Julie Nelson

We would be honored to be on the list of agents being interviewed for the job. We are one of the top teams in the largest real estate office in Austin but, more importantly, we're professional, experienced, attentive and know these neighborhoods well. I personally live in NW Hills and know that like the back of my hand and we do a lot of central Austin work. We currently have one listing in Westlake http://(www.1617Cabinwood.com) and have sold or purchased numerous properties in Barton Hills / Zilker http://(www.TNPsold.com). You can also check us out (pre-interview) online at http://www.TNPblog.com, http://www.TheNelsonProject.com and http://www.searchAtown.com. Our unofficial motto or mantra is that we specialize in nice people (it works, that seems to be what we attract) but bottom line is we aggressively get the job done and know how to be effective in the new Austin market. - Wed Nov 19 2008, 10:08

Lexi,
Now that you've had a flood of responses, 7 of the 10 from Austin Realtors, I'll try to add something of value to you not already presented. The Eanes school district is very much sought after in Austin but many cannot afford it. Your $700k-$800k range can certainly work in Eanes, but it can also work in Austin. School options (and your perception thereof) can vary significantly on the age of your children as there are some high ranked Austin schools and private options. The link Betina gave below is a good one as is this one: http://www.austinlinks.com/austin_education/. We currently have this house on the market in Westlake, walk to Barton Creek greenbelt, 10 minutes to downtown, Eanes schools: http://www.1617Cabinwood.com. We are accustomed to helping new families first understand the city and your options, then helping you make a solid real estate decision that meets your needs. We are a team of 5 professionals including 2 buyer specialists and would be happy to help. - Mon Nov 17 2008, 12:56

Best place is the book "The Millionaire Real Estate Agent". This book is a compilation of interviewing the top producing agents in the country (regardless of broker/firm) and identifying the patterns, tools, business plans etc and creating a model.
http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Real-Estate-Agent-Money-It… - Mon Nov 17 2008, 06:20

Shift, by Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, Jay Papasan
http://www.amazon.com/SHIFT-Estate-Agents-PAPERBACK-Milliona… - Mon Nov 10 2008, 05:32

First, one thing we are seeing is that banks are so backed up on short-sale, pre-foreclosure and foreclosure and what may be perceived as lack of interest or the realtor not pushing enough may simply be that property is one on a very long list on some administrators desk at x mortgage company. It can take weeks for the bank to return your call.

Second, if the Realtor has a written reprensentation agreement with a particular party (the buyer or the seller), that Realtor (at least in TX) has a legal and ethical responsbilitly to look after that parties financial interest before anything else. This business, as with many, is very much referral based and an agent who does not strictly abide to this responsibility will not last long in real estate. - Mon Nov 10 2008, 05:28