What your Northwest Austin home is worth
A real market evaluation of your home and street, with the reasoning shown, instead of an automated guess.
Why the online estimate misses
An automated estimate looks at public records and recent sales and makes a guess. It can't see that your kitchen was redone last year, that the house backs to a greenbelt, or that the street behind you is getting louder. In neighborhoods like Northwest Hills, where two homes of the same size can sell a million dollars apart because of the lot, the view and the age of the house, the guess can be a long way off.
A real market evaluation starts where the estimate stops: with your house, your lot and your street.
How I put a value on your home
I started in this business in 1992 as a market analyst, before I was licensed, so this is the part of the job I've done longest. I look at what has sold near you, what is under contract right now, and what buyers have been walking past. Then I adjust for the things a database can't see.
You get the reasoning, not only the number. If you're thinking of selling, I'll also lay out the three pricing plans I use, Plan A, Plan B and Plan C, and what each would mean for your timing and your result. See how pricing works.
What moves value in Northwest Austin
Square footage and bedroom count get a home into the right range. These are the things that decide where in that range it lands:
- The lot. How much of it is usable matters more than the acreage. A flat, open backyard and a steep one of the same size are very different to a buyer.
- The view and what's behind you. A home backing to preserve or canyon land carries a real premium. Power lines or a busy road behind the fence pull the other way.
- How recent the construction is. In neighborhoods first built in the 1960s through the 1980s, a newer or rebuilt home on the same street can sell for far more. Original systems, like older plumbing, can mean a concession at inspection.
- The street. A home on a main road like Mesa Drive sells differently from one two blocks in.
- School assignment. In parts of Northwest Austin, the district can change from one street to the next, and buyers price that in.
- Golf frontage, and which course. In Balcones Village, a lot on the active Balcones Course and one on the closed Spicewood Course are not the same purchase.
Two recent Northwest Hills sales of about the same size show how far apart these can push a price: one sold for $2.55 million and the other for $1.45 million.
What you get
- A value range for your home, with the comparable sales that support it.
- What's helping your value and what's holding it back.
- Which improvements are likely to pay you back before a sale, and which aren't.
- No obligation. Plenty of people ask so they can plan, and that's a good reason to ask.
Home values across the neighborhoods I serve
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the home valuation free?
Yes, and there's no obligation to list.
Why is your number different from Zillow's?
An automated estimate can't see your home's condition, lot, view or street. I start from the same sales data and adjust for what a database misses.
Do you need to see the house?
It helps. A walk-through lets me see the condition, updates and lot that the records miss, which is most of what separates a real value from an online guess.
Home Value by neighborhood
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