Austin Realtors · Caroline Kissel & Ursula Whitworth
Austin Realtors for Buying, Selling & New Construction
Looking for an Austin Realtor team? Caroline Kissel and Ursula Whitworth of Thence House Group work together to guide buyers, sellers, relocating families and new construction clients across Austin and its neighborhoods.
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How Austin began
A capital laid out on the river
In 1839 the Republic of Texas chose a tiny frontier settlement called Waterloo, on the Colorado River, as the site of its new capital and renamed it for Stephen F. Austin. Surveyor Edwin Waller laid out the town on a grid with Congress Avenue running up the middle toward a hilltop saved for the Capitol.
Waller named the north and south streets for Texas rivers, placed in the same order the rivers run across the state, and those names are still on the signs today: Rio Grande, Nueces, San Antonio, Guadalupe, Lavaca, Colorado, Brazos, San Jacinto, Trinity, Neches, Red River and Sabine.
A little known fact: the east and west streets were originally named for Texas trees. Sixth Street was Pecan Street, Second was Live Oak and Fourth was Cedar, until the city switched to numbers in the 1880s. The Pecan Street Festival still carries the old name.
Pictured above: downtown Austin at night, reflected in Lady Bird Lake.
Austin at a glance
A big city that still feels like Austin
In its July 2025 estimate, the U.S. Census Bureau put Austin above one million residents for the first time, making it the 12th largest city in the country. The skyline keeps climbing, while the springs, the trails, the lake and the old neighborhoods keep Austin feeling like Austin.
The Texas Capitol
Paid for with three million acres
Texas did not have the cash for a new statehouse, so it traded land instead. The builders were paid with about three million acres in the Panhandle, which became the XIT Ranch, at one time the largest fenced ranch in the world. The Capitol was dedicated in 1888.
The walls are sunset red granite donated from Granite Mountain near Marble Falls and hauled to Austin on a railroad built for the job. The finished building stands about 14 feet taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, a fact Texans rarely let anyone forget.
Austin still protects the view. A set of Capitol View Corridors limits building heights along certain sightlines so the dome stays visible from spots around the city, which is one reason the skyline grows in such an interesting shape.
Our favorite places to eat
Coffee, cinnamon rolls and a very good brisket
Caroline and Ursula have both called Austin home since the 1970s, and these are a few of the places they love to send friends, family and every client who asks where to eat.
Nate’s Baked Goods & Coffee
Tucked into a little house at the corner of Fourth and Orchard in Old West Austin, Nate’s is our pick for morning coffee and a cinnamon roll. Chef and owner Nathan Baumann bakes the pastries by hand, and his gluten free cinnamon rolls have a devoted following. There is a parking lot in back and a shaded patio out front.
It feels like stopping by a friend’s kitchen, which is exactly why it is one of our favorite places in the city.
Fonda San Miguel
Since 1975, Fonda San Miguel on North Loop has served the food of Mexico’s interior and coastal regions in rooms filled with Mexican art and tropical plants. It is often called the most beautiful restaurant in Austin, and the Sunday brunch is a celebration.
KG BBQ
Pitmaster Kareem El Ghayesh tasted his first Texas brisket on a 2012 visit and later left a finance career in Cairo to smoke meat in Austin. His trailer at Oddwood Brewing on Manor Road blends Central Texas barbecue with Egyptian flavors, and the Michelin Guide has recognized it with a Bib Gourmand. Go early.
Hours change, so check before you go.
Our very favorite place in Austin
The Central Library roof garden
If you ask Caroline and Ursula for one perfect Austin afternoon, the answer is the Austin Central Library. It opened in 2017 on Cesar Chavez Street, where Shoal Creek meets Lady Bird Lake, and it is six floors of light, wood and open stairways, with reading porches, an art gallery and a 37 foot sculpture inspired by Austin’s grackles.
- Start downstairs at Café Crème, the local coffee shop and bakery inside the library, and pick up a snack and a drink.
- Take it to the top. The sixth floor opens onto a rooftop garden of native plants and butterfly habitat, shaded by a solar panel arbor.
- Bring your camera. The view over Lady Bird Lake and downtown is, in our opinion, the most beautiful view in town.
The library is free and open to everyone. Check hours on the Austin Public Library website before you go.
Parks, springs and trails
Where Austin goes outside
Austin’s best known places are not buildings. They are a spring, a lake and a park in the middle of the city.
Zilker Park and Barton Springs
Andrew Jackson Zilker made his fortune making ice, and he used the clear water of Barton Springs to do it. Starting in 1917 he gave the springs and the land around them to the public, and the park that took his name now covers more than 350 acres where Barton Creek meets the river.
Barton Springs Pool is about three acres of spring water that stays around 68 degrees all year, cold in August and almost warm in January. The springs are also the only home of the endangered Barton Springs salamander. Around the pool, Zilker holds the botanical garden, a hillside theater and the Austin City Limits Music Festival each fall.
Lady Bird Lake
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail loops the lake through downtown, including a boardwalk built out over the water. Paddleboards, kayaks and rowing shells share the lake, since motorboats are largely kept off it.
The bats on Congress
From spring through fall, up to a million and a half Mexican free tailed bats stream out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge around sunset. It is the largest urban bat colony in North America, and watching from the lake shore is free.
Barton Creek Greenbelt
Upstream from the springs, miles of trail follow Barton Creek through limestone canyons, with swimming holes that fill after good rains. It feels far from the city and is only minutes from downtown.
Deep Eddy Pool
Just off Lake Austin Boulevard, Deep Eddy is often called the oldest swimming pool in Texas. It is fed by well water and has been a family favorite for generations.
The holidays
Austin’s Christmas tree is a streetlight
In 1894 Austin bought 31 moonlight towers, 165 feet tall, to light the city at night. Seventeen survive, and Austin is the only city in the world that still has them. Locals call them moontowers, and one famous line in the movie Dazed and Confused sends everyone to a party out at the moontower.
- The Zilker Holiday Tree is built every December around the moonlight tower in Zilker Park, with 39 streamers holding 3,309 colored lights.
- Spin under the tree. Austin tradition says you stand in the center, look up and spin until you are dizzy.
- The Trail of Lights fills Zilker Park with light displays during the holiday season.
Dates and details are posted each year by the City of Austin.
Where to live
Austin neighborhoods we love
Westlake
Just west of downtown across the river, Westlake climbs into wooded hills with limestone, views and quick access to the city. It includes the city of West Lake Hills and is served by Eanes ISD. Ursula is a Westlake High School graduate.
Lakeway
A city of its own on Lake Travis, about 16 miles west of Austin, with golf, marinas and resident deer that wander through the yards. Lakeway is served by Lake Travis ISD.
Barton Hills
Tucked between Zilker Park and the Barton Creek Greenbelt, with mid century homes on hilly, tree shaded streets. Many residents can walk to the springs and the trailheads.
Tarrytown
West of MoPac near Lake Austin, Tarrytown is known for big trees, classic cottages beside new builds, and neighbors like Deep Eddy Pool and Mayfield Park, where peacocks roam the gardens.
Allandale
In north central Austin between Burnet Road and MoPac, Allandale is known for large lots, mature trees and 1950s and 1960s ranch homes, with Shoal Creek and its parks running through the neighborhood.
Crestview
A north central neighborhood of postwar homes on generous lots, close to the restaurants and shops of Burnet Road and the Crestview MetroRail station.
Mueller
Built on the 700 acre site of Austin’s old Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, which closed in 1999. Today it has walkable streets, a lake park, a Sunday farmers market, and the old control tower still standing as a landmark.
Great Hills
In northwest Austin near the Arboretum, Great Hills is set on rolling, wooded terrain around the Great Hills Country Club, with established homes and easy access to north Austin employers.
Avery Ranch
In far northwest Austin off Parmer Lane and Brushy Creek Road, Avery Ranch is a large master planned golf community built around Avery Ranch Golf Club, with pools, parks, courts and trails, and Brushy Creek Lake Park close by. It is in Williamson County, with an HOA and sections in either Round Rock ISD or Leander ISD, so buyers should verify the district for each address.
Circle C
In southwest Austin near MoPac and Slaughter Lane, Circle C Ranch is a master planned community with neighborhood pools, parks and greenbelt trails. Circle C Metropolitan Park is home to the Veloway, a paved loop for cyclists and skaters, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is right next door. Caroline knows Circle C especially well.
And all around the city
We also work in Zilker, 78704, South Congress, Oak Hill, Hyde Park, downtown and East Austin. If you have a neighborhood in mind, ask us about it.
A note on schools: Austin ISD serves much of the city, but Westlake is in Eanes ISD, Lakeway is in Lake Travis ISD, and parts of northwest Austin fall in Round Rock or Leander ISD. Buyers should verify the district and campus for any address they are considering.
Buying, selling or relocating
How we help in Austin
A downtown condo, a Barton Hills ranch house, a Mueller rowhouse and a Lakeway home on the water can all share an Austin address while offering very different taxes, HOA rules, school districts and commutes. We help you compare them clearly, and we look at how a house will work on an ordinary Tuesday, not only during a showing.
- Define the Austin lifestyle and location that fit your daily routine.
- Compare resale homes, condominiums, townhomes and new construction.
- Review taxes, HOA obligations, utility districts and other recurring costs.
- Assess lot, orientation, traffic, nearby development and resale considerations.
- Price and present your home to reach buyers across the Austin metro, with the reach of Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty.
- Relocating? Video walkthroughs, commute checks and honest notes on homes you cannot see in person.
- Coordinate inspections, lending, title and closing from start to finish.
New construction expertise
Building in Austin?
New home buyers benefit from representation before the first model home visit. Builder incentives, lot premiums and upgrade choices have to be evaluated together. Our Austin new construction guide explains how we guide buyers from community comparison through closing.
Your Austin team
Who you will work with
Thence House Group is sisters Ursula Whitworth and Caroline Kissel, brokered by Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty. Both have called Austin home since the 1970s and work throughout the city. One is based north and one south, but they handle every transaction together, so clients get two sets of local knowledge wherever they buy or sell.
Caroline was born and raised in Austin and still lives here. She serves clients throughout Downtown, Central, West, South and East Austin, as well as the surrounding communities, and is especially knowledgeable about Zilker, Barton Hills, Circle C, the 78704 area, South Lamar (SoLa), South Congress (SoCo), Oak Hill, Westlake, Great Hills, Allandale, Tarrytown and Hyde Park. She brings more than 20 years of project management, operations and client service experience to every transaction.
Ursula is a Westlake graduate who now lives in Georgetown and has closed transactions from Salado to south Austin. She spent more than two decades in new home sales, was named Number One Agent in the nation and the city multiple times, and wrote How to Buy or Build a New Home Without Getting Screwed to give buyers the questions she wished every customer had asked.
Austin real estate questions
Which part of Austin is right for me?
It depends on how you want to live. Walkability, commute, lot size, school district, budget and how much new construction you want around you all point to different parts of the city. We start with your routine, then narrow the map to the neighborhoods that fit.
Which school district serves my Austin address?
Austin ISD serves much of the city, but Westlake is in Eanes ISD, Lakeway is in Lake Travis ISD, and some northwest Austin addresses are in Round Rock or Leander ISD. Boundaries can change, so buyers should verify the district and campus for any home they are considering.
Do you work in Westlake and Lakeway?
Yes. Caroline knows Westlake well, Ursula is a Westlake High School graduate, and we help buyers and sellers in Lakeway and around Lake Travis.
Do you help sellers as well as buyers?
Yes. We advise Austin sellers on pricing, preparation, presentation, marketing, negotiation and the details required to move from listing to closing.
Do you work outside Austin?
Yes. We serve communities across Central Texas, including Georgetown, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, Liberty Hill and Salado.
“I felt like Ursula treated me like I was her most important customer… Ursula was so patient with me and took the time to answer all my questions throughout the entire process.”
Andrew Chao
Keep exploring
Related guides
Thinking about Austin?
You do not need to be ready to buy or sell. Tell us what you are considering, and we will help you compare neighborhoods, homes and timing without pressure.
Or call 737-403-5262 · hello@thencehouse.com