Moving from Massachusetts, question about income tax. (Houston, Dallas: house prices, buy)

[Danno111909]

Originally Posted by sheaday

What is the specific job/role? I would definitely not move across the country for a sales clerk retail job- especially if you want to live alone in Austin.

Hi Sheaday

It is a sales job, but I also do jewelry appraisals and light jewelry and watch services, battery changes, adjustments tweaks etc etc. In addition to that I'd be helping them with day-to-day operations. Possibly implementing new concepts and so on. Its not for some rinky dink store but a higher end retailer.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by Danno111909

Thanks again for the comment A-Tex, at this point I am not concerned with property tax. I see myself renting for a quite a while before I consider a town home or a small house somewhere. SO in that fact not having a state income tax is a big bonus for me. Realistically if I could net approximately $550-700 per week I would be happy with that. Do you think that is possible? If you want specifics feel free to P.M. me I can give you more details.

I haven't been to Austin yet anyways so for me it would be a first time out and SXSW is around the time I want to visit so I would be killing two birds with one stone. I do plan to visit I few stores and drop resumes off everywhere I can but this one place in particular really captured my attention because it the type of store concept I would do, not 100% but very close.

So you're looking to make $18 to $20/hour for retail? I think that might be pretty optimistic here.

SXSW is not a great time to come here to get an idea of what it's like to live in Austin. Not only are a lot of tourists here and there's entertainment everywhere, but a lot of people leave town on vacation then because it's at the same time as spring break. Also, hotel accommodations --- if you can find them at this point --- are at a premium, as is airfare.

[Danno111909]

Yes $22 is the least I'd be willing to settle on, i'm looking to make $23-25 pr/hr because I make $22 an hour now but I only work 3-4 days a week and its not cutting it for me. Plus i'm just not crazy about my job, lack of leadership and traffic/sales is really a bummer.

So what about Late March early April, or is there a better time of year you'd recommend?

Just FYI I love dry heat, I was in vegas early june it was 110 degrees and I was in paradise, so i'm ok with summers.

[CptnRn]

^^^^ The heat is not dry here, Austin has higher then average humidity.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by Danno111909

So what about Late March early April, or is there a better time of year you'd recommend?

Just FYI I love dry heat, I was in vegas early june it was 110 degrees and I was in paradise, so i'm ok with summers.

There is NO better time here than spring - except maybe the comparable time in the fall.

[ppp38]

Originally Posted by Danno111909

Yes $22 is the least I'd be willing to settle on, i'm looking to make $23-25 pr/hr because I make $22 an hour now but I only work 3-4 days a week and its not cutting it for me. Plus i'm just not crazy about my job, lack of leadership and traffic/sales is really a bummer.

So what about Late March early April, or is there a better time of year you'd recommend?

Just FYI I love dry heat, I was in vegas early june it was 110 degrees and I was in paradise, so i'm ok with summers.

The liklihood of finding a job in jewelry sales for over $15 an hour is very slim. And, Austin is humid not dry at all.

[Danno111909]

Good to know, thanks for the info guys.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by tom331

The property tax is high in Texas especially in Austin. If you want to live at a nice area, you might not see a lot of saving due to the high property tax even we don't have state income tax. My next door neighbor was shocked when they received their tax bill first year in Austin. They sold their house in a year and moved to NC.

Your next door neighbor was surprised by their tax bill? How can that be? When you close on a house you pay pro-rated property taxes. So they should have had a good idea what the annual bill would be. And second - the rates are posted on the appraisal district web site. Finally unless they didn't have an escrow account with their mortgage the taxes were already built into their monthly payment.

That's probably not why they moved.

Property taxes in Austin are not materially different than they are in any Texas cities.

[tom331]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Your next door neighbor was surprised by their tax bill? How can that be? When you close on a house you pay pro-rated property taxes. So they should have had a good idea what the annual bill would be. And second - the rates are posted on the appraisal district web site. Finally unless they didn't have an escrow account with their mortgage the taxes were already built into their monthly payment.

That's probably not why they moved.

Property taxes in Austin are not materially different than they are in any Texas cities.

My neighbor told me that they were shocking when they received the tax bill. They also said that they moved to NC because they can not afford such a high property tax. They are retired couple from Portland, Oregon.

With the county, city, Travis county health district, ACC, and school tax, Austin Tax rate is higher than most Texas cities. Plus, the Austin property values is highest comparing to all the Texas cities. With the higher rate and higher value, Austin residents pay higher tax bill than the residents in other Texas cities.

[petro]

Agree with the poster about not coming here during SXSW. It's a madhouse filled with out-of-towners and the locals take off.

As for humidity, I'd never think of Austin being humid. When I think of hot humid climates, I think of Houston or New Orleans, not Austin. But, I guess people will disagree.

Regarding pay, what you're looking for seems like a bit much for retail, but again I don't really know what that industry pays. However, keep in mind that you can make less than what you're making in MA and still do just fine in Austin. Jewelry appraisal could also make you some decent extra money, if you market yourself correctly and have the right credentials.