We at SEED love helping families. No two families are alike and we love helping each one find the right house and the right Austin neighborhood to check all the boxes. Yes – it’s possible!
We recently sat down with past clients (and new friends), Dave & Ericka Rogers, who were kind enough to invite us in to their newly-unpacked, gorgeous home in Austin’s Mueller neighborhood.
A busy family with two working parents and two preschool age twins, they explain why they chose the Mueller neighborhood, how it has panned out now that they are settled, and how our own SEED agent and top Austin Realtor Annette Patterson helped them get it all done.
WHY MUELLER?
The Mueller neighborhood, an amazing urban development, is located on Austin’s east side where the old Austin airport used to be. We were originally attracted to it because it was central enough to be cool and convenient but offered amenities great for families. We spend most of our free time walking or biking to the many parks, pools, shops, restaurants and the Thinkery Children’s museum. The walkability and community feeling is vaguely reminiscent of the time we lived in the South of France, which we really missed until now.
WHAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THE HOME BUYING PROCESS?
We enjoyed looking at the houses Annette picked out for us and imagining all the possibilities. She really understood what we were looking for, knew the neighborhoods and had the right connections to find us some really great options in such a competitive market. She made it easy, which was no simple task and really appreciated, especially given our extensive wish list and demanding schedules.
WHAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THE HOME BUYING PROCESS?
We enjoyed looking at the houses Annette picked out for us and imagining all the possibilities. She really understood what we were looking for, knew the neighborhoods and had the right connections to find us some really great options in such a competitive market. She made it easy, which was no simple task and really appreciated, especially given our extensive wish list and demanding schedules.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT OR RETAIL IN YOUR NEW ‘HOOD’?
This sort of ties back to the neighborhood thing. There’s really too much to list and always something new to get excited about in Mueller. For breakfast we are often found at Tyson’s Tacos, Elixer Coffee Truck or Bribery Bakery (the popovers are great). Kome is perfect for lunch, not too heavy or too “spendy.” Salty Sow and Bullfight are our current favorites for much needed adult nights. When it’s nice out, we often walk over to Contigo for drinks with friends or neighbors.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ROOM OR DETAIL IN YOUR HOME?
As busy professionals and parents of twin toddlers, the best thing is really the modern layout and functionality that you get with a newer construction home. I mean we’ve got room for everyone and everything. It’s also really low maintenance, which is huge, since we just don’t have time for that. The open living, dining and kitchen is really comfortable and makes it easy to keep our eyes on the little guys. The kids love their playroom upstairs and we love that it helps us retain some semblance of adult space downstairs. I love working from home in my office that is big enough to double as a music room. My husband loves the alley accessed garage that’s big enough for cars, motorcycles, bikes and boat tons of kid stuff. The gigantic laundry room and wine fridge come in very handy too. The beautiful formal entry, 12’ ceilings with large windows and view of the pond are a nice bonus. This house fits our family like a glove, more than we could have imagined.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR BUYING?
In our time in Austin we’ve lived in some amazing older, vintage homes in central Austin neighborhoods, but with the twins our priorities changed. We simply needed something more practical and kid-friendly, and while I used to love remodeling it just wasn’t realistic anymore. I became resolute in my goal of finding our perfect family home.
WHAT SOLD YOU ON WORKING WITH ANNETTE?
As experienced home buyers we had a really long list of specific requirements and an even longer list of what we didn’t want. Annette had the right credentials, immediately had great ideas and a strong point of view, which I found reassuring. And then she immediately sold our current home for WAY over asking price which gave us the financial freedom to buy even more house than we expected. Ultimately, she was patient, helped us see potential and gave us a different perspective and practical point of view when we really needed it. Annette took care of everything and was on top of all the details. I’m pretty sure all we did was sign on the dotted line. She ultimately helped us make the best home decision of our lives.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE ANNETTE IF YOU WERE TO RECOMMEND HER TO A FRIEND?
Oh goodness, well first off I recommend her all the time. Professionally she’s clearly very good at what she does, so there’s that. She’s conscientious, intuitive and helped us make tough decisions that ultimately made us money. Personality wise she’s got this rare mix of no-nonsense confidence but also fun, funny and cool all at the same time. You trust her and you enjoy spending time with her which is rare and makes the home buying process a joy.