Southwest Austin - Dripping Springs Edition | July 2025

Real estate

BY HALEY MCLEOD & ELLE BENT

Q&A: Austin realtor shares tips on buying a rst home Buying a house for the rst time can be daunting. Community Impact spoke with Justin Coeld, a Real- tor based in Southwest Austin, to discuss key things rst-time homebuyers should know. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Read the full interview on www.communityimpact.com. What’s the rst step a rst-time homebuyer should take before looking at homes? down payment, but dicult to do. If a rst-time homebuyer can save a minimum of 3.5% of pur- chase price and closing costs, that’s a great starting place. Sometimes money can be negotiated from a seller to help cover things like closing costs, repairs or a mortgage rate buy-down. How competitive is the Austin-area market for entry-level homes?

COURTESY JUSTIN COFIELD

Consult with a trusted Realtor and connect with a lender to discuss options and a timeline. These will be great team members for you in buying a home. Any experienced Realtor should have several lenders that they work with and can recommend. Nothing happens without a plan, and the earlier you can get with a trusted Realtor to make a plan, the smoother things will go. How much should buyers budget for things beyond the down payment, like inspections or closing costs? Twenty percent down is always amazing as a

The current market is fairly competitive for entry level homes, but there are currently lots of options. Austin has a tremendous inventory, and buyers have almost too many choices. There are a lot of sellers willing to make deals to sell their home right now. What should rst-time buyers prioritize in a home search? Priorities in a homes search should include location, schools and development because they all aect resale value. You want the home to t where you want to live, but these factors denitely aect

resale as well. Condition is a factor but can always be mitigated, meaning you can always x broken things and do “add value” projects to a home to increase its value or resale appeal. Proximity to groceries, restaurants, development and schools are all great factors in choosing a home. Watch out for things like railroad tracks, ight paths and being too close to undesirable commercial development like a tire shop, waste facility or nightclubs.

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