Moving to Austin (Spring, Georgetown, San Diego: apartment, rentals, condo)

[marko959]

I'm moving to Austin from the Oklahoma City area, where I have lived the past 15 years. I'm a 51 year old male and single, and don't have a job lined up yet. I have money in savings and will be living off of that until I find a position. Looking for something in Information Technology, specifically System Administration, Information Security, or Desktop Support. I'd take less salary just to get my foot in the door somewhere.

Since I am not assured of finding employment in my chosen field, I only want a short term lease, just in case I can't find anything. I have 3 options that I see:

1) 6 month lease for an apartment. However, I would have to buy some furniture unless I could find a furnished place. Plus I'm not sure I want to be hooked into a 6 month lease.

2) Rent a room in a house. I've checked Craigslist and found a few I am interested in. However, you run the risk of the person you're renting from being some kind of freak to live with. Therefore, a month to month situation seems the best.

3) Rent some type of corporate apartment. They come fully furnished, so I wouldn't have to buy furniture. They are quite expensive in most cases, but they go month to month. If I fail to find a job to my liking, I can always just pack up my things and move back to....*gulp*....Oklahoma.

I would really like some feedback on my 3 options, or if you have any other ideas. Also, have I been told correctly as to what parts of town are the best to live in?

And to answer a question I'm sure someone is going to ask: I'm moving to Austin because I have been there before and really enjoyed it, and because the employment picture in Austin seems much better than in Oklahoma City.

Thanks for any helpful input.

[centralaustinite]

What is your price range?
An individual landlord with a condo, house or duplex to rent might work out well too, they might be flexible with a month-to-month or short term lease.

Vacation rentals might be a possibility too. There are several in central Austin that might be willing to do a deal now, as long as you could vacate for SXSW (March).

good luck!

[GinaNyland]

Hey, Marco959.

Another option you might want to look into are vacation rentals that rent by the month. There are tons of these types of rentals around the lake. These can, sometimes, rent for less than a corporate apartment and you get the same amenities (fully furnished, dishes, towels). Although these are mainly nightly rentals, some owners also have the option of renting month to month.

A couple of websites to check are www.vrbo.com (http://www.vrbo.com - broken link) and www.homeaway.com

Keep in mind, these owners don't require that you have a job before renting. There's rarely a credit check or employment screening. They will probably want payment in full via credit card or cashier's check before you can check in.

If you decide to settle in Austin and need a good realtor, let me know. I'd love to help you.

Best of luck,
GinaNyland

[SDgirl1976]

HI! I am seriously thinking of moving to Austin this year from San Diego. I just can't afford to live here anymore. My sister moved to Georgetown a couple of years ago and loves it. I have visited and found Austin a wealth of culture and beauty. I currently work in financial aid at an online university. I am single and would be looking for an apartment for myself and dog. I am not sure what part of Austin would be good to live in? I look on craigslist and apartment finder but it's hard to see what is the "good" parts of Austin. I like going out to clubs and love music. I know I don't want to be too far from the action but don't want to live in total collegeville! Can anyone help??

[TexasHorseLady]

There's lots of areas that would fit your specifications, but just to name a few, check out the South Lamar/Ben White area (just north of Ben White), and from there north to the river (Lady Bird Lake). Or, an alternative would be around North Lamar/38th, in that vicinity. Far West/Mopac/Mesa/Spicewood Springs might work, too. All of those are close enough to downtown/UT for you to hit the clubs/music venues, but not right on top of things, and all of them might have areas that would be dog-friendly (parks, greenbelts, etc., for exercise).

[marko959]

Originally Posted by SDgirl1976

HI! I am seriously thinking of moving to Austin this year from San Diego. I just can't afford to live here anymore. My sister moved to Georgetown a couple of years ago and loves it. I have visited and found Austin a wealth of culture and beauty. I currently work in financial aid at an online university. I am single and would be looking for an apartment for myself and dog. I am not sure what part of Austin would be good to live in? I look on craigslist and apartment finder but it's hard to see what is the "good" parts of Austin. I like going out to clubs and love music. I know I don't want to be too far from the action but don't want to live in total collegeville! Can anyone help??

That's funny because San Diego is the city I most want to move to. Spent a week there a couple of years ago and loved it! But, alas, the cost of living is so outrageous, even for a crummy apartment, that I couldn't afford to live there unless I had a really kick-ass job.

Good luck with your decision. Austin is a great city. We'll both be in the same boat....we won't know a soul there.

[inthecut]

So many people are moving to Austin that the wages are even lower, per huge demand on the employee side, than it was before, and this in a metro with traditionally low wages...if I had a biz, I would open it in Austin, as a great place to find intelligent folks who are willing to work cheap per the quality of life in Austin, not unlike getting paid in sunshine in florida....

Just call it getting paid in music, I guess......eventually, when the whole nation moves here, the ave wage might be slightly higher than Ciudad Juarez.....

[MattV]

Originally Posted by inthecut

So many people are moving to Austin that the wages are even lower, per huge demand on the employee side, than it was before, and this in a metro with traditionally low wages...if I had a biz, I would open it in Austin, as a great place to find intelligent folks who are willing to work cheap per the quality of life in Austin, not unlike getting paid in sunshine in florida....

Just call it getting paid in music, I guess......eventually, when the whole nation moves here, the ave wage might be slightly higher than Ciudad Juarez.....

EXACTLY............. The companies that are here know this all too well.