What they sold for are all over the place and easy to locate without going to the realtor. Granted, I have access to lots of info by working within the mortgage biz but there are articles, printed sales sheets, etc that were far from private. Each house price was advertised, blogs were written, there is public records, MLS records. Preconstruction prices vs current prices IS appreciation. But you certainly rarely ever see it continue to increase as Agave has. A builder can’t double pricing and sell if there is not supply and demand. Only demand enables pricing to double when the rest of the market is lowering pricing. Most subdivisions went down in pricing over last year…not double. So that argument…nopers. I hear ya, but it’s not what is beeing seen in real estate so this is a unique situation.
Their prices were not “lowered” at the inception because it took awhile to build at that time. I personally bought after the prices had gone up…I knew it would still take a year to build my home but I loved the place and if I went to the architect I loved and built it elsewhere it was still a year’s time frame (but away from other modernists) so that wasn’t a choice I wanted. Now that the homes only take half the time to build as they used to, prices haven’t gone up THEN. They were already up…so, no that wasn’t it either…that they “deserved” a lesser price because they waited a year or more. No.

I never once said that the prices are going to double next year. Or that what the pioneers had is comparable to comparisons today (I’m talking a year or two here in discussing equity increases. Why bring up Pioneers?? Apples? Oranges?) That’s not my argument. I simply pointed out that when home prices are lowering in so many places, doubling your value in a year means something quite nice is happening in your ‘hood.

And there is a buzz.

Which WAS my point.

In fact, home sales in agave are at the highest they’ve been since it’s inception this month.

So buzz factor…yeah. Me thinks.

We’ll check back next year and compare.

Or, if you’d prefer, 100-200 years from now so we can compare “what the pioneers paid” for what we have now and then what we have now to what they have in the future…oooo yeah.

I’m sorry. I kid.

I will not quibble with the fact that the earliest buyers under contract have a lot of paper equity. That tells me that Agave was a good, but speculative, investment for the very first Agaveites who chose to ride out all the construction challenges several years ago. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who gave 1.5 to 2 years of their lives waiting for their Agave home to be built deserves every penny of that upside.

The fact that the very first CasaBella has doubled from what the very first pioneers paid for it says nothing about how much additional upside potential there is for homes constructed today.

Nonetheless, I think the Agave Design series homes are an inexpensive option for anyone looking for modern in the under $300K price point.

Perhaps you and I learned math differently…but no matter how I add it, that’s double to me.

The VERY first buyers actually have seen their prices double. Not sure where you got your info, but check the CasaBella 1590 on the first one sold and the last one.

doubled.

perhaps it’s best you “price track” differently. I have MLS comps and title company info. I work at a mortgage company.

ANd I live in Agave so it matters to me.

These are the architects of Agave.

And just two corrections on what’s offered in Agave: they no longer have Ikea cabinets. They are actually more green-friendly and made by a designer who utilizes the rubber tree for production, and no stove in Agave is four burner. Even the standard oven is a double oven that is 5 burner and all stainless.

You could upgrade to the Jenn Air as Heather did (and her house IS gorgeous…the pics dont do justice) but either way you have an amazing oven… at least a 5 burner, double oven minimum.

Yes, the homes in Agave have doubled in price because of it’s buzz since the inception. You still have breathtaking views of downtown and are just 7 minutes away but have bamboo flooring, slate flooring, polished concrete w/aggregate flooring, stainless appliances, travertine shower surrounds with double head showers, silestone countertops, beautiful cabinetry, stucco….buzz creates value, perceived value increases pricing…it has.

I know for a fact I paid twice as much for our home as one by the same architect, same square footage that was built initially in Agave. And I still feel my home is worth FAR more than what we paid. I still feel we gained TREMENDOUS value and the things we received in our home and the quality of building exceeded all expectations.

things dont double in value in a year and a half for no reason.

especially when they continue to sell well. There were 6 Agave contracts written this month.

In spite of a slowing real estate market…people notice.

Probably, too, why Agave was recently awarded the Grand Prize via Dreyer’s National Contest for “Coolest US Neighborhood” which will award the entire neighborhood with a huge icecream party in September.

It was also a Chronicle pick for “Best Cubist Neighborhood”

anytime you create something different there will be lovers as strong as there are haters because it’s not neutral.

We live in Agave and sold a more expensive central Austin home that was increasing in equity 20% each year in order to do so.

We, too, agree our home is “freakishly beautiful” and perfect. And would NEVER go back.

I thank God every day at 5pm when I get to go home and, at 42, I’ve never done that before my entire life.

It’s a lifestyle. Everyone in Agave knows everyone in Agave. It’s community. It’s a commonality of a love of art, modern, being unique…

We consider ourselves blessed.

It’s like a car or new suit though: you can’t tell anyone “this is a style you have to have” you just have to see if it’s the perfect fit for you.

Agavites are vocal…because, for us, it REALLY is.

Even though I’m partially color blind, my wife and I have loved what Heather did with her blank canvas of the Lawrence Group house since she first posted her photos. Congrats! It’s very hard work to both have a sense of design and carry off your vision.

And that should be a warning to anyone considering purchasing that property or any other that shows as well as this one. Your money does not buy the furniture, genius or aesthetic. You’re just buying the shell. The rest is up to you!

Let the Agaveites be, for God’s sake! And stop feeding the trolls!

I live in Agave, in a house that I certainly consider “modern” because the architect (FAB) evoked a classic house style while challenging the preconceived notions of how the space should fit together. And I think it’s A) Freaking bgeautiful from a design standpoint; B) A tremendous value for the dollar, as the quality of base level materials is very good - IKEA cabinets and all; and C) is, as mentioned above, a blank slate for us to expand upon stylistically.

But hey, if you can do better, then buy a chunk of land and have at it, buddy. Good luck creating something visually interesting at a competitive price point in a crap market.

(If you can’t tell, I really like my house and my neighbors. And I’m just a touch offended when I see that referred to as “making the best of a bad situation” and then read a bunch of derisive garbage about the designs from some message board flame troll. Please resume leafing through your copy of Dwell, Duncan, and enjoy your herbal tea.)

Duncan

The homes in Agave are uniquely and architect designed, crafted with modern and mostly sustainable materials, and much more energy efficient than most newly built non-custom (developer built) homes - tankless hot water heaters, metal roofing, energy efficient windows, bamboo flooring, etc. These are things you just don’t get in new build homes unless you are spending a lot of money.

Certainly, they aren’t for everyone. But for someone who doesn’t want the typical new build cookie cutter house and who doesn’t have the time, energy, or money to do a ton of remodeling on a cool older house, (and for someone who doesn’t have half a million dollars to spend on a custom built “modern” home), Agave seems like a pretty damn good option. And personally, in my opinion, for the price point the designs are amazing. Just my $.02

Speaking of incredibly dull places…what color is your world?

What dialect is that? Frenchish? Spench? I don’t seem to recognize it. I get it…you are showing how smart and grown up you are by combining French and Spanish. Well played.