Lake Travis Austin - Lake Lifestyle, Schools, and Market Guide

Joe Keenan and Cara Keenan were exceptional! I called 3 Realtors to interview for the listing of my home, which I had lived in for 27 years. The first two calls went straight to voicemail and on the third call, Joe Keenan answered. We had a long chat about my home, the construction of our new home, the timing of the sale, etcetera. Joe Keenan and Cara Keenan came over the next evening to discuss the listing. They were genuine, knowledgeable, had a proven plan and track record. Over the next couple of weeks, I did hear from the two other agents who also came to my home. One was very aggressive in wanting to list the home. It was during the time when you list on Thursday and have multiple offers on Monday. Unfortunately, I had several timing issues. My husband and I were building and weren't certain of the moving date to the new home and we didn't want to move out to sell and then have to move again. The other issue was closing could not take place before October 6 for tax reasons. We had begun to pack up our home and sell/donate some of our furnishings. The aggressive Realtor suggested we move the boxes to the garage, and she would add some of her furniture to stage the house, then we take a weekend away and she would have a showing. This was a good 2 months before we were ready to list. I found this very stressful and no longer considered her a potential agent. The other Realtor was ambivalent. He would list it and it would sell. No plan and no real interest. He was also not an option. So, we signed with Joe Keenan and Cara Keenan. I let them know that communication was my touchpoint. I needed to know what was going on. They came with a plan, which included their investment in the home as well, providing some of the upgrades for the listing. They managed the contractors to get the home ready, prepared a detailed analysis for pricing, which was tricky in light of the fact that the market had changed, no longer the Thursday to Monday sale. The staging and listing were perfect. The home looked beautiful, move-in ready. We did have to wait about 3 weeks for an offer, and they managed the negotiations well, keeping my best interest in mind. The closing went smoothly, and we couldn't be happier. I have let my friends and neighbors know that I would recommend Joe Keenan and Cara Keenan wholeheartedly. Excellent!!

The Keenans helped us buy that house in 2012 and nine years later they were pivotal in selling it. As we prepped for a cross-country move, we were scrambling just to make it to our new home in Vermont. In the process of moving, we hit some hurdles and as a result, we left the Keenan Group with a mess of a house to deal with. They handled the whole process of getting the quotes for cleaning and repairs, oversaw the actual work getting done, made suggestions on repairs we didn't realize we needed, staging, etc. We would still be trying to get the house listed if they weren't helping us. Aside from the work the Keenan Group put in, their advice was stellar. Especially when it comes down to the harder to address issues, they're true professionals. Their guidance really transformed the house which was reflected in the final selling price. If the expectation is for "exemplary", the Keenans are the upper echelon.

We learned about Cara Keenan and Joe Keenan after they helped our next-door neighbor sell their house. Amazed as we watched them give our neighbor's house a facelift and sell it in a few days for a crazy high price. We had been thinking about selling since we had been in our house 20 years and are approaching retirement age. Really, more house (landscape, pool, age, etc.) than we really wanted to deal with at this stage of our life. We talked with Joe Keenan and Cara Keenan in October 2021 and they gave us some recommendations on what we could do to maximize the value of our house. We had not sold or looked for a house in over 20 years so we were basically new to the process. As you know the Austin market was booming and the best advice we got from them was to buy a place before putting our house on the market. So Keenan Group helped us find a new house, and provided recommendations for financing, moving, etc. Cara Keenan took care of "operation facelift." Zeroed in on key areas to update, selected the items, i.e. marble, tile, light fixtures, paint colors etc. everything. We let them design it since it was clear to us they understood the potential buyer market. We just paid the bills. Part of Keenan Group includes a very skilled contractor who has reasonable prices, has interior design sense, and works well with the Team. The house went on the market in April of 2022 and we got 5 offers over asking price after 4 days. The winning offer was way over our "best price" scenario. After looking at other houses for sale in our neighborhood we believe the "operation facelift" investment was returned about 10 times! Prior to moving back to Austin in 2000, we had purchased homes and lived in Chicago (Naperville), Phoenix (Scottsdale) and Pittsburgh (Cranberry) and built two homes (Lakeway, Scottsdale). Since 2000 there have been mind-blowing changes in the realty market thanks to technology, and they do a very good job of leveraging it. Keenan Group exceeded our expectations in every step of the process. From the design phase, house hunting phase, operation facelift, two closings, etc., etc. A TV reality show experience, without the drama. When we explain to friends and colleagues what we accomplished with Keenan Group, they don't believe it. The experience was really remarkable and we love telling people about it. We highly recommend Keenan Group!

Cara and Joe have been friends of ours for several years. My wife and I have referred several clients to them and they always do a very professional job with them. On this particular transaction in Travis Country they represented me as an investor and handled both the purchase and the sale and I couldn't have been happier. We are currently going under contract on another investment property and hopefully this one will provide me with the return I am after. And I plan on doing many more with them as my agents. I congratulate Keenan Group at Compass Real Estate on developing a great real estate business model via the best online product in the marketplace. It brings real and proven leads/customers to your agents while providing buyers and sellers the best search engine available. The time and money Keenan Group at Compass Real Estate devoted to it originally, and continue to refine, has got to have paid them back many times over. In the business world there is no substitute for expertise. So yes, I am a very happy client and referral source.

I can't recommend Cara Keenan enough!!! For our first home-buying experience, she was everything we were hoping for and more. Cara Keenan and Joe Keenan were recommended by a colleague, but it was Cara Keenan who took point on our search (Joe Keenan was really helpful when we were out and about looking at properties). Throughout the whole process, Cara Keenan was super-responsive, proactive, extremely knowledgeable about the Austin market, made sure to check in about any concerns we might have and made suggestions that saved our butts when it came to negotiating on the property we went with. Even after the closing, she was helpful in coordinating some issues for us and smoothing out some work on the house before we were moving in. She takes real pride in her work, listens, eased minds and was just so helpful (and fun!). I've already recommended her to other friends for whenever they may want to start looking and know that if/when my husband and I need to move, she'll be our first call.