Nurses... How do you survive in Austin? (insurance, condo)

[MedicalPartisan]

Originally Posted by scm53

The real question is why are you moving here?

I guess it's a bit cliche but 'everything' about Austin attracts me; the night life, the food, the seemingly athletic nature of the austinites, how the city is growing, booming, and thriving, even in when economy is not, et cetera. I've been doing a LOT of research about Austin in the past year and it will still be another year or so before I move. But once I visit a few times I will make my decision. I'm fairly certain Austin is where I want to be.

Originally Posted by riaelise

There's nothing "mere" about 63000. That is higher than the median in austin, give me a break. Aren't you the same guy who hates his area of Florida? Stop posting threads every few months and just move already.

You're correct, I'll be very excited to leave the area I'm currently living in but I have a scholarship and am furthering my education since a bachelors degree is not far from becoming the new associates. And before moving, you research. I want to be absolutely certain I'm making the best decision for me. Simply ignore my threads; there's no need to be rude.

[ppp38]

Originally Posted by MedicalPartisan

I'm just curious. I know there are many people here who don't want 'even more' people moving to Austin because 'we' are driving the COL up, but Austin is definitely in my top five places to move so you don't have to lend advice if you don't want to. I digress...

How manageable do you find it to live in Austin? I see the MLS listings and it just scares me. The thing is, even though the COL in Austin has risen dramatically (allegedly; I don't know from experience), it's still much lower than many other cities. I live in the panhandle of Florida currently. And while the beaches are nice there is just nothing here that interests me. I've done a lot of research on Austin and I need to visit a couple of times, but I think Austin is where I want to be. I guess I'm digressing again. I'm making this thread more of a justification for my move and that's not what I wanted to focus on, I just know that many people here constantly question those wanting to make Austin a possible home.

I guess I'd just like some insight on how feasible it would be to possibly make Austin my home as an RN.

The National Median Home price was $172,000 as of April compared to Austin's at $235,000 (and this figure is for the Austin metro area not just inside the city limits where its undoubtedly higher). The cost of real estate may be less in Austin than it is in places like NYK, CHI, DC, LA, etc.. But comparatively, Austin is more expensive than most cities when it comes to real estate. It is certainly the most expensive city in Texas and more expensive than the FL panhandle.

A lot of people make less money than you and do just fine in Austin, but those arent the people that own their homes unless they bought long before the boom. Most people in your price range are either living outside city limits (places like Roundrock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park offer housing that is significantly less expensive than housing inside City limits) or they are renting.

So you can certainly get by on a Nurses salary but not necessarily as a homeowner inside city limits.

[MedicalPartisan]

Originally Posted by ppp38

...So you can certainly get by on a Nurses salary but not necessarily as a homeowner inside city limits.

Thank you for your insight!

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by MedicalPartisan

I guess it's a bit cliche but 'everything' about Austin attracts me; the night life, the food, the seemingly athletic nature of the austinites, how the city is growing, booming, and thriving, even in when economy is not, et cetera. I've been doing a LOT of research about Austin in the past year and it will still be another year or so before I move. But once I visit a few times I will make my decision. I'm fairly certain Austin is where I want to be.



You're correct, I'll be very excited to leave the area I'm currently living in but I have a scholarship and am furthering my education since a bachelors degree is not far from becoming the new associates. And before moving, you research. I want to be absolutely certain I'm making the best decision for me. Simply ignore my threads; there's no need to be rude.

Under a different name, you've posted thread after thread and people have told you the same thing each time. That's not being rude, that's being blunt. In addition, I wanted to set the matter straight -- the word "mere" does not belong in front of $63,000. That is above average in this town, despite the software people wandering all over the place. There are many people who make less, and perhaps much less, than that and they are doing fine here.

I disagree that you can't be a homeowner on a nurse's salary (or anyone else making $60k) in the city limits. First, you can own a condo in most of the good parts of town. You are technically a "homeowner". Those prices are lower than SFH since they involve monthly common charges. They may or may not be older but they're perfect for a first time homeowner. You can also find SFH at 180-250 but they're not going to be in the patented HIP (TM) places these days. You'd probably have to deal with things that I absolutely wouldn't deal with elsewhere. Also, all Austin zip codes aren't equal in terms of desirability. However, while the public transit sucks, you can still make a go of it buying a decent smallish house in several zip codes and commute using either metrorail or the buses.

I was a homeowner in NYC at 21 and I made less than $63K. (Bearing in mind that NYC is expensive regardless of year). I worked and saved and put down a nice sum of money. So homeownership can be achieved if that's what you want to do. It involves saving and patience. While I do agree that Austin is becoming less affordable for what so many people seem to want, it still is easier to survive in (and become a homeowner in) than many other cities. I do bristle at the thought of paying a cent over $180k for an old, tired home merely because it is in Austin.

[MedicalPartisan]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Under a different name, you've posted thread after thread and people have told you the same thing each time. That's not being rude, that's being blunt. In addition, I wanted to set the matter straight -- the word "mere" does not belong in front of $63,000.

It does provided the context in which it is being used. When I'm browsing MLS and I see $350k plus prices, 60k is a mere amount to me. Sure, I need to understand that I may not be able to financially be able to live in certain areas but that's not what we're discussing here. Any thread I've ever created in this forum (all 11 of them) can be found here so I'm not sure what you're talking about. I've changed my username once but this is still the same account so again, no idea what you're talking about.

[Gestbsjgd]

I wouldn't worry so much about it. $63k seems like a pretty decent salary to me. I make way less than that, and I'm surviving just fine. I even bought a house in northwest Austin (south of Cedar Park) less than a year ago. None of the houses in my neighborhood are worth anywhere close to $350k, in fact most recent sales were at around half that price, but it's still a safe and quiet neighborhood, and the 15 minute drive to downtown on the weekends isn't bad at all. It sounds like you're looking at more central areas of town, but have you completely ruled out living in the suburbs? I've lived in this area for the past 20 years and always found it easy to enjoy the nightlife.

[MedicalPartisan]

Originally Posted by Gestbsjgd

I wouldn't worry so much about it. $63k seems like a pretty decent salary to me. I make way less than that, and I'm surviving just fine. I even bought a house in northwest Austin (south of Cedar Park) less than a year ago. None of the houses in my neighborhood are worth anywhere close to $350k, in fact most recent sales were at around half that price, but it's still a safe and quiet neighborhood, and the 15 minute drive to downtown on the weekends isn't bad at all. It sounds like you're looking at more central areas of town, but have you completely ruled out living in the suburbs? I've lived in this area for the past 20 years and always found it easy to enjoy the nightlife.

Definitely haven't ruled that out. If I'd be living beyond my means, that'd have to be the option to pursue. I haven't taken my first Austin trip yet but my vision was to exit my neighborhood, hop on a 'main road' and drive five minutes over a bridge and be in the city. Not sure if anything like that exists or if it's in my price range (I'm guessing probably not). I've briefly mapped the Round Rock / Pflugerville area and it looks to be about 20 or so minutes away. If possible, I would like to be slightly closer. I'll probably rent an apartment for a year to get a feel for the area.

Thanks for the feedback!

[RoadWarrior12]

Originally Posted by MedicalPartisan

Definitely haven't ruled that out. If I'd be living beyond my means, that'd have to be the option to pursue. I haven't taken my first Austin trip yet but my vision was to exit my neighborhood, hop on a 'main road' and drive five minutes over a bridge and be in the city. Not sure if anything like that exists or if it's in my price range (I'm guessing probably not). I've briefly mapped the Round Rock / Pflugerville area and it looks to be about 20 or so minutes away. If possible, I would like to be slightly closer. I'll probably rent an apartment for a year to get a feel for the area.

Thanks for the feedback!

Ugh. How about you visit first, then post with questions that aren't total raging hypotheticals.

Oh, and there's about 6 bridges total in all of Austin, so unless you've narrowed down the area you want to south of the lake, your "vision" is flawed and only sets up disappointment.

Again. Visit. Then come ask questions that are based on more than what you've read on the Internet.

[MedicalPartisan]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior12

Ugh. How about you visit first, then post with questions that aren't total raging hypotheticals. Oh, and there's about 6 bridges total in all of Austin, so unless you've narrowed down the area you want to south of the lake, your "vision" is flawed and only sets up disappointment.

The trip is already planned. I like to plan ahead and I'm exceptionally excited so I'll continue to inquire, thanks!

[Gestbsjgd]

Originally Posted by MedicalPartisan

Definitely haven't ruled that out. If I'd be living beyond my means, that'd have to be the option to pursue. I haven't taken my first Austin trip yet but my vision was to exit my neighborhood, hop on a 'main road' and drive five minutes over a bridge and be in the city. Not sure if anything like that exists or if it's in my price range (I'm guessing probably not). I've briefly mapped the Round Rock / Pflugerville area and it looks to be about 20 or so minutes away. If possible, I would like to be slightly closer. I'll probably rent an apartment for a year to get a feel for the area.

Thanks for the feedback!

Gotcha. The layout of the city is kind of weird like that. Most of the affordable areas are in the surburbs further north or south along the I-35 and mopac/183 corridors. Go 5 minutes northwest/west/southwest and you're in multi-million dollar mansion territory. No way you're going to live there on a nurse's salary. 5 minutes north or south is still considered 'central' and quite expensive. 5 minutes northeast/east/southeast is very hit or miss, but the non-ghetto spots have already become unaffordable for people like you and I. Suburb may be your only choice if you want to own a home right now. Which area you choose should depend on where you work. The last thing you want is a commute from the north side of the city to south, or south to north. That would be an absolute nightmare, as the few highways that we have are typically parking lots during rush hour, and I-35 through downtown can be a parking lot almost any time of day (no really, avoid having to take I-35 at all costs if you can). Good idea on staying in an apartment and getting a feel for the land first. Maybe even try to find some roommates if you want to live more centrally.