Jessica Martinsen · Austin Real Estate

Austin Real Estate Planning Tools

Sixteen calculators and planners for Austin real estate: affordability, mortgage scenarios, true ownership cost, buy versus rent, seller net proceeds, and more.

Each of these turns a question people usually answer with a guess into something with numbers attached. None of them replaces advice, and none of them can see current market data. What they do is force the assumptions into the open, which is where expensive mistakes usually hide.

Before you shop

  • Buyer readiness planner — Find out whether you are ready to shop, need a preparation sprint, or should start with a clearer monthly target. A next-step plan you can act on.
  • Austin affordability planner — Turn income, debts, cash, and comfort into a cautious starting range before a lender conversation. A monthly comfort brief.
  • Mortgage scenario lab — Compare down payment, rate, term, and principal-and-interest scenarios without pretending it is a loan quote. A side-by-side payment read.
  • Texas property tax estimator — Estimate an Austin-area property tax bill from the assessed value and county rates, with and without the homestead exemption. An annual and monthly tax estimate.
  • Buy versus rent lens — Compare a purchase scenario with rent, time horizon, flexibility, and the costs people forget. A break-even conversation starter.

While you are deciding

  • Austin lifestyle matcher — Turn a feeling—quiet, creative, walkable, private—into a shortlist of places to explore. A three-area personal shortlist.
  • Property Compare Studio — Put four homes side by side so the list price is only one part of the picture. A cleaner decision than another open tab.
  • True ownership cost — Put taxes, insurance, HOA, utilities, maintenance, and financing beside the list price. A fuller monthly range.
  • Property tour planner — Build a practical showing route and the questions that keep a day of tours useful. A focused tour plan.
  • Austin relocation planner — Translate timing, commute, budget, and lifestyle priorities into a research sequence. A relocation shortlist.
  • Moving cost estimator — Slide home size, packing level, distance and storage to budget the physical move — local hourly or long-distance by weight. A moving budget range.

When you are selling

  • Seller positioning scorecard — See what to fix, what to stage, and what to leave alone before a property meets the market. A focused pre-listing action plan.
  • Seller net-sheet planner — Estimate a proceeds range after payoff, preparation, closing costs, and the assumptions that need verification. A seller proceeds estimate.
  • Repair ROI planner — Sort repairs into must-do, buyer-confidence, and optional categories before spending the preparation budget. A prioritized prep list.

Looking further out

  • Property Wealth Lab — Stress-test rent, expenses, renovation, and hold-period assumptions before you fall in love with a property. A base, upside, and downside scenario.
  • Austin Market Pulse — Read provider-sourced price bands and inventory aggregates by area when current MLS/IDX data is approved and fresh. A sourced market read with context.

Ask Jessica Martinsen about Austin Real Estate Planning Tools