Carla Umlauf-Cheesar

Carla is absolutely fantastic! She made our dreams of owning a home (our first) come true and took care of us every step of the way. We are not only first time home buyers, but we are new to the area from New England. I cannot say enough how crucial Carla was in every step of this process. We ended up building a new home and could not have done it without her. She went above and beyond in every way. Before contacting Carla, we had gotten ourselves into bad deal with another builder. She navigated us out of that situation and helped us get with a builder, location, and deal that was right for us. She spent time with us learning what we liked and treated us like we were million dollar clients. She also took time to educate us on what things are important in a home for resale and what things are important in Austin (some difference between Austin and New England). I actively recommend Carla to anyone who is looking for buy or sell a home.

Given that it was my first time looking to purchase a home, I had very little knowledge and very many questions. Not only did Carla find me an excellent condominium in which to live, but she regularly answered my phone calls and many daily questions about the home-buying process. She gave me excellent advice in negotiating with the sellers, was always available, always kind, always smart in her decision-making, and incredibly knowledgeable about Austin. I grew up in Austin yet still learned so much from Carla about the real estate market in the city. During this process, I worked with many other realtors -- Carla was the best by far and the only one I would recommend. She is most definitely one of the best Realtors in Austin!

Carla is more than just an everyday realtor. She has some architectural and construction knowledge as well, plus a sharp eye for design. She could often tell us whether the construction was going to cause problems, especially for quirky older homes. And she was very helpful in mentally arranging a home to suit or family's needs. The home was finally selected was a short sale, which required a lot of persistence and dedication on Carla's part. Fortunately, I was mostly unaware of the extra work Carla was doing in the background, but I do know she was making a lot of phone calls to keep everything on track. In the end, the transaction went smoothly for a short sale.

We hired Carla Umlauf to help us sell our home and purchase a new one. And we're so glad we did. Originally we wanted to sell our home last fall, but when we spoke with Carla last summer she told us the hard truth: we just weren't ready. Our house needed some minor updating and some major de-cluttering, the market was down, and we were on the slow-boat with a toddler on our hands. She did a walk-through of our home and gave us a to-do list of the maximum bang-for-the-buck updates and told us to give her a call after the New Year. So we got busy. We refreshed our lawn, we filled our storage unit with stuff I don't ever remember acquiring, and we updated our kitchen countertops. Carla gave us a list of contractors we could use for various repairs, too, which was also helpful. After the new year she got really busy. She told us the market was on the rise, and gave us a time frame to maximize our sell. She helped us make-ready our home, including helping us find a painter, and getting an energy audit. We were really dreading the process, including the idea of strangers walking through our home with a baby. Well, I don't know what kind of magic she does, but it got us an offer on our house in two days! Multiple offers in fact! And it happened without any hiccups. And then, when we went look for a new home, she worked even more magic. We gave Carla our wish list and she gave us our options. She explained every part of the process to me in a way I can understand (I'm no expert in real estate vernacular). She set us up with a personalized filter on her company site that would email us homes that fit our needs. And once we had small collection we went to go view them. At this point I wasn't really expecting to find a home. We were just reviewing neighborhoods as we were realizing that nothing in the original area were looking fit our criteria. Lo and behold, we found THE HOUSE. It was the third one on our list (and I wasn't originally interested when seeing it online). It gave me goose bumps just walking inside! While I was walking through telling my husband that it was THE HOUSE, Carla called the listing agent. She was able to tell us there was already one bid on the house, but that nothing had been accepted yet. Then she walked us through a strategy that was sure to win us the contract. In the end, we beat out two other buyers, and we got all our paperwork finished in record time. Carla is super personable while also being very professional. She ensures you're getting all the attention you need to find the perfect home and takes the pain out of the process. She does all her homework to get you the best price for your sell and your purchase. I couldn't ask for more in a Realtor.

Carla Umlauf is a great agent! After switching agents from a different Austin broker, we quickly realized she was the right partner to guide us in finding the perfect Austin home. We valued greatly from her extensive knowledge about the Austin area real estate market to get our property search back on the right track. It gave us great peace of mind to know that we could rely on her professional years of real estate experience to assist us in analyzing the pros and cons associated with various Austin properties previewed during our search. Carla was extremely conscientious, proactive, patient, and always very professional at all times. She really exceeded our expectations in assisting us with our Austin property search.

Carla is fantastic. I would happily recommend her to anyone in the market for a home. She consistently went beyond the call of duty. And, she made us comfortable with a slightly unusual set of issues to close. We always felt like she was in our corner.

We were very, very satisfied with the work and effort Carla put in to help us locate and secure our new home. We sought her out given her background and ties to Austin, and she did not disappoint. As we are new to the city is was important to work with an individual that was well versed in the city and could help guide us to the right neighborhood. We were probably a bit difficult to work with in that we did not have a set type of house in mind and thus, we ran her all over Austin looking at opportunities. She was always professional and responsive to our requests. We would and will recommend her and your firm to anyone we meet. She is a great asset to your firm and represents you very well. JOHN MCGLYNN | INVESTMENT ADVISOR, CHARLES SCHWAB We were very, very satisfied with the work and effort Carla put in to help us locate and secure our new home. We sought her out given her background and ties to Austin, and she did not disappoint. As we are new to the city is was important to work with an individual that was well versed in the city and could help guide us to the right neighborhood. We were probably a bit difficult to work with in that we did not have a set type of house in mind and thus, we ran her all over Austin looking at opportunities. She was always professional and responsive to our requests. We would and will recommend her and your firm to anyone we meet. She is a great asset to your firm and represents you very well.

I was very impressed with Carla. She really guided me with great skill through the whole process of selling my home and finding another. She gave me excellent advice on getting my house ready to go on the market, put me in touch with responsible home repair professionals, and then staged the home beautifully, leading to an offer coming in very quickly. She also priced my house just right for the eventual appraisal. If ever I had a question or concern, she was prompt and understanding in her responses, and clear in explaining every step of the process. She definitely kept on top of all of the details involved on both the buying and selling sides. In additional to being knowledgeable and supportive, she went the extra mile at times (including working with plumbers at my house while I was out of town). I really had the feeling that she and her team were looking out for me throughout. In short, I could not have been more pleased!

Carla is exceptional! Carla Umlauf is an amazing Realtor with the skills, experience and follow through to ensure that anyone buying or selling their home will have a great experience. I cannot compliment her highly enough on the recent sale of my home, not only did she meet with me to ensure I took all of the right steps in my decision, but she ensured that the house looked perfect and the closing went smoothly. She knows what she's doing and if you want to sell your house with confidence and comfort, take the time to call Carla. She's worth much more than you will pay her in commissions. I decided to sell my house recently after waiting a year for the market to stabilize. Carla took us through all of the processes of selling, including realistically pricing your house, staging it for effective viewings, and then walked us through some trouble we had. She is diligent, an effective communicator, and overall an exceptional Realtor. I know on the Realty Austin team she will always be valued for these skills added to her great attitude. Nice work Carla. I highly regard her wisdom and approach and will provide reference for her at any time now or in the future.

I cant say enough good things about our experience with Carla Umlauf. Although she has impeccable taste of her own, she listened to what we wanted. She carefully tailored our home search to make it a smooth and efficient process. She is an excellent communicator and was always readily available. The current housing market in Austin can be heart-breaking and Carla did a wonderful job at managing our expectations and guiding us to be more competitive buyers. She was constantly going out of her way to find creative solutions to get us in the house we desired. Not only was she a delight to work with but as a life-long Austinite, she has many connections and was able to make referrals for other services and vendors throughout the home-buying process. If you are looking for a savvy, trust-worthy and friendly realtor that knows Austin, you will not be disappointed with Carla.

Carla worked for us from listing to close, going above & beyond what I've experienced with previous real estate agents. She kept us well informed throughout the process, was gracious, patient, and genuine. She made a very difficult process as pleasant as possible. Her support, both professionally and personally, were top-notch. I highly recommend her.

Carla helped us close with a particularly difficult seller. She's totally on top of her game, smart, dedicated, and personable and goes above and beyond the call of duty. We recommended her to a good friend whom she helped find and close on a terrific new home. We are living in our dream home in large part because of Carla. We would totally recommend her to anyone looking for a real estate expert who will deliver truly stellar service, advice and recommendations.