When I was growing up in Oklahoma, my mom always kept a garden. She was and is a talented gardener, and in my childhood she always grew beautiful flowers as well as a variety of food plants. Every summer, we had tomatoes, and I have distinct memories of eating cherry tomatoes warm off the vine in the blazing Oklahoma summers while I played in the yard. It’s anchored in some of my earliest memories that garden tomatoes taste like sunshine and are a completely different food than their disappointing grocery store counterparts.
I’ve dreamed of establishing a similar mastery of gardening for years and have had plenty of failed experiments, starting in college (who gardens in college??) through sad herbs in pots on our fifth floor fire escape in our Hoboken condo to various ill-conceived landscaping adventures in our various homes in the last decade.
Recently, I connected with a company in Austin called Urban American Farmer. Urban American Farmer They had a small garden box sitting outside Sukha Yoga SUKHA YOGA on South Lamar, and I snapped a picture of the QR code and then emailed them begging for some help. Luckily they offer a site visit service, so I had Tricia come to my house and walk the property with me, talking about where to plant herbs, how to incorporate them into the landscape, and the benefits of planting native pollinator plants. I am now the proud gardener of some thriving herb plants and exactly two strawberry plants.
They are extremely knowledgeable about food gardens and how to grow one that thrives in Austin. They also have a pick up site for mushroom blocks, something I was not previously familiar with. So I swung by the official Mycological Society of Central Texas pick up site (link Mushroom Block Pick-up Location — Central Texas Mycological Society), which consists of a tree, and grabbed some spent mushroom blocks.
What is a mushroom block, you might ask, and why would I want one? Or eight? Mushroom blocks are combinations of saw dust, grain and mushroom spores that farmers use to grow mushrooms. They work great as compost for soil health, are good to put around trees to foster a mycelium network and also will sometimes continue growing mushrooms, which you can eat. While one of my blocks produced a huge crop of blue oyster mushrooms, I wasn’t quite brave enough yet to eat them.
Lastly, I’m very excited that Urban American Farmer is interested in figuring out an intersection between urban food farms and real estate. We spent some time bouncing around ideas like…
-Should portable planter boxes be part of home staging?
-What would it look like for builders to build and landscape with an eye to preserving gardening space and sunny spots for gardening?
-How do we do a better job of being land stewards during development and reducing topsoil erosion? Can we beautify construction sites during the construction process?
I’m excited for this fruitful relationship to continue to blossom.
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
Check out Urban American Farmer at https://www.urbanamericanfarmer.com/
Breaking news: Taxes have gone up significantly in 2022
We don’t usually see taxes increase this much. When you get the appraised value in the mail or check your value online, you could be in a situation where your property taxes have doubled.
The stakes are high this year for making a good decision regarding your property taxes. There are two things you can do to make sure you’re making smart financial decisions:
1-Exemptions-make sure you are up to date on your available exemptions. Head to your county tax appraisal website for resources on checking your exemptions and applying for applicable exemptions.
2-Understand when to protest your values and how to go about doing that.
When it comes to protesting, when does it make sense to protest?
1-If you bought your property within the last 6 months to a year. If the amount the county has appraised your home for is significantly higher than what you paid for your house, then the best thing to do is use your Settlement Statement as evidence.
2-If the county’s appraised value is higher than what homes are selling for in your neighborhood. Reach out to our team and we can pull comparable sales for you to use to protest the value.
Still questioning what you should do about your property taxes? Email me at isabel@spyglassrealty.com and we can schedule a time to talk through your taxes.
Market Update
We are seeing more inventory added to the market which is increasing the number of homes available for sale since January 2022.
In terms of the median sales price, there was a large jump from $619,000 in February of 2022 to $688,000 in March of 2022.
Our median days on market was 10-12 days November-December 2021 and has decreased to around 5 days in February and March of 2022.
**These statistics are referencing homes in the City of Austin that are considered Single Family Residences.
We are still seeing multiple offer situations on homes that are priced appropriately. There are few homes that may go through the weekend without going under contract, but those are few and far between.
If you’re a buyer, you still want to submit a competitive offer and continue making offers aggressively until successfully closing on a home. It’s important to have your finances in order, so make sure you’re working with a local lender to set yourself up for success. DM us for recommendations!
If you’re a seller, talk to our team about best practices to get the most value on your home. There are several factors you want to take into account when listing your home including when you need the proceeds by, if you’re buying another home and how much time you need for property prep.
Contracts and Closings
2811 Kentish DR Austin, TX 78748
Isabel and Gabrielle were thrilled to help Kelsey close on her first home in South Austin. Kelsey partnered with the WIRE Team to tour over 30 homes and put in a ton of offers. Ultimately the perseverance and strategy paid off. Congratulations, Kelsey!
9608 Braeburn Glen St Austin, TX 78729
This transaction included a little bit of magic. Gabrielle worked her negotiating skills and helped Nelson and Doreen to contract this home in a multiple offer situation. Here’s the kicker, Nelson and Doreen didn’t have the highest offer! Message our team to hear the secret ingredient for success in this transaction. Congratulations, Nelson and Doreen!
See you next month!
