My Initial Observations

I decided to start a blog dedicated to my observations of Austin's property market--both as an analyst and a current practitioner in the field. I will update it as time permits (which will probably be less than I'd like). 

Although the market has slowed since the credit crunch hit, it definitely is much healthier than most of the country. That said, it's not immune from the many spillover effects the national financial crisis is having on consumer confidence and main street. 

I expect the market to remain soft for at least the next six months as layoffs continue and the credit markets slowly come back to life. If you are a strong buyer with cash and/or good credit, now might be a good time to find some great deals. Some of the sales I'm seeing are coming from investors in California who are in trouble there and need to liquidate all of their holdings. 

Remember, buy when everyone else is fearful, and sell when everyone else is greedy. And forget about trying to find the exact bottom of the market. Nine times out of ten, if you wait and try to time the bottom, you'll miss it!