Anyone relocate to Austin & decide it wasn’t for them? (buying, closing)

[Snowpacked]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Clean record and no tickets. I've had one at fault accident when I was like 19 years old but that was several decades ago.

I've always had higher insurance although this is a bit on the higher side that I've paid. I've never paid anything less than $200 monthly for insurance and that was for a Ford Focus back in Atlanta.

Insurance has little to do with the driver and more to do with the location, claims within the region (Austin has alot of uninsured motorists), if you want proof of this, ask them why they keep raising your rate every term when you've never had a ticket or a claim. value and safety features of the vehicle. I'm mid 30's and single.. that's also taken into account.

USAA just told me that we are at about 55% insured drivers. Contrast that with the valley where about 30% are insured. That is nuts. Why hand out tickets, it's obviously is not a deterrent.

Anyone caught without insurance should have their hands cut off.

[AlterEgo42]

Originally Posted by Snowpacked

USAA just told me that we are at about 55% insured drivers. Contrast that with the valley where about 30% are insured. That is nuts. Why hand out tickets, it's obviously is not a deterrent.

Anyone caught without insurance should have their hands cut off.

I'd hate for facts to get in the way of your anecdote, but the number is actually closer to 15%

https://www.insurance-research.org/s...s/UMNR1005.pdf

[scot892]

N4C, another thing to consider is dropping full coverage and only get minimal required liability. I can't stand mandatory insurance and having to pay higher for those who are uninsured and for those careless drivers in the Austin area (bet it's all those Illegal Aliens). Why pay the insurance company extra for full coverage when you can save that funds on your own and act like your own insurance should something goes wrong that full coverage will cover. Especially so, if you will never use it for a while or at all and it's not a brand new car just that was bought yesterday. You also don't have to pay a deductible should you file a claim. However, if you are financing the car then you are required to have full coverage, I believe, which is another reason why it pays to pay cash for a car.

Like you, I have no accidents and clean record but my insurance goes up because the Austin area is full of bad drivers. I tried to fight it but the insurance companies are basing it on not just my driving but also people in the are who are reckless and uninsured driver. If you are a safe and accident free driver other then the other person being at fault, there should be no concern for having minimal coverage since the insurance will not be used. Sure you will be on the hook if the other person causes the accident and is uninsured but you would have to have uninsured insurance, which is not included in full coverage to cover that.

[Snowpacked]

Originally Posted by AlterEgo42

I'd hate for facts to get in the way of your anecdote, but the number is actually closer to 15%

https://www.insurance-research.org/s...s/UMNR1005.pdf

My dog is smarter. You believe a posted story. Whats the difference?

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by scot892

N4C, another thing to consider is dropping full coverage and only get minimal required liability. I can't stand mandatory insurance and having to pay higher for those who are uninsured and for those careless drivers in the Austin area (bet it's all those Illegal Aliens). Why pay the insurance company extra for full coverage when you can save that funds on your own and act like your own insurance should something goes wrong that full coverage will cover. Especially so, if you will never use it for a while or at all and it's not a brand new car just that was bought yesterday. You also don't have to pay a deductible should you file a claim. However, if you are financing the car then you are required to have full coverage, I believe, which is another reason why it pays to pay cash for a car.

Like you, I have no accidents and clean record but my insurance goes up because the Austin area is full of bad drivers. I tried to fight it but the insurance companies are basing it on not just my driving but also people in the are who are reckless and uninsured driver. If you are a safe and accident free driver other then the other person being at fault, there should be no concern for having minimal coverage since the insurance will not be used. Sure you will be on the hook if the other person causes the accident and is uninsured but you would have to have uninsured insurance, which is not included in full coverage to cover that.

Truth be told, full coverage wont do very much for me without GAP (and its one thing I REALLY worry about while driving here), but technically I have to have it as per my leinholder of my vehicle along with a $500 deductible.

Insurance in itself is always a scam, its a business made to make money, not pay it...

Infact the very origin of Insurance was introduced by the Mafia.

[Westerner92]

Austin is getting expensive quickly, but literally any city with opportunities is doing the same thing. Different cities assign different numbers based off how popular they are, but they all have the same pricing scheme. The low-skill workers have to live in a sketchy apartment and ride the bus for an hour. The service workers have to share a bathroom with another person, but they're allowed to have reliable kitchen appliances, a well-used car, and beer money, with unexpected expenses that occur as fast as you save up for them. The non-STEM college grads can get their own bathroom and maybe build some equity slowly depending on how much fun they allow themselves to have. The STEM grads, tradespeople, and experienced non-STEM-professionals are allowed a reliable car, a night out every week or two, and a hobby while they save for their down payment. Everyone is looking for a partner to pool finances with since it might allow them to build equity faster and maybe get another hobby.

All that said, I thought Austin was great overall. Most people are relaxed and friendly, and it still feels like a weird small town in a lot of pockets. No one cares how you dress. You can ride your bike to climbing walls and waterfalls. In my mind it's the town that perfected and arguably popularized the whole "divey/rustic backyard chic" thing. Much of Austin just has an overgrown/disorganized look that is charming and nostalgic for me. The food and music scenes punch far above their weight for how big Austin is.

I left for a change of pace and scenery. The long summers can be oppressive and keep you from enjoying everyday activities. I discovered my passion for outdoor sports, but the places worth repeat visits are typically super crowded. Most places are super crowded really, and the super disorganized infrastructure loses all its charm and becomes the bane of your existence if you're in a rush. Austin is a fantastic place, but I need mountains and wilderness in my life.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

FWIW, I oppose getting rid of our non-disclosure status, but not because I'm a Realtor. It's because I'm a Texan, and confusing as it may be to those from other states, we really do still value our privacy here and don't think our financials are anyone else's business unless we choose to disclose them for our own purposes (those disclosures necessary to purchase or sell a house). I object to it as as Texan, therefore, and will resist any efforts to change it. You want financial information to be public? Post your own online, mail your bank statements to your neighbors, I don't care. But don't expect that you have a right to everyone else's.

You file much more to the IRS and that information is not public.

Hospitals have your entire health record and that information is not public.

The MLS is much easier to get information from than either of the other two systems.

[AlterEgo42]

Originally Posted by Snowpacked

My dog is smarter. You believe a posted story. Whats the difference?

That’s funny. You take the word of a $15/hr phone operator in San Antonio over actual industry research.

Tell yourself whatever you need - make sure to throw that dog a treat, I’m sure he’s had a long day.

[AlterEgo42]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Truth be told, full coverage wont do very much for me without GAP (and its one thing I REALLY worry about while driving here), but technically I have to have it as per my leinholder of my vehicle along with a $500 deductible.

Insurance in itself is always a scam, its a business made to make money, not pay it...

Infact the very origin of Insurance was introduced by the Mafia.

No. It was introduced by the Dutch. But y’all tell yourself whatever.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by AlterEgo42

bull ****.

You're comparing two totally and completely different items. What you paid for a house isn't a part of your "financials" - it's a cost you incurred for an asset. I can go look up your property's tax payment history, improvements, square footage, permits you've pulled, who did the work... all on the web in Texas - without even having to register or pay for that information. Don't wave some "Texan" flag on this - it's purely a lobby issue.

You do not get to know, just because you wanna or for your own convenience, how much I or anyone else paid for their house without their permission. It's not your God given right to know everything you want to know just because you think you deserve to. That straightforward enough for you?