Austin Strutters : what's the deal with all these cheap houses ?
SLurg
446 Posts
I'm considering moving from Paris to Austin soon so I've been looking at the price of houses, and it just doesn't make sense to me. For 1/4 of the price of my small appartment in France I can get a 5 bed 3 bath house.
Why is that ? I mean I know there is a crisis, but there must be something wrong with a 5 bedroom house for $110 000 ?
I keep hearing and reading that Austin's economy is rising, so I expected real estate to be more expensive.
I'm struggling here, but after I sell my appartment and move I'll have enough to invest in my own business or to buy and rent 4 or 5 houses there !
Why is that ? I mean I know there is a crisis, but there must be something wrong with a 5 bedroom house for $110 000 ?
I keep hearing and reading that Austin's economy is rising, so I expected real estate to be more expensive.
I'm struggling here, but after I sell my appartment and move I'll have enough to invest in my own business or to buy and rent 4 or 5 houses there !
Comments
My house in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that I paid less than $200K for would cost me $800K and up in NY or California
The central higher ends like Hyde Park, Tarrytown, Clarksville, Crestview, etc. IMO are vastly overpriced for what you get, which is basically a white-washed version of what living in central Austin is supposed to be. Or you can go for further gentrifying Central East Austin, but that will likely cost you more than it's worth as well.
Fortunately, there are still great deals both in South and Northeast (where I live) Austin. We bought our house 6 years ago for $130k and still consider it a great find. The same house would cost you more like $170k today, but it is quite possible to find a nice, diverse neighborhood in the 23, 24, 21, 52, 04, 44, and 45 parts of town (those numbers are the last 2 digits of the 787__ zip code).
But yes, in comparison to LA, most houses in Austin are dirt cheap...and nice.
How's the public transportation there ? Can you survive 3 months without a car ?
I think it really depends on where you live. Some areas are better than others. Out where I live, it sucks, but closer into town it isn't too bad.
Not very good. The buses are decent, but you are far too old to be waiting on them all day. And they just started a light rail line...and it's just that, a single straight line that takes you from north BFE to east BFE.
Not during the summer months, which last about 7 months per year.
You're going to need a proper pick-up truck...a Ford or a Chevy...with a proper gun rack hanging from the inside of the back window...with a rifle and a shotgun of course. Pistol goes under the front seat.
Apparently Austin is in the top 5 of the big cities with the lowest crime rate in America, but you never know !
More guns = Less crime.