i get out... ya LA or vegas or pre-katrina new orleans are pretty cool, but 6th street has a totally different vibe that I love... you can walk into any bar on 6th street in jean shorts, sandals, and a willie nelson t-shirt and fit in perfectly... its not some bullsh** ok wait in line to be let into our club, you have to pay 20$ cover charge, OMG your black button down shirt isnt versace DENIED LOL people in austin are just cooler
I lived in the apartments next to those off 2222 (had an AWESOME view of downtown) and I can confirm that traffic going into town sucks A$$ in the morning. It starts dying down around 9 though. I'm not saying anything is wrong with them. They are nice condos, but they are out there and they are condos. I just think your money would be better spent on a house than a dime a dozen condo.
what if you work north or at ibm or freescale? what about us tech workers who arent cool enough to work downtown? where would we live?
I went in on a house today that just closed in the Central Austin area. Its in Brentwood (just south of Crestview, east of Allendale...by 45th and Lamar), and is a 3-2 house, around 1275 sq. ft. If you can find anything in this area --- just north of Hyde Park, west of 35, east of Mopac, south of 183, called Area "1B", "2" and "4" --- for under $200K, buy it. Currently, its mostly 1940's-1950's 2-1 bungalows that are being bought and then renovated and/or torn down and built back up into McMansions (recent ordinances be damned apparently). In the one month span dating back to when the house went under contract, it's value on Zillow.com went up by over $35K. It's a 10 minute drive to the city center, everything you could want and or need can be found on Burnet or Lamar, and it doesn't have the sterile suburban feel of anytown USA. I was looking for over 3 months and walked through over 30 houses before settling on this one --- you might want to do the same as it'll help you learn more about the market and get you onto the path of what exactly you are looking for in a home. It was down to the one that was bought and another on the east side. The houses over there ---- East of 35, West of 183, South of 290, Area "3" and "5" --- can still be bought in the low to mid 100's. With the Mueller Airport redevelopment nearby, the property values are only going to go up in those parts (they already have just east of 35 by Town Lake). Also, the eastside is one of the few remaining parts of Austin with no shortage of character and culture from decades past. If you haven't looked already, give it a chance. You can get alot more for your money in those parts than for a downtown loft and you'll be a ton closer than anything by Lake Travis. Just my two cents.
"It's a great location, close to campus and to my fraternity," said Alex Hoffer, a UT sophomore and resident of Sterling University Housing WestCamp, one of several plush new apartment complexes offering two-bedroom units for $1,600 a month and amenities such as 42-inch plasma televisions and a state-of-the-art gym. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/08/29/29uthousing.html
I'm not a math major, but that is $214/sq ft...Last time I check, Austin wasn't New York so as your financial advisor, I advise you not to do that loft...Especially if you're not ballin' $100K/yr... The problem is that the market could turn and I have to tell you, I haven't seen the lofts, but I can't imagine paying that kind of money...They better come with a Maid named Maria and she better blow me for that kind of money... btw, I know the W hotel in Dallas sells the starting units at $500K for 1300 sq. ft...That is ridiculous...
Find a duplex, rent out one side of it, and maybe get a couple of roommates to live on your side and share the rent with you. Depending on the market (which obviously varies a lot around the U.S.) you can potentially pay the mortgage on the duplex every month with the money you make renting out one side. Maybe not so much at first, but since Austin is booming, you can raise the rent with each tenant, eventually turning a profit just for living there. So you eventually make income off of it at the end of the month for living there, and then you can make income by selling it off at higher than you purchased it (since, again, Austin is heating up). Of course, there's some extra legal work and tax formalities involved, and you are the landlord so you are in charge of repairs to the entire complex. Depends on whether you are up to that task or not. Obviously not something for everyone, but I figured I'd throw it out there.
here's the east side flats loft. http://eastendflats.com/home.php i could pretend i'm a UT student again and pay $1600/month to live in a 900 sf ft apt on campus. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/photos/082906luxury/index.html
Well, its nice but man, to me, that's a lot, but if you think you can flip it for equal or more than you pay for it, go for it...Hell, I thought Dallas was expensive but these just blew me away... btw, you can be a student again, just try harder this time...
you realize those lofts are on the east side, not downtown. i knew someone who bought a 2/2 900 sf, new construction downtown. close to the convention center. $350k condo.
I live by 620 and its nothing like living in conroe. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to get to school or downtown unless it morning rush hour and even then it only takes 40 minutes. I live where the hill country starts so its beautiful and I'm five minutes from the nearest boat ramp on lake travis( its not funtional right now because of the drought). The schools are great and when I when I'm bored, I drive around the lake and look at the houses I can't afford. I can't imagine another place in the city I would live in for the same money.
