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Westlake Austin · Compass RE Texas · Est. 2015
About The Council RE Group —
Westlake Austin's Luxury Real Estate Team
Three specialists. Thirty combined years. One uncompromising standard of service.
Our Philosophy
Why have one Realtor
when you can have The Council?
The Council Real Estate Group was founded on a premise that transformed how we operate: no single agent can be simultaneously exceptional at design, negotiation, and financial analysis. The best outcomes for buyers and sellers require specialized expertise applied at every stage. We built a team where each member does what they do best — so our clients experience all three disciplines at their highest expression, in every transaction.
Affiliated with Compass RE Texas — the most technology-forward real estate brokerage in the country — The Council combines the resources of a national platform with the deeply local expertise that only comes from three agents spending their entire careers in the Westlake, Cuernavaca, and Eanes ISD market.
THE TEAM
Meet The Three Specialists
Behind Every Transaction
Natasha Antonioni
Realtor & Intentional Designer
Natasha is the creative force behind The Council’s design-driven approach to real estate. A Realtor with deep roots in the Westlake and Cuernavaca markets, Natasha brings a designer’s eye to every listing and buyer consultation. Her proprietary Intentional Design methodology — codified in her soon-to-be-published book of the same name — has transformed how luxury properties in the Westlake market are presented and sold.
Natasha’s process begins with understanding the narrative a home should tell — not generically, but specifically for the buyer profile most likely to fall in love with it and pay a premium. The result: staged properties that feel discovered rather than decorated, marketing photography that captures genuine aspiration, and sale outcomes that consistently exceed comparable listings.
Natasha represents both buyers and sellers, and her design expertise is equally valuable on the buy side — helping clients evaluate renovation potential, understand the true cost of bringing a home to their vision, and avoid costly purchases where structure or layout limitations would prevent them from achieving their goals.
Holly McCormick
Realtor · Lead Negotiator · 20+ Years
Holly McCormick has spent more than two decades mastering the specific dynamics of the Westlake luxury real estate market. Her negotiation record — built over hundreds of transactions in 78746 and 78733 — represents a level of local knowledge and tactical skill that is genuinely uncommon in any real estate market, let alone one as specialized as Westlake.
Holly’s negotiation philosophy is grounded in preparation and principle. Before any offer is made or received, she has analyzed the specific leverage points in the transaction, the seller’s or buyer’s motivation, the competitive dynamics, and the history of similar situations in this market. She knows what a 60-day Westlake listing reveals about seller psychology. She knows how to structure escalation clauses that win without overpaying. She knows when a concession on closing timing creates more value than a concession on price.
Holly also brings 20+ years of Eanes ISD boundary expertise — an invaluable resource for families whose school district assignment is non-negotiable and who need absolute certainty that the home they’re purchasing will deliver the enrollment they expect.
Albina Rippy
Realtor, entrepreneur, digital marketing expert
Albina Rippy
Albina Rippy is a serial entrepreneur, former CPA, and Co-Founder of The Council Real Estate Group. Throughout her career, she has built, scaled, and successfully exited multiple businesses, combining financial intelligence with visionary leadership, innovative marketing, and an ability to anticipate opportunities before they become obvious.
Her background in accounting and finance provides clients with a level of analytical expertise rarely found in residential real estate. Every pricing recommendation, negotiation strategy, and investment analysis is grounded in data, market trends, and sound financial principles. But Albina believes that exceptional real estate decisions require more than numbers alone. They require intuition, experience, creativity, and the ability to recognize the unique story and potential behind every property.
Known for blending strategic thinking with genuine connection, Albina has earned a reputation for helping buyers, sellers, and investors make confident decisions in some of Austin’s most desirable communities, including Westlake, Cuernavaca, and throughout Eanes ISD. Whether advising a luxury homeowner, first-time buyer, or seasoned investor, she approaches every transaction with the mindset of a trusted business advisor rather than simply a real estate agent.
A lifelong learner at heart, Albina is deeply committed to personal and professional growth. She continually studies emerging market trends, consumer behavior, negotiation strategy, digital marketing, leadership, and technology to ensure her clients benefit from the most current insights and innovative approaches available. Her entrepreneurial mindset drives her to question conventional thinking, embrace new ideas, and constantly refine the systems and strategies that create exceptional results.
Before real estate, Albina founded and successfully exited several successful companies in the wellness and hospitality industries, experiences that shaped her leadership philosophy and strengthened her ability to build businesses, solve complex challenges, and serve clients with integrity. Today, she brings that same entrepreneurial spirit, financial acumen, and forward-thinking approach to every client relationship, helping people make smart real estate decisions while creating lives they truly love.
Our Brokerage
Affiliated with Compass
RE Texas, LLC
The Council RE Group operates as part of Compass RE Texas, LLC — the technology-forward real estate brokerage that has transformed how luxury agents market, analyze, and close properties nationwide. Compass’s platform gives The Council access to national marketing reach, sophisticated data tools, and a network of luxury buyer and seller agents across every major U.S. market that is unmatched by any traditional brokerage.
For sellers, this means that a Westlake listing represented by The Council is marketed not just locally but to the national Compass luxury network — including agents representing qualified buyers in California, New York, and the Pacific Northwest who are actively looking for Austin luxury properties. For buyers, it means access to Compass’s Coming Soon and Private Exclusive programs, which provide visibility into off-market opportunities before they reach MLS.
find us
Our Westlake Office
Office Address
2500 Bee Cave Rd
Westlake, TX 78746
Team Phone
Brokerage
TREC #0593946
Common Questions
Working with
The Council
Do I work with all three members of The Council on my transaction?
Yes — every transaction engages all three of The Council’s specialists at the appropriate stages. In a seller engagement, Natasha conducts the pre-listing design audit and oversees staging and marketing production; Albina drives pricing strategy and negotiation analytics; and Holly leads the offer and negotiation process. In a buyer engagement, Holly leads the search and negotiation, Albina provides market intelligence and financial modeling, and Natasha contributes renovation and design perspective to property evaluations. You have one primary contact who coordinates communication, but all three specialists are engaged throughout your transaction.
How does The Council's fee structure work?
The Council’s commission structure is competitive with the Westlake market and reflects the level of service — three specialists, comprehensive marketing production, and CPA-grade market analysis — that we provide. We are happy to discuss our specific structure in a consultation call. Our belief is that the net result of our approach (faster sales, higher prices, fewer negotiated concessions) more than justifies our fee relative to a discount or solo-agent model. Contact us to schedule a conversation about your specific situation.
Do you work with buyers and sellers outside Westlake and Cuernavaca?
The Council’s primary focus is Westlake (78746), Cuernavaca (78733), and the Eanes ISD market. This geographic concentration is intentional — it’s what makes our local expertise genuinely differentiated from generalist agents who cover dozens of submarkets. We do accept engagements in adjacent Austin luxury markets (Tarrytown, Clarksville, South Lamar, Lake Travis) on a case-by-case basis when we believe our expertise translates effectively. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.
How do I begin working with The Council?
The first step is a 30-45 minute consultation call — we call it our “Strategy Session” — where we learn about your goals and situation, you learn about our process and what distinguishes our approach, and together we determine whether we’re the right team for your transaction. There’s no obligation beyond that conversation. To schedule your Strategy Session, use the form on our Contact page or call Natasha directly at (512) 988-1741.
Ready to Work Together?
Three Specialists,
One Call to Start
Whether you’re buying your first Westlake property, selling a Cuernavaca estate, or relocating from out of state — a single conversation with The Council will show you what expert representation really looks like.
