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 HOME ON THE RANGE
Name: Presidio Group of Realtors
Type: Real Estate
Owner: Ron Redder
Contact: 1701 West Koenig Lane, Austin, TX 78756 | 512.476.1591 | presidiogroup.com
TROY HANNA, member of the Presidio Group, shares the appeal of moving to the Lone Star State. If that concept worries you, keep in mind what the locals say: “It’s not Texas; it’s Austin!”
INSTINCT: How’s business?
TROY HANNA: Very good. It seems that a lot of people coming into town are from New York and California. We’ve had some from Florida, from the Midwest—even people from Chicago are coming this way.
What percentage of your clientele are gay?
Probably sixty to sixty-five percent.
Is Austin becoming a gay Mecca?
Yeah, I believe it’s becoming a more dominant area. We work with a lot of gay couples and singles coming here from other states.
What’s the draw of Austin?
Well, from the East and West coasts, it’s the price! [Laughs] People coming here can get a lot more house for less. They can get a nice three-bedroom, two-bathroom house here in the suburbs of Austin for as low as $150 to $250K. Compare that coming from, say, the West coast, where the average sale price is $600 to $700K. People will sell their houses and come here, pay cash for a house and not have a mortgage to worry about.
What about social reasons?
The open-mindedness of Austin is another factor. We don’t have the “gay area” of town. People can move downtown or to the suburbs or anywhere and they’ll be fine. Living will be comfortable. There’s also the outdoors-y part of Austin. The music part. The theatre part of it.
So you get everything: big-city amenities in a small-city culture.
Definitely! And don’t forget the sports and the lakes and the climate. No real hurricanes or tornadoes to worry about here!
What kinds of places are available?
We don’t have a lot of old homes like they do in other cities, but we do have a wide spectrum of prices. It depends on where you want to be. Downtown and near the University of Texas are expensive, but as you go out, the prices come down. There are places in Kyle and Buda—which are only 15 miles away, but in larger cities, you could drive that going cross-town—where new houses start at $150 to $175K and go from there.
What if you aren’t in the market for a house?
If you come here and you want a condo, we have all the condos downtown. There’s a whole growing downtown area. A lot of apartments are being converted to condos in the central and south areas. These allow people to move into the prime areas without paying the price of a house.
What about the mortgage crisis? Should that be a concern for our readers who are aspiring Austinites?
I don’t think so. I watch the news and I listen to what other people say, but if your credit score is on the low end, it’s more of a challenge. You’ll have to clean some stuff up, but I haven’t lost any clients because of the mortgage crisis. But it’s still very important to save and get your down payment ready. Austin houses are still appreciating in value. The economy is good here. The job market is good here. The growth potential is good here. Real estate is local. There’re lots of hot pockets out there.
Is Presidio primarily gay-staffed as well?
About thirty percent of the staff is gay.
Why should our readers come to Presidio?
All the agents here are knowledgeable. We know the area. We know what’s appreciating and moving along. We’ve been in real estate for a long time. Ron’s been selling houses for nearly 18 years. We’re available when you’re available and we’ll work with you to find what you want. Gay couples sometimes feel they can’t talk with real estate agents or tell them their needs or ask where the gay businesses are. But clients can do that with us.
Troy's Steps to Buying A House
1. Get pre-qualified from a bank! This means you know how much you can spend on a house. But remember, just because you can spend it, doesn’t mean you have to!
2. Find a realtor. Always work with someone who’s going to be there for you and who knows the area.
3. Identify houses that match your needs, then set up times to see them. Remember: what you need in a house can be different from what you wish for.
4. Find a house and make an offer.
5. Get the house inspected. An independent inspector will check the house top to bottom for what’s good, what’s bad and what’s downright unacceptable.
6. Negotiate with the seller. It’s like the deals that DAs offer people on Law & Order. If something in the house needs fixing, have the seller fix it or knock money off the sale price.
7. Close and pay. If all goes well, this is where you get the keys to your new house!
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