Starting to get bummed out by Austin

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
08/21/2014 at 13:22 • Filed to: None

We have a modest home in a modest neighborhood in far southwest Austin. This year we will pay more than $5,000 in property taxes on said home. My daily commute, which is 11.8 miles and includes one stop at daycare, takes almost a full hour in the morning, and can take as long as an hour and a quarter in the evenings (although it's usually in the 45-60 minute range). Austin has lots of cool events and festivals, all of which are attended by every one of the 1.5 million people living in the metro area, as well as another half-million visitors. The local meteorological guru has just declared we will not see temperatures below 100 degrees for the next 60 days, and we are also in the midst of an epic drought that has seen local fresh water supplies drop below 40% capacity. Meanwhile our population is predicted to double (and then some) over the next 15 years.

My wife and I are starting to consider selling before the bubble bursts and finding somewhere that's a little less hip, trendy, and expensive, but that still has character - ie not some bland suburb like Plano. Also somewhere we could make a decent living (she's actually far more marketable than I). Somewhere with reasonable weather, decent schools, a classic American neighborhood vibe. You know, idyllic utopia!

I hear the Denver/Boulder area is great. Santa Fe is supposed to be amazing. Seattle/Redmond/Bellingham of course. The Triangle in North Carolina. We have good connections in all of these cities.

Any thoughts? Again, this is mainly an exercise in what-ifs. I don't even know how I'd go about getting work in a new city without first relocating there.

DISCUSSION (36)

For Sweden > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:24

$5,000 in property taxes on said home.

I didn't know Austin was in Scandinavia.

quarterlifecrisis > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:25

I live in the triangle in NC. It's nice. I don't know how long I'll be here, but it's nice, not overly expensive. Lot's to do here.

yamahog > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:27

What field is she in? There are a lot of great trendy neighborhoods still very accessibly priced in Detroit, Metro Detroit, and Southeast Michigan in general if you'd be interested in going that far north.

And as for looking for work in a new city, try scoping out the market and getting phone interviews through LinkedIn.

Conan > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:27

I loved my time in the Triangle when I didn't have to travel on Highway 40 during rush hour. There's a lot of nice stuff about that area.

mcseanerson > quarterlifecrisis
08/21/2014 at 13:29

I grew up in Cary and went to a great school there growing up. Pretty nice climate too.

Leadbull > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:31

North Carolina gets my vote.

I grew up in Illinois (still live there), but my entire paternal family is in NC and I've spent a ton of time in that state. I'd love to move there after I graduate.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:34

Holy shit at your property tax! It's not even that bad out here in CA!

For Sweden > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
08/21/2014 at 13:34

Thank you Based Prop 13

thebigbossyboss > mcseanerson
08/21/2014 at 13:34

That's what I've been thinking. NC looks pretty sweet still far enough North that you get seasons, but you guys don't get the snow for 6 months and the frigid temps like we do in Ontario. how many months of snow do you get down there? Here we get about mid November to mid april.

As Du Volant > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
08/21/2014 at 13:38

Pittsburgh is fecking horrible too. I pay $3000 per year on a 1000 square foot 2 bedroom house appraised at $130k.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > For Sweden
08/21/2014 at 13:38

Try Cook County, IL.

Single family homes in the suburbs can easily have tax bills over $10,000.

CAR_IS_MI > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:41

I'm going through similar struggles in Vegas (our water supply is running out fast! Housing market is starting to boom again due to high number of people moving in, cost of good is skyrocketing).

I have already made the decision to leave I just don't know where to so the current plan is to sell my house early next year and travel the country via vehicle looking for that new place (I'm still relatively young and single so I can afford to do such a thing). Based off of economic factors the areas I have pinned as higher likelihood areas are Portland, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, and Oklahoma City / Tulsa area (I'm not limiting myself to those areas but I have high interest in those areas).

Bad Idea Hat > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:41

Cincinnati is a fairly nice town. Probably a little colder than you want.

We might have a bit more casual racism than you're used to.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:42

$5000 is still cheaper than the Chicago suburbs. Parents still have a middle of the road house that is being taxed over $10K/year.

I live outside Atlanta, but my taxes are $1.5K/year. I still have to put up with the horrid traffic (9:50AM and I-75 is still jammed from Wade Green Road to I-285 [12 miles]. Where the hell are these people going?)

You could consider moving over the county line if the taxes are more favorable for you. I did that when searching for a house. I started in Cobb County, and found that living just over the county line in Cherokee meant far cheaper taxes, and not much more of a drive.

JEM > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 13:50

I have a 60 minute commute to work but it's 40 miles, 39 of which are highway. I can't imagine 12 miles taking that long, though I've been down to Austin a few times and can see how that could happen.

And my property taxes are only like $2600 on a 1200 sq. ft house.

I doubt Worcester, MA is your ideal but hey we're affordable!

Spoon II > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 14:02

Denver/Boulder is pretty awesome

Mosqvich > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 14:06

I live in Colorado Springs. Boulder is nice, but it's odd. Denver is nice.

I'd go for Santa Fe hands down.

ttyymmnn > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 14:08

Move out to Travis County and get a homestead exemption on your property taxes. You also avoid AISD. I can't really help you with the commute, though. My wife drives from Wells Branch to UT and it usually takes about 45 minutes. And it'll only get worse when UT starts back next week.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 14:11

As someone who just moved into downtown austin.... Sorry! But at the same time, Austin has become cheap san fransisco in a lot of ways. Our recently a felon Governor shot us in the foot by luring all of the big tech companies here. Next time the economy has a down turn I imagine most of the fair weather people will leave

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 14:34

I've been enjoying Tulsa for the last decade, fwiw.

quarterlifecrisis > mcseanerson
08/21/2014 at 14:36

I'm basically between Durham and Chapel Hill, been here for a bout a year. I dig it, it's certainly different than central IL.

Chairman Kaga > yamahog
08/21/2014 at 14:42

She's in education. Currently an elementary principal. Bilingual. National board certified. Teacher of the year candidate twice. I think she'll do OK.

I'm the wild card. No set market. Communications/PR, but a focus on production and asset and project management. All in the public sector.

Chairman Kaga > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast.
08/21/2014 at 14:46

http://www.politifact.com/texas/statemen…

"The Austin owner of a $190,900 home in 2011, for example, paid $2,371 to the Austin school district; $927 to Travis County; $181 to Austin Community College; and $151 to Central Health (Travis County's healthcare district) on top of the $918 city tax bill."

Except the average home value in the city is now $285,000, which is maybe $15k more than ours.

Chairman Kaga > Mosqvich
08/21/2014 at 14:47

If Boulder is "odd" it might be a good fit for a family of reluctantly retreating Austinites!

Chairman Kaga > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/21/2014 at 14:54

Maybe, but I don't think anyone is chicken little yet. All indications are this boom will continue for at least 10 more years. I personally know MANY families who are beginning to have the same sort of philosophical questions about career vs family debates that we're having. I wonder how many people who actually do want to live here will be able to afford to in the years to come?

Chairman Kaga > ttyymmnn
08/21/2014 at 14:58

The traffic is a big part of my frustration. Want to take the kids up to the Thinkery on Saturday? Plan to spend 45 minutes in the car. Need to take the car to Toyota for our free oil change? Plan to spend 45 minutes in the car. And it honestly seems to get worse every month. I need to start tracking my commute times, but 7 years ago, it would take me 15-20 minutes to get to work. That has more than doubled.

Cost of living is of course the main issue. We've considered moving into the county or an unincorporated area further west. My wife could even get a job at the local district. I'd be somewhat high and dry. And while taxes are certainly lower, so many other people are getting the same idea that property values out there are starting to get just as silly as the city.

I dunno man.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 15:04

I'm only able to justify it because it's where I want to work, and where I decided to go to college. The racing and music scene are just a bonus. The higher end housing is the only construction I'm seeing right now. But the boom is going to eventually have to turn some things into lower cost housing. Not every job is going to be super high end.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 15:34

If you're not ready to make a huge geographical move, then there are only two words: East Dallas. Getting the the point where it has all of the cultural niceties of Austin (save for the big events), with much better traffic, much better housing prices, marginally better weather, and a job market that's immeasurably better than Austin's.

I'm doing Denver out of your choices, though.

Another point to keep in mind is that while your property taxes suck, leaving the state means you're likely entering somewhere with a state income tax (and often a municipal income tax), so you have to balance that change in payments (by and large, it's going to be a wash in most locales).

Chairman Kaga > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/21/2014 at 15:49

The nice thing about all of the condo construction is that once the bubble does burst, all of those 600-1200 sq ft pads that are selling for $500k-1M now will be on the market for a perfectly reasonable $100-150k!

FerioDreams > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 15:57

Hmm, as a recent transplant to Austin (since February) and as someone who is really tired of moving (have lived in South Texas and California within the past 3 years), I'm also wondering if the price of settling down here is going to be affordable in a few years once I pay off school debt and make the homeowner plunge. The traffic annoys me but I also lived in LA for years, so I'm coming with the mentality of 'at least it's not the 405!' The undergrads taking over the apartment complex I live in is what bugs me. Ah well.

Best of luck though! I would be overly frustrated if I had to consider such big decisions, knowing it also affects my family. And congratulations on your wife nominated twice for teacher of the year! I just moved from AISD to KIPP schools....big difference...but then again, I used to work for IDEA in south Texas. Education is a rabbit hole all its own...

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 16:42

Better than my apartment, which is dumb expensive

The man in the iron mask > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 16:55

I feel you. its been 6 years since i was able to get behind the wheel and in the last 5 years i have been noticing some bad things, the streets are the same, but there is almost the double of cars and buildings with apartments in my area and now every hour of the day is chaos, some years ago i would sometimes get the keys and go out for a drive at 7pm, now i have forgotten about joyrides and driving for pleasure. Now its "avoid going outside if it isnt for a reason" and this has been very annoying.

Chairman Kaga > The man in the iron mask
08/21/2014 at 17:08

What's sad is that every time we get rambunctious and decide to join the throngs at Pecan Street Festival or Trail of Lights or 4th of July, we end up getting caught in hours of unmoving traffic with two screaming kids. It's gotten to the point that we just don't. I mean, last Christmas when we went to the Trail of Lights, our 2-year old (now 3.5) was knocked to the ground and kicked/stepped on by a gaggle of teenage boys who were throwing ice at each other. I yelled at them, one got in my face, and luckily my buddy who is a former UTEP tight end stepped up and scared the crap out of them. So we're not going back, especially after other parents of small kids ignored us or even refused to help get the girl off the ground.

The man in the iron mask > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 17:57

That really sucks. Was the baby ok after that?

Mosqvich > Chairman Kaga
08/21/2014 at 18:11

As long as you have your Communist Party cards ;-) JK, we go there to eat and the location is phenomenal.

Chairman Kaga > The man in the iron mask
08/21/2014 at 18:20

Just scared, reall. Kids are pretty damn resilient, and she was in jeans/jacket so no skin on pavement.