What an enjoyable video. I watched because I am in the process of moving from Nashville to Dallas and you provided useful Texas information like property taxes that apply to Dallas as well. Also, my Mom is from Williamson County outside of Austin and she was always so proud of being from your part of the country. Visiting her relatives as children was always a lot of fun because even back then the people were super friendly to us.
I’m so glad to hear that you found the info helpful. And yes, you’re right- a lot of the same things apply to Dallas as Austin. High property taxes all around 😬 Which part of Dallas are you headed to?
My favorite thing about Austin is how active it is. I love walking lady bird lake and swimming at Barton Springs. You and the guy you were walking town lake with both look incredible.
Such an active town, isn’t it?! And agreed, Lady Bird Lake, and Barton Springs is so scenic. 🤩 Thanks so much, that’s my boyfriend! 🫶🏻😊😊 Hope you get to enjoy the beautiful weather. We’re having over the next few days!
I live 3 hours away, (Outside Dallas Texas) and yes Austin is a very welcoming friendly city, especially for the younger crowd. Where I live people are a bit more stand offish. Always enjoy taking a drive once in a while and spend a weekend at a relatives house in Round Rock, spend the day in Lake Travis, and party Dowtown 6th street at night. People just need to be careful about hanging out late past 1am on 6th street, can get very crazy and too rowdy.
The slogan "Keep Austin Weird" does not reflect pride of residents rejecting social norms. It was a campaign slogan of a plan to support local small businesses.
I lived in Austin from 1982 to 1990 when I was an undergrad and law school student at UT. Austin used to be great. Now, you couldn't pay me to live there.
Hi. I live in Europe but I'm planning to go to Austin, I want to live there. I love it and I'm not 20 years old, but I'm enchanted by its atmosphere. I hope you can be there next summer!? Madam, you are amazing like the city you presented and I've seen several of your videos so far. I want to buy it when I'm there a house in a good location and I would like to find you. Good bye.
Hey, thanks for the comment! I think legally (as realtors) we’re not “supposed “to talk about what is a safe and unsafe area. I will say this, though, crime exists everywhere. However, Austin doesn’t have some of the things that we see in other parts of the state or the country. I’ve lived in many different areas of Austin and can confidently say that I would be fine walking around any of the neighborhoods that I’ve lived in. I’d be happy to jump further into this question one on one. Let me know if you’d like to schedule a call ☎️
Interesting you say that I wonder if it depends where you live or spend your time? My mom is 77 and lives in Minneapolis. Every time she visits Austin, she seems to make a new friend each time we go out. What part of town do you spend your time in?
Austins just not what it used to be.. Old Austin was uniquely vibrant, weird and welcoming. The culture was local and very indie with a mom and pops feel with inviting local restaurants, and a great music scene. Now days it just feels congested, corporate, and there’s an overall lack of community. My experience is that there’s a lot of unhappiness here even more so than let’s say Houston or San Antonio. Neighbors are too afraid to talk to one another or can’t be bothered to wave at their neighbors, and others are being priced out of their homes, and this has had a very negative impact on the local music scene. A snooty rude uptight rich culture is starting to pervade the scene. Homelessness has gotten out of control and the class divide is getting worse more so than other cities in Texas.
Watched the video from Milan, Italy, as I am gradually preparing my future outside of my home country, maybe in the US, and why not in Texas! Loved the quality of the content :)
Spot on the social element.. people are genuine and you can chill many times before the "what do you do question".. Weather is moody, "winter blasts" but also "offensively hot in summer months" haha yes! October is my favorite weather month. Love it here though :)
I grew up a military brat, moving around every 3-4 years and I have been in Austin almost 8 years, and I absolutely love it and can definitely see myself dying here.
I just moved from NJ to Austin a week ago. My first impression is not so good. There are so many homeless people in downtown and you need car even in Downtown as it is hot that you can't even walk a few blocks ..cost of living is pretty high as in NJ even higher than in NJ. Some neighborhoods are really nice and clean but if it is expensive to live there. I come from the East Coast so prices look similar as NJ or even NY in some areas. Some people are friendly.
You’re totally right, you can’t live anywhere in Texas without a car and the heat is awful! The homeless situation is bad downtown, but WAY better in other places. Do you spend much time in other parts of Austin or just the downtown area ?
You should mention also that during the summer time you need to water your foundation often. Otherwise, your big home investment will lose a lot of money to foundation issues.
@@euphoricmonk in the summer when the soil gets dry and shrinks making the foundation shift and crack. When there's too much rain the soil will expand and crack the foundation. That's how it is in Texas. Unless you get rocky ground which is not too common. If you try to sell a home with foundation problems, you can expect to knock off about 50 grand and your pool of buyers shrinks.
austin used to be weird because all of the state's rejects would move there from the country towns they didn't really fit in, so it sucks when californians move here and make everyone feel like shit for being different or uncool when that's what everyone moved to austin to escape.
In MN 6k-8k property tax is what most are paying these days as more and more young families are moving out of the mpls/stp area and if you add how much we pay in state income its pretty much adds up to property tax down in TX.
Your comment on the weather was laughable. The hot season runs from May through October. It is relentless and it doesn't become that comfortable even after sundown from July through September. That is one reason utilities are so expensive; it costs money to run the air conditioning for six months straight.
If the right opportunity shows up, I say jump. A lot of sellers and builders are motivated to make a deal, if the numbers make sense then it's a great time to find opportunity. I also have a lot of clients that need to buy a home for their family and don't have the luxury of waiting. My advice is that we need to find the best deal for their lifestyle/needs and know that the markets always cycle and that we'll need to make this purchase for the long game and not expect 20-25% appreciation each year.
Ok so don't take this the wrong way but Portland's Weird is different than Austin's Weird. Austin feels a little more like Socal than Portland sometimes does - just my opinion but I haven't spent enough time in Austin (would like to spend more visiting). Also, Austin's recent growth and income tax free environment are appealing for relocation. I love Oregon but Portland has been on a consistent decline the last 3 years and leadership hasn't helped with its recovery. We're finally building more apartments (as a lack of affordable housing was an issue the last 5 years) but I often see more units available in my budget/range with the Austin Metro if I'm making just under 40k
Austin's weird used to be much weirder. The rampant gentrification has pretty much pushed those people out. Also, 40k is barely enough to survive on in Austin. It's crazy expensive now.
@@AustinTX A small beach town on Oahu. I used to live off of Slaughter Lane on the south side. Traffic was minimal, even during rush hour. 6th street was a relatively safe and calm place to spend the evening with friends. Every now and then, you saw a homeless person. Those days are long gone, sadly my weird, foody little hometown is now unrecognizable - it's as though the architects of San Francisco's downfall took over Austin Texas.
Have you ever thought about doing videos for people from urban areas looking to rent in the downtown areas of Austin? I don't know if as a realtor that fits what you're doing videos for, but it would be interesting from my perspective as a New Yorker (and being used to renting). I think there are a sizable group of NYers looking at Texas, so adding my voice/request. Thanks for the video!
Hey Andy 👋🏼 Thanks so much for your comment ! I could do a video about the down town area for sure, but I don’t work in rental properties so I wouldn’t be a very good resource for that 😬
Having lived in Austin for over twenty years, I can say that it's a vibrant fun city with great people, food, and activities. It's getting more expensive and congested every year, but if you can deal with those things, then you're in for a good time
I agree. Definitely a unique place to live with lots of upbeat people. Unfortunately, it has been getting way more crowded. Even over the last six months. Traffic I feel like it’s getting worse all the time. Luckily, the culture really isn’t changing though.
Thanks for that, I really appreciate it the idea. What would you want to see in a Lakeway video? There's a lot to cover there so would love your feedback on what to highlight. 😃
