not sure whether we should move to Austin (Dallas, San Antonio: sales, real estate)
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My husband and I currently have lived in NYC for some time (me- over 5 years, my husband- about 3). While we love it here for many reasons, we recently got married and realize that this "rat-race" lifestyle and limited living/personal space would probably not be the quality of life that we want when we start a family and all of that. We are typically stressed here, we are always complaining about the limitations of our living space, etc.
So, while we know we want to move, we are now trying to make up our minds as to where. The two places we are looking at are Austin, TX, and Gainesville, VA, mainly because my family lives in Northern VA and my husband's family lives in Dallas.
Now, we work in the education field here in NYC- I'm a school psychologist and my husband is a spanish teacher. We make pretty decent money here in the city, and while we know the cost of living is high here and other places will likely be cheaper, the thought of taking a significant paycut with cuts in our health benefits (also amazing here in NY) is discouraging. I'm wondering in Austin, in terms of the cost of living, what are everyone's opinions on this? I have heard that the housing tax is very high as well as the electrical bills (due to high AC usage during the summer). My husband and I would probably want a house rather than a condo in the center of town, given the fact that we are moving from the city to lower our cost of living and to have a more relaxed, spacious lifestyle. The thought of nice, warm weather with lots of outdoor activities, bilingual exposure (my husband is Mexican, so this is a plus), and a different lifestyle for me, having always lived in the northeast, is attractive. But what is unknown to us is really the financial aspect of living in Austin.
Also, if anyone can shed light on the salaries of educators in AISD or any other school districts around Austin, that would be helpful as well. THe problem for me is that, in Northern VA, the salaries for teachers and school staff are fairly equal to NYC salaries in one district in particular that I would love to work in...but they have a hiring freeze right now due to the recession and to school budget cuts. Austin ISD has contacted us and are interested in hiring us. But what is most concerning to me is that the salaries seem to start out around 40K and max out around only the 60K range??! That is insane, considering the max salary after working for 15 or so years, both here and in VA, is in the early 6-figure range. So that scares me quite a bit to imagine that we will only earn a difference of around 20K throughout our career?
Real estate in Austin is a bit more affordable than Northern VA, and (while this is a less important detail in our decision) the houses in the Austin area are much more modern and spacious than those in Northern VA, which are a bit more of the colonial style with more probability of having outdated kitchens/needing to make updates. We are looking for something within the 300-400K range (and of course, the lower the cost, the better).
Any opinions on Austin life would be greatly appreciated so that I can hear the pros and cons and be better able to make a decision. Thanks!
Yes, you are right about AISD salaries, they start in the low 40s and they do not rise much. The salary ladder is fairly flat.
The best way to lower the cost of living in a house is to either buy one that is "green built" or retrofit it. Austin has a pioneering green builder program that has been active for over a decade. My home is a three star green built (3 out of 5 stars) and our electric bills are quite reasonable (from $30-120 a month). But don't forget that property tax will run you about $7-8000 every year for a home in your price range.
People seem to post here everyday looking for ways for get school districts to contact them for teaching jobs, so you seem very lucky in that regard.
Austin is a great place but it is not utopia. Perhaps you are not ready to leave NYC. You are making tradeoffs there, you will still have to make tradeoffs in Austin (bigger house, more space for flatter salary, less cultural amenities, etc). There is no perfect place.
I like Austin a lot, but culturally, it is NOTHING like NYC, and really no place is. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into, otherwise you will come down and constantly be comparing and Austin will come up short. I say this because there are many posts on this board from former Northeasterners who pine to go back because they don't feel like Austin has enough to hold their interest.
We lived in the NE for close to five years but we prefer Austin because of friendlier people and the lower cost of living. Everything in life is a trade-off and for us, it is worth giving up proximity to the ocean and historical cities to live here. We moved back here just a few months ago after living in the Seattle area for eight years. Again friendliness and lower cost of living beat out what Seattle had to offer. But those are our priorities.
Austin is expensive relative to other parts of TX, but 300-400 will get you something newer and spacious outside of central Austin (suburbs).
Unless you are bringing a good chunk of money as a down payment, I personally think that you will need to lower your housing price range quite a bit to survive on Educator salaries in the Austin area.
You would be looking at $500 to $900 per month just in property taxes for the price range that you are currently considering. Then you need to add your mortgage payment on top of that. I haven't found the electricity costs to be a huge factor here, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. Of course the lack of state income tax does help out a bit.
With that said, there are outlying areas that are not in Central Austin that might fit what you are looking for since you're open for a change. The suburbs just North of Austin as well as South Austin might allow you to get in a more comfortable price range.
Property taxes are higher than national averages. But even in the Austin area they can vary from 1.7% to almost 3% of assessed value. The variations include whether or not you are in the city limits and what school district you live in. You can find rates for Travis County at Travis Central Appraisal District.
Sales taxes are about 8% in most parts of Austin. Food staples are exempt. You probably know there is no income tax at all, and there really are no "personal property" taxes on cars, boats, etc. Sales tax on a car bought here is 6.25%. Auto insurance is probably lower, but you'll have to check for your exact quote.
It seems like a lot of people on this board considering moving to Austin are teachers so there may be many looking for teaching jobs. But almost every school district around Austin is growing - some like Leander ISD are adding an elementary school about every year.
I have heard that the housing tax is very high as well as the electrical bills (due to high AC usage during the summer).
One thing to keep in mind, also, is that the electrical bills can differ based on which company you use. My brother is in a rural area near San Marcos (maybe 25 miles south of Austin) and is very pleased with
Pedernales Co-Op.
One thing to keep in mind, also, is that the electrical bills can differ based on which company you use. My brother is in a rural area near San Marcos (maybe 25 miles south of Austin) and is very pleased with
Pedernales Co-Op.
LOL, are you kidding? The most corrupt bunch of people in the whole state!
Austin Energy is very cheap (one of the cheapest in the state, along with CPS Energy in San Antonio), but I believe the Pedernales Co-Op is still cheap relative to the deregulated companies. Not to say there aren't other issues, but still as passable price, from what I have heard.
Be sure to have a job before you come here, just read some of the other threads and you'll notice that a lot of people are having a lot harder time finding a job than they thought, especially teachers!! If you or your husband can afford to be unemployed for a year or so, then great. If not, go where you can get a job. Don't limit your search to 2 places, especially Austin which was named #2 on the list of cities most people are moving to! Coming here right now might not be the smartest thing to do, considering. Good luck.
Have you checked the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists website to ascertain whether or not you will easily be able to qualify for the Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) in Texas? You didn't say whether you hold a masters or a PhD, but with the proper content either level will potentially qualify for the LSSP. You will be more marketable, however, if you hold a doctoral degree in school psychology. By all means, verify what licensure in both TX and VA will entail before you decide on your move.
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