Lori Wakefield Named to the Platinum Top 500 List

I am thrilled and deeply honored to announce that I have been named to the Platinum Top 500 (PT500) List, a distinction awarded by Platinum Top 50®, one of the most respected recognition programs in the Austin real estate community. 

What Is the PT500 List?

Each year, Platinum Top 50® identifies outstanding real estate professionals who are setting the pace in our industry. The PT500 List recognizes approximately 500 agents across the Austin area based on their sales production during the first half of the PT50® year (September 1 – February 28). With roughly 16,000 licensed agents in Austin, being named to this list places me in the top 3% of all licensed real estate agents in the city based on submitted production data.

This recognition reflects exceptional performance, consistency, and dedication in one of the most competitive real estate markets in the country.

What This Means

The PT500 List serves as an early indicator of agents who are making a real impact and building momentum toward the full PT50® Awards. This is a reflection of my countless hours spent advocating for buyers and sellers, navigating complex transactions, and showing up for clients at every step of the process.

Being recognized alongside some of Austin's finest real estate professionals is both humbling and energizing. It reinforces my commitment to delivering the highest level of service and results for every client I serve.

Thank You

This achievement would not be possible without the incredible clients, friends, and referral partners who have placed their trust in me. Real estate is a relationship business, and every transaction on that production report represents a family finding their home, an investor reaching their goals, or a seller moving on to their next chapter. I am grateful for every one of those moments.

I look forward to continuing to serve the Austin area with the same dedication and passion that earned this recognition and to seeing what the rest of the year brings.

Thinking about buying or selling in the Austin area? Let's connect. I'd love to put this level of commitment to work for you.

Lori Wakefield, REALTOR | Keller Williams Lake Travis | 512-657-4455

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lori Wakefield Earns Keller Williams Triple Gold Award for 2025

Bee Cave / Lake Travis, TX — [January 2026] —
Lori Wakefield, REALTOR® and Luxury Real Estate Advisor with Keller Williams, has been honored with the Keller Williams Triple Gold Award for 2025, recognizing exceptional performance, market leadership, and outstanding service in residential real estate.

The Triple Gold Award is one of Keller Williams’ highest achievement distinctions, reserved for agents who demonstrate sustained excellence in sales volume, client service, and professional standards. This recognition places Wakefield among the top-performing agents within the Keller Williams network nationwide.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the trust my clients place in me,” said Wakefield. “This award reflects not just production, but also relationships and my commitment to guiding clients with honesty, strategy, and results, even in complex or shifting market conditions.”

Wakefield is known for her expertise in luxury homes, waterfront properties, and high-value residential real estate throughout the Lake Travis, Bee Cave, Lakeway, and surrounding Austin Hill Country markets. In addition to her real estate practice, she is deeply involved in community leadership and local planning initiatives, bringing a unique perspective to buyers and sellers navigating one of Texas’s most competitive real estate landscapes.

“This recognition reinforces what my clients already know that thoughtful pricing, data-driven strategy, and clear communication make all the difference,” Wakefield added.

For more information about Lori Wakefield or to inquire about buying or selling a home in the Austin–Lake Travis area, visit www.loriwakefield.com or contact 512.657.4455.

About Lori Wakefield

Lori Wakefield is a REALTOR® and Luxury Real Estate Advisor with Keller Williams, specializing in high-end residential properties, waterfront homes, and strategic listings in the greater Austin area. Known for her market insight, professionalism, and advocacy for her clients, Wakefield delivers tailored solutions for discerning buyers and sellers.

Spring Into Summer: What Austin’s Housing Market Is Really Doing Right Now

Year-over-Year Market Snapshot – May 2025 vs. May 2024 (Travis County)
Inventory surged by over 20%, while closed sales fell more than 28%.

Despite softening demand, prices remain relatively stable, though slight declines in both average and median sales prices suggest affordability pressures are starting to take hold.

As we move into summer, the real estate market in Austin and Travis County is experiencing a shift — and if you’ve been feeling like something changed around mid-March, you’re absolutely right.

Between economic jitters, the impact of new tariffs, and volatility in the stock market, we’ve seen buyers pull back and sellers scramble to adjust.

But that doesn’t mean homes aren’t selling. It just means the market is rewarding strategy over speculation.

Travis County Real Estate Snapshot – May 2025

In the last 7 days:

• 556 new listings hit the market
• 436 homes went under contract
• 318 homes closed
  BUT…
• 1,015 price reductions happened in that same timeframe    
• You’re currently 2x more likely to reduce your price than to get an offer.

Year-over-Year Trends Tell the Story

Compared to this time last year:

• Inventory has climbed significantly (7,335 active listings in May vs. 6,079 in May 2024)
• Sales volume is down (1,301 sold in May 2025)
• Prices remain surprisingly steady, despite slower sales and widespread reductions

• Average sold price: $728,780
• Median sold price: $525,000

I’ll be honest — I’m surprised these price points haven’t moved more considering the market behavior. This likely reflects stronger activity at the high end, where buyers may still have cash or equity to work with.

Affordability Pressure from Mortgage Rates

Here’s why pricing strategy matters more than ever:

With mortgage rates hovering near 7%, affordability is tightening.  While gas prices and airfare are down year-over-year, shelter costs remain the biggest driver of consumer price inflation — up 3.9% according to the latest June CPI data. That’s keeping pressure on the Federal Reserve to hold off on rate cuts, despite some optimism that the first may come as early as September.

Until rates drop meaningfully, buyers simply won’t have the same purchasing power — and sellers who don’t price accordingly may find themselves sitting on the market longer than expected.

Based on typical financing, here’s  what prices would need to be in order for buyers to afford the same monthly payment they could have had at a 5.89% interest rate:

If rates don’t fall, sellers who aren’t realistic on pricing may be left out of the action.

What Sellers Need to Know Right Now

The market isn’t broken. It’s selective.

Homes are still selling — but only the well-prepared, well-marketed, and well-priced ones. Others are sitting.

As a listing agent, I’ve seen this firsthand in 2025. The homes we priced with precision and backed with strong marketing have moved. Others, especially those resisting the reality of current buyer behavior, have struggled to gain traction.

Let’s Talk About Your Strategy

Whether you're planning to sell soon or just want to know how your home fits into this shifting landscape, I’d love to talk. Every neighborhood and price point is reacting differently, and the best decisions are made with local, real-time insight.

If you’ve been thinking about buying or selling a home in Austin, I’d love the opportunity to help.

I am so excited to share that I have been awarded the prestigious Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation by the Residential Real Estate Council, a not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS.

The CRS designation is the highest credential awarded to residential sales agents, managers and brokers.  Only 22,000 REALTORS nationwide have earned the credential.

REALTORS who receive the CRS designation have completed advanced professional training and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement in residential real estate.

Home buyers and sellers can be assured that CRS designees subscribe to the strict REALTOR code of ethics, have been trained to use the latest tactics and technologies, and are specialists in helping clients maximize profits and minimize costs when buying or selling a home.

Lori Wakefield REALTOR, Keller Williams Realty  512.657.4455  www.loriwakefield.com  lwakefield@kw.com  1921 Lohmans Crossing, Austin TX 78734     IMPORTANT: The contents of this email and any attachments are confidential. They are intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to anyone or make copies thereof.

Happy New Year! Can I still say that if January isn't over yet?!?

To say that 2023 was a rough one for real estate, might be an understatement... nationally, homes sales were the lowest in almost 30 years!  High mortgage rates and prices made home buying prohibitively expensive for many people last year.  

While Austin didn't see the lowest level in home sales in 30 years - due to extreme population growth over the years - we were not immune to the slow down. Existing home sales slid just over 9% in 2023 compared to the prior year and the average home price is down about 6.5%.  However, the average sold price from the end of 2019 to 2023 is up 37%.

"Real estate pricing is generally a slow moving ship, so it could be considered alarming to see price swings like this. However, when we look at a longer term perspective, we see that prices are generally stable. The pandemic caused extreme buyer behavior, but it appears that has now been corrected. Population growth has always been the primary driver of Austin’s real estate market (people need a place to live). When comparing our Avg Sold Price with our population growth, it appears very healthy." - Eric Bramlett

Is the real estate market slow down over?   

We think it is!  Mortgage rates have come down significantly from the peak and the Fed seems to have signaled more cuts happening this year.  That will increase affordability for many people and we expect to see more buyers in the market this Spring... on a side note, our Spring market actually starts in February!

Home Prices

While the average sold price has declined 6.5% in the past year, you can see on the graph below that prices took an uptick in December.  If that trend continues as we expect heading into the Spring market, we could eventually see prices return to 2021 levels in the near future.  We should see a modest increase in prices for 2024. 

Number of Homes Sold

2023 was the slowest real estate market we have seen in the past 5 years, down 9.26% for the year.  However, with improvements in mortgage rates, we expect home sales to be steady for this coming year.

Homes for Sale

The number of homes for sale hit a 5 year high earlier this year, but but tapered off at the end of year which is normal during the holiday season.  Interestingly, despite a nearly 300% increase in inventory since Dec 2020, we only have a 3 months supply of homes for sale - meaning, if no more homes come on the market, and we continue to sell homes at the same pace, there will be no more homes for sale.  In other words, when the next market shift happens, we could quickly see ourselves back in the days of bidding wars and fast moving prices - but that's a conversation for 2025.

So, what does all of this mean for you?

If you are a buyer:  Mortgage rates have come down significantly compared to a few months ago which is bringing out buyers who were on the fence and as we enter the Spring market, we should continue to see an increase in buyer competition.  Increased inventory gives buyers more choices and lessens the chances for multiple offers, but the best homes will go quickly and garner more interest.

If you are seller: You can still benefit from the appreciate we've seen these past few years.  Just know that there are a lot of homes competing for the same few buyers which means the the homes that are selling are staged, in great condition and priced well.

Call me, if you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell real estate in the Austin area, I'd love to help!

Lori Wakefield REALTOR, Keller Williams Realty  512.657.4455  www.loriwakefield.com  lwakefield@kw.com  1921 Lohmans Crossing, Austin TX 78734     IMPORTANT: The contents of this email and any attachments are confidential. They are intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to anyone or make copies thereof.

Exciting news! Last month, we witnessed the largest drop in mortgage rates in 3 DECADES!! creating a golden opportunity for both homebuyers and sellers alike. 

According to Michael Nasserfar with Movement Mortgage, “The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dipped between 5.875% to 6.25%, providing an unprecedented window for prospective buyers to secure favorable financing. This is almost a full 2% drop from the heights seen earlier in 2023.”

We are already seeing more buyers moving into the market setting us up for what should be a busy Spring buying season. 

However, Michael cautions, “there is the possibility of rates inching upward as the Fed continues their efforts to lower inflation.  Urgency is key – now is the perfect time to capitalize on the lowered rates before the expected increase ahead.“

As the demand increases we likely will see an increase in home prices making it a great opportunity for home sellers who have been on the fence this past year.  

And for buyers who have been waiting for the “bottom of the market” to buy, it’s here!  Don't miss out on this limited-time window - now is the time to act swiftly to capitalize on the current buyer-friendly landscape before prices start to climb as we all saw occur starting in 2020. 

If you have been thinking about buying or selling a home in Austin Texas, I would love the opportunity to help.  

Lori Wakefield, Realtor | Keller Williams Realty | 512.657.4455 | www.LoriWakefield.com

And if you need a great lender or want to discuss your financial options, reach out to Michael Nasserfar NMLS 209485 | Movement Mortgage | 512.797.8916 | www.MichaelLoan.com

Lori Wakefield REALTOR, Keller Williams Realty  512.657.4455  www.loriwakefield.com  lwakefield@kw.com  1921 Lohmans Crossing, Austin TX 78734     IMPORTANT: The contents of this email and any attachments are confidential. They are intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to anyone or make copies thereof.

In 2023, there were fewer than four million real estate transactions — the lowest number of homes sold in the last thirty years. In 1993, we had just 260 million people living in the U.S. Now we have 340 million. So last year was a record low. That’s why there is huge pent-up desire for people to move in 2024. The number one age group that wants to make a move is millennials. There are 72 million of them. 45.5 million are between the ages of 26 and 35. 26 is the typical age when people move out of their parents’ home, and 35 is when they become first-time buyers. This is the largest number of potential buyers in U.S. history. If you’ve been thinking about making a move, now is the time to talk through the unique opportunities in this market. I’m grateful to be your trusted advisor for all your real estate needs.

#BuyerBoom #USHistory #MarketRevolution #BuyersUnveiled #HistoricalShift #GameChanger #BreakingNews #MarketTrends #EconomicShift #InvestmentInsights

Lori Wakefield REALTOR, Keller Williams Realty  512.657.4455  www.loriwakefield.com  lwakefield@kw.com  1921 Lohmans Crossing, Austin TX 78734     IMPORTANT: The contents of this email and any attachments are confidential. They are intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to anyone or make copies thereof.

Unlocking Housing Opportunities: The Resurgence of Real Estate Markets in 2024

Is 2023 the "bottom out" year for real estate?

Following two years of subdued activity, the housing market is expected to grow in 2024. Several signs point to an imminent market recover, notably, the projection of lower mortgage rates.

According to the National Association of Realtors, Austin TX boasts one of the largest pools of "returning" buyers. If interest rates drop to 6.5% in 2024, 5.1% of all households will once again have the means to afford the median priced home.

As we step into 2024, these markets are poised to lead the way in unlocking housing opportunities, presenting an optimistic outlook for the real estate sector's resurgence:

Geographical Hotspots: Top 10 Markets With the Most Pent-up Housing Demand

1. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
2. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
3. Dayton-Kettering, OH
4. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
5. Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
6. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
7. Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN
8. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
9. Portland-South Portland, ME
10. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Austin, I would love the opportunity to help you!

Lori Wakefield REALTOR, Keller Williams Realty  512.657.4455  www.loriwakefield.com  lwakefield@kw.com  1921 Lohmans Crossing, Austin TX 78734     IMPORTANT: The contents of this email and any attachments are confidential. They are intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to anyone or make copies thereof.

As we start a new year, the real estate market is once again shifting. Many experts project that rates will finally start to decline. When that happens, it’s anticipated that there will be an influx of buyers and sellers ready to enter the market.

Take a look at this information on the state of the housing market, historical interest rates and some well-researched stats on why the typical homeowner moves.

I’m here to answer any questions you may have about Austin real estate and help you through every step of your future home sale or purchase. Please feel free to reach out any time!

Lori Wakefield REALTOR, Keller Williams Realty 512.657.4455  |  www.loriwakefield.com  |  lwakefield@kw.com 1921 Lohmans Crossing, Austin TX 78734   IMPORTANT: The contents of this email and any attachments are confidential. They are intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to anyone or make copies thereof.