Matt van Winkle

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Matt van Winkle

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Matt loves all things Steiner Ranch and all things Real Estate.

10/23/2026

The view is the first thing you notice at this house in Bella Mar, and the reason it holds up is what's behind it: greenbelt, so no rooftops ever go in back there.

You get that view from both floors. The deck runs across the back, part covered and part open, so you can sit in the shade or the sun depending on the hour, and there's a fully covered patio underneath it for the months when you need it.

Below the deck the yard is large and flat, with room for soccer goals, a trampoline or a pool someday, plus a dedicated garden space. The greenbelt keeps it private at the same time it keeps the view.

Inside it's four bedrooms and three and a half baths. The kitchen was updated with a big flat island after the columns came out, and the breakfast nook looks at the same greenbelt as the deck. It's a few houses down from the Bella Mar pool, close enough to walk over and far enough to skip the traffic.

#78732

10/21/2026

Most outdoor kitchens are a grill and a counter. The one on this patio in Savannah Point is the whole thing: a grill, an extra burner, a sink and a fridge, so dinner starts and finishes outside.

Behind it is a big wood burning fireplace with a pizza oven built into it, and a covered porch with an extended pergola running off the house. Between the covered part and the open part there's enough patio to seat a crowd, and because the house backs to a greenbelt, nobody's looking in while you cook.

Inside it's a 1.5 story with the primary suite on the main floor at the back of the house, the office and formal dining off the foyer, and the kitchen opening to the family room. The game room and media room are upstairs.

All of it behind the gates of Savannah Point.

Listed by Lauren Kennemer, Compass. Thanks to Lauren for letting me film it.

#78732

10/19/2026

A lot of people tell me they want a one-story and then can't find the right one. This house in Savannah Point is a 1.5 story, and I'd argue it lives like the one-story they were asking for.

Everything you'd use in a normal day is on the main floor. The office and the formal dining room are right off the foyer, the kitchen opens straight into the family room, and the primary suite sits at the back of the house with the secondary bedrooms up near the front. You could go a week without touching the stairs.

The stairs still earn their keep. Upstairs is a game room and a media room with its own full bath, and that's the entire second floor, so it's a bonus level rather than a place you have to live.

The ceilings are extra tall, the rooms are open, and because the house backs to a greenbelt the patio out back stays private. It's behind the gates of Savannah Point.

Listed by Lauren Kennemer, Compass. Thanks to Lauren for letting me film it.

#78732

10/17/2026

A flat lot is one of the first things people ask me for and one of the hardest things to find. This house in Lakewood Hills is level from the street to the back fence.

The cul-de-sac is flat, the pebbled driveway is flat, and there isn't a single step from the driveway into the main floor. So the office, the dining room, the kitchen and the primary suite are all on one level you walk straight into.

Out back is where it pays off most. The yard is big and level, shaded by a large oak, with a patio off the house and room left over if you ever want to add a pool or a sport court.

Inside, the living room has two-story ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at that yard, and the kitchen was updated with white quartz and a counter-height island. The game room and four more bedrooms are upstairs, and the whole interior was just repainted with new carpet, light fixtures and hardware. Five bedrooms and three and a half baths, on a quiet cul-de-sac behind the gates of Lakewood Hills.

Listed by Jenny Rosas, Compass. Thanks to Jenny for letting me film it.

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10/13/2026

If I had to pick the two things people love most about this house in Bella Mar, it's the kitchen and the view.

The kitchen used to have columns between it and the living room. Those came out, and the island was redone big and flat, so now you can stand in the kitchen and see straight across the main floor. It makes the whole space feel bigger, and it works a lot better when you have people over.

Then there's the view. The house backs to the greenbelt, so there are no rooftops behind it, and you get that view from both floors. The breakfast nook is the surprise of the floor plan, because it looks right out at the same view you get from the back of the house.

Out back there's a deck that's part covered and part open, with a covered patio underneath and a big flat yard below. It's four bedrooms and three and a half baths, a few houses down from the Bella Mar pool.

#78732

10/11/2026

Here's something you don't see in many houses: two separate garages, on opposite sides of the house, and each one opens into its own mudroom.

One side is a two-car garage and the other is an oversized one-car. Having a garage and a mudroom at each end gives you a lot of flexibility in how you use them.

The rest of the house has plenty of room too, at 5,095 square feet in The Grove. The primary suite is on the main floor at the back of the house, looking out at the backyard, and there's a private guest suite on the other side of the first floor. The kitchen has a pass-through to the formal dining room, and upstairs is all about recreation, with a game room, a media room and two more bedrooms that each have their own bath.

Out back, the covered patio looks straight into dense trees, with no neighbors behind you.

Listed by Haval Abbas, Bramlett Partners. Thanks to Haval for letting me film it.

#78732

10/10/2026

My favorite floor plan in Steiner Ranch: a home for sale in The Grove built around a two-story living room and a huge kitchen.

The living room goes up two full stories, and floor-to-ceiling windows bring the trees right into the room. The kitchen sits next to it and is the heart of the plan, with a huge island and more counter space than most people will ever fill. A pass-through connects it to the dining room, which is big enough for a real table and has a built-in buffet and serving area, so hosting a crowd actually works.

It's 5,095 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. You come in to a double staircase, and the main floor also has an office, the primary suite at the back with backyard views, and a private guest suite on the opposite side. Upstairs is the fun floor, with a game room, a media room and two more bedrooms that each have their own bathroom. Two garages on opposite sides of the house each open into their own mudroom.

Out back, the covered patio faces dense trees with no rear neighbors. The three HVAC systems were updated between 2023 and 2026, and a water softener went in this April.

The home sits off Quinlan Park Road in The Grove, close to the Steiner Ranch pools, trails and the Lake Austin boat ramps, with an easy drive toward downtown Austin.

Listed by Haval Abbas, Bramlett Partners. Thanks to Haval for letting me film it.

#78732

10/10/2026

My kids have two requirements for our next house: a bookcase that opens into a hidden room, and a huge flat yard. This house in Lakewood Hills has both.

The yard is a level lot behind the house, shaded by a big oak, with a large patio off the back and plenty of room if you ever want to add a pool or a sport court.

Inside, the living room has two-story ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows that look right out at that yard. The primary suite is on the main floor with a big bay window, and there's a bonus room next to it that could be a gym, a second office or a nursery. Upstairs there's a large game room and four more bedrooms, and the whole inside was just freshly painted with new carpet and new light fixtures.

It sits on a quiet cul-de-sac behind the gates of Lakewood Hills.

Listed by Jenny Rosas, Compass. Thanks to Jenny for letting me film it.

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10/07/2026

What is the option period when you buy a home in Steiner Ranch, or anywhere in Texas? It's the buyer's window to walk away for any reason, and its deadline is strict.

Under the standard TREC contract, the buyer pays an option fee in exchange for an unrestricted right to terminate for a set number of days after the effective date, often 7. The option fee and earnest money both go to the title company within 3 days. If the buyer closes, the option fee is credited to the sales price. If the buyer terminates during the option period, the seller keeps the option fee and the buyer's earnest money is refunded.

The details that matter most:

The fee has to be delivered on time. If it isn't, the buyer doesn't have the unrestricted right to terminate.

Notice of termination is due by 5:00 p.m., local time where the property is located, on the last day of the option period. The deadline doesn't move for weekends.

Once the option period ends, the buyer can still terminate under other provisions in the contract, like financing or title, but only on those specific terms.

This is general information, not legal advice. Review your specific contract with your agent before you sign.

09/14/2026

Price per square foot is the most quoted number in Steiner Ranch and the least useful one.

It doesn't know what's behind the house. It doesn't know when the kitchen was done. It doesn't know which section, and here that matters more than almost anywhere in Austin.

Two homes at the same number can be a hundred thousand dollars apart in what they're actually worth. If you're selling, that's the difference between leaving money and sitting for sixty days. If you're buying, it's the difference between a deal and a mistake.

That's the first thing I look at with anyone pricing a Steiner Ranch home.

Address

Austin, TX

Website

https://steinerranch.com/

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