Rental market in SA is awful (Houston, Dallas: 2013, insurance, countertops)

[OneDawg]

It's not just the cost of renting or owning a 2/2 condo or house, the taxes will continue to rise as well.

[TXsurburbanmom]

Looking at the OP other postings he seems to be looking more to rent a room. Perhaps that is more common in Seattle because of the extreme prices of homes. SA prices are rising but I think it is still less common to find people willing to let a stranger into their home. We Texans, friendly though we are, kinda like having our own personal property to ourselves. There’s pride in being able to have our own house/land/privacy fence.

[OneDawg]

Originally Posted by Bobcat4

Looking at the OP other postings he seems to be looking more to rent a room. Perhaps that is more common in Seattle because of the extreme prices of homes. SA prices are rising but I think it is still less common to find people willing to let a stranger into their home.

My wife had owned a large home in Redmond, WA which when she rented it out to MSFT employees - it was by bedroom. Six bedrooms and three bathrooms and a full designer kitchen. $2000/mo per bedroom. But that included all the utilities. Far cheaper than doing an apartment + utilities.

[Cockatoo99]

Originally Posted by Bobcat4

Looking at the OP other postings he seems to be looking more to rent a room. Perhaps that is more common in Seattle because of the extreme prices of homes. SA prices are rising but I think it is still less common to find people willing to let a stranger into their home. We Texans, friendly though we are, kinda like having our own personal property to ourselves. There’s pride in being able to have our own house/land/privacy fence.

I am the OP, and yes I was talking about rooms rather than apartment buildings commercially managed. Sorry, I should have clarified better. I don't like signing year leases for commercially owned units, so I usually try to board in houses.

And your answer is what I was wondering. It's funny, because people marvel at the cost of housing in Seattle but if you are willing to rent out a room from a homeowner in their own home there seems to be way more options in Seattle than in San Antonio. And yes, a lot of them do that because they are struggling to pay the mortgage on a $400K home even if they are a high paid software developer. I was looking for this kinda setup in SA and the options are way less here and they are charging more for the same types of rooms as well. I guess everyone can afford their own home in SA so they don't need tenants?

I've also noticed that San Antonio seems to have a lot of properties - commercial or private - that LOOK very expensive but are actually poor quality (appliances don't work, no hot water, cheap materials). I also saw this a lot in Dallas. Perhaps it's just the properties I happened to see. I don't know if this is a Texas thing or not. Never seemed to have this problem in Seattle as homeowners don't seem to be concerned about making the exterior look fancy they just want something that functions well. But again, maybe it's just my experience.

P.S. Otherwise, I am not complaining about SA. People here generally seem to be friendlier and happier with their lives people than in Seattle (who are notorious for being depressed and very cold to strangers). I love the winter weather in SA. Traffic isn't AS bad as Seattle, except if you're heading to Stone Oak. So far, so good. It's just the rental market that disappointed me and rent is a huge deal for me. But whatever, no place is 100% everything you want, right?

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Cockatoo99

I am the OP, and yes I was talking about rooms rather than apartment buildings commercially managed. Sorry, I should have clarified better. I don't like signing year leases for commercially owned units, so I usually try to board in houses.

As another poster commented, renting a room is very uncommon in SA. I think the most common situation Ive seen in SA is if you're longtime friends, renting a house together. But I've never seen anyone rent a room. Now, in even hotter markets it happens all the time. I see it in Austin almost daily, even from non-students.

[flashfearless]

I’ve seen it happen in communities of Indian people in SA. Not sure where they hook up with one another but we had a couple of contract people who were here for 6 months and all of them rented rooms from Indian homeowners.

[Cuero]

Originally Posted by Cockatoo99

And your answer is what I was wondering. It's funny, because people marvel at the cost of housing in Seattle but if you are willing to rent out a room from a homeowner in their own home there seems to be way more options in Seattle than in San Antonio. And yes, a lot of them do that because they are struggling to pay the mortgage on a $400K home even if they are a high paid software developer. I was looking for this kinda setup in SA and the options are way less here and they are charging more for the same types of rooms as well. I guess everyone can afford their own home in SA so they don't need tenants?

Correct. Because it's so affordable in SA people generally don't share housing like in expensive markets on the coasts. Whereas in Seattle it's normal to rent a single room, here in SA it's not so people charge a premium for it.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Cockatoo99

I am the OP, and yes I was talking about rooms rather than apartment buildings commercially managed. .... I love the winter weather in SA. Traffic isn't AS bad as Seattle, except if you're heading to Stone Oak. So far, so good. It's just the rental market that disappointed me and rent is a huge deal for me. But whatever, no place is 100% everything you want, right?

Since I have and still live in both regions..(PNW and SA) and currently have rentals in each...
.. to get an acceptable 'room-for-rent'

I would say you need to enlarge your social networks to reach a different demographic in each region.

I would target active retirees in SA region who have separate living space, or empty nest and who travel a lot. Possibly need to head out of SA core. I have friends who have a 2 yr housesitting gig near 1604 and NW i-10. Theirs is not a unique situation. (Home owner is late career Military career... planning to retire in SA, so have bought their home, but on assignments overseas.). Lots of this happening in SA region.

Alternately, buy you own, and do similar strategy. (Multiple living spaces).

Texas people seem to be more into "my space". Hence all the gates and barriers and literally no public lands in entire state. So... You must play their game. (While in Texas). Ie.... Go out of state and bug Colorado, NM, AZ, Arkansas, Louisiana when you want some real space... Our buy a 10,000 acre ranch. In the meantime, just find someone who is interested in sharing space in their home. Elderly residents included.

[Cockatoo99]

I guess I just assumed that SA would have more of these room-for-rent types deals in homeowner's homes because of the the military population that is so transient. You'd think there would be more demand for these types of setups. But maybe all these military folks just buy property? Don't know what they do when they have to move. That's the reason I don't want to buy. I don't want to deal with selling it or having to rent it out and do maintenance repairs for tenants.

My guess is that people from Austin are going to start moving here because they can't afford to buy houses in Austin. I guess it's nice that two cities are so close but one is better for renters and the other is better for buyers. Just looked at room-for-rent deals in Austin on Craigslist and there are quite a few rooms going for under $600/mo all utilities in someone's new, nice looking home. Might be sharing the whole house with two or three other people but it's worth it if you like the city.

And not to make this whole discussion about myself but just an update: I finally managed to find a great deal in east San ANtonio: $450/mo all utilities, no lease, new home with new appliances and surveillance, garage parking, and my own bathroom. I only live with one person here who is barely home. Now, THAT is the kinda deal I was looking for this whole time! I found this by scouring Craigslist every single day. Granted, this neighborhood isn't Stone Oak but it's not the ghetto either.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Cockatoo99

I guess I just assumed that SA would have more of these room-for-rent types deals in homeowner's homes because of the the military population that is so transient. You'd think there would be more demand for these types of setups. But maybe all these military folks just buy property? Don't know what they do when they have to move. That's the reason I don't want to buy. I don't want to deal with selling it or having to rent it out and do maintenance repairs for tenants.

My guess is that people from Austin are going to start moving here because they can't afford to buy houses in Austin. I guess it's nice that two cities are so close but one is better for renters and the other is better for buyers. Just looked at room-for-rent deals in Austin on Craigslist and there are quite a few rooms going for under $600/mo all utilities in someone's new, nice looking home. Might be sharing the whole house with two or three other people but it's worth it if you like the city.

And not to make this whole discussion about myself but just an update: I finally managed to find a great deal in east San ANtonio: $450/mo all utilities, no lease, new home with new appliances and surveillance, garage parking, and my own bathroom. I only live with one person here who is barely home. Now, THAT is the kinda deal I was looking for this whole time! I found this by scouring Craigslist every single day. Granted, this neighborhood isn't Stone Oak but it's not the ghetto either.

Military folks do have roommates and live off base, but like others have said, they find each other through networking and through work. Many military in SA are families and they value buying new homes in the Alamo Ranch area and then renting them out when they move to other areas.

Some may move from Austin to SA, but my guess is that many will just move on to the next “it” place like Nashville or Raleigh.

You found a deal on the east side, but you may want to check out the zip code profile here on CD to see what you’ve gotten yourself into.

FWIW, being in Austin, I’m a member of several roommate groups on Facebook. When you’re ready to move again you you may want to try and see if there are any groups like that for SA.