraisal in their format using their set criteria. Their analysis is sometime more subjective depending on the market data they have access to. In a lot of cases it may be the same source as the Realtor but they may also use other resources outside the locale real estate data base.

Whatever route you go you can see that this report entails quite a bit of work to make sure you get an accurate picture. Once you receive the CMA and go over it with your Realtor it is perfectly acceptable to ask questions, point out areas where you think the Realtor may have missed a property ( It is not uncommon for a client to have more direct knowledge about a neighbors recent sale) and let the realtor make adjustments accordingly. The whole purpose of the CMA is to assist you the client in determining the best list price and help determine expectations of selling price.

I would be privileged to help refer you to an experienced Realtor/Broker in your area. Please feel free to contact me by Text/Phone @ 512-922-4922 or Email rkenney@gmail.com

A happy safe and healthy new year to you all!

Regards

Bob Kenney, Realtor

Vice President, Turnquist Partners Realtors