Austin Texas Real Estate Blog (and other stuff)

How to Finesse Your Way into Receiving Good Service Anywhere

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:27:24 -0600

Truthfully, I could probably make this post even shorter than the headline/title above. However, since I get paid by the word (don't I wish), I would like to make this point very clearly. I'll give you the two-word answer to this topic at the end of the post.

During our recent trip to Houston, we got on the road later than expected, so I had to plan on picking up my rental car at a different location which was open later, until 7pm. I spoke with the manager and he was very nonchalant about things. I didn't get the feeling that he much cared whether or not I got a car that night or not. Since we have three young kids, my wife needed to have a vehicle of her own so that she wouldn't be stranded at our in-laws' house with them for an entire day.

Traffic was pretty heavy, but we made it to the rental car place at about 6:45 or so. It was small, and attached to a dealership, so I could see their entire inventory of vehicles just outside the office door. I had reserved a "full-size" car, and the manager told me he would "try" to get me something good-sized, but there were no guarantees. So, what was sitting there? What were my two options?

1. Small green compact car

2. Black Jeep Cherokee

I knew it was time to turn on the charm. I entered the office, which turned out to be a room about 6 feet by 8 feet, complete with two very uncomfortable chairs which I suppose constituted the waiting area. There was a very stressed-out looking man with his tie off who looked like he would rather be anywhere but there. I waited patiently while he finished his computer work, then turned to greet me.

This was make-or-break time.

ME: Hi, I'm Jason Crouch. We spoke a little earlier on the phone. Are you Reggie?

REGGIE: Yes, that's me. How you doin'?

ME: Good, good. I'm glad to have made it on time. You're my new hero!

REGGIE (laughing): Well, I'm glad we could help.

ME: You know, I used to run a rental car office myself years ago. It was located in a body shop. Long hours, huh? I remember hating inventory, because I had to work so darn late.

REGGIE: Is that right? Well, I have been here since before 7am. Let's see....

As he turned away to look at the keys on the board behind him, I knew this was the critical moment. Would I be taking the dream, or the dud?

REGGIE: Tell you what, I've got a free upgrade for you tonight.

ME (feigning surprise): Really? That's great! What do you have?

REGGIE: You see that Jeep Cherokee? That's yours.

ME: That will be perfect! Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it.

So, what can we all learn from my experience with Reggie a few weeks ago?

BE NICE! (that was the answer I promised you above)
Throw out a compliment or two. It won't kill you to do so. Calling Reggie a "hero" was not just an ego stroke - it was the truth!
Remember the magic words that you learned in Kindergarten? They still work today. Everyone likes to hear "thank you" and to feel truly appreciated.
Treat people like human beings, not servants. Even if they are in a service-oriented business (aren't we all?), they are likely just trying to get through the day and they probably mean well.
Be observant. I knew that Reggie was stressed out and tired as soon as I walked in. This may seem like common sense to some of you, but it's not as natural for everyone.
Find a common connection, if possible. I brought up the fact that I had managed a rental car location to demonstrate that I knew EXACTLY what he was feeling. Again, it was the truth! Don't manufacture this.
If all else fails, PRAY!

During my two-minute conversation with Reggie, I managed to hit all six of these points. I didn't have a list in my mind - the list actually came to me tonight. I hope this comes in handy for you with clients, or waitstaff in restaurants, or with anyone you deal with during the course of your day.

Thanks for reading!

All photos courtesy of www.photorack.net.

My RSS feed is http://activerain.com/jasoncrouch/rss

Large New Round Rock Commercial Development Planned - Corner of I-35 and Highway 79

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:23:24 -0600

I read in the local Community Impact newspaper today that there is a huge new development planned at the northeast corner of I-35 and Highway 79. It will encompass the entire area fronting 79 from 35 to Mays. Current businesses which will be vacated include Bealls, Chase Bank, Hollywood Video, KFC, and the UPS Store, among others.

Among the components mentioned for the new development are:

A four-star hotel with 200 rooms
Conference center with 35,000 s.f. of meeting space
Medical/professional office space (200,000 s.f.)
40 two-bedroom condo units
210 apartment units
Large retailers (100,000 s.f. of shopping)
Restaurants
New entertainment
Public spaces, such as pocket parks, commons, and esplanade

When complete, the 13-acre tract will have just over 1 million square feet of new construction. The first phase is set to begin in early 2009.

More exciting news for Round Rock!

All images are courtesy of www.impactnews.com.

If you have any questions, please give me a call anytime at 512-796-7653 or email jason@austintexashomes.com. If you are looking to relocate to the Austin or Round Rock area, you might be interested in checking out my online relocation package here:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

Our Austin TX real estate website is at http://www.austintexashomes.com/. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Round Rock Short Sale Listing - Only $102,000

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:40:15 -0600

One of my agents listed a home yesterday that is priced so well that I felt compelled to share it here on my blog.

Located on the north side of Round Rock, near the Prime Outlets and IKEA, this home features:

3 bedrooms, 2 baths
1660 s.f. per tax records
Built in 2004
2 Dining Areas
3 Sides brick (back is Hardieboard)
Super-convenient to new Texas State University branch, shopping, lots of new restaurants

At just $61.45/square foot, this home is priced to sell very quickly indeed.

If you are wondering about whether you might qualify for a short sale with your own home in central Texas, feel free to contact me anytime to set up a time to discuss this. We have helped many other clients with this process.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule an appointment to see this home or any others in the Austin MLS, please give me a call anytime at 512-796-7653 or email jason@austintexashomes.com.

If you are looking to relocate to the Austin or Pflugerville area, you might be interested in checking out my online relocation package here:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

Our Austin TX real estate website is at http://www.austintexashomes.com/. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Why Should You Call Me First When Looking for an Austin, Texas Realtor?

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:51:59 -0600

I was thinking last night about my past experiences and how they have shaped the person that I have become today. Back in 1996, when I was last employed by someone else, I had to keep my resume updated each time I went to look for a new job. Somehow, in the modern era, that all seems very "last century" now.

Rather than developing a resume to hand out to my clients, I decided to write this post instead.

What makes me uniquely qualified to handle your real estate business in the Austin area? Well, let's get a couple of things out of the way quickly:

I have been selling real estate full-time in this area since January 1997
I am a broker/owner of my own company, Austin Texas Homes, LLC
I've sold properties of every type and in every conceivable price range (highest home sale was $3.4 million)
I have trained dozens of agents on how to represent buyers and sellers
I have never been involved in a lawsuit or mediation, nor have any of my agents

Okay, that part was relatively painless, right? A bit stuffy, maybe, but painless.

Now, let me spend a little time detailing some of my past and present experiences and how they have prepared me to help you.

TIME IN THE LOCAL MARKET

I have been here in Austin for just over twenty years now. I've lived in or near Austin since 1988, when I moved here to attend Southwestern University. As such, I am familiar with almost all the nooks and crannies of Austin.

MANAGERIAL STUFF

Before getting in to real estate, I was a retail and restaurant manager for several years, including working as a general manager for a restaurant. This prepared me to handle a wide variety of personal interaction issues, especially with a diverse staff. Real estate requires me to deal with so many different personality types that I'm happy to have had that foundation. I have been in charge of my own company since 2004.

PARENTING

I am a father of three terrific children, and we are expecting our fourth baby in mid-April. As much as it seems humorous to say this, dealing with children is good preparation for dealing with other real estate agents and petulant clients, too. Our work involves a lot of moving parts, as it were. I often explain to my clients that a lot of people have to do their jobs correctly in order for me to get paid - title companies, lenders, inspectors, appraisers, etc. This is not a one-man show, so being able to "finesse" other people is a very important characteristic when you are looking for an agent or broker to represent you.

NETWORKING

As a member of ActiveRain, Twitter, Facebook, and several other social networking sites, I have gained an amazing number of contacts and good friends in the real estate business, all across the country. ActiveRain is a nationwide referral network and social networking site for our industry. I am a prolific blogger with over 1075 subscribers to my blog as of today. This interaction has served me well, not just for learning, but for getting more attention for my listings, too. One of the listings that I recently posted was shown to a prospect who found it on my blog the same day, and he may make the purchase soon.

ETHICS

I have often said that I may be too honest for my own good. Here's a statement that I wrote a few months ago which sums up my business philosophy very quickly:

"I have been in Austin real estate full-time for almost 12 years now. There are certainly others who have sold more homes than I have, but you would be hard-pressed to find an agent with more integrity than me. I would rather talk you out of a home purchase or an offer on your home than to assist you in making a bad decision."

PERSONAL

I am a super-nice guy. Really. Ask anyone who knows me. They will tell you. Go ahead - I'll be here when you get back...

I like spending time with my family and I am helping to start a new church in Georgetown currently. I like to laugh and to make others laugh. Real estate doesn't have to be serious business, believe me. If you enjoy your life and you're looking for someone fun to hang out with while looking for a new place to live, give me a call at 512-796-7653 or email me - jason@austintexashomes.com.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Photo courtesy of www.photorack.net.

My RSS feed is http://activerain.com/jasoncrouch/rss

Sharing the "Stories of My Life" With my Kids

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:13:51 -0600

Our kids' bedtime routine has long been my domain, as it were. My wife homeschools our three kids, so she doesn't get many breaks. When it's time for bed, I am in charge of getting the two older kids ready, including the tooth brushing, stories, prayers, and tucking them in. Sometimes, it involves keeping them in their rooms, or getting a snack or drink for my daughter, who seems to require less sleep than the rest of us.

We had gone through a period when they didn't want me to read to them, but then they suddenly showed renewed interest in having "story time" again. Recently, I decided to forgo reading a book to them - instead, I told them a story from my own childhood.

THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

Now, when it's getting close to their bedtime, my seven-year-old daughter starts jumping around frenetically, while saying, "I want stories from your life! Stories from your life!"

Who knew that my life was so entertaining? I am considering writing a book about my life now, if for no other reason than the fact that my kids love these stories so much.

Last night, we talked about the fact that I used to listen to records all the time when I was their age.

Yes, records.

Vinyl records.

I feel ancient thinking about it now. At any rate, I explained to them about how the smaller records were 45's and the bigger ones were 33 1/3's because of the rotational speed per minute of each one. I am not old enough to have listened to 78rpm records. I put that last sentence in because I know that someone will mention the fact that I am young compared to them, and that they remember the days before television or shoes, or something. :)

If you're interested, I even wrote a post once on AR about my record collection from when I was 7 or 8 years old:

Transported by Song - A Look Back on My Collection of Records from 1977-1978

Truth be told, I still have at least 200-300 records here in the house, and a functional turntable, although it doesn't get a lot of use these days.

One night a couple of weeks ago, I taught my kids the "Fishheads" song from the late 1970's, which I used to hear while roller skating with my friends. Does that make me a bad father, or a fun dad? Either way, we had a good time. I can actually hear my son singing it RIGHT NOW downstairs!

I have shared a lot of funny and interesting stories with them lately, along with a few that are a little scary or gross (like the reasons for some of the scars that I now have).

I guess it keeps me on my toes each day, since I am forced to be creative about what we talk about and share at night. Today, they have both requested that we listen to some records, so I think that's on the agenda for later.

Now, it's time to start on that book.

Southwest Austin Home for Sale - Brand-New Construction! $624,990

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:59:07 -0600

My business partner listed a terrific brand-new home in southwest Austin which is very conveniently located (near the intersection of Brodie and Slaughter). It's in the Brodie Springs subdivision, built by Grand Haven Homes. Offered at $624,990.

4712 s.f. per builder
5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths
Large 0.36 acre lot
Side-entry garage
3 Living areas, 2 Dining
Awesome schools in the area:
- Baranoff Elementary School
- Bailey Middle School
- Bowie High School
Large island Kitchen with Granite Counters
Office/study
Very low tax rate for Austin (2.15%)

If you are looking to relocate to the Austin or Pflugerville area, you might be interested in checking out my online relocation package here:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

Our Austin TX real estate website is at http://www.austintexashomes.com/. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

New Listing in Pflugerville - 2207 Bethesda Drive - $165,000

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:52:44 -0600

I listed a lovely home right around the corner today. They are in the process of building a new, larger home, so despite the fact that they love it here in the area, they need more space for their growing family. At $165,000, this is currently the lowest price by far in the Meadows of Blackhawk.

Features:

3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bathrooms
1670 s.f. per tax records
Built in 1997 by Scott Felder Homes
2 Dining Areas (breakfast room, formal dining)
Mature trees (front and back)
Large corner lot
Island kitchen with a lot of storage/cabinets
Brick hearth fireplace
Built-ins
Giant patio
Wood deck
Bright, open floorplan

If you are looking to relocate to the Austin or Pflugerville area, you might be interested in checking out my online relocation package here:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

Our Austin TX real estate website is at http://www.austintexashomes.com/. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Short Sale Listing - Austin Area - $40 per square foot? It's true!

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:26:36 -0600

One of my agents listed a home yesterday that is priced at $160,000 with 3931 square foot per the county tax records.

This is priced at $40.70 per square foot - amazing!

To be fair, the home will probably go for a little higher than the asking price, since we are anticipating multiple offers by Sunday or Monday. Here are a couple of shots from the MLS listing:

Here are the basic features:

5 large bedrooms, 2.5 baths
Built in 2000 by Kimball Hill Homes
Master bedroom downstairs
2-car garage
.23 acre lot
Two-story ceilings in family room
Conveniently located in Pflugerville - adjacent to north Austin
Jetted tub in master

If you are looking to relocate to the Austin or Round Rock area, you might be interested in checking out my online relocation package here:

Austin Texas Relocation Package

Our Austin TX real estate website is at http://www.austintexashomes.com/. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Blogging is a Long-Term Strategy with the Potential for Short-Term Results

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:25:19 -0600

The title of this post was a quote from yours truly during the recent Real Estate Barcamp in Houston during a discussion led by Paul Chaney about social media and its effectiveness. This pretty much sums up my personal perspective on the act of blogging as it applies to my business.

When I first started blogging four years ago on another platform, I used it just for personal opinions, rather than anything that I thought could actually help me make money. You may be surprised to learn that many of my posts were political in nature, considering the fact that I have written exactly ONE post on that topic here on ActiveRain, and that was yesterday!

I was invited to join AR back in December 2006, so I set up a quick profile, then proceeded to do.......absolutely nothing.

Well, I did write one post in March 2007, so that must be when I really got rolling, right?

Wrong.

I didn't return again until August 4, 2007, when I wrote this gem of a post:

Austin Real Estate Market

Truthfully, that might just have been my shortest post on record. Perhaps there are those of you who long for me to return to such simplicity. :)

After I got the hang of things around here, I started regularly posting 10 times/weekly, with very few exceptions. This may seem like drudgery or highly time-consuming, but it is neither. I sincerely enjoy writing, sharing information, and making new friends, which I have since found out is the essence of a solid social media strategy.

I am happy to have received a good number of leads, referrals, and closing from my ActiveRain blog, but I would probably have continued consistently posting even without the concrete results.

But why?

Well, that's easy. This network has brought me so much good knowledge and so many friends that it has been well worth the investment of my time. Since the economy has been much less strong over the past year, this has enabled me to devote a certain amount of time every week to blogging. When the market makes a turn (and it will likely turn around in Austin before many other areas of the country), I feel that I have done a reasonably effective job of getting my name out there to other real estate professionals who have the potential to send me business, all while having fun, too. How great is that?

So, if you're new to blogging, I have a few words of advice:

Write a lot - It doesn't even matter what you write about, as long as it isn't offensive - just do it. The process of committing to a certain amount of content will make you a better writer over time.
Read a lot - There is a wealth of terrific advice, tips, and news here to be found. It's much like having a stack of real estate and blogging textbooks at your fingertips 24/7.
Don't expect immediate results - This is not the type of thing that will necessarily bring quick leads/prospects. Don't be discouraged by that - continue to plug away and it will happen.
Take advantage of the Google leverage that AR has developed - you will be found! Post it and they will come.
Explore other sites, too (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, etc.). I have received leads from several of these during my foray into social networking over the past 16 months or so.
Don't worry about comparing yourself to others, or trying to model others' writing style. Just be you (and I know that sentence isn't grammatically correct - who cares?).

I hope this stuff comes in handy for you. Feel free to ask any questions you might have. Thanks for reading!

My RSS feed is http://activerain.com/jasoncrouch/rss

Crouch Family Afternoon at the Park

Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (Austin Texas Homes, LLC) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:28:44 -0500

This afternoon, we spent a few hours with our friends from Christ Church PCA at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas. This post is not about the park, nor is it about the church. Instead, I just felt like writing about what a terrific and relaxing afternoon I had with my family. I didn't bring my camera, but I wanted to share our day with you.

Shortly after we arrived, I took my seven-year-old daughter, Aleah, down to the mostly-dry riverbed to walk around. She was a little hesitant because of all the "wobbly rocks" at first, but she warmed to the idea and ran ahead of me some distance.

We got to a place where the water started again, pooling to a couple of feet in depth. I got my son Brandon, and we spent at least 30-40 minutes there while I taught them how to properly skip rocks. Frankly, I need to do this type of thing more often, since one of my fondest memories as a child was from the time I spent exploring the creeks near my grandparents' house in east Dallas. Brandon surprised me by throwing some VERY large rocks and splashing himself. I cringed inwardly, since he is not usually a "rough and tumble" kind of kid, but when I asked him if that was fun, he grinned and said, "THIS IS A BLAST!"

One of Aleah's friends showed up, and they got to feed bread to the group of assertive ducks at the water's edge. I went back toward the picnic area with Brandon to grab some food. Afterwards, a couple of his friends were in the large, flat field playing football. Well, more like throwing the ball and then sort of tackling each other. I joined them and asked Brandon if he wanted to play, too. He seemed reticent ("my hands are full", etc.), but when I finally got him started he had a great time and did really well. You have to understand that he is a really big kid with a lot of brute strength, so tackling or trying to strip the ball came pretty naturally for him. Although he is still nine years old, most people peg him at about 12, since he's 5'2" or so already.

We played out there for what felt like an hour or so, and I got a decent workout myself. I had forgotten how much I enjoy playing football, truth be known. I played in high school (mainly as a defensive end and sometimes as a tight end), but when I was a kid, we had a Nerf ball like the one we used today. Memories....

Just before we left, we managed to misplace our two-year-old daughter for about 45 seconds as it was getting dark. This always feels like an eternity, and I don't do a very good job of remaining overly calm. It turns out that she wandered over to the parking lot area - TWICE. I don't know what was attractive to her over there, but it freaked us out to think how close she came to being hurt. Despite this, I had a terrific afternoon, and I would like to return soon.

Brandon's comment to me as we were leaving was quite telling;

"Dad, we really need to play football more often."

Sounds like a plan to me!