Cynthia Mattiza Associate Broker · Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty
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Guide

A two-day Austin scouting trip: what to test, visit and decide

I’m Cynthia Mattiza, an Associate Broker with Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty, and I plan scouting trips so that two days in Austin produce a decision. The plan below tests your commute, visits Westlake, Bee Cave and Lakeway at the hours you would live there, tours a short list of homes, and ends with a decision worksheet.

By Cynthia Mattiza, Associate Broker Last updated

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This is a planning guide, not a promise of availability or schedule; confirm every appointment directly.

Why plan a scouting trip instead of just visiting?

Because two days is short and the decision is large. A trip with a plan lets you test the assumptions that online research cannot: the real drive, the feel of a community at a normal hour, and how a home works for your day. A couple I worked with toured nearly a dozen homes on one trip and found that the first one they saw was the one. The trip worked because they came with a clear brief.

What should I do before I fly in?

  • Fill in the intake worksheet in the field guide: start date, workplaces, budget range, priorities.
  • Run your workplaces through the commute worksheet and cross off communities that fail on the free-flow figures alone.
  • Get a lender conversation started, especially if equity compensation is part of your plan (see buying with RSUs).
  • Send me your short list so I can plan appointments. I do not promise availability for any date until we have confirmed it.

What does day one look like?

Shaded cafe corner on an Austin neighborhood street

Day one is for testing, not buying.

  • Morning: drive your real commute at your real departure window, to each workplace if there are two. Record the time you left, the route, tolls and the time you arrived.
  • Late morning: visit Westlake, Bee Cave and Lakeway (or the communities left on your list) at normal weekday hours. Park, walk, buy a coffee, drive the roads you would use for school and errands.
  • Afternoon: look at the school campuses from outside and call each district with questions about the exact addresses you are considering. School zoning follows the address.
  • Evening: come back to a community at the hour you would be coming home from work, and notice how it feels.
  • Night: fill in the decision worksheet below and cross off at least one community.

What does day two look like?

Day two is for homes, and for the checks that happen only inside one.

  • Morning: tour the homes that match what day one taught you. Walk each one the way you will live in it, then check the home office using the home-office checklist.
  • Midday: meet your lender, in person or by video, if you have not already, and review the numbers with the monthly-costs worksheet.
  • Afternoon: revisit the one or two front-runners at a different hour, and decide whether any of them is an offer.
  • Evening: debrief and write down what you would do if you could not return for a month.

What is the decision worksheet?

Sunlit entry with leather bags and a suitcase just set down

Copy these prompts, and answer them for each community and home you toured.

  • Commute: weekly total at the worst day for each workplace, in your own tested minutes.
  • School district and campus for this address, and who confirmed it.
  • Home office: internet confirmed at this address, signal tested, room quiet and cool enough.
  • Monthly cost: your own inputs, with a source for each.
  • What would have to be true for me to say yes? What would make me say no?
  • Rent, buy or sell first? What does that choice depend on? See rent, buy or sell first.

What if I cannot visit before deciding?

Then we do more of it remotely. A family relocating from Seattle for a job transfer worked with me from 2,000 miles away, went from first call to contract in about one month and closed in June 2026. The trade-off is that you rely more on tested numbers and on someone who knows the communities from experience. Either way, the worksheet and the checklists still apply.

Plan a call about my scouting trip

Official sources

Client stories

Relocating buyers and out-of-state sellers, introduced by a past client and a college friend · Austin

Virginia to Austin: a two-state move that closed over the holidays

The situation
Buyers were selling a home in Virginia while buying in Austin. They met Cynthia for a relocation consultation in March and chose to wait for the right market window rather than rush.
The approach
Cynthia connected them with a Sotheby’s advisor in Virginia to handle the sale of their current home, monitored inventory and pricing, and moved decisively when the timing was right. On their house-hunting trip they toured nearly a dozen homes. She stayed in touch through voice notes and late-night calls across the holidays.
The outcome
The first home they saw was the one. They were under contract a few days later and closed during the holiday season.
Homes toured on the trip
Nearly a dozen
Contract
A few days after the first showing

Relocating family (one child), referred by a family member · Lake Pointe, Bee Cave

Seattle to Lake Pointe: a remote relocation that closed on the job-transfer timeline

The situation
A family moving from Seattle for a tech job transfer had a fixed start date, little time to visit, and a city they had not lived in. They wanted to be close to family in a neighborhood that felt like a community, where their son could ride his bike and make friends quickly.
The approach
Cynthia ran the search remotely and matched the family to a community before showing homes, comparing Lake Travis-area neighborhoods against what they said mattered: a welcoming community and everyday convenience. Lake Pointe came out on top. She also personally knew three of the family’s direct neighbors.
The outcome
The family closed in June 2026 on the timeline the job transfer required, about one month from first call to contract.
First call to contract
About one month
Closed
June 2026
Search
Run remotely from Seattle

Frequently asked questions

How many days should an Austin scouting trip be?

Two focused days can be enough to test your commute, visit three communities and tour a short list of homes, if you arrive with a clear brief. More days help if you have two workplaces or an undecided school district.

What should I do on the first day of a scouting trip?

Test, do not buy. Drive your real commute at your real departure window, visit your short-listed communities at normal hours, and contact school districts about exact addresses. Fill in a decision worksheet that night.

Can I tour homes before I have a lender?

You can, but a lender conversation before you travel makes the trip more useful, especially if RSUs or vested stock are part of your funds. A written quote also lets you price the monthly cost of each home.

Does Cynthia promise availability for scouting trips?

No. She plans trips around your short list and confirms appointments with you directly, but she does not promise a date until it is confirmed.

Can I buy without visiting Austin first?

Sometimes. A family relocating from Seattle went from first call to contract in about one month and closed in June 2026 with the search run remotely. It works best when your priorities are clear and your start date is fixed.

Keep going

Cynthia Mattiza

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