The past few mornings I’ve ventured out before sunrise to find that my flipflops are just not sufficient to ward off the seasonal chill that has decended on Austin.  It’s definitely Autumn and that traditionally means a change of markets.  This year feels a little different and analysts from coast to coast are busy commenting on what it means, where we’ve been, and what’s to come.  From my perspective, this market in Austin is just what we would expect to see at this time of year.  We have a little more inventory than normal, yes, but we had fewer sales this summer which accounts for this increase.  It isn’t enough of a shift, though, to put us into a real “buyer’s market”.  In fact, we’re really in a balanced market.  The frenzy we’ve experienced in the past few years has become our basis of comparison. Now is simply a time to readjust our perspective on reality.  It’s time to start talking about what we used to talk about in neutral markets - - buying and selling homes based on carefully thought-out needs and wants.  I propose we are, in Austin, not experiencing too much out of the ordinary for a seasonal slow this Halloween week.  So…don’t be spooked, just ring the doorbell and say, … you know the drill.