Spec Mansion Topped Austin Contracts Last Week

As 2025 comes to an end, Austin luxury buyers said out with the old and in with the new.

A spec mansion and a custom home built last year nearly tied for the most expensive public luxury contract signed in Austin last week, according to the Eklund Gomes Team. With a listing price of $3.5 million, the top contract was for a six-bedroom, six-bathroom spec home about 40 minutes west of Downtown Austin at 16114 Cool Breeze Cove.

The final sale price is unavailable, but the asking price amounts to about $600 per square foot for 5,700-square-foot home.

A husband-and-wife team constructed and sold the property. Terra Builders, a local custom homebuilding company owned by Jim and Julie Lavender, completed the house this year. Julie Lavender is the listing agent.

The cul-de-sac property sits on 2.6 acres near Little Barton Creek, and the lot has already been pre-approved for a 900-square-foot guest house, according to the listing. Amenities include a pool, an outdoor kitchen and a secret room.

The second-most expensive luxury home to go under contract last week was also recently built, in 2024, though not apparently as a spec project. The 4,500-square-foot house, at 4107 North Hills Drive in the Northwest Hills neighborhood, has five bedrooms and six bathrooms. It was initially meant to be the sellers’ “forever home,” according to Moreland Properties agent Greg Walling. The sellers, Tamir and Marina Hardof, had priced the home at $3.46 million when the contract was signed, or about $770 per square foot. The tech-packed property is pure Austin with Tesla Poweralls, solar panels and a full smart-home system.

Notably, the spec home held fast to its original $3.5 million listing price. The resale home originally listed for $3.75 million in September. Its price was cut in October and November, representing a common struggle for luxury resale inventory in Austin, especially for sellers who bought their homes during the mid- and post-pandemic boom.