Thank you for visiting the Texas Equity Alliance website for Sean Austin McCormack.  I have been a full time real estate agent since 2002 and have been around the business my entire life.  My aim is to be an honest source of advice and real estate knowledge, find my clients great deals and to have all around excellent transactions.  Feel free to read my reviews and contact me with any questions or concerns.

Living in Austin

From our excellent business environment to our eclectic culture, Austin’s attributes create an excellent quality of life.  No matter what your interests are, chances are that someone in Austin shares them and has already formed a club for you to join.

If you have decided to move to Austin – congratulations. If you’re unfamiliar with where to start out, let me help.  I’ll do my best to be a great tour guide and find you a great place to lease or buy.

If you already live here in the Capital City and find that you need to change your surroundings, please let me know.  I do much more than find and sell your home.  I fiercely represent you for an outstanding transaction.

Please feel free to search the Austin MLS database for homes to both buy and rent.  If you don’t know where to get started, fill out my contact form or call me at (512) 653-1213.

I’d love to create a personal search that will automatically alert you once a home within your parameters comes onto the market.

Feel free to contact me at (512) 653-1213 or fill out a contact form here.

Investing in Austin

Do you remember?

Do you remember when you knew it all?

And do you remember when you realized that you didn’t?

But now you’re a bit older; a bit wiser.

And you want something to show for that.

Austin is not just the capital of Texas.  The city is a high-tech mecca that many Fortune 500 companies call home.  Austin is also the home of America’s largest university.  We are a city of beautiful music, beautiful lakes and beautiful beauty.


Opportunities in Austin abound for those that want to live or invest here.  Compared to other national markets, real estate in Austin is undervalued.  Additionally, in less than 25 years, Austin’s population is expected to grow by one million people! 

This is very good news to the real estate investor when coupled with the fact that most Austin households lease.  The reason why most Austinites lease their homes is varied but partly, it is due to the fact that Austin’s young and unique workforce wants more housing fluidity than home ownership can offer. 

Recent changes in the mortgage industry mean that some Austinites no longer qualify to buy a home and must continue to rent.  Needless to say, the demand for rent is increasing rapidly while the supply is shrinking.

Most clients of mine choose to invest in duplexes.  For investments, there is no comparison between duplexes and single family homes.  A duplex generates more cash, offers better vacancy protection and has similar appreciation rates than a single family house. 

Why Duplexes

• More Secure Vacancy Protection – Duplexes offer even less risk to the investor than single family homes because there are two separate units on the property.  Most likely, the property won’t have two vacancies at once, meaning that you’ll be getting at least one side’s rent per month. 

• More Potential Renters – There is a larger pool of potential renters in the $600-$900 rent range than the $1200+ rent range that single family homes demand.

• Conventional Lending – Duplexes are residential properties.  Any structure over five units is commercial property and requires more financing.  With a duplex, conventional financing, similar to what many people buy their home with is fine. 

• But What About Appreciation? – There is far less stigma to Austin duplex living than most other markets.  Most Austin duplexes were built in the late 70s and early 80s when Austin was about half the size it is now.  This means that many of these properties are now considered in or near central Austin where property values are higher.  We encourage first time home buyers to consider owning and occupying their own duplex!  The benefits include an appreciating property and having a tenant pay a considerable part of the mortgage. 

If a duplex and a house are for sale in the same neighborhood at the same price; consider the duplex!  Believe in the duplex!

Let's Live in a Duplex!

I love this aspect of my business so much that I created a class on it!  Click HERE for a presentation.

Living in your duplex is a fantastic way to drastically reduce your living costs by having a tenant live next door.  Along with the benefits of lower mortgage rates, you might qualify for homestead exemptions, tax depreciation and much more.

Owner occupying a duplex is popular with my younger clients who want to live in the property for up to five years then eventually move out and lease the whole property.  

What about Fourplexes?

 NO!

Austin Meta-List

Austin makes it onto a lot of "Best Of" lists these days.  Here are some reasons why:

• We have 5 major higher education institutions, UT Austin being the largest public college in the nation. Direct education jobs and numerous support jobs make up a large part of our economy - and the 50,000 students too!

• We are the seat of government with nearly 20% of the population state-employed directly or indirectly.

• We are the technology leaders for the entire Southwest with brick and mortar businesses here, not just vaporware and niche dotcoms. Samsung, Sun, Cisco, Dell, Apple, HP, Western Digital, Time Warner, IBM and National Instruments are just a few.

• We are the entertainment epicenter for much of the region with the world's largest music festival South by Southwest, as well as the Austin City Limits festival - all driving millions of dollars annually into the economy. Jobs in entertainment and the City Council promotion of this sector have poised Austin to be the destination everyone would like to move to, young or old!

• We enjoy a low cost, healthy quality of life and all share a green attitude towards the environment.  We are a "fit" city, thousands of joggers partake daily in hundreds of miles of trails.  Austin hosts several runs and other active events throughout the year, not to mention all of the activities on the area lakes.

“Worldwide ERC (Employee Relocation Council), D.C., and Primacy Relocation LLC, named the Austin area as the No. 1 U.S. metropolitan area for relocating singles…Austin retained its top spot from the 2004 study…The study features the 100 largest U.S. metro areas.” Austin Business Journal

#1 Best Big City Places to Live - MSN House & Home

#1 Top 50 Entrepreneurial Cities - Entrepreneur

#1 Most Entrepreneurial City - Visa USA

#2 Top 10 Places Where Ideas Happen - Visa USA

#2 Best Large City for Relocating Families - Worldwide ERC & Primacy Relocation

#3 Best Places For Business / Careers - Forbes

#3 Best Places for Singles - Forbes

#3 Cool Cities - Kiplinger's

#3 Top Growth Cities - U-Haul

#3 Great Places to Live Life - 2.0

#4 Fastest Growing - Men's Journal

#4 Smartest Cities - Men's Journal

#6 Best Standard of Living - Expansion Management

#5 Most Educated Cities - MSN Encarta

#10 Interesting Neighborhoods - Travel-Leisure, America's Favorite Cities

#30 University of Texas ranked in "Great Schools, Great Prices" - US News and World Report

#8 Cleanest City in USA - Reader's Digest