Bill Evans - A Pretty Good Real Estate Broker.

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Bill Evans Austin Real Pros

Word of the day! What's Bill up to right now?

Fun is where all of the important stuff happens.

365 Days of Bill Lucky Bill

About Austin

I can think of no better place to be than Austin, Texas! Here is some important information you can use about our City and State.

  • The Austin metropolitan area is home to seven area colleges and universities with more than 100,000 students enrolled.
  • Texas has no state property tax. Property tax for Austin totals about $2.67 per $100 of assessed value
  • Austin commute time in the Austin area on primary access routes is 15-20 minutes. Austin is served by several major highways, with major expansions underway, and future roadways planned.
  • Austin ranks as the 16th largest city in the United States.
  • Austin's expanding health care system rivals that found in any major metropolitan area. Recent expansions of area medical centers bring the total number of beds available to more than 2,500.
  • There are over 1,500 licensed physicians and over 5,000 registered nurses in the Austin-San Marcos MSA. Twelve major hospitals and one children's hospital offer the most recent technology available.
  • There is no personal income tax, and there is no state corporate income tax.
  • The city receives its water supply from the Colorado River, and supplies treated water to residential and commercial customers within the corporate limits of the city.
  • The climate of Austin is humid subtropical with hot summers. Winters are mild, with below freezing temperatures occurring on an average of less than 25 days per year.
  • Sales tax for the city of Austin is 8.25%
  • The violent crime rate is low, with 346 instances per 100,000 inhabitants
  • Austin benefits from a 150 mile chain of lakes created by series of seven dams along the Colorado River. This chain of clear water lakes is called the Highland Lakes

Rants and Raves

When I started making my house-buying intentions known, a trusted friend at work recommended her REALTOR®, Bill Evans. Bill quickly zeroed in on the type of property that I desired. Soon, we found exactly what was right for me. Shortly afterwards, I'm in my first home as a homeowner. I've heard many stories about the complexity and pitfalls of house-purchasing. My experience with Bill was exactly the opposite. It was a fast, pleasant and surprisingly easy process. Bill was a fantastic guide!

- Mike W.

Bill made buying a house FUN and was wonderful to work with! We really appreciate that he followed up with us even after the closing. If my friends or family ever need a house, we'll send them to Bill.

- Troy and Jennifer

Selling a house and buying a new one is stressful enough, but when I was 6 months pregnant and terrified!!! I shouldn't have worried because Bill made it painless and fun. He handled all the details, so that my husband and I could concentrate on the new arrival and the new home. Following his advice we managed to sell our home and move into a new one all within two months! He's a miracle worker. Now I only wish he could make child birth as pain free.

- Michele Walker-Moak, Project Manager, Community Affairs - Applied Materials

CRS, GRI, ABR/M, SRES

Have you ever noticed those mysterious letters after REALTORS® names? There is really no mystery to it. Those initials are professional designations the REALTOR® has earned through continuing education. No more mystery.

What is CRS?

The Council of Residential Specialists is the largest not-for-profit affiliate of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. It is composed of over 40,000 Certified Residential Specialists and general members and was created to provide superior member benefits which enable residential specialists to maximize their professional performance. The Council was founded in 1976 and has four objectives:

  • To enhance members' continuing competence through providing superior educational opportunities in a cost-effective manner.
  • To provide and promote benefits which enhance the economic value of membership in the Council.
  • To create and maintain organizational systems to ensure the integrity of the Council.
  • To create and maintain procedures to ensure a standard of excellence that is required for earning and maintaining the
CRS Designation. Only 5% of REALTORS® have the Certified Residential Specialist designation.

What is ABR®?

The Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate BUYERS AGENT Council (REBAC) of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® who met the specified educational and practical experience criteria. The criteria are:

  • Completed the comprehensive REBAC course in buyer representation
  • Successfully passed a written examination
  • Demonstrated a practical experience of having completed real estate transactions in the field of buyer representation
  • Received recommendations from the real estate practitioners buyer clients.
  • Be a member in good standing with the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

What is NARPM?

NARPM is an association of real estate professionals who know first-hand the unique problems and challenges of managing single-family and small residential properties.It offers an effective, professional learning environment for owners of property management companies, property managers, and their support staff.

What is GRI?

GRI stands for Graduate, REALTOR® Institute. GRI is one of the most widely recognized designations available to real estate professionals nationwide, and only those REALTORS® who successfully complete GRI courses 1, 2 and 3 have the privilege of joining the prestigious group of REALTOR® Institute graduates.

What is SRES?

SRES® is a designation awarded by the Senior Advantage Real Estate Council®, and is the only designation and marketing program specifically designed to serve senior property owners. SRES® designees demonstrate requisite knowledge and expertise to counsel senior clients through the major financial and lifestyle transitions involved in relocating, refinancing or selling a home.

REALTOR® Ethics

Under All is the Land

The Code of Ethics of the National Association of REALTORS® was first adopted on July 29, 1913, and it has changed many times since then.The Code was known then as "Rules of Conduct" to be recommended to real estate boards for voluntary adoption.Compliance with the Code was made a condition of membership in the National Association of REALTORS® in 1924, and has remained so until now.

Ethics play a role in each of our lives on a daily basis, whether it is concerning something as small as telling a "little white lie" or as large as not notifying the cashier that they did not charge you the correct price for a grocery item.

Statistically speaking, the longer a REALTOR® has been in business, the less ethical he or she is, and the more money a REALTOR® earns, the less ethical he or she is. I believe it is important for any REALTOR® to think about and consider this fact every day, and during every transaction.

I WILL DO THE RIGHT THING, EVEN WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING!

You do not hear much about ethics when you have a discussion with a REALTOR®, but ethics is a very large part of my professional approach to real estate.Among other courses, I am authorized by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) to teach the Ethics mandatory continuing education course, as promulgated by TREC, to real estate sales persons and REALTORS® in the State of Texas.

All REALTORS® take a pledge to adhere to the following:

Duties to Clients and Customers

  • Protect and promote your client's interests, but be honest with ALL parties.
  • Avoid exaggeration, misrepresentations, and concealment of pertinent facts. Do not reveal facts that are confidential under the scope of the Agency Relationship.
  • Cooperate with other real estate professionals to advance the client's best interests.
  • When buying or selling, make your position in the transaction or interest known.
  • Disclose your own present or contemplated interest in any property to all parties.
  • Do not participate in any "side deals" without the client's informed consent.
  • Accept compensation from only one party, except with full disclosure and informed consent.
  • Keep the funds of clients and customers in escrow, separate from your own funds.
  • Assure, whenever possible, that ALL transactional details are in writing.

Duties to the Public

  • Provide equal service to ALL clients and customers.
  • Be knowledgeable and competent in the fields of practice in which you ordinarily engage. Obtain assistance or disclose lack of experience if necessary.
  • Present a true picture in your advertising and other public representations.
  • Do not engage in the unauthorized practice of Law.
  • Be a willing participant in code enforcement procedures.

Duties to REALTORS®

  • Ensure that your comments about other real estate professionals are truthful, and not misleading.
  • Respect the exclusive representation or exclusive brokerage relationship agreements that other REALTORS® have with their clients.
  • Arbitrate contractual and specific non-contractual disputes with other REALTORS® and with your clients.

Should you choose to hire me to represent you in a real estate transaction, I feel confident that the issue of REALTOR® ethics will be discussed more than once.Real estate Ethics and every day ethics is really a fascinating subject, and I do my best to learn something new on a daily basis.

View the entire Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, at the Association of REALTORS® website.