The new website is under development at www.AriaRealtyAustin.com.

What do you want out of a real estate website?  Submit your feedback here, by email to aria@kilpatrick.org, or on facebook!

Please update your links and we’ll see you on the new site!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Real Estate Professional Recognized for Million-Dollar Successes

Aria Kilpatrick Earns Membership in Prestigious Million Dollar Guild

Aria Kilpatrick, Broker/Realtor®, CLHMS Million Dollar Guild Member

(Austin TX, December 2nd, 2009) – Aria Kilpatrick, of [Aria Realty, Inc.], has been recognized by the prestigious Institute for Luxury Home Marketing for her recent performance in the million-dollar and above luxury home market within Austin.

“Real Estate professionals who have earned admittance to The Institute’s Million Dollar Guild not only have specific upper-tier market knowledge, but they also understand the unique needs of affluent buyers and sellers and recognize the importance of being discreet,” said Institute President Laurie Moore-Moore. “Whether you’re buying or selling a multi-million dollar property, you can depend upon The Institute’s Million Dollar Guild members to have the competencies necessary to help you meet your objectives.”

“To have this recognition of my accomplishments in serving Austin is an honor,” said Kilpatrick. “It has strengthened my commitment to the community and its residents.”

Members of the Million Dollar Guild are Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialists (CLHMS) who have documented their success in assisting affluent buyers and sellers with million-dollar properties. The recognition is awarded by the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing which trains real estate agents in the luxury home market and awards international designations to those who meet stringent performance standards.

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Kilpatrick was born into the local real estate market by Keith & Debi Schoenfelt of Corias Homes, Inc. and specializes in the west and central Austin luxury homes and land market.  She credits her expertise in Austin’s luxury market with her unique circumstances growing up in the house of one of Austin’s most recognized custom home builders companies and a Civil/Environmental Engineer.  Aria’s career choice was an obvious one with foundations in marketing custom homes and luxury speculative homes, the building process, and site selection in Austin’s unique market.

About The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing

The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing exists to help real estate professionals around the world provide high quality service to buyers and sellers of luxury properties.  Institute members have completed special training to build expertise in the marketing of upscale homes and estates and those who meet performance standards may earn the prestigious Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation. Information and an international membership list can be found at www.CLHMS.org. Members are also listed on the Wall Street Journal’s RealEstateJournal.com website.

SALES PROFESSIONAL EARNS INTERNATIONAL DESIGNATION
FOR LUXURY HOME MARKETING EXPERTISE

(Austin, Texas, November 30, 2009) –  Aria Kilpatrick with BridgeOne Properties, Austin, Texas has earned the prestigious Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation in recognition of her experience, knowledge and expertise in the luxury home market.  Aria Kilpatrick is an example of a real estate professional who has worked to develop market knowledge and the special skills and competencies necessary to provide exceptional service in the fine homes and estates marketplace,” said Institute President Laurie Moore-Moore, upon announcing Kilpatrick’s designation.  “Affluent buyers and sellers can turn to sales professionals who have this designation and be confident that they have special expertise and experience in the luxury home marketplace.”

“I am committed to providing outstanding service to my clients,” said Kilpatrick “the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation is evidence of my ability to meet the needs of affluent buyers and sellers.  My membership in The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing also provides me with marketing tools and networking capabilities that benefit my clients.”

Kilpatrick is an award-winning real estate professional who has gone through special training and met performance standards in the upper tier market.  she has been in real estate her entire lifetime and specializes in luxury homes and land in the central and west Austin markets.

For current information on the upper tier market, contact Aria at BridgeOne Properties 512-771-1776 or e-mail aria@kilpatrick.org.

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http://ariarealtyaustin.com/blog/austin-water-to-enact-stage-2-watering-restrictions-september-6/

Stage 2 Water Use Restrictions

The last time we wend to Stage 2 Water Restrictions was the summer of 2000

The City Manager has determined that Stage 2 Water Restrictions will go into effect on Monday, August 24, 2009. These restrictions will be in effect until further notice.

And just a quick note, if you see petitions going around or propaganda against the way the LCRA handles our lakes and rivers, keep in mind that we do have to send water downstream to support our state economy.  South Texas produces more than just oil… Much of the country’s rice also comes from the region.  And chances are, your sod came from south Texas as well!.  So please look up the other side of the story before forming your judgements.

In Stage 2, the following additional restrictions apply to the use of potable water:

• Outdoor irrigation is prohibited except on assigned days at designated times :

• Residential odd-numbered addresses: Saturday
• Residential even-numbered addresses: Sunday
• Commercial/Multifamily odd-numbered addresses: Tuesday
• Commercial/Multifamily even-numbered addresses: Friday 
• Automatic systems can be run from midnight to 10am
• Hose-end & soaker hoses can run from midnight to 10am & 7pm to midnight
• Watering by hand is allowed at all times 

• Golf fairway irrigation is limited to assigned days before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
• Golf tee and green irrigation is limited to every other day
• Vehicle washing is limited to designated days and times, with a hand-held bucket or a positive shut-off nozzle on a hose*
• A person may not conduct or participate in a charity car wash
• The use of outdoor ornamental fountains is prohibited except to provide aeration for aquatic life
• A person may not fill, refill, or add water to an indoor fountain
• No automatic fill valves are allowed for pools or ponds
• Washing of sidewalks, driveways, parking areas, patios or other paved surfaces is prohibited*
• A restaurant may not serve water to a customer unless requested by the customer

*Exceptions are made for washing necessary to protect public health, safety or welfare

In some limited situations, we may be able to grant a variance from the outdoor watering schedule. Variance forms, along with a description of the eligible circumstances, are below. Variances will not be granted for overseeding, conflicts with trash pickup, or lawn maintenance.

New Landscapes

You may apply for a variance from the City’s watering restrictions if you are installing a new landscape:

1. at the time of construction of a new house, multi-family or commercial building,
2. as part of a governmental entity’s capital improvement project, or
3. which alters more than one-half of an existing landscape.Note: Stage 2 restrictions take effect August 24, 2009 until further notice. The installation of new landscape is strongly discouraged.

Request for Variance for Irrigation of New Landscapes

Note: This variance is not appropriate for seasonal color beds or temporary grass installation (overseeding).

Large Properties

Properties that are too large to be watered in a single day may apply for a variance from the City’s watering restrictions. A variance granted under this subsection may allow the applicant to water each section no more than two times per week, with no watering between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Note: Stage 2 restrictions take effect August 24, 2009 until further notice. Large properties with existing variances do not need to reapply, but may water each section of property no more than once per week, as follows:

• Sections currently authorized to water on Tue/Fri — water on Tuesday
• Sections currently authorized to water on Wed/Sat — water on Wednesday
• Sections currently authorized to water on Thurs/Sun — water on Thursday

Request for Variance to Water Large Residential Properties

Request for Variance to Water Large Commercial & Multifamily Properties

Athletic Fields

Athletic fields may request a variance to allow the use of an automatic irrigation system between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to suppress dust on the infields prior to games. This variance does not allow for irrigation of turf areas unless incidental to the infield head/zone locations.

Athletic fields may also request a variance from the Tuesday/Friday watering schedule when these days conflict with scheduled games and would result in an unsafe or unplayable surface.

Note: Stage 2 restrictions take effect August 24, 2009 until further notice. Athletic fields may apply for a variance to water up to twice per week to ensure safe playing conditions. A Stage 2 Variance form will be posted soon.

Request for Irrigation Variance for Athletic Fields – Dust Abatement

Request for Irrigation Variance for Athletic Fields – Watering Days

Health and Safety

Customers may request a variance to use an automatic irrigation system during the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. for health and safety reasons. This variance is particularly for, but not limited to, fertilizer or pesticide applications.

Request for Irrigation Variance for Health and Safety

Pressure Washing

Washing driveways, sidewalks or other paved surfaces is prohibited in Stage 2 except to alleviate an immediate threat to public health or safety. Washing of commercial establishments is permitted where health/safety is an issue, such as around fuel pumps or areas around trash containers. Washing to remove debris or trash is not allowed. Pressure washing of houses is not allowed, except by businesses whose primary source of income is pressure washing. Variances will not be granted for businesses that were not in operation prior to the implementation of Stage 2 restrictions. Employees of businesses granted a variance for pressure washing must carry a copy of the approved application form with them while operating.

Pressure Washing Business Variance Request

If I see a neighbor in violation of the watering ordinance, what do I do?

The best thing to do is to give the City of Austin’s Water Conservation Department a call at 974-2199, email watercon *at* ci.austin.tx.us, or use our online reporting form. Please provide us with as much information as you can (address, time, date, location, type of violation).

I was recently interviewed by Fox 7 news regarding a new Craigslist scam that used my own home (that is for sale) as bait. Moral of the story is be careful who you’re dealing with!

It’s official, my real estate license has been upgraded from Salesperson to Broker.  What’s the significance?  I have proved to our licensing authority through additonal education, experience, and testing that I am worthy of full real estate Broker’s license.  I now have more rights in the state of Texas and with the Realtor associations.

I no longer need to work for a Brokerage and have earned the right to open my own, but I will be staying with BridgeOne Properties because I have great support there and it is the kind of company I would want to create anyway.

I now have rights to more statistical information and some MLS API that will make this site better.  It will take some time to make the improvements, but I am very excited about them.

Austin Home Pro is Improving Again!

There are bad apples in Real Estate, we all know that!  There is plenty of greed, incompetence, disloyalty, and plenty of other less than honest traits in this business — on both sides of the table.

The struggling state of the economy brings out the best and the worst in people.  In our best efforts to be untra-responsible and conservative with our dwindling funds, we’re looking for the best deal, the best freebies, and are really looking out for number 1.

Here’s why this reaction to panic is hurting us rather than helping us: The best deals, best customer service, and best prices come from the best working relationships.  If you don’t trust your Realtor® (or CPA, or Doctor, or lawyer…) find one that you do trust to work hard to help you meet your personal and financial goals.  This may not be your son-in-law or your best friends daughter!

Loyalty and trust are needed for the best marriages and the best business relationships. The person who can give you their best efforts, best knowledge, and hardest work is the person to whom you are honest, open, and loyal to.  If you are constantly shopping around for not just goods, but people, you burn bridges that could be the best deal in the long run.

Why you have to be loyal to your Realtor®: I know it sounds like a really fun job, and it is.  But it also takes a great deal of knowledge and hard work that you don’t see.  A good agent spends hours, days, weeks, or even months putting in the time and research for you.  A good agent spends a great deal of time and money on resources that help serve you better, plus gas money and advertising.  If you cheat on your Realtor®, they have no incentive to put in the extra effort because no one, not eve those of us in the Real Estate biz, can work for free right now.

A great relationship with a great Realtor® can go very far.  Real Estate is one of the most popular and proven ways to build wealth.  If you’re good at what you do, keep doing it.  If you find a great agent, keep ‘em.  If you have a long, loyal relationship with your agent (or any professional for that matter), they will always be looking out for you, helping you, and if you’re one of their biggest fans, they will be one of your biggest fans as well.

We are human and hungry too. I know there are plenty of agents running around flaunting wealth (that they may not even have) that give you the impression that we make money in our sleep, but I assure you that anyone actually making a strong living in this business (the average Realtor makes around $55k/year working 40 hours/week) is working their butts off just like you.  It’s stressful when things are down, we also have bills to pay, and it still burns when you use us and toss us away.

I hear so many stories lately about unfaithful clients and unfair practices between the buying and selling agents and even with their own clients.  If you want the best service, be the best customer.  Be open, honest, and loyal, and you will receive a wealth of knowledge and hard work in return.  We will be working around the clock to make sure that your goals are met to the absolute best possible extent.

This doesn’t just go for Real Estate. If you’re struggling, you are absolutely not the only one.  Don’t forget that.  No matter how green the grass on the other side of the fence looks, it doesn’t mean that it’s getting watered for free.  We all react differently to stress and uncertianty, some of us hide it better than others, but the American Dream is still about hard work and great relationships between two parties that each have something to offer.

An example… As you may know I work heavily in the construction industry in addition to sales and consulting.  In 2005 and 2006, business was absolutely booming.  It was hard to find a framer, landscaper, or other workers that could show up in a timely fashion, do the work for a good price, and do the work well.  Those who worked hard to maintain a strong relationship with us are now the ones we choose even when every plumber, electrician, and welder on the block knocking down our door for work.  No matter what the circumstances, be human and treat others as humans.

</rant>

In the hectic buzz of daily business, it’s easy to sometimes get caught up in the fuss and to forget why my job is great.  Let me take this moment to tell you why I love what I do for a living, and why I am greatful for the amazing relationships that have grown from my career.

I am currently represending a seller with a listing here in Austin that expired recently.  We allowed the listing to expire while some changes were made to the property even though we are renewing the listing.  Now, I know the market is down, but they received more calls than I could have imagined soliciting the expired listings (Do-not-call did not apply as the property is owned by a company).  I was hugely surprised at the lack of tact and at some of the names that were calling.  My sellers reported to me regularly, taking the entire experience with laughter rather than frustration, which is exactly the type of working relationship that I hope for.  I warned them that the phones would be ringing off their hooks and that their mailbox would be full, but even I was surprised both at how many #1 agents there are in Austin as well as how hungry these #1 agents are (especially for luxury listings).  I was even with my clients as they received several of these phone calls and it was obvious that they would never even consider considering anyone else.

It was through this experience that I realized that I had accomplished exactly what I set out to do.  I don’t want to be everyone’s agent.  I don’t want to be a part of every sale.  I set out to develop great, lasting relationships with the kind of people that can appreciate all of the work I do and who will stand by me.

With the image of Realtors hovering near shady used-car salesman, I just wanted to stand out in the crowd and attract those who value my services and my hard work (because I really do work hard!).  I’m not one who will use dishonesty to get what I want, and I feel that the services I provide do hold a great deal of value to my clients who save and make more money will less headache.  I’m not here to make a quick buck, I’m here for the long haul and to be the expert that serious clients can turn to.

So thank you, for reminding me that I am appreciated as much as I appreciate you!  I do it for the love and the money because this is the business I grew up immersed in and know as well as I know myself.

I’ve had an influx of emails from other local Realtors® lately asking why I use one service or another. First of all, I’m a very frugal person. Stay tuned for Monday’s post for more on that topic. I search high and low for the best resources to use on my site that will provide you, the visitor, with information that will aid you in your quest for understanding our market and finding not only the perfect property, but also the perfect deal.

I find that many real estate agents spend more time worrying about their PageRank and keywords than they do about aiding buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. No matter what business you’re in, don’t let Google take over. After all, the Google code of conduct is simply “Don’t be Evil.” Google may not be evil. After all, the corporate mission statement is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” But not everyone plays by the rules, and certainly not everyone conducts business in an ethical way. And Google knows this, which is why the complex algorithms that Google employs are constantly updated and tweeked. The best site is not always the site with the best financial backing or the one that hired a firm for their Google placement.  In fact, most firms that claim to be able to improve your PageRank can’t and really have no intention of doing so.  Even those who are valid companies can only improve your rankings if you have a legitimate site, right?  It’s supposed to all be about content and often it is.  Corporations are learning how to trick Google in order to be placed higher in search results while Google in turn works to improve algorithms to compete these tricks.  It’s a constant battle, and the deeper into bed a company gets with Google, the less (I would guess) that Google would care even though that is a tad evil.  But they are, indeed, first and foremost, a mass-advertising company.  Spend a ton of money with Google and viola, better results for less work (albeit more money).  The image credit for the photo in this paragraph goes to Future Now.

So how does this relate to the emails I receive from other agents and the third-party services on my website?  Real estate is a maliciously competitive industry, especially in these times when agents need to actually work their asses off to make a buck.  Many agents spend countless hours optimizing their sites for Google and many spend thousands of dollars on services promising to do this for them.  The key to high placement in Google appears to be a great combination of keyword-dense articles and links pointing to the site, but Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, cannot be learned in one day and techniques are dynamically changing constantly.

Although this site officially launched as LiveAustinRealEstate.com early this past May, it is already climbing in popularity and Google, as well as my competition, as taken notice.  I have a large amount of agent traffic coming from various agent resource sites that I am active with.  Everyone likes to see what is on other agents’ websites to get ideas for how to improve on their own (naturally).

Here’s where Trulia comes in.  I use Trulia for both the resources on their website as well as for features on my own website.  First of all, Trulia provides me with listing RSS feeds which even our own national, state, and local board of Realtors® won’t do.  I’d love to feature listings from austinhomesearch.com or realtor.com, but the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is stingy and won’t provide me with this tool.  Using Trulia’s RSS feed sends them traffic and creates links to their site from mine, thus boosting their apparent usefulness and popularity with Google and ranking them higher among your search results.  In addition to Trulia’s RSS feeds, I also use a free widget that displays a graph of home sales.  Although their statistics aren’t as accurate as those from NAR, the Austin Board of Realtors® (ABOR), or Texas A&M, these organizations do not provide me with a quick and easy way to get you, the consumer, the information.  I have a new system in the works, but have been unable to complete the project because my first priority in my business is my clients.  I have some incredible (but challenging) listings right now that need all the exposure that I can get them and I have buyers with some challenging goals and needs.

In addition to the services on my site, Trulia’s strategic methods to place high in a Google search make me want to promote my listings with them.  In fact, all of my listings are featured with Trulia among many other services.  They do a great job of helping me insure that my listings are found by buyers searching in Google and other search engines.

Like Trulia, RealBird has tools that help me run my business effectively and efficiently.  It saves me time by again, providing me with an RSS feed of my listings as well as great listing websites that I can create quickly and efficiently.  These tools allow me to spend my time with more activities, such as promoting my listings and their websites through various other services, my own website, and through my network.  To see what these site look like, visit my 2012 Cueva de Oro, Austin, Tx  78746 listing site.  Their templates are far superior to other sites and aside from that, they don’t charge me an arm and a leg for this service.  I receive so many solicitations for the “best” service out there for Realtors® you wouldn’t believe it.  They all just want a piece of my pocket, and like I said earlier, I’m frugal and spend each penny carefully.  I want the best return for my dollar because it’s the best return for my clients as well.

In addition to the RSS feeds and listing websites, RealBird offers several widgets and services.  One that I use is their map view of my listings.  I find this extremely useful for my website because it provides a quick overview of what I have to offer the consumer and they can quickly link to more information about these properties via my listing websites.

And there are others, like the Altos Research graph at the top of the sidebar, but Trulia and RealBird are the ones I am most frequently asked about.

Agents ask me why I link back to these services without using a “nofollow” tag.  I feel it is ethical to link back to a website providing me and my consumers with a service.  Sure, it may give them a higher Google ranking, but I feel they’ve earned it.  I’ve been working on some widgets myself, and you’d better believe that they will link back to my site for the work I put into coding them!  So many people feel that they should have something for nothing; a mentality that I believe is encouraged by the vast amount of free information to be gained on the internet.  I may be stubborn, but I’m sticking to my principles on this one.  If a site deserves it, I believe that it will have a consistent ranking earned through organic means.  Some site may be at the top now, but they won’t necessarily sustain that placement.  You have to earn your placement as well as the right to stay there.

And if I ever use anything of value from you or your website, you will get proper credit!

In my business I put my clients and prospective clients first.  That means marketing properties and delivering pertinent and useful information first.  I firmly believe that this mentality is what has me climbing the Google ladder and that it will keep me there as long as I work as hard as I do to keep my priorities in aliment with my future success.

My business is still referral-based and I plan on keeping it that way. When my business becomes Google-based, I’m letting Google run my business.  Google doesn’t know Austin Real Estate, just where to find information about it.  They don’t do the real work in my business I do.  It’s still about the services I provide, which includes but is not limited to optimizing listings for search engine placement.

Further Reading
Google, stop lying to us

Now have a great weekend!