Your Austin Real Estate Experts

Helping you Find yourself a home.

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Matt van Winkle Realtor® & Owner

Experience has its rewards

Proud to be your Austin real estate expert

Matt and his team are constantly trying to improve the real estate experience, always experimenting and developing new ways to market and serve clients. With an emphasis on collaboration and growth, The Leverage Team uses new technology and systemization to help agents deliver an unparalleled client experience while building systemized, consistent, and profitable businesses for the agents.

Prior to leading the Leverage Team at Compass, Matt was the CEO of RE/MAX Northwest, growing from 1 agent in 2011 to 16 offices and over $5 billion in annual sales. RE/MAX Northwest was the fastest growing RE/MAX brokerage in the region and the 4th largest in the United States.

After a decade as CEO of one of the most productive national brand brokerages in the U.S. with over $30 billion in sales, Matt was inspired to build The Leverage Team by his strong belief that the client benefits most from being represented by a team of brokers that collaborate and contribute to each transaction, matched for expertise and specialization.

 

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James Lucas Realtor®

Experience has its rewards

James Lucas is an Austin native who spent fifteen years in fine dining before he ever sold a house — starting as a server at Perry's Steakhouse and working his way up from server to Senior General Manager, running restaurants in Austin, Frisco, Birmingham, and Chicago.

It turns out a packed Saturday night in a steakhouse is surprisingly good training for real estate. Both come down to taking care of people when the stakes are high, keeping a hundred moving parts on schedule, and sweating the details nobody else notices.

Today James helps homeowners in Northwest Hills and across Austin buy and sell with that same approach. He sums it up in three words:

Excellent. Knowing the market, the process, and every step in between well enough to execute at the highest level.

Earnest. Genuinely caring whether this move changes your life for the better — not just whether it closes.

Easy. Taking the hard parts and making them simple, and taking the easy parts off your plate entirely.

His goal isn't one transaction. It's to be your realtor for life. If that sounds like a good fit, reach out!

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Results that move you

Your goals are our priority, and we specialize in getting you the best result. To us, you’re more than a client - you’re a partner, and we’re in this together!

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Reviews


Highly likely to recommend

“We couldn’t have asked for a better realtor than James! From the very beginning, he was professional, knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely invested in helping us find the perfect home for our family. He came prepared with a packet complete with all the information about every home we were viewing which was very helpful. Throughout the entire process, James was always available to answer our questions, guide us through each step, and make sure we felt confident in our decisions. He listened to what we wanted, never made us feel pressured, and truly went above and beyond to help us find a home that checked all of our boxes. Thanks to his hard work, dedication, and expertise, we were able to purchase our dream home, and we couldn’t be more grateful! If you’re looking for a realtor who truly cares about his clients and will work hard to help you find the right home, we highly recommend James. Thank you, James, for helping make our dream a reality!”

Highly likely to recommend

“James is a very thoughtful and helpful realtor. We had a fantastic home buying experience with him. He is not only knowledgeable, but is very honest and shows compassion. He went above and beyond in helping us find a new home and get settled in. He was very prompt is setting up showings and in his responses. I know I could count on him responding any time any day for even the littlest of the concerns or queries we had. He has an excellent grasp of Steiner ranch market. He still follows up to make sure we are settled well in our new house and offers his help wherever possible.”

Highly likely to recommend

“James LUCAS was truly exceptional. I met him at a open house. I was impressed with their level of knowledge and the amount of data that they had about the market. James LUCAS was ALWAYS available for home tours and his responsiveness was incredible. His knowledge of the market, strategic mindset, kindness, good energy made the Whole process simple and smooth. When I am looking to buy again I will not hesitate to call James LUCAS.”

Highly likely to recommend

“I met James during an open house nearly a year before our purchase and was impressed with his knowledge & skill on the market/pricing so I decided to stay in touch to keep ourselves in line. Every time I called or texted, it was an immediate response or a mutual schedule was found in order to discuss what was going on (all before our official search began). Once the search was on, he was able to pin-point exactly what we should be budgeting for & setting our expectations. His facilitation during our option period was bar none superb to anything we could've hoped for, pulling in all resources to leverage our hand. I cannot recommend him enough, HE IS THE GUY TO GO TO. I'm looking forward to working with him in all of our future endeavors.”

Highly likely to recommend

“I cannot recommend my realtor highly enough! From start to finish, he exceeded every expectation. He is incredibly efficient, ensuring everything was handled quickly and seamlessly. He was always easily accessible, responding to my calls and questions promptly, which made the process stress-free and smooth. His knowledge of the market and expertise were evident at every step, and he took the time to explain all the details to me, which I really appreciated. What stood out the most was how much he truly cared about my priorities—he listened carefully to what I was looking for and worked tirelessly to make it happen. It’s clear that he doesn’t just treat this as a job—he genuinely cares about his clients. If you’re looking for a realtor who is professional, dedicated, and truly invested in your success, look no further. He’s the best!”

Highly likely to recommend

“We couldn’t be happier with our decision to work with James. From the start, his deep local knowledge gave us confidence, as he was able to guide us to the best areas that suited our needs. His expertise throughout the entire process was invaluable, and he kept us informed every step of the way. What really set him apart was his responsiveness whenever we had a question or concern, he was quick to get back to us, making us feel like a priority. We truly felt supported and taken care of throughout the entire journey, and we highly recommend James to anyone looking for a trusted and skilled professional. James is the best!”

Highly likely to recommend

“James Lucas was fantastic. He was patient and knowledgeable and helped me find an amazing house without a ton of hassle. He always answered my calls and actually seemed to care about me and finding me a good place. I highly recommend him for anyone who needs a realtor they can trust to take care of them.”

Highly likely to recommend

“I am very pleased with the professionalism, patience and communication that Brandin and his team provided. Brandin was well informed at all times and helped me make the best decisions that allowed for the sale of the property. I highly recommend that you use Brandin if you are in the process of buying or selling your home.”

Highly likely to recommend

“James Lucas did a fantastic job helping me find my new home and made the whole process a breeze. He was always very professional and really focused on finding options that matched my needs. When it was time to put an offer for the house, he clearly understood the home prices in the area and helped me determine the right price for the house. He took care of getting the inspection done and helped negotiate some repairs with the seller. I strongly recommend James. I couldn't be happier with all the help and support throughout the entire home purchase process.”

Highly likely to recommend

“Working with Ashley has been a absolute delight. She's very knowledgeable crafty and consistent. Her willingness to go above and beyond sets her apart from anyone else that I've worked with. Ashley is extremely professional and easy to approach with any questions. I really appreciate her willingness to explain each part of the process even when I asked the same question multiple times. Thank you Ashley for everything you do!”

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