Considering Seattle => Austin (Houston, Dallas: transplants, apartment, renting)

[Enzo]

Hi there,

We're considering moving from Seattle to Austin. We visited there last week to do some research and were taken back by the quality of life and how kid-friendly Austin.

Right now, we're trying to crunch some numbers to see if it's economically feasible. Property taxes seem quite high in comparison to Washington state, given both Washington and Texas do not have income tax.

Can anyone tell me what average utility costs are like? I'm particularly concerned about electricity costs for air conditioning during the summer months.

Any other costs I should be concerned with, other than property taxes and utilities?

Thanks!

[malarkey]

Is it just me? Or is there an amazing number of Seattle-ites wanting to make the move to Austin.

Let's form a club ;-)

[Trainwreck20]

Do a search on utilities on the forum, and you will find lots of info (it is a common concern, rightly so...). Anyway, depends on the age of the house and how updated its energy efficiency items are.

[Enzo]

Thanks! Someone on another thread gave a rough estimate of $0.10 per square foot. From some other responses on other threads, that sounds like a good starting point.

That's no worse than heating our 90 year-old house in Seattle in the winter.

[love roses]

It's been so nice up to this point, that we just leave the windows open at night, and set the air conditioner to come on in the early afternoon. I'm not saying it's like that every year, but we've been lucky so far.

[TheHarvester]

Seattle and Austin are like sister cities. I have friends and family in Seattle and I know of many people who have lived in Austin and moved there.

The difference in natural environment is extreme. What the cities have in common is the quirky unique personality of each place. And both of these wonderful cities is suffering from too much love, coming from the wrong places. The negative trends you see in Seattle are very much like those you will see in Austin ---- obliteration of the heart of what makes each city so unique, increased traffic, rapidly increasing prices, etc.

But both cities have fantastic central neighborhoods (if you can afford them), great music scenes (still alive in spite of the flood of money-grubbers), natural beauty incorporated into the very fabric of the city (though quite different in each location) and a youthful energetic population that defies stereotypes and conventional social norms.

There are thousands of people who used to love Austin and now hate it. I would bet that's also true of Seattle. Places change, but you can still find their soul if you're not wedded to negativity.

As to your pragmatic questions, Austin housing is obviously less expensive than anything on the west coast, especially if you live in the generic hideous suburbs. Contrary to Seattle, where you cannot escape high prices by merely living farther from the central city, you can find amazingly cheap housing here if you want to live in a place you will hate on the fringes of the metro area. There's nothing charming about the generic sprawl that is blanketing the I-35 corridor from Dallas to San Antonio.

Where you live makes ALL the difference in the cost of heating and cooling. I'm in a 400 square foot apartment that was built in the 1960s and even though I'm on the bottom floor and surrounded by trees, I'm paying a substantial amount (about $50) to cool this place, and it's been a below-normal spring for temperatures and I keep the thermostat at 75. $50 isn't much for a house, but consider the 400 square feet.... I dread my summer bills!

On the other hand, I own country property that is now rented out, and their electric bills are about twice as high in winter as in summer. I have to conclude that the architecture, orientation to the sun, insulation and especially they TYPE of heating and AC they have is what is causing this strange twist of logic. When I lived there 4 years ago I experienced the same thing, it was much more expensive in winter than summer and I did my best to tolerate both the cold and the heat. You really should get real utility bills for any place you are considering buying or renting, that's the only way to have an honest estimate of what your costs will be.

[jwb123]

Hey! We moved here from Seattle last October. We love it.

You are 100% right about the quality of life upgrade, and how kid friendly it is. Those were our two main reasons, and we can't believe how happy as a family we are right now. Sounds so cheesy - but it's totally true.

You'll never want to go back.

[love roses]

There's nothing charming about generic sprawl, unless you happen to live near one of the small town centers that also add to the charm of the Austin area. Sedalia, Georgetown, Buda, etc..These are places that have music, artists, stores, little downtowns/downtown centers. Coming from Houston, now there's a place full of generic sprawl, with no surrounding (nearby) small towns with their own little charm, unless you count old town spring.

[TheHarvester]

I forgot to comment about the kid-friendly thing. Austin is a great place to raise a family. I'm not trying to encourage more people to move here, it's growing way too fast already, but the truth is that it's a really great place for kids. I know many families with young children and it seems like their biggest problem is choosing which of the many opportunities and locations they should take advantage of. Nice problem to have. I don't have children so I'm only speaking from second-hand experience and the surveys I've read.

[adtobias]

I don't seattle is seattle. austin is a meca of transplants. if I could afford it I would choice seattle