Looking for a 3-4 bedroom house to rent, what are typical housing costs etc. (Austin: apartments)

[Danimarie]

Trying to look at my options for houses to rent in Austin. We rent an OK looking 1500 sq ft or so, 3/2 for $1325 a month with a reasonably sized yard that fits our swingset and a small climbing dome in the Anderson Mill/NW Austin area. But, there are a few aspects of the house I don't like. There's carpet in the dining room, the washer and dryer are in the garage, the screens on the windows don't stay in well, etc. What's the going rate for similar or better looking houses? My husband works in downtown Austin, so we wouldn't want to move very far out, but I'd be OK with Cedar Park, Round Rock, and other decent suburbs. Doesn't have to be in north Austin(or north of Austin), but those are the places I know best. We've lived in Austin for 3 years. Still getting used to things. I don't think I'd want to buy a house here. We are free spirits and housing prices here are pretty crazy. I'm thinking $1500-1600 a month is rather typical for the lower range of rentals? My husband is a bit leary of spending more on rent, but I homeschool and I am home with my kids most of the time. Any websites I should check out that help with finding a decent rental? Thanks.

[centralaustinite]

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me! Many homes in Austin have the washer and dryer in the garage.

Use austin home search to find homes for rent.

[CptnRn]

Apartments for Rent, Condos and Home Rentals | Rental Home Property Search - realtor.com®

What you have is already a really good price for 4 bdrms. But it never hurts to look.

[CBB_bear]

I haven't searched exhaustively, but it sounds like a pretty good deal to me too! I think you might have trouble finding something nicer without upping your budget, moving into a worse neighborhood (although maybe some neighborhoods might meet your needs since you homeschool and aren't worried about school quality), or sacrificing commute time for your husband.

[Danimarie]

I have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, not a 4 bedroom. Thanks for your thoughts. I thought we were getting a deal. I think as I'm looking, I'd have to up my budget to $1700-1800 a month for something that would be worth moving to over what we already got. Looks like we can't go with a 4 bedroom, so I won't even look for that.

[riaelise]

You can check out pflugerville, too. Though expect to pay a little more for about the same sq footage, but the house will likely be newer and the hood may offer more amenities. I do know that it's becoming increasingly harder to find a decent sized rent house below 1500.

[austin-steve]

It's hard to find anything really decent for under $1,500 in Austin anymore. I own/manager rental homes all over Austin and the houses that were renting for $1,350 just 3 years ago are now over $1,500-$1,600/mo or more.

Anything lower than $1,500 in a 3/2/2 has a drawback that may or may not make it a deal breaker, or it's way further out.

If your home is at least a "C+" grade home and safe/functional, it doesn't make sense to incur the costs of moving and rent increase over aesthetic dislikes. Smart landlords tend to go easy on rent increases to avoid turnover, so if you can afford an extra $500/mo, stay put and just start saving that extra amount toward purchasing someday.

Steve

[Danimarie]

Thanks Steve. I think you are right. No use throwing money away over appearances. I think you could call my home at least a C+. I'm not sure we'll ever want to purchase a home though. We could always use a bigger savings and still have a couple debts to pay down.

[Jimmyp25]

I rent in round rock 1200 month ...3 bedroom 2 bathroom....1600 sq ft.. I'm buying a house in june so you can have it lol

[Rynldsbr]

Originally Posted by Danimarie

Thanks Steve. I think you are right. No use throwing money away over appearances. I think you could call my home at least a C+. I'm not sure we'll ever want to purchase a home though. We could always use a bigger savings and still have a couple debts to pay down.

Based on your current rent, cost of purchasing in the burbs, and current rates, you should spend some time with a financial planner if you haven't. The information you have provided so far seems like buying may be same or better monthly with significant tax benefits and appreciation.

Example: We bought our most recent home (5 bd/4 ba in Hutto) with zero down, are in your affordability bracket monthly, and write off ~$9,000 in taxes and mortgage interest.