I usually don't include people in my calendar images.  That's Kimberly lower left - to show the size of Lower Calf Creek Falls in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument area near Boulder, Utah.  We've done this hike in summer and winter.  Love it in any weather!
Hope you have a wonderful December, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
As always, you are welcome to download this image to use as your December screensaver, background, or wallpaper on your device.
​And if someone you know is planning a move, let's talk...
John 

Happy New Year!
Hope y'all enjoy this month's calendar / screensaver / wallpaper image.  And have a very happy New Year!
​John

Have a wonderful December!  As 2021 draws to a close, who do you know who might be planning a move or investment in 2022?  I'm happy to help!
​John

I shot this one morning from the rim of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park.  A light hazy morning fog hung over  the Rio Grande River Valley.  You are welcome to download for a screensaver on your computer, phone, or tablet.
If you know someone needing a good Realtor to help them sell one house and buy another - or build a new one, please introduce us.
Hope you have a wonderful June!
John

Leander schools scheduled their bad weather make-up day for Earth Day.  We didn't think of that when we decided to hike at Lake Inks a little over a week ago.  We just wondered if the weather would be Ok with rain forecast.  Turned out to be a beautiful day with amazing wildflowers everywhere!  Not just by the road and not just in the park - wildflowers everywhere!  The bluebonnets were fading but many others were thick with fresh blooms.  I recommend heading out that way soon.
Hope you have a marvelous May!
John

Starting this month, my photography calendars have gone digital!
It is time to go green and save some paper - and some green paper.
I hope the digital version works as an upgrade.  The files should be large enough to use as a screensaver, background, or wallpaper on any device.
If I have your email address, I'll email you a link to this page each month.  Check back at your leisure anytime.
This month's image is Chimney Rock near Abiquiu, NM on the Ghost Ranch.  Ghost Ranch is a wonderful property owned by the Presbyterian Church.  They allow visitors and have hiking trails and some lodging available.  There is a cabin you'll recognize from movies, red stone mesas, and canyons with waterfalls.
If you are planning a trip to Santa Fe, Taos, or nearby give me a call and I'll be happy to point out some great spots to visit.
©2017 John Scott Stapleton / Focus Realty™ all rights are reserved.  You may download the image for your viewing pleasure on your own device(s).
Beautiful Photos Sell Beautiful Homes™
...and hopefully help you keep me in mind when someone you care about might be considering selling their home.

Zip Code 78750 Snapshot for June 2014:
Available Residential - 115 units
New Listings - 56
Sales Closed in June - 41 (contracts mostly from previous months)
Median Price of Sales Closed - $360,000
Median Days on the Market - 5

Just another example of an area of Austin that is selling like mad.   How does this compare with your neighborhood?  Contact me and I'll let you know.

Hope you're having a great month!

John

Quick update on Cedar Park for May 2014
The month averaged 500 Available homes for sale.  (This number may even be inflated a bit by a couple of condo projects starting construction.)
Closed Sales = 156 (Sales mostly from prior months that closed in May.)
Median Price = $271,000 (Half of the sales were above, half below.)
Median Days On Market = 7  !!!

The takeaway here is that half of the homes listed will sell in about a week or less.  Buyers need to be more than casually pre-approved.  I am asking buyers' agents for pre-approval letters of course.  I am also asking how many loans the mortgage broker has closed with the buyer's agent in the past few months and if documents were delivered on time.  Unless it is a mortgage officer I know and trust.
   We want to see that everything has been verified and approved by an underwriter.
   Better yet - have cash!

There are a few more ways to help your offer be the one accepted.  Of course, that's the teaser!  If you know someone needing my help, please call me to set up an introduction.

Other zip codes?  About half of them have single-digit median days on the market right now.

The Austin area real estate market is hot.  We all know this.  Some areas have been leading the way lately.  Others have been hot for a long time and appear to be cooling off - though that has more to do with a shortage of homes to sell than anything else.

Kind of like the way a fast car accelerates less as it approaches top speed.  It's hardly slowing down!

One area that seems to be in the heart of it's horsepower curve, so to speak, is area 1A.  

20 homes sold in Feb 2013 - 34 sold in Feb 2014.  Average price up almost 42%!

Note that this doesn't mean your home did exactly the same.  We don't sell the same homes every February.  There is always a variance due to who decided to move in any specific month.

Still it seems safe to say that the area is in a peak time when there are still plenty of people willing to both buy and sell.

Soon we may find a greater shortage of homes to sell and fewer sales.  But the unmet demand will likely push prices even higher.

Want to know more about the value of your home?  Or the trends in the area you'd prefer to call home?  Just give me a call or email.

John