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My forced digital detox

June sent me several blessings in disguise in the form of tech trouble.

First, I dropped my phone in the pool. While the newer iPhones are water-resistant, that doesn’t apply if you drop them, frequently, as I do. So after several days in rice, I accepted that my phone was no more, and filed an insurance claim for a new one.

All told, I spent about 4 days phone-less, and I have to say I have not been that relaxed in years.

This section got way too long, but I still think the content is worthwhile for anyone who is interested in how to live your life with less screen time. So if you're interested, read on here. 

Getting Zen in the Airport

I started this newsletter from the Austin airport when I wasn't sure if we'd…

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June sent me several blessings in disguise in the form of tech trouble.

First, I dropped my phone in the pool. While the newer iPhones are water-resistant, that doesn’t apply if you drop them, frequently, as I do. So after several days in rice, I accepted that my phone was no more, and filed an insurance claim for a new one.

All told, I spent about 4 days phoneless, and I have to say I have not been that relaxed in years.

Every time I started to think “Maybe I should check and see if I have any texts/emails/social media messages...” I would realize I couldn’t, and feel a wave of relief. “Whatever might be waiting there,” I thought, “will just have to wait.”

I sent all of my clients an email at the beginning of my cell phone detox letting them…

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A few years ago, I got a secondary cell phone number. My primary cell is a 973 area code, which is North Jersey. I went onto my husband's family plan about a decade ago, and decided to keep the number even after we moved out of North Jersey and to Austin, Texas.

As a salesperson who makes lots of outgoing calls, I found that my North Jersey area code confused the heck out of everyone.

I'd get this: "So... I almost didn't answer because of your area code. Are you actually in Austin, or... what??"

I figured it might be hurting my answer rate, so I got a 512 number, an Austin area code, to see if my answer rate would go up.

What I didn't bargain for was that the number was recycled from a ne'er-do-well. His name was Rufus.

Soon after getting…

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matt fajkus interior design austin

Matt Fajkus Architecture

MF Architecture is an award-winning, licensed architecture office that welcomes residential and commercial projects, both small and large. The brilliant mind behind designing some of the best Austin homes and commercial spaces in Austin is Matt Fakjus.

Matt, a native of Austin, holds a Master in Architecture from Havard University Graduate School of Design where he completed his thesis work with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rafael Moneo. In 2010, Matt established MF Architecture and achieved significant experience in architectural practice. He worked in numerous high-profile, international large-scale projects, as well as small-scaled award-winning projects. He was then awarded two AIA National Emerging…

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Being more efficient is one of the important aspects you have to look at while working with a team. You want to make sure that your team is in track especially in the real estate industry, it can be difficult to find the perfect collaboration tool that suits your team since most of them are on the move. That’s where we decided to make use of what technology has to offer us and find the best collaboration tool that is out there which is Facebook Workplace. In this blog, learn how Facebook Workplace for Real Estate has reshaped our company.

Of course, our great team deserves great tools when it comes to collaboration. The functionality of Workplace has transformed us by creating a company culture that we did not have before.

We are aware that the…

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Ryan Rodenbeck Interview with Max Leaman, Austin's number one mortgage broker

SGR: Okay so what we're doing today is we're interviewing my good friend Max Leaman from Prime Lending. Max is the number one volume producer of loans here in Austin Texas and before we go there. I'm going to kind of give a little history. I met Max probably about five years ago. And you know I just started becoming more of a top producing Austin listing agent having more listings than buyers and we kept getting pre-approval letters through our clients and our listings. With Max's name on them and they just went really flawlessly so I decided you know let's have Max let's just schedule lunch with Max and talk to him. And see if he can be our preferred lender. And we did.…

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Our homes are meant to be a place for relaxation and comfort for you and your family. Your home’s interior can sure reflect your personality and style. Having a great interior designer that will team up, inspire and guide you throughout the process will help you transform your personal space to a lasting masterpiece.

Do you have plans on designing your newly bought home in Austin? It’s always wise to call your local interior designer that knows how to work with furniture, colors, and layouts that will bring the best out your beautiful home. You know what, no matter how tough or complex your home can be, an expert in the field will always find ways to keep it astonishing!

Are there times where you think that you have to sacrifice design just for…

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In April, I took a trip to Charleston for my first 30 Under 30 Mastermind.

First, let me tell you about my hotel in Charleston, because it was amazing. We stayed at the Spectator right off Market Street. When I arrived to check in, I was greeted by the staff, given a leather-bound key fob for my room, and introduced to my butler, Alexander.

I'm not kidding.

Alexander offered me a complimentary cocktail, and then escorted me up to my room. He then informed me that he was there to help with just about anything I might need. Their services included complimentary steaming and pressing, shoe cleaning and shining, luggage packing and unpacking, and small errands around town. Was there anything he could do for me at that moment?

At first I…

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leonid furmansky photography

Davey McEathron Architecture

Building or constructing a visually appealing home is one of the biggest achievements for most people. Professional builders and developers are the most reliable people you might first want to talk to. Discuss to your chosen Austin home builder about the design of the project you are aiming for in order to ensure that your vision turns into reality and construct you a durable and strong home that can also increase your ROI if you have plans on selling your home in the future.

One of Spyglass Realty's very own, Chris Affinito, started a building company called Urban ATX. He works closely with renowned architects such as Davey McEathron and architectural photographer Leonid Furmansky. Seeing the robust yet…

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This is a mix of surveys from local real estate agents and lenders to determine whether we’re going to see a housing bust in Austin from its real estate bubble. This is the question we’re asked most about.  We also include notes from Angelos Angelou, the foremost economist in Austin.  

Before we start this Austin real estate market economic forecast breakdown, I want to point out that Texas, and especially Austin, are expected to be the among the first economies in the US to recover. Residential real estate is very resilient, and this is not a recession that was caused by factors in housing like we saw in the last one considering that Austin was said to be in a real estate market bubble.

It’s questionable if we will see much, if any, depreciation in…

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