Is Austin Weird Like the Adam's Family of Cities (Houston: crime, living)

[TexasHorseLady]

I searched the MLS and found, today, 10 in areas 1B and 4 up to $323,000; another ten in areas 6 and 7 for $349,000 or less; another ten in areas 1A, 1B, 4, 6, and 7 that sold for $300,000 or less in the last 90 days.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I searched the MLS and found, today, 10 in areas 1B and 4 up to $323,000; another ten in areas 6 and 7 for $349,000 or less; another ten in areas 1A, 1B, 4, 6, and 7 that sold for $300,000 or less in the last 90 days.

As a lay person, I have no idea what those numbers mean. Can you please translate? Otherwise this post in meaningless to those of outside of the real estate profession. Thanks.

Additionally, people making the median salary for his area cannot afford houses going for 323K. When we were looking most of the houses that were cental were at least the high 300s so for us, we really could not afford to live there. We purchased an older house in Seattle so that we could live in city and it was a nightmare. We poured so much money into that thing just to keep water out, so the lower cost houses, I wonder what kind of condition they are in? Do they need a new roof, energy efficient windows? I'd be interested. The point is that most people living in the area cannot afford to own a home in city because of cost of buying or maintenance, that's why so many choose to live in the suburbs.

[TexasHorseLady]

Areas 6 and 7 are just south of the river (Barton Hills is in 7, Travis Heights is in 6, if that helps). Areas 1A and 1B are to the west of downtown and a bit north. (I didn't search DT, which is downtown, or UT, which is, well, UT ). Area 4 is north of UT (Hyde Park, etc.).

I did limit my search to houses between 1200-1600 sq. ft. Looked at a few and they looked to be in decent condition (not new, but not disasters).

Now, if you want a new house, yes, you're going to have to really look to find one close in because, well, close in was built a long time ago and you're either going to have one of the few in-fill houses or a house that's built new where another house was torn down. And if you want new and big with a big yard (though there are a surprising number of large lots close in - I even know of a 5 acre piece that's less than a mile south of the river and just off South Lamar, though I've never known it to be for sale and it would REALLY be more than most of us could afford if it ever were) - yes, you are going to have to head to the suburbs. But for a normal house in good condition that a normal family (that would be me, my husband, and our two kids) could live in quite happily, yes, it can be found for less than $400,000. From what I'm seeing on the MLS, for less than $300,000 in quite a few cases.

[Frodo2008]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

I don't think this is accurate at all. Why don't you pull up some homes that are 1200 square feet that are close in with decent schools. What you will find is those are still going to be close to 400K. Most people cannot afford that.

Are they really that expensive? 1200 square feet 400K?

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Frodo2008

Are they really that expensive? 1200 square feet 400K?

When we were looking a year ago, yes. But those are the really sought after central neighborhoods. It could be that they have fallen in the last year. I'd really be interested to walk through the ones that THL is finding for around the 300K mark because I am skeptical that prices have dropped that far in the last year. One of the things about the internet, and we learned the hard way, when we saw lots of nice looking houses we could afford in-city Seattle, prompting us to pick up and move there eight years ago, is that you can't smell cat urine or water damage by looking at photos. Obviously they put the best photos on the web so you don't see the cracked foundation in them either or if you don't know the area, don't know that they are on a busy street, kitty corner to a "gentlemen's club".

[centralaustinite]

Prices have fallen! I tried to sell my urban in-fill, highly efficient, 2300 sq feet newer house in area 6 in 2008 for $445K. No dice. I might have been able to get $415-410K for it then, today, if I were to put it on the market (and intend to sell it) I'd start at $385K and hope!


Look at the pendings and recent sales, prices are down all over central Austin.

[Frodo2008]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

When we were looking a year ago, yes. But those are the really sought after central neighborhoods. It could be that they have fallen in the last year. I'd really be interested to walk through the ones that THL is finding for around the 300K mark because I am skeptical that prices have dropped that far in the last year. One of the things about the internet, and we learned the hard way, when we saw lots of nice looking houses we could afford in-city Seattle, prompting us to pick up and move there eight years ago, is that you can't smell cat urine or water damage by looking at photos. Obviously they put the best photos on the web so you don't see the cracked foundation in them either or if you don't know the area, don't know that they are on a busy street, kitty corner to a "gentlemen's club".

Yeah pictures are definitely misleading. You have to actually go there and look at the property. Six years back when my wife and I were looking for houses it was the same thing. On the web site some of the houses looked real good but then when we actually went there and looked at the house the house was pretty dumpy. So you definitely need to go and take a long look at wherever you're thinking of buying first.

Now I'm sure the houses in Seattle are more expensive than the ones in Austin. I've always heard that Seattle is expensive. Did you used to live in Austin? Are the houses in Seattle a lot more than the ones in Austin?

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Frodo2008

Yeah pictures are definitely misleading. You have to actually go there and look at the property. Six years back when my wife and I were looking for houses it was the same thing. On the web site some of the houses looked real good but then when we actually went there and looked at the house the house was pretty dumpy. So you definitely need to go and take a long look at wherever you're thinking of buying first.

Now I'm sure the houses in Seattle are more expensive than the ones in Austin. I've always heard that Seattle is expensive. Did you used to live in Austin? Are the houses in Seattle a lot more than the ones in Austin?

I used to live in Austin in 99-2001 and now again. I lived in Seattle from 85-95 and then again from 2001-early 2009. Yes, housing in the Seattle area is MUCH more expensive. The house we paid 330K for here about 11 miles from downtown would cost anywhere from 600 to 900K there 11 miles from downtown Seattle depending which neighborhood it was located.

[Frodo2008]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

I used to live in Austin in 99-2001 and now again. I lived in Seattle from 85-95 and then again from 2001-early 2009. Yes, housing in the Seattle area is MUCH more expensive. The house we paid 330K for here about 11 miles from downtown would cost anywhere from 600 to 900K there 11 miles from downtown Seattle depending which neighborhood it was located.

So it's at least double the price. That's what I figured. All the west coast big cities are expensive. SF being the most expensive one.

A lot of people consider the blue cities or liberal cities weird. The liberal cities having more gay people, street vendors, etc. According to this definition of weirdness, which city is weirder Seattle or Austin? Is one city any more liberal or weird than the other one? Are they equally weird?

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Frodo2008

So it's at least double the price. That's what I figured. All the west coast big cities are expensive. SF being the most expensive one.

A lot of people consider the blue cities or liberal cities weird. The liberal cities having more gay people, street vendors, etc. According to this definition of weirdness, which city is weirder Seattle or Austin? Is one city any more liberal or weird than the other one? Are they equally weird?

The Seattle area is far more liberal than the Austin area. As a libertarian type, Seattle was too much of a nanny-city for me to bear. I guess I am kind of weird so neither seems particularly weird to me. What is weird anyway?

I feel freer to be myself here than I did there. I'm more of an outgoing type and Seattle has a very introverted culture overall. I feel like Austin has much greater ambient energy than Seattle if that makes any sense.