Austin Real Estate Team

As you drive through the Austin neighborhoods you're evaluating, ask yourself if the homes there have architectural qualities that are pleasing and fit together. Nothing is worse that finding a home that is out-of-sync with all the others. While the landscaping will be different with each home, do they compliment each other? What about traffic patterns? Are there noisy intersections and jam-packed interstates and busy shopping centers nearby? Do you want to locate to such an area? Here are some suggestions:

• Find locations that are suitable for you.
• Locations that are adjacent to huge shopping centers, congested by traffic or targeted for future commercial development should probably be passed by.
• If the neighborhood is under siege from "McMansions," the practice of tearing down older, smaller homes and replacing them with oversized castles that unbalance the look of the area, you may want to look somewhere else.
• See if the neighborhood is prone to flooding or intense electrical storms, especially higher elevations.
• Attend "Open House" presentations, even if the home you're looking for isn't the one being shown. You may learn a lot about how the homes in the neighborhood were built. Dress comfortably and take lots of notes.

Turn to the Austin Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for information about available homes and showings. You can also find such information in the ad section of the Sunday Austin American-Statesman, and on the websites of Austin realtors.