Why I Can't Wait to Leave Austin (Houston, West: transplants, apartments)

[sal98]

Look, y'all. I had such, such high hopes about moving here. Significant other and I relocated here 1.5 years ago for his career. We did a ton of research, but honestly even that didn't prepare us for what it's like here.

Housing is awful...we are a young professional couple who honestly just want to rent a small house in a nice neighborhood, but that is near impossible. You basically have to find a realtor, be able to leave work at the drop of a hat whenever a new rental becomes available, pay $50-75 just to APPLY to live there - and there is no guarantee that you'll even get the place. We are looking for a place now and have already spent $400 on application fees alone.

I have seriously struggled to find a job. Without going into specifics, I work in the cultural arts field. Most articles and firsthand accounts I read assured me that - this being Austin - I'd have no trouble finding a position. Wrong again. I've worked 3 different temp jobs, and now I am currently working 3 part time jobs. Almost 30 and working at a coffeehouse is quite a feat! More than one interviewer has told me honestly that unless applicants have a UT degree or one from a West Coast school, they don't even consider them.

Feel free to criticize or harangue me (after all, this is the internet!), but after narrowly missing out on the 7th house we looked at today and getting a rejection call from yet another application/interview, I'm feeling seriously over this city.

[RoadWarrior12]

Great post. Just about all true.

Hope people learn from it.

[ppp38]

Originally Posted by sal98

Look, y'all. I had such, such high hopes about moving here. Significant other and I relocated here 1.5 years ago for his career. We did a ton of research, but honestly even that didn't prepare us for what it's like here.

Housing is awful...we are a young professional couple who honestly just want to rent a small house in a nice neighborhood, but that is near impossible. You basically have to find a realtor, be able to leave work at the drop of a hat whenever a new rental becomes available, pay $50-75 just to APPLY to live there - and there is no guarantee that you'll even get the place. We are looking for a place now and have already spent $400 on application fees alone.

I have seriously struggled to find a job. Without going into specifics, I work in the cultural arts field. Most articles and firsthand accounts I read assured me that - this being Austin - I'd have no trouble finding a position. Wrong again. I've worked 3 different temp jobs, and now I am currently working 3 part time jobs. Almost 30 and working at a coffeehouse is quite a feat! More than one interviewer has told me honestly that unless applicants have a UT degree or one from a West Coast school, they don't even consider them.

Feel free to criticize or harangue me (after all, this is the internet!), but after narrowly missing out on the 7th house we looked at today and getting a rejection call from yet another application/interview, I'm feeling seriously over this city.

Austin is not nearly the Mecca that the media portrays it to be. This scenario is going to happen more and more often due to the influx of transplants. Good luck in your next city, I would try my darnedest to find a job first and then move to a new city as opposed to moving and hoping to find work.

[philopower]

Thank god I go to UT then.

[radiolibre99]

Good lord, I guess the party's over? The influx of new transplants has made job competition more fierce and the market sparse? I had hopes but it seems like its too small to handle the growth?

[muppets]

I'm sorry to read you've been having trouble on the job front. I'm also a young professional (currently live in Toronto but planning to move to Austin later this year) and it's incredibly difficult up here as well. I have been underemployed so many times in the past that I finally decided to start my own business. I have at least 5-6 friends who have done the same (all in their mid 20's and early 30's). I don't know about the United States but in Canada, it's really tough to fire someone once they've made it through the three month "trial period". Because of the strict laws protecting employees, a lot of businesses are reluctant to hire people for full-time work, they just contract out various projects instead. Add to that the recession sweeping through Canada as well as the United States, and you're left with a lot of young people competing for very few jobs. I think this is par for the course in any North American city right now.

I also think job availability largely depends on your industry. I work in web design and don't have a university degree, but have been able to find a lot of work (and clients) based on my tech skills. In my field, the ability to create a solid website is more important than a Bachelor of Arts degree. From what I've seen, it's the same in many tech/web-related jobs. I've been combing Austin job boards daily and have seen several web-related positions (mostly in development) offering positions with full benefits and a $100K+ salary without even mentioning university degrees under their requirements. In other fields, however, it'd be impossible to find a job without an advanced degree. I'm not sure how much of a comfort this will be but I do think the difficulties you're encountering may be based on your industry, not necessarily Austin.

I can't comment on the housing climate in Austin but in Toronto, the cost of living is so high that many young professionals still live with their parents (we're talking people in their mid to late 20's). Only a small handful of my friends have their own place and I even know a few married couples who lease out basement apartments from their parents/in-laws. I would gladly compete with other people for apartments if it meant that the rent was actually affordable; a lot of apartments up here are empty because no one can afford to live in them.

I don't live in Austin and have never even been there so I'm hardly in a position to speak on its behalf but I do think, in fairness, a lot of the troubles you're describing are common for young people everywhere, no matter where they live. You could pick up tomorrow and move to Los Angeles or New York or Nashville and encounter the exact same difficulties. In any case, I'm sympathetic; I know how tough it can be and you are most certainly not alone. Best of luck to you, wherever you decide to go.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by sal98

Most articles and firsthand accounts I read assured me that - this being Austin - I'd have no trouble finding a position.

I'm sincerely sorry you had such difficulty finding a job here. This is a great place, but not so nice without a job.

I take no delight in saying that your story should be an object lesson to anyone considering moving here without a job lined up. Fools gold at best. Hopefully, things will work out.

[love roses]

Most of my artist friends who do any type of art related work live in Houston.

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by sal98

Look, y'all. I had such, such high hopes about moving here. Significant other and I relocated here 1.5 years ago for his career. We did a ton of research, but honestly even that didn't prepare us for what it's like here.

Housing is awful...we are a young professional couple who honestly just want to rent a small house in a nice neighborhood, but that is near impossible. You basically have to find a realtor, be able to leave work at the drop of a hat whenever a new rental becomes available, pay $50-75 just to APPLY to live there - and there is no guarantee that you'll even get the place. We are looking for a place now and have already spent $400 on application fees alone.

I have seriously struggled to find a job. Without going into specifics, I work in the cultural arts field. Most articles and firsthand accounts I read assured me that - this being Austin - I'd have no trouble finding a position. Wrong again. I've worked 3 different temp jobs, and now I am currently working 3 part time jobs. Almost 30 and working at a coffeehouse is quite a feat! More than one interviewer has told me honestly that unless applicants have a UT degree or one from a West Coast school, they don't even consider them.

Feel free to criticize or harangue me (after all, this is the internet!), but after narrowly missing out on the 7th house we looked at today and getting a rejection call from yet another application/interview, I'm feeling seriously over this city.

I'm really sorry it's been a struggle. I have to share that we experienced the same thing you described trying to rent a home -- with a realtor -- in the spring of 2011 when we arrived. People in bidding wars for rentals. Houses being rented within 30 minutes of hitting the MLS. The one we finally got was off of Craiglist from a woman who was too cheap and not savvy enough to list it on the MLS and only listed it on CL once with very little info. The hunt was very, very frustrating. Buying our home a year later was the same experience.

[verybadgnome]

For perspective Austin is ranked 54th out of 372 metropolitan areas as far as employment rates is concerned at 4.7%. Being in the 85th percentile most places you will go to you will have an even harder time finding a job. Also 'cultural arts fields' could mean a lot of things, many of them translating into you having a hard time finding a job anywhere.

Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas

My best advice before moving to any city is to have a job in your profession lined up. I almost got talked into moving to another state with high unemployment without a 'career job' lined up and now am certainly glad I didn't move there (despite the sunny climate and family in the area).

As far as the housing situation is concerned I have not doubt you are correct and your timing coincides with a landlord's market. Would you consider living in an apartment? They are usually pretty decisive as to whether they have something available or not if you give them a proposed move-in date.