What's Happening in Austin

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by Ms Cyn

Rent at first... I belive in living together before the long term commitment.. lol

I would love a house over an apt.. I miss having a yard to fuss over.. but we will see what we can afford house wise

I can tell you this.

For a house to rent in Austin, you're looking at a minimum of $1100 a month. Anything lower than that, and you're going to be in a neighborhood you don't want. $1100 will probably get you something like a 3/1 with about 800ish to 900ish square feet. In one of the trendier, closer-to-town neighborhoods, you're looking at about $1600...and that's an 'up and coming' trendy neighborhood...not the established trendy neighborhoods like South Congress. If you go out toward Pflugerville or Round Rock (aka South Dallas), you'll get about 1300 square feet for about $1100 to $1200 and up.

I can say this with relative assuredness as Mahhh Woman and I have been looking at new rentals for the last couple of months. We have not only done the paper and craigslist, but we've also driven around and looked at houses. It's getting pricey in these parts.

Also be very aware of your tenant rights here in Texas...they're basically non-existent (compared to other states). You can research this online. Apartment complexes take advantage of newcomers not being familiar with the laws, and they'll get you in added fees and such. Really really read the fine print of your lease...especially if you decide on an apartment in a complex. And definitely read up on Texas tenant rights before you sign anything. Some apartment complexes put the most ridiculous crap into their leases banking on the fact that A) you won't read it and B) you don't know what they're allowed to do in Texas. I'm not trying to imply you're ignorant of these sorts of things...I'm sayin' people can be awful sneaky in Texas. It's happened to me twice with management companies where they put crazy stuff into their leases and then insisted I HAD to sign it, because that's how Texas rolls.

Also, are you more of a big box/shopping center shopper or more of a local, independent store shopper?


Dylan

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Diva

Try this....it will make You smile...


Take a break and have some fun!!! Call the Nestle Hot line at 1-800-295-0051 When asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, wait quietly for about 10 seconds and you will smile. Keep going and press 4. Then press 7. If you comment on this, don't give away the surprise.

Fun pimp!

[Random]

Thanks Rev!!!!

What exactly do you mean by areas that I don't want? Really high crime? Hard core drug? (I ask because my old house in N. Omaha, my friends wouldn't come because it was NORTH Omaha and people get shot in NORTH OMAHA.. lol.. when in reality our lil area was safer than living out in the burbs..)

I've been searching on-line and doing the craigs list deal.. But I think driving around a area is the best way to feel out an area.. It's a great benifit to me that you and yrrrrrrrr woman have been doing the drive around..

I think a house may be out of our price range when we/if we first get there, so your advice about tx leasing law is wonderful... Our apt here is my first tasted of*traditional* box complex living.. I've always lived in houses or coverted houses/apt..

Myself, I prefer areas that are on the fringes.. areas that in 10-15 yrs will be trendy... I like an area that has an artistic vibe to it, without all the pretense of being a Hip area.. lol... Mic doesn't care.. As long as there is space for the cats to go outside and I am happy.. Mic is happy...

As far as shopping goes... We try to do a combination... If we could afford it, then we would only shop local/independant stores.. We can't, so we do shop the wally world...

Thanks for all the suggests Rev.. very, very, very helpful...

Originally Posted by Dylan

I can tell you this.

For a house to rent in Austin, you're looking at a minimum of $1100 a month. Anything lower than that, and you're going to be in a neighborhood you don't want. $1100 will probably get you something like a 3/1 with about 800ish to 900ish square feet. In one of the trendier, closer-to-town neighborhoods, you're looking at about $1600...and that's an 'up and coming' trendy neighborhood...not the established trendy neighborhoods like South Congress. If you go out toward Pflugerville or Round Rock (aka South Dallas), you'll get about 1300 square feet for about $1100 to $1200 and up.

I can say this with relative assuredness as Mahhh Woman and I have been looking at new rentals for the last couple of months. We have not only done the paper and craigslist, but we've also driven around and looked at houses. It's getting pricey in these parts.

Also be very aware of your tenant rights here in Texas...they're basically non-existent (compared to other states). You can research this online. Apartment complexes take advantage of newcomers not being familiar with the laws, and they'll get you in added fees and such. Really really read the fine print of your lease...especially if you decide on an apartment in a complex. And definitely read up on Texas tenant rights before you sign anything. Some apartment complexes put the most ridiculous crap into their leases banking on the fact that A) you won't read it and B) you don't know what they're allowed to do in Texas. I'm not trying to imply you're ignorant of these sorts of things...I'm sayin' people can be awful sneaky in Texas. It's happened to me twice with management companies where they put crazy stuff into their leases and then insisted I HAD to sign it, because that's how Texas rolls.

Also, are you more of a big box/shopping center shopper or more of a local, independent store shopper?


Dylan

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by Ms Cyn

Kitschy schitzy is good.. Kitschy schitzy is very good..

What is Kitschy Schitzy?

Grin

It's Arwenese for really fun, eclectic, artsy-fartsy stuff.

Originally Posted by Ashton

A few questions have to be answered first
1. Are you more of a north or south of the river type
2. east or west of mopac type
3. or are you more a south Dallas type

OMG! I got the joke! I got the joke!

Originally Posted by Ms Cyn

Michele and I were just having an.. OMG community!!!!! moment BBQs, game night, craft night, beauty days.. did I meantion craft night? and of course Mic has to chime in.. *And Arwen can cook for me..*

It's a given that I'm cooking for y'all. I can't WAIT!

Originally Posted by Puplove

Reality collides with Social City

You say that like it's a new thing.

Originally Posted by Gemme

It may look something like this.

Given the name of the URL...I am SO not clicking that!

Originally Posted by Diva

Try this....it will make You smile...


Take a break and have some fun!!! Call the Nestle Hot line at 1-800-295-0051 When asked if you want to continue in English or

It's busy. DARN IT!

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by Ms Cyn

Thanks Rev!!!!

What exactly do you mean by areas that I don't want? Really high crime? Hard core drug? (I ask because my old house in N. Omaha, my friends wouldn't come because it was NORTH Omaha and people get shot in NORTH OMAHA.. lol.. when in reality our lil area was safer than living out in the burbs..)

I've been searching on-line and doing the craigs list deal.. But I think driving around a area is the best way to feel out an area.. It's a great benifit to me that you and yrrrrrrrr woman have been doing the drive around..

I think a house may be out of our price range when we/if we first get there, so your advice about tx leasing law is wonderful... Our apt here is my first tasted of*traditional* box complex living.. I've always lived in houses or coverted houses/apt..

Myself, I prefer areas that are on the fringes.. areas that in 10-15 yrs will be trendy... I like an area that has an artistic vibe to it, without all the pretense of being a Hip area.. lol... Mic doesn't care.. As long as there is space for the cats to go outside and I am happy.. Mic is happy...

As far as shopping goes... We try to do a combination... If we could afford it, then we would only shop local/independant stores.. We can't, so we do shop the wally world...

Thanks for all the suggests Rev.. very, very, very helpful...

By area you may not want to live in, I mean higher crime area. That being said, Mahhh Woman and I currently live in an area that gets a lot flack. We don't see the kind of crime that gets reported for this area though. And when watching the news, a lot of crimes get chalked up to our neighborhood when in actuality, it's many many blocks away. While we don't deal with the supposed crime, we DO deal with police officers who are off the charts. They constantly pull over people for no reason. They frequently sit in front of our house. We are constantly lulled to sleep by the ghetto bird searching for 'something'. I don't know if we would experience more crime if we didn't have a Pit Bull and a German Shepherd, but I don't think so. I mean, we have lived here for two years, and the worst thing we've heard happen was a car window getting broken out...but that happens a lot these days thanks to the economy.

In our neck of the woods, houses are mostly 3/1 ranch houses of roughly 800 square feet. The average rent is around $975 to $1050. The houses are poorly built, and were slapped up in the late 50s/early 60s. They're those Sears houses you could order through the catalog. They're kind of more like trailers with wooden siding. We do have hardwood floors though! We have a much bigger yard than most of the more expensive rentals too. The house across the street from us is always for rent. It's a little bigger (maybe around 1100/1200 square feet) and of a different design, but still a 3/1; two tenants ago (about a year ago), it was renting for $1350.

You'll get more space in South Austin (we're in North Austin)...especially south of 71/Ben White (oh, btw, many streets have two names). North Austin rental houses tend to be pretty small especially in areas like Hyde Park (wayyyyyy over-priced) until you get into areas off of 183 like Braker and Duval and 183. These areas are kind of far out of downtown though, and there's really nothing to do up there...you start getting into "South Dallas" up that way.

You can still find some decent deals on the East Side (east of 35), but they're hardly ever advertised on CL. Also, the East Side is currently being gentrified, so you'll probably see more really expensive East Side properties listed on CL. It's one of those areas you have to drive around to find the good deals. Some people are really starting to get pretentious with their East Side Re-do, and they're charging exorbitant rents.

The Cool Kids tend to live in South Austin.

And so you're prepared...our summer electric bills for 800 square feet are between $200 and $300 a month and sometimes more. Now last summer was outrageous, but... When I lived in a nicer, bigger house, my summer electric bills topped out at $400 a month for 1500 square feet (the house was built in the 1920s and all of the glass was original, so it was not the most energy efficient house...but it was beautiful). When I lived in a 750 square foot apartment, my summer electric bill topped out at $80...when you added in water and trash in an apartment, I was looking at about $115 in the summertime. If you live in a house, water and trash is added into your electric bill (if you have city electric).

I don't know what y'all do for a living, but finding a job here could be difficult. Be prepared for that.

The nice thing about Austin is One can really afford to shop local all the time. Local shops are everywhere in Central Austin. We have a Wal-Mart tho. Mahhh Woman and I shop the Wal-Mart for groceries, because I don't like HEB meat, and I can't afford to shop at Randalls (the high falutin' grocery store). We also have a number of independent healthier groceries, and most of them are reasonable. We tend to only do the Wal-Mart if we're going MAJOR grocery shopping. If Mahhh Woman liked to grocery shop more, we could easily buy all of our groceries at local places, but we'd have to hit up a whole bunch of them to get everything we want within our budget. Mahhh Woman hates to go grocery shopping tho, so she doesn't want to be in a bunch of different stores getting in and out of the car. She gets too annoyed with my grocery-ing, because I tend to be slow...we end up at Wal-Mart, so her head doesn't explode.


Might Be More Than You Wanted,
Dylan

[Random]

Rev,

That kind of information is like gold....

Job wise... Mic works for companies that work for the man.. as long as there is crime, she has a job.. Myself? I'm floating right now.. going to see if I can bring in some money with my art work and doing the farmers market with my breads and breakfast goodies.. (there is a major lack of this at the farmers market..) So if we do fall in love and move, more than likely Mic will have a job lined up..

Originally Posted by Dylan

By area you may not want to live in, I mean higher crime area. That being said, Mahhh Woman and I currently live in an area that gets a lot flack. We don't see the kind of crime that gets reported for this area though. And when watching the news, a lot of crimes get chalked up to our neighborhood when in actuality, it's many many blocks away. While we don't deal with the supposed crime, we DO deal with police officers who are off the charts. They constantly pull over people for no reason. They frequently sit in front of our house. We are constantly lulled to sleep by the ghetto bird searching for 'something'. I don't know if we would experience more crime if we didn't have a Pit Bull and a German Shepherd, but I don't think so. I mean, we have lived here for two years, and the worst thing we've heard happen was a car window getting broken out...but that happens a lot these days thanks to the economy.

In our neck of the woods, houses are mostly 3/1 ranch houses of roughly 800 square feet. The average rent is around $975 to $1050. The houses are poorly built, and were slapped up in the late 50s/early 60s. They're those Sears houses you could order through the catalog. They're kind of more like trailers with wooden siding. We do have hardwood floors though! We have a much bigger yard than most of the more expensive rentals too. The house across the street from us is always for rent. It's a little bigger (maybe around 1100/1200 square feet) and of a different design, but still a 3/1; two tenants ago (about a year ago), it was renting for $1350.

You'll get more space in South Austin (we're in North Austin)...especially south of 71/Ben White (oh, btw, many streets have two names). North Austin rental houses tend to be pretty small especially in areas like Hyde Park (wayyyyyy over-priced) until you get into areas off of 183 like Braker and Duval and 183. These areas are kind of far out of downtown though, and there's really nothing to do up there...you start getting into "South Dallas" up that way.

You can still find some decent deals on the East Side (east of 35), but they're hardly ever advertised on CL. Also, the East Side is currently being gentrified, so you'll probably see more really expensive East Side properties listed on CL. It's one of those areas you have to drive around to find the good deals. Some people are really starting to get pretentious with their East Side Re-do, and they're charging exorbitant rents.

The Cool Kids tend to live in South Austin.

And so you're prepared...our summer electric bills for 800 square feet are between $200 and $300 a month and sometimes more. Now last summer was outrageous, but... When I lived in a nicer, bigger house, my summer electric bills topped out at $400 a month for 1500 square feet (the house was built in the 1920s and all of the glass was original, so it was not the most energy efficient house...but it was beautiful). When I lived in a 750 square foot apartment, my summer electric bill topped out at $80...when you added in water and trash in an apartment, I was looking at about $115 in the summertime. If you live in a house, water and trash is added into your electric bill (if you have city electric).

I don't know what y'all do for a living, but finding a job here could be difficult. Be prepared for that.

The nice thing about Austin is One can really afford to shop local all the time. Local shops are everywhere in Central Austin. We have a Wal-Mart tho. Mahhh Woman and I shop the Wal-Mart for groceries, because I don't like HEB meat, and I can't afford to shop at Randalls (the high falutin' grocery store). We also have a number of independent healthier groceries, and most of them are reasonable. We tend to only do the Wal-Mart if we're going MAJOR grocery shopping. If Mahhh Woman liked to grocery shop more, we could easily buy all of our groceries at local places, but we'd have to hit up a whole bunch of them to get everything we want within our budget. Mahhh Woman hates to go grocery shopping tho, so she doesn't want to be in a bunch of different stores getting in and out of the car. She gets too annoyed with my grocery-ing, because I tend to be slow...we end up at Wal-Mart, so her head doesn't explode.


Might Be More Than You Wanted,
Dylan

[IrishGrrl]

Hello Austin!

Watch out for hurricanes and tornados this weekend.

Irish is commin to town!

xo

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by Mitmo01

so.....mah woman and I are going to be making the 14 hr drive to come visit you Austin folk and see your city hopefully very shortly......I cant wait to meet some of you fine Austin folk

Dinner is at 7pm.

Originally Posted by Ms Cyn

if I can bring in some money with my art work and doing the farmers market with my breads and breakfast goodies.. (there is a major lack of this at the farmers market..) So if we do fall in love and move, more than likely Mic will have a job lined up..

Darlin', this is the town to do it in. When you get here, we'll do a reading if you like. I think you need to be my neighbors.

Originally Posted by IrishGrrl

Hello Austin!

Watch out for hurricanes and tornados this weekend.

Irish is commin to town!

xo

Dear Gods....SXSW AND you? The town will never survive! Sent you a PM. ;0

[Diva]

Since the weather was rather inclement last weekend, the Kite Festival was moved to this Sunday! So here's a link with all the pertinent information......

> > Kite Festival @ Zilker Park < <

[Random]

So.. What cha doing weekend after next?

Originally Posted by Arwen

Dinner is at 7pm.

grin..


Darlin', this is the town to do it in. When you get here, we'll do a reading if you like. I think you need to be my neighbors.

I would like that... I know that I am at a cross road/life shift right now (have been for the last year)and a little insite would be lovely..

Dear Gods....SXSW AND you? The town will never survive! Sent you a PM. ;0

Just when they start getting the city put back together, then I bring my hethn into town... grin...