Anybody from Austin TX? I'm from L.A California and my parents want to move to Austin or Houston. I have a cousin over there and he says the houses are really nice and are unexpensive. I checked on realtor.com and the houses are realy nice. Here in L.A CA the houses are little and so EXPENSIVE!! Half a million dollars for a house with 3 beds and 1 bathroom. And very little. I wanna know how it is in Austin texas, and Houston texas too.
2006-07-01 08:20:23 · 10 answers · asked by Smiles_187 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
§Actually moved from Austin to Houston in '98 so I can compare them to each other. I grew up in Austin and love it still in many ways; but cost of living, while cheaper than southern CA, is still higher in Austin than Houston. When I moved here it was like getting multiple raises all at once. My wife got a raise, I doubled my income in less than a year and we bought a house for a third of what the same square footage would cost in Austin.
2006-07-06 03:21:04 · answer #1 · answered by O Caçador 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
It depends on the lifestyle you're looking for. Chicago is a large cosmopolitan city, Austin is smaller and has more of 'college' feel. It's not quite the 'hippy' town it used to be due to all the businesses that have been relocating to Austin in recent years, but it still has that feel in a lot of respects. Chicago has the theatre/fine arts/ballet, and Austin has a lot of live bands and that sort of thing. I live in Austin and I can tell you it is a great city to live in - it's very pretty, the people are friendly and will take the time to help out strangers. And for the most part it's nice and laid-back. There is not a whole lot of crime, and it's a pretty safe city overall. If you're planning to have kids at some point, Austin would be ideal. The drawbacks are that Austin has long, HOT summers. Sometimes it can reach temperatures of 110++. I will admit that I don't like the hot summers very much. But if you can handle it, I would say Austin is a great choice for you. Chicago winters are also brutally cold from what I hear, so that's something to be aware of too.
2016-03-27 00:20:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you want to find general housing prices, check out www.zillow.com. They will give you general housing information (like an estimate on ANY house, # of beds/baths, year built, etc...). It's a great resource.
I grew up in Houston and now live in Austin.
Austin is more expensive by far, but nothing compared to CA from what I hear. In fact, there has been a huge influx of Californians to Austin in the past 5 years - enough that most Austinites are cultivating a subtle dislike of Californians. But the town has beautiful parks, a nightlife, and great food. It's a small town feel for one of the larger cities in the US.
Houston, on the other hand, is polluted, huge, and dity - but it boasts an opera/ballet company, many mesuems, and a zoo. Austin lacks a reputable version of any of that. Houston also has Rice University and some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world. As far as housing, you get a lot more for your money in Houston.
I'd say Houston is a conservative city of the world, whereas Austin is pretty small-minded in a liberal way. The two cities really couldn't have a more different feel. It comes down to whether you are a red stater or a blue stater, honestly.
2006-07-02 16:12:11 · answer #3 · answered by Kristina S 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I just purchased a 3 story,2 1/2 bath, 3 bedroom/w study and 2 car garage townhome in nice nieghboorhood in Houston for $140,000,. Houston, Austin and San Antonio are places where a person can still afford to buy a decent home at an affordable price,
2006-07-01 08:29:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just moved to Houston from LA. The houses here are very inexpensive compared to CA, that's why I decided to move here. But, the appreciation here is not anywhere near what it's like in CA. So, there's going to be a trade off between affordable housing vs. appreciation gain. Also, the property taxes are a bit higher(around 3%), compared to CA. It's perfect for someone like me, who is a first time home buyer. I'm closing on a 2002 1 bdr condo, 860 sqf, 1 bath, attached garage for $119,000, which is consider a bit pricey for Houston. I recommend checking out har.com for home listings or urbanliving.com. You can also check Harris County Appraisal District on home sales and value at hcad.org.
As far as the lifestyle goes, what sticks out most to me is the the weather and traffic. The weather here is very unpredictable. It can go from hot and humid, to torrential rains in a matter of hours. And when it rains, you can expect flooding in certain areas. Traffic here is pretty light compared to LA. I rarely ever factor in traffic time when I'm planning on going somewhere. It takes about 15-20 minutes to get to any place within the city. Expect to see construction everywhere. The roads can be unforgiving, that's why everyone drives trucks. There is night life here, but not the volume or diversity as it is in CA. Expect to hear everyone say Ya'll.
2006-07-01 08:43:09 · answer #5 · answered by source112 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I live in Houston- the people here are REALLY NICE. Austin is beautiful, very nice. ------Correct re: prices home wise. You can get a huge 4000 sq ft home here in Houston (new) for half the price in LA. Btw, I'm from socal/northern too- and love both. Austin would be a good choice for someone from CA. Houston, culturally is great it's a melting pot of all kinds of people.------ We have the second largest theatre district in the US, second only to NYC. If you live in Austin it only takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs to get here. ------We have MD Anderson and our Medical Center is almost as large as downtown- so that's cool. Also there are places like Montrose- very cool hang out areas- and nice places like West U area and Bellaire (where I live, in Houston) -------Our transit systen is pretty good, we now have a light rail and it's growing- have fun!
------In Houston you must be careful of what area you live- it's large.
-------The freeway system here (although works pretty well, and not as slow as LA) and roads around town are confusing- seems each freeway and each road has two to three names and could change direction at any given moment. And the pronouncing of names of streets is odd. I think it's a Texas thang.
-----There's much fun to be had here and surrounding- but man you're gonna miss the ocean, that is if you're that kind of person. And it's HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT! so HOT-- not just oh, It's valley hot today. It's freaky hot here so be prepared. When you see on a US map on the news that it's 98* here, it is, only it feels like 105* and humid- tropical, like island living without the breeze of a beach makes for a very sticky city.
So Hosuton-----It's a nice big city- flat, hot but, a good place to live @ any age. ------ Austin's even better- hills and music and very laid back- the two cities are much different. It's also about 5 to 10 degrees cooler in Austin on any given day. Welcome early to Texas, You'll like it.
2006-07-06 16:45:14 · answer #6 · answered by haresgroove 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I moved from San Bernardino, Ca about a year and half ago. It is much nicer here, the prices are better and so are the people. The crime rate is alot lower here also. If you would like to check out homes here go to: www.crgr8homes.com good luck
2006-07-01 11:15:19 · answer #7 · answered by CYNTHIA R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Location, location, location
Be sure the buy in a good area of Houston.
If you find a good deal, the main thing is that you can turn it if you ever have to.
2006-07-03 09:22:57 · answer #8 · answered by sam 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
houston also has cheap prices and is really nice... try www.rent.com and search for houston area
2006-07-01 08:23:29 · answer #9 · answered by Λir§trikę X³ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry, I'm a Yankee from NYC!
2006-07-01 08:23:26 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋