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Tom Thornton, Broker Associate, MBA, ABR, CRS, GREEN, GRI, SRES (Realty Austin) Real Estate Agent

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Tom Thornton
Broker Associate, MBA, ABR, CRS, GREEN, GRI, SRES
location_on Austin, TX — Realty Austin
TREC Lic. 0572694
Get to Know Tom Thornton

Tom Thornton, MBA, Broker Associate, CRS, Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR), GRI, EcoBroker

Tom Thornton is a REALTOR and Broker Associate specializing in Central and Southwest Austin residential properties. His neighborhoods of focus include Westlake, Downtown, Barton Hills, and Travis Heights. He is a member of the Austin Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors. Tom has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation (the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation) by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC) and is a Graduate of the REALTOR® Institute (GRI). He has earned the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), the highest Designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field. The CRS Designation recognizes professional accomplishments in both experience and education. CRS Designees represent the Top 4% of Realtors in the United States. Tom is also certified as an EcoBroker by EcoBroker International. EcoBroker Certified® professionals help clients market properties with green features, save money, and live comfortably, through energy efficiency and environmentally-sensitive choices. He is a graduate of both London Business School (MBA) and Baylor University (BBA).

Before entering real estate, Tom worked extensively in marketing and advertising, most recently as Vice President at Young and Rubicam's Knowledge Group in New York, which provided brand management and marketing strategy to clients like Yahoo!, Dannon, and Pfizer. Tom's marketing experience also includes time at J. Walter Thompson and Burson-Marsteller in New York. He worked for famed UK newspaper The Guardian and for Texas Monthly magazine early in his career. He is a graduate of both London Business School's MBA program and Baylor University.

A native Texan, Tom relocated to Austin from New York City in 2005. He understands the trials and changes involved in moving to Austin from another area, and is happy to help clients learn more about our city.

Tom lives in the Southwest Austin area with his wife and two daughters, and is also a contributing music and food writer for Austinist, which has won multiple awards as Austin's best entertainment website. He has interviewed bands such as Snow Patrol, The Decemberists, Santana, Spoon and Crowded House along with celebrities like Will Ferrell. Tom has been interviewed as an "Austin culture insider" by BBC Radio 2, The Wall Street Journal, MTV.com, KUT, KROX, and News 8 Austin. Tom's interests include travel, wine collecting, and music. He is always happy to share his knowledge of what Austin has to offer with clients!

Community and Charity Work:

Tom Thornton is a Bronze Level sponsor of Austin ISD's Oak Hill Elementary School in Southwest Austin.

He was one of Realty Austin's Top 10 contributors to their 2012 and 2013 Habitat for Humanity fundraising campaigns, and has also contributed to Realty Austin's Foundation Communities fundraising.

Tom serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin Food and Wine Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering awareness and innovation in the Central Texas culinary community through community grants, educational programming, and events.

He is also a host committee member for Share Our Strength's annual "Block Party for No Kid Hungry" charity event in Downtown Austin. Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in federal nutrition programs, invests in community organizations fighting hunger, teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals, and builds innovative public-private partnerships to end hunger, nationally and at the state and city levels.

Tom's family are also annual contributors to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), JDRF'S mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

Falconhead

Southwest Austin's Falconhead neighborhood preview.

Certifications

Neighborhoods of focus:

Travis Heights

Bouldin Creek

Barton Hills

Westlake

East Side

Hyde Park

Tarrytown

Downtown

Clarksville

UT - West Campus

Lantana

Travis Country and Travis Country West

Covered Bridge

Circle C and Loma Vista

Specialties:

Licensed Texas Real Estate Broker: Tom has passed the Texas Real Estate Broker's exam and is a Broker Associate with Realty Austin.

Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation: Tom has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation (the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation) by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC).

GRI designation: The Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) symbol is the mark of a real estate professional who has made a commitment to providing a superior level of professional services by earning the GRI designation. REALTORS® with the GRI designation are highly trained in many areas of real estate to better serve and protect their clients.


EcoBroker Certified® professional: EcoBroker Certified® professionals help clients market properties with green features, save money, and live comfortably, through energy efficiency and environmentally-sensitive choices.

CRS Designation: The highest Designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field. The CRS recognizes professional accomplishments in both experience and education. CRS Designees represent the Top 4% of Realtors in the United States.

Awards

Austin Platinum Top 50 REALTOR - Finalist (2011, 2012, & 2013)

Austin Business Journal Top 50 Residential Real Estate Awards Finalist (2011, 2012, & 2013)

TEXAS MONTHLY 5-Star Professional - Four-time winner (2011-2014)

Realty Austin Top 10 Agent - 2011

Testimonials
Lindsey Baker
08/02/2013
We used Tom to purchase a home in Austin this summer while we still lived in California. Our process was very much one that required flexibility and patience which he demonstrated over and over. In addition, he quickly learned exactly what we were looking for and we trusted him to look at homes for us even when we were not in Austin and would easily be able to filter out those that we would like. Once we did find a home the process with the sellers and selling agent was frustrating for all of us but he handled it all so well. Throughout the process I've felt like I could ask Tom for help with anything in the purchase and home set up process. He's been a critical point person in our relocation to Austin. Thank you so much Tom!
Leigh Ann Proctor
06/13/2013
Realty Austin and working with Tom Thornton in not only selling my house but in helping me secure a new one was a great experience. Tom is very knowledgeable and helps you every step of the way. I appreciate his expertise, patience. Selling and buying homes can be very stressful and Tom's calm demeanor assisted in keeping everyone on track. He did a great job.
Paige Maguire
06/06/2013
We chose Tom to help us both find a new home and sell our old one. At each step along the way, he was available, ready to hear our input, and doing his best to get us through the process. We couldn't have done it without him and would recommend him to anyone looking for a home in Austin!
Joe Bernal
03/26/2013
Working with Tom was an absolute pleasure! My wife and I used him to purchase our first condo and he kept me informed of all of the details. Although it took a little longer than anticipated with the bank to get my loan approved, he kept pushing on them to hurry up and did whatever he could to make sure we closed as soon as possible. Tom is very knowledgeable of the real estate industry and their website is what initially drew me in since I think the site is great and easy to use. I'd definitely recommend Tom and would use him in the future.
Erik Wagner
12/29/2012
I recently bought my first house and I used Tom Thornton from Realty Austin. Tom is a consummate professional. He had great advice and insights into the Austin real estate market and made our home buying process easy and straight forward. On top of that he has the patience of a saint. It took us a good 8-10 months before we finally decided on our place and through all of that he never complained about being dragged out to see yet another house on a Saturday morning at 9am. Although buying a home is always stressful, Tom brought a calming presence to the whole process. Finally, we always felt that he had our best interests in mind and wasn't just in real estate to make a quick buck.
Walker Fenz
11/27/2012
Tom was an absolute pleasure to work with; he exceed our expectations. Frequently we contacted him at the last minute and more often than not was able to adjust his schedule to meet our needs. He is knowledgeable about the market without being pushy as to his own opinions. I would recommend him to family and friends!
John Rossman
11/27/2012
Me and my family have used Tom three times. Purchasing a condominium in Austin twice and selling one once. I could not be more complimentary of Tom and his work with helping us through the buying and selling process. His knowledge of the Austin market and what is available was second to none. I am a first time home buyer on the second condo (the first was with my family) and Tom's help has been extremely invaluable and I don't think I could have done this without his help. He helped us through every step of the process and had insightful tips at each stage of the way. He was able to break down the contract for me and when I went to buy with the seller I had little or no questions because he had broken down the complicated language in what was not a standard contract. On top of all of this he was flexible and easy to work with. He is extremely personable and I feel is someone I can trust. As long as he is in the Austin market I will definitely utilize his skills in the future and recommend him to my friends and family.
Emily Bieda McCartha
07/25/2012
Our friends referred us to Tom when we decided to sell our house. We ended up interviewing several realtors and Tom had the most impressive pitch by far. However, another realtor offered us a possible reduced rate because she had a client interested in our area and felt it would be a good fit. Before moving forward with anyone I actually called Tom and talked over the other realtor's offer. He was extremely helpful and unbiased. I felt like I was receiving advice from a friend rather than a potential future realtor. We were so impressed by Tom's integrity and the breadth of services he and Realty Austin could offer us, we decided to go with him. Luckily we did, because we received a full, cash offer the first day our house was posted on Realty Austin's website. Beyond being extremely professional and strategic, Tom is personable and down to earth. We couldn't be more grateful for his help in selling our home.
Nicholas Malaya
07/11/2012
Tom is a great realtor. He carefully listened to our needs for a home, and always found strong fits for our needs. At the same time, he was not afraid to tell us if we were being unrealistic, or simply to make suggestions about other options that could fit our lifestyle. Tom knows the Austin area very well, and was always able to provide context on the character of any neighborhood we looked it. He is very patient: my wife and I are very picky home buyers. Nevertheless, Tom was never pushy but always remained engaged and active in finding the right home for us. In summary, I could not recommend Tom more highly: he was a knowledgeable, patient and fun realtor to work with.
Kristina Barnett
12/19/2011
Years ago, when we first started thinking about selling, buying, or building, we brought Tom Thornton in to take a look at our house and offer his plan to sell it. I was so completely sold by his professionalism and thoroughness! I've worked with other agents enough to know a quality, thorough planner when I see one. Tom came on time, prepared and well-versed on the local market and other information worth knowing. It took us forever to make a decision (literally years), and Tom patiently waited, indulging whatever ideas we came up with whenever we called him, keeping the same professionalism and thoroughness throughout. When we finally put our house on the market, we had decided to move out of state or we would have used tom as our buying agent as well. He helped us manage what turned into a very difficult sale with grace and patience. He referred us to experts as needed, brokered the relationship with the seller in a really excellent and just-the-facts manner, and all around kept his cool in sometimes extremely challenging circumstances. I wouldn't have wanted to live through such a tough experience with any other agent. I highly recommend Tom!!
Linda Yost
11/10/2011
There are not enough boxes to check! Tom is also personable, on time and showed a great amount of integrity. He proved most valuable for the seller as well (I was the buyer) in a short sale that went well for all concerned (he got it done on a holiday no less). I was involved in a back up offer as well. Tom thinks out of the box and represents YOU. Very knowledgeable regarding Austin. Helpful before the sale online, great on showing property and continues to be helpful after the close of escrow with recommendations. If I were to sell or buy, he'd be my go to guy!
Haley Cihock
10/13/2011
Tom is the ultimate real estate professional, relying on extensive research of each home he represents, and of the Austin market as a whole. He uses innovative techniques to market homes across several platforms and gets quick results. On a personal level, I had full faith in Tom every step of the way in selling my house. He presented information in a way that satisfied both me, the non-expert, and my husband, the real estate attorney. He remained positive and pro-active while laboring through negotiations with a buyer who eventually backed out. He then worked quickly and efficiently when a second buyer came along, so as not to waste one minute of our time. I would whole-heartedly recommend Tom's residential real estate services to both native Austinites and those looking to move to the area.
Michael McPhaul
06/30/2011
My wife and I used Tom to buy our first home here in Austin and he made the entire process easy. He was prompt on returning phone calls and emails and he would drop everything to show us a new house that went on the market. Even after we closed on our house he answered our questions and contacted the previous owner regarding our questions. Tom demonstrates knowledge and expertise on the housing market, honesty and attentiveness. Tom exceeded our expectations and we will definitely use him in the future.
Cathy St. Martin
06/29/2011
Relocating to another part of the country is a challenge no matter what the circumstances and looking for the perfect property can be quite intimidating unless you have the right realtor. When I was relocating, Tom Thornton was my realtor and he was awesome! He knows and understands the uniqueness of Austin and its neighborhoods. Most importantly he listened to me and built a personal profile of my needs and a list of properties that would be of interest. The result was a huge time saver. He knew what would be of interest and when to steer me clear of a mismatch. He fully understood the lifestyle I wanted in my new home and that meant time was not wasted looking at properties that were not a good match. Tom gets it! He is easy to work with and never more than a text message away. I highly recommend Tom Thornton if you are looking for a property in Austin. You won’t be disappointed.
Gena McKinley
05/25/2010
After interviewing a handful of realtors to help my partner and I in our first home buying experience, we knew our search was over when we met Tom Thornton. He was friendly, professional and prepared to provide us all the information we needed in a step-by-step manner. We were in Houston while searching for a home, and Tom did a lot of leg work for us when we were unable to drive to Austin. In addition, he found innovative ways to help us with frustrating delays with our closing (due to the bank, not Tom!), in addition to having clear communication with the seller during the delays. Without hesitation, I recommend Tom Thornton to represent you in the purchase or sale of your home.
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Tom Thornton specializes in South, West, and Central Austin homes. His focus neighborhoods include Travis Country, Westcreek, Legend Oaks, Sendera, Barton Hills, Sherwood Oaks, Circle C, and Lantana.