I got a job offer I can't refuse and it requires a relocation to Austin. I'll be working downtown. My question - is there any advice locals can give me on anything?…I don't even know what I don't know. What areas would be good for housing? Traffic is awful, I know. I'll be moving from the hill country north of San Antonio where I've been for 15+ years. Not a lot of info to go off of, but happy to add details. Thank you for any advice!!

Single? Married? Kids? Rent? Purchase? Max Commute?

SteveBott said:

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Single? Married? Kids? Rent? Purchase? Max Commute?

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x Eleventy Billion

What Steve said ^^^^

I'm the Red Pear Realty agent for Austin and I'd be happy to answer any questions for you. I've been living in Austin for almost 21 years now.

SteveBott said:

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Single? Married? Kids? Rent? Purchase? Max Commute?

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- Married
- Empty nesters
- Most likely will rent for at least the first year - relo provides 90 days of temp living
- Would like to keep the commute under 45 mins

Lived at the Gables Park Plaza while we did a recent remodel. Really enjoyed the access to the hike and bike trail which imo is the best thing about Austin.
With your work being downtown it might be a good way to appreciate the lay of the land and if you are a runner, it is so so good. You can walk across the street to access the trail and pick ur distance (up to 12 miles without having to double up).

gigemags-99 said:

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SteveBott said:

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Single? Married? Kids? Rent? Purchase? Max Commute?

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- Married
- Empty nesters
- Most likely will rent for at least the first year - relo provides 90 days of temp living
- Would like to keep the commute under 45 mins

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I'm particularly fond of Southwest Austin. It offers easy access to MoPac for getting into town, tons of great amenities, and plenty of trails for hiking and biking if you like the outdoors. Plus, you're only about an hour from the Hill Country if you ever feel like a quick getaway.

I commute from new braunfels. Anything is better than living in austin. Traffic isnt the end of the world. My property taxes are 1/3 of what they were and I dont live with panhandlers at every corner.

My commute from the domain to downtown: 45 minutes. My commute from new braunfels: 1-1.1 hours. A commute from san marcos would be about the same as living in north austin.

I work for Austin Energy my office is at the Montopolis location. I live out in the County outside Bertram, TX. My commute is around 45 minutes each way.

Others that work at AE in our department live in Liberty Hill, Marble Falls, Spicewwod, Dripping Springs & Georgetown.

I think the first step is to decide if you want to live in "urban" Austin with walkable restaurants and shopping or if you want to live in the suburbs.

Fortunately in Austin, there are a lot of good hot spots for food and drink, so you don't have to be downtown to be in a walkable hood.

But if you want some elbow room at a good price point and don't mind driving everywhere, there are a lot of good suburb locations within 45 min of downtown. I live in the Great Hills area in NW Austin, and can make it to or from downtown in 45 min in all typical traffic cases. I happen to go to work early and head home late, so my standard commute is much less. We really like our spot in town, but we're not walking anywhere except when I want to make a point with the kids on a nice day.

***original post corrected, but property that we enjoyed was Gables Park Plaza. Not Gables town Lake which is not really downtown and last I heard was known fora recently-divorced currently divorcing kind of vibe.

gigemags-99 said:

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SteveBott said:

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Single? Married? Kids? Rent? Purchase? Max Commute?

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- Married
- Empty nesters
- Most likely will rent for at least the first year - relo provides 90 days of temp living
- Would like to keep the commute under 45 mins

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You would be surprised. I used to be a 10 min commute to my former employer in Round Rock. I live in Pf and after layoff have to commute to Oak Hill (SW Austin Area) and depending on when I leave, I can make it there in 30-45 minutes unless traffic is really bad (when it is, I take Mopac express lane).

You can live further than you think if you account for higher toll bills and probably pay less in rent/mortgage from being further from the city.

That being said, Austin is a buyers market currently so as long as you dont get too attached, you should be able to negotiate.

If you are downtown, you should also check out places along the metro rail. My company is currently relocating from Oak Hill to San Jac street which is about 4 blocks from the convention center and terminal stop for the Metro Rail. If your office is close to that area, you might check out areas more north that allow you to reliably take the rail. That's what I plan on doing and will be going into the office way more often than I do now.

The train has WiFi so you can actually clear overnight e-mails and take calls on the rail if needed.

Good luck, welcome to Austin.

Where is this place?

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My commute from the domain to downtown: 45 minutes. My commute from new braunfels: 1-1.1 hours.

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Seriously??
Distance from NB to Downtown Austin: 48.4 miles
Distance from the Domain to Downtown Austin: 12.5 miles.

You might make it to downtown Austin from NB on the best day in an hour. But when 35 is snarled up, I could see it easily taking 1-1/2 hours or more. Either way, you're putting 14-15,000 extras miles on your vehicle per year, at least a couple of extra grand in fuel, wear & tear, maintenance & lots more potential for accidents vs. driving from The Domain.

I do agree with you on the property tax.... that is a beat down & New Braunfels is pretty nice.
Either way, drive safe!!

If you are thinking of San Marcos, I do know of a 3br/2ba that is available.

Congrats on the new job.

Austin has several really nice downtown high rise buildings. Once I am an empty nester I am giving up the house in the burbs and moving DT.

I have a nice 1 bedroom unit in the newest condo tower in Austin, the Modern. If interested in a place downtown for the initial year feel free to reach out.

If you want to avoid traffic, but have to work near the center of town, I recommend moving somewhere between Mopac and 35, and south of 183. We made the move from South Austin years ago, and I often forget how bad traffic can be. From my location it's easy to get to the arboretum, domain, Mueller, downtown, without ever really needing to get on any highways.

JT88 said:

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Lived at the Gables Park Plaza while we did a recent remodel. Really enjoyed the access to the hike and bike trail which imo is the best thing about Austin.
With your work being downtown it might be a good way to appreciate the lay of the land and if you are a runner, it is so so good. You can walk across the street to access the trail and pick ur distance (up to 12 miles without having to double up).

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Gables Park Plaza is one of my corporate temp housing options. So good opportunity to check things out around there. Thank you!

That building is in a great location to experience what downtown Austin has to offer. Supper walkable and great access to the trail. And don't sleep on the library just next door.