Austin Real Estate

This month, for our Inspired by Song! group contest, the theme is "Inspired by Heroes".  It is appropriate in light of the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks tomorrow.  For me, September 10th has a very special significance as well.  You see, today was my grandfather's birthday.  He passed away over nine years ago, but he would have been 103 years old today. 

I wrote a post about him almost one year ago called "What Makes a Man a Real Man?  Lessons from my Grandpa" that I would like to share again here, in its entirety.  After that, I wrote about the song that I picked.  Sorry it's so long - I have found that when I just provide a link, people usually skim past it.  Thanks.

My grandfather passed away in 1999, and I still miss him.  He was 93 when he died, so there was no doubt that he lived a "full life", as people like to say.  Simply put, he was one of the greatest men that I have ever known.

This is a picture of him holding me when I was about two years old.  It's faded now, and my mom actually took it to be retouched professionally, because she knows how important it is to me.  It is probably my favorite picture from my childhood, because you can see the love he had for me, and me for him.

What was it about him that made him a man of greatness?  Was it his money?  Hardly.  He never had much money, yet he and my grandmother managed to scrape together enough to buy my first two cars for me.  He never once complained about money, although in retrospect they were really quite poor by worldly standards.  I never even thought about it growing up.

Was it his career that made him a great man?  Well, he was already retired when I was born, so I never saw him work for money in the time that I knew him.  He was primarily a househusband, as it were.  My grandmother worked at a dime store until she was in her late 70's.  He had always worked in manual labor-type jobs.  He actually helped to build the old harbor bridge in Corpus Christi, then he worked as an operator for the drawbridge itself.  My mom has told me stories of visiting him when she was a kid, and they would fish out of his "office" window. 

Was it fame that shaped his greatness?  Well, he wasn't well known outside of his immediate family and a few friends, yet he impacted me in ways that I can't begin to describe in

 

 

the confines of this post. 

Was it a strong education that made him so great?  Not really.  My Grandpa didn't go beyond the sixth grade in school, but he was an ingenious inventor.  He was always coming up with some device to make life a little easier around the house and garage.  He was also able to intuit things about his car that mechanics have a tough time with.  Honestly, I wish I had learned more in that arena from him (I am not very handy at all). 

My grandfather was primarily characterized by his love for us, and by his humility and his strong marriage (64 years).  He met my grandmother in November 1934 and they married less than three weeks later, yet I have never seen a marriage as strong as theirs was.  He was devoted, loyal, sensitive, funny, and I loved him deeply and dearly.   I never felt the generation gap that so often occurs with grandparents, even though we were separated by 65 years.

He used to pick me up from school every day because my mom was working, and we would go to his house and hang out for a few hours until my mom could come pick me up.  Usually, he would make me a grilled cheese sandwich and some homemade fries, or maybe some Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  Sometimes, when I was really lucky, he would make some homemade ice cream, using the old handcrank machine.  We would talk and watch TV together, (usually syndicated sitcoms like "Gilligan's Island", "Happy Days", or "Andy Griffith").  He took me to soccer practice, and he was just always there....until the day that he wasn't anymore.

One of the greatest compliments that I have ever received was when my mother told me that I was just like him.  She still tells me that on occasion, probably because she knows that emulating him is a goal that I really aspire to in my own life.  At some point, I will probably write about the week that he died, because it was one of the hardest that I have ever experienced, as it coincided with a surgery for my son, who was just five months old at the time.  Those days deserve a post of their own.

What made my grandpa such a "real man" in my eyes was the love he shared and the memories he shaped.  Since my real father was absent, he filled a huge void and truly helped to mold me into the man I am today.  This is true greatness.  We are not defined by the amount of money we make or the number of sales we have, but by the legacy we leave behind with our families and friends.  I hope I can live my life as he did.  He was a real man.

As you can see from my previous post, my grandfather was very important to me and my life. 

 

 

I was thinking about songs that remind me of him.  I could have used "Wind Beneath my Wings" easily here, but I wanted something a little different. 

Back in 2003, Luther Vandross released what would become his final CD, "Dance With My Father".  Although I had never purchased anything by Mr. Vandross, the title track hit a place deep within me, so I picked up the CD.  Come to think of it, I hardly listened to any of the other songs at all.  I came across it the other day when I was cleaning my glove compartment, and I listened to this song again.  As always, it managed to elicit tears.  There are multiple meanings for me when I hear the lyrics.  I hear this song as a father of three trying to create memories with my own children, as a boy who grew up barely knowing his biological father, and as one thankful for the man who stepped in and took my father's place, my grandpa.

Enough time has passed that I can think of my grandfather without pain, but I truly miss him.  I have so many good memories of our time together, and if I am half the man that he was, I am a success.  When he passed away, I told my mom that I was never so sure about someone being in heaven as I was about Grandpa. 

So much of this song reminds me of our relationship, even though he was in his late 60's already when my earliest memories were forming of him.  He loved to joke around with me, and play with me, and teach me in a quiet way about what integrity means.  I never saw him lose his temper unless there was a darn good reason.  I just realized that this was a great portrait of "righteous indignation" portrayed in the Bible.  Lest you think he was perfect, I should also mention that he was a shameless flirt, and I almost never saw him talking to a younger, attractive woman without a gleam in his eye. 

He deeply loved my grandmother, my mom, and me, and he left a real legacy behind with his actions and his simple outlook on life and family. 

Here's the song I have chosen to dedicate to my grandfather on his birthday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5AT0zM3fRs&feature=related

 

This month, for our Inspired by Song! group contest, the theme is "Inspired by Heroes".  It is appropriate in light of the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks tomorrow.  For me, September 10th has a very special significance as well.  You see, today was my grandfather's birthday.  He passed away over nine years ago, but he would have been 103 years old today. 

I wrote a post about him almost one year ago called "What Makes a Man a Real Man?  Lessons from my Grandpa" that I would like to share again here, in its entirety.  After that, I wrote about the song that I picked.  Sorry it's so long - I have found that when I just provide a link, people usually skim past it.  Thanks.

My grandfather passed away in 1999, and I still miss him.  He was 93 when he died, so there was no doubt that he lived a "full life", as people like to say.  Simply put, he was one of the greatest men that I have ever known.

This is a picture of him holding me when I was about two years old.  It's faded now, and my mom actually took it to be retouched professionally, because she knows how important it is to me.  It is probably my favorite picture from my childhood, because you can see the love he had for me, and me for him.

What was it about him that made him a man of greatness?  Was it his money?  Hardly.  He never had much money, yet he and my grandmother managed to scrape together enough to buy my first two cars for me.  He never once complained about money, although in retrospect they were really quite poor by worldly standards.  I never even thought about it growing up.

Was it his career that made him a great man?  Well, he was already retired when I was born, so I never saw him work for money in the time that I knew him.  He was primarily a househusband, as it were.  My grandmother worked at a dime store until she was in her late 70's.  He had always worked in manual labor-type jobs.  He actually helped to build the old harbor bridge in Corpus Christi, then he worked as an operator for the drawbridge itself.  My mom has told me stories of visiting him when she was a kid, and they would fish out of his "office" window. 

Was it fame that shaped his greatness?  Well, he wasn't well known outside of his immediate family and a few friends, yet he impacted me in ways that I can't begin to describe in

 

 

the confines of this post. 

Was it a strong education that made him so great?  Not really.  My Grandpa didn't go beyond the sixth grade in school, but he was an ingenious inventor.  He was always coming up with some device to make life a little easier around the house and garage.  He was also able to intuit things about his car that mechanics have a tough time with.  Honestly, I wish I had learned more in that arena from him (I am not very handy at all). 

My grandfather was primarily characterized by his love for us, and by his humility and his strong marriage (64 years).  He met my grandmother in November 1934 and they married less than three weeks later, yet I have never seen a marriage as strong as theirs was.  He was devoted, loyal, sensitive, funny, and I loved him deeply and dearly.   I never felt the generation gap that so often occurs with grandparents, even though we were separated by 65 years.

He used to pick me up from school every day because my mom was working, and we would go to his house and hang out for a few hours until my mom could come pick me up.  Usually, he would make me a grilled cheese sandwich and some homemade fries, or maybe some Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  Sometimes, when I was really lucky, he would make some homemade ice cream, using the old handcrank machine.  We would talk and watch TV together, (usually syndicated sitcoms like "Gilligan's Island", "Happy Days", or "Andy Griffith").  He took me to soccer practice, and he was just always there....until the day that he wasn't anymore.

One of the greatest compliments that I have ever received was when my mother told me that I was just like him.  She still tells me that on occasion, probably because she knows that emulating him is a goal that I really aspire to in my own life.  At some point, I will probably write about the week that he died, because it was one of the hardest that I have ever experienced, as it coincided with a surgery for my son, who was just five months old at the time.  Those days deserve a post of their own.

What made my grandpa such a "real man" in my eyes was the love he shared and the memories he shaped.  Since my real father was absent, he filled a huge void and truly helped to mold me into the man I am today.  This is true greatness.  We are not defined by the amount of money we make or the number of sales we have, but by the legacy we leave behind with our families and friends.  I hope I can live my life as he did.  He was a real man.

As you can see from my previous post, my grandfather was very important to me and my life. 

 

 

I was thinking about songs that remind me of him.  I could have used "Wind Beneath my Wings" easily here, but I wanted something a little different. 

Back in 2003, Luther Vandross released what would become his final CD, "Dance With My Father".  Although I had never purchased anything by Mr. Vandross, the title track hit a place deep within me, so I picked up the CD.  Come to think of it, I hardly listened to any of the other songs at all.  I came across it the other day when I was cleaning my glove compartment, and I listened to this song again.  As always, it managed to elicit tears.  There are multiple meanings for me when I hear the lyrics.  I hear this song as a father of three trying to create memories with my own children, as a boy who grew up barely knowing his biological father, and as one thankful for the man who stepped in and took my father's place, my grandpa.

Enough time has passed that I can think of my grandfather without pain, but I truly miss him.  I have so many good memories of our time together, and if I am half the man that he was, I am a success.  When he passed away, I told my mom that I was never so sure about someone being in heaven as I was about Grandpa. 

So much of this song reminds me of our relationship, even though he was in his late 60's already when my earliest memories were forming of him.  He loved to joke around with me, and play with me, and teach me in a quiet way about what integrity means.  I never saw him lose his temper unless there was a darn good reason.  I just realized that this was a great portrait of "righteous indignation" portrayed in the Bible.  Lest you think he was perfect, I should also mention that he was a shameless flirt, and I almost never saw him talking to a younger, attractive woman without a gleam in his eye. 

He deeply loved my grandmother, my mom, and me, and he left a real legacy behind with his actions and his simple outlook on life and family. 

Here's the song I have chosen to dedicate to my grandfather on his birthday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5AT0zM3fRs&feature=related

As a 13-year resident of Pflugerville, Texas (located immediately adjacent to north Austin), I have seen a lot of growth occur here over the years.  I remember doing a real estate marketing piece in 1997, which was my first year in the business.  That year, they had recently replaced the population sign for our town, which used to read 4,444.  I believe this was for the 1990 census figures.  As I recall, the population then was around 11,000, so I was happy to point to our growth as a sign of things to come.

 

In 2000, the population was around 16,500, and it has since increased by more than 100% since then, to over 35,400 this past year.

Projected growth shows Pflugerville doubling again over the next decade, and tripling in size by 2025. 

Many people are not aware that the popular television show "Friday Night Lights" is filmed right here in town.  Fictional Dillon, Texas is actually Pflugerville.  In fact, they even use the same mascot name, the Panthers.  The real life Panthers recently competed in the Texas State High School Championship game.

With the advent of two new toll roads that converge about 1.5 miles from my home, we are now able to get just about anywhere of interest for shopping within 10-15 minutes, and my commute time to my office in west Austin was cut from 40 to about 26 minutes. 

 

Located at the intersection of the aforementioned toll roads (45 and 130), Stone Hill Town Center is slated to

open within a few months, and it promises over 1,000,000 square feet of shopping and entertainment.  Home Depot, Best Buy, Chili's, several retail clothing stores, a large theater, and a fitness center are among the anticipated tenants. 

I am happy that we bought our home here five years ago, as prices are on the rise and the outlook is bright for Pflugerville real estate. 

If you would like to search Austin real estate, please visit my website at www.austintexashomes.com.  Feel free to call me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or email me at jason@austintexashomes.com.

Jason Crouch, Broker/Owner - Austin Texas Homes, LLC

 

A few mornings ago, I was getting some cereal for my six-year old daughter, and she said something that stuck with me, both because it seemed very observant and because it provides an interesting lesson for all of us in real estate. 

"Dada, did you ever notice that every cereal box talks about how its cereal tastes the best?"

"Yes, I did.  What do you think about that?", I replied.

"I guess they want everyone to buy their cereal."   True enough.

 

I thought about this brief conversation a little bit, and I realized that the approach that these companies use to sell children's cereal is often the same one that we use as agents to sell our services.  How many times have you seen these phrases on real estate ads (perhaps even your own):

As one of the area's top-producing agents, I....

Best Realtor in Austin, Texas!

John Q. Agent - The top choice for sellers throughout the Spring Valley area.

Please understand, there is nothing inherently wrong with these selling points, but do they really do much to help these particular agents to stand out in the marketplace?  Aren't they all really just another cereal box proclaiming to be the best?  Isn't "best" a pretty subjective word anyway?  I think that the general public responds better to conversational ads rather than corporate-sounding generalities.  It lends credence to any advertising in my opinion. 

To that end, I am giving some thought to using more overtly honest themes throughout my website and my advertising efforts.  Maybe something along the lines of,

"I have been in Austin real estate full-time for 11 years now.  There are certainly others who have sold more homes than I have, but you would be hard-pressed to find an agent with more integrity than me.  I would rather talk you out of a home purchase or an offer on your home than to assist you in making a bad decision."

 

If you would like to search Austin real estate, please visit my website at www.austintexashomes.com.  Feel free to call me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or email me at jason@austintexashomes.com.

Jason Crouch, Broker/Owner - Austin Texas Homes, LLC

I have noticed an odd and somewhat disturbing trend in my real estate career, both when dealing with clients and with fellow agents.  If you do not agree, that is certainly your prerogative.  This is not a hard and fast rule, but rather a personal observation. 

Here it is:

If someone proclaims that they are a certain type of person, they probably aren't like that at all. 

What?!?  What are you talking about, Crouch?

Perhaps a few examples will help to flesh out this idea a bit more. 

Sometimes, buyer clients say something like, "I am really loyal.  You don't have anything to worry about."  Be afraid.  Be very afraid.  Almost every time that I have heard this coming from a client, they later betrayed me.  Not always, of course, but often enough that it gives me pause. 

 

If I am interviewing an agent, I cringe inswardly if I hear them say, "I am a people person."  You may be asking why this is the case.  Well, when people are really good working with others, it shines through and there is no need to say anything about their skills in that area.  Instead, I have found that those who actually say this are some of the worst "people people" around. 

Lastly, RUN away from ANY client who states, "I'm not trying to be a jerk (or insert any other similar word here)".  In 11 years of selling homes in Austin, this phrase is the quickest single identifier of jerks.  The statement itself is true - they aren't TRYING to be jerks, they just ARE. 

 

If you would like to search Austin real estate, please visit my website at www.austintexashomes.com.  Feel free to call me anytime on my cell phone at 512-796-7653 or email me at jason@austintexashomes.com.

Jason Crouch, Broker/Owner - Austin Texas Homes, LLC