wanting ot move to austin - looking for info (Round Rock: days on market, real estate)

[3cherrys]

Hello,
We are looking to move to Austin soonish from colorado and was hoping to get some info. like, where are the good spots to live? looking for good schools and actually in austin.. also are proprty taxes really that crazy? Seems like housing is reasonable, but not really if taxes are sky high. and well kept secrets of why austin is awesome?

Thanks

[austinite45]

Austin has been over-hyped in the media. Most of the info about Austin is false or misleading.

Austin has high property taxes, high unemployment, inflated property/rental prices, rising crimes, worsening traffic jams, ... among others.

Moderator cut: Off Topic and rude.

[3cherrys]

thats not what i want to hear but not staying in CO.. made the move here a few years ago and ready for something else.. used to moving around as a military brat - hubby wants to move somewhere that has a good music scene.. austin seems to be that, or so they say... and soonish to me means a year or so.. want to be able to sell the house here and find a job there

[hoffdano]

I agree Austin has been over-hyped.

But there is plenty of information available on Austin. Some is glass half empty, some is glass half full.

Austin property taxes range from 1.9% to a little over 3% of assessed value. That is typical of Texas.

Austin has a very low violent crime rate. This has been true for decades. But Austin has a higher property crime rate. But the FBI data acknowledges that this data cannot be compared from city to city. I think that is reflective of different tracking methods by the PDs.

Housing prices range from low to high. Plenty of realtors are on this board can tell you what you want. On a national scale Austin is still more affordable than comparable metros.

Traffic can be bad. It depends where you live. My 27 mile drive to work recently improved significantly because of changes to one key intersection. Toll roads, not liked by many, are fast though for many.

The job market is tight and stalled. Worst it has been in years. But still way better than most of the country.

Other than that - there are many very nice things about Austin. Ask away.

[TexasBlonde]

Austin isn't over-hyped at all. That's ridiculous.

I grew up right outside of Austin (in Round Rock) and lived there my entire life (from birth all the way through college) and so I've seen it all. Since I left Austin, I've lived in SEVERAL places around the country, and trust me- Austin is awesome compared to some/most other places in this country. You aren't making a mistake to move, at all.

The downfalls to Austin are the traffic, for sure. They're been working on I-35 for a LONG time now (expanding it, etc) and honestly sometimes it feels like they'll never be finished working on it. Regardless, rush hour in Austin, if you need to get on I-35, is not fun. I'd suggest moving to an area that has frontage or back roads to where you'll be working so you can avoid I-35 during rushhour if at all possible.

Property taxes aren't outrageous, but it depends who you're comparing them too. They're higher than a lot of places in the country though. It just depends what you're used to. I lived in Colorado (Denver) for a short time, and property taxes ARE higher than Denver, but not like a ton higher.

The best schools IN Austin are, in my opinion, in Eanes ISD (Independent School District) (Eanes ISD) however a lot of the suburbs of Austin have awesome schools as well.

If you have ANY other questions, please don't hesitate to message me, or ask me on here. I'd be happy to help you. Welcome to Austin! I hope you love it there. I miss it every day.

[austin-steve]

Austin property taxes range from 1.9% to a little over 3% of assessed value. That is typical of Texas.

I don't know of any areas that are still above 3%. The highest are now around 2.65%. Austin is 2.2%. County areas outside city limits are about 1.82%.

3Cherry's, your best bet is to get a cup of coffee and spend an hour or two reading through old threads asking basically the same questions you've asked. Depending on your price range, size requirements, whether schools matter, employment location, etc., you'll have a lot of different options.

The close in central neighborhoods such as 78704 (just south of downtwon) will run $200-$300 per square foot for houses. Further out, in planned unit developments with excellent schools, and within 20-35 minutes of downtown, prices are more like $100-$120 per square foot for standard suburban homes.

The real estate market at $200K and below is actually a seller's market at present, with strnog demand. Above $400K is a buyer's market. And then there are all sorts of variations and pockets of submarkets in between.

Forum needs to know your price range and lifestyle specs before you can get specific recommendations on where to look.

Welcome! Ignore A45, he's the resident antagonist.

Steve

[austinite45]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

The close in central neighborhoods such as 78704 (just south of downtwon) will run $200-$300 per square foot for houses. Further out, in planned unit developments with excellent schools, and within 20-35 minutes of downtown, prices are more like $100-$120 per square foot for standard suburban homes.

sorry steve, not so fast. The question of desirability of Austin for relocation has NOT been settled yet.

The real estate market at $200K and below is actually a seller's market at present, with strnog demand.

That's misleading info, Steve!
Foreclosures are going up. Prices are coming down. Time on the market is getting longer. Take August 2009, there were 14.2% fewer homes sold than in August 2008. Median sold prices were down 6% overall. And there was a 16.7% increase in the time it is taking to sell a home. Unemployment in Austin is still going up (7.3%), remember?

Above $400K is a buyer's market. And then there are all sorts of variations and pockets of submarkets in between.

Sales of luxury homes in Austin have suffered deeper declines than that for medium and low price homes. That doesn't mean a buyer's market at the lower end.


Moderator cut: Personal attack

[atxcio]

Nothing beats an actual visit. If you aren't going to move right away, maybe you can find the time in the next year or so to visit. Austin is over-hyped in the media, and property taxes are high (but normal for Texas)... still, many people find it to be a pretty cool place. YMMV.

I understand that it's fun to let your mouse do the walking, and find out all the info you can immediately from the comfort of your home... which is fine, but don't expect it to be particularly accurate. You've got a BS filter, use it and figure out what the general consensus is. Austin-Steve's recommendations are very good IMO, do a couple of searches on this board to find a bunch of messages with your very same questions.

We really do need a couple of sticky threads on the top of the board... FAQs for all the typically asked questions: Job Market, Neighborhoods, Is Austin Overhyped, Property Taxes... etc.

[austin-steve]

The real estate market at $200K and below is actually a seller's market at present, with strnog demand.

That's misleading info, Steve!
Foreclosures are going up. Prices are coming down. Time on the market is getting longer. Take August 2009, there were 14.2% fewer homes sold than in August 2008. Median sold prices were down 6% overall. And there was a 16.7% increase in the time it is taking to sell a home. Unemployment in Austin is still going up (7.3%), remember?

In August 2009, 301 homes in Austin (excluding Round Rock, etc) sold for $200K or less. Avg days on market was 44 days. Median days was 26, meaning half the homes in this price range sold in 26 days or less. 75 of those listings (25%) sold in 10 days or less. 23 of those listings sold in 3 days or less. Sold/List price ratio was 98%.

Call it whatever kind of market you want, ds, but I call that a hot seller's market, and we keep running into multiple offers left and right and have frustrated buyers unable to find what they need. We have one on a backup contract in South Austin now after $5K over list price clean offer still didn't win the bids. That's the third one they've missed. I'm sure they spit soup at your comments, as would a lot of other who are actually out there experiencing things instead of just spouting opinions on macro stats.

Steve

[3cherrys]

thanks for the info and i will be sure to search the old threads too. and yes, a visit is a must - already in the works