Moving to Austin? Here's What I Wish Every Client Knew First

A big share of my clients are moving to Austin from somewhere else, and almost every one of them asks a version of the same question a few weeks in: why didn't anyone tell me that? Here's what I try to get ahead of before someone even books a flight to visit.

Traffic patterns don't match what a map suggests

Austin's highways get genuinely bad at predictable times, and a 15-minute drive on a map can easily be 40 minutes at 5pm on I-35. Before you fall for a house because of its distance to work, I'll have you drive the actual commute at the actual time of day.

Property taxes are higher than a lot of buyers expect

Texas has no state income tax, but property taxes make up some of that difference, and they vary meaningfully by county and school district. I build this into every conversation about monthly payment, not just the mortgage number, so there's no surprise at closing.

Summer changes how a house should be evaluated

A backyard that looks lovely on a March showing needs to also work in August. Shade, insulation, and a functioning AC system matter more here than in most markets. I point these things out during showings even when they're not the most obvious thing in the room.

"Close to downtown" means different things depending on direction

East, South, and North of downtown all have a completely different feel, different housing stock, different walkability, different everything. I'd rather spend a call talking through what you actually want your weekends to look like than just filter by distance on a map.

You don't have to pick a neighborhood before you visit

Most relocating buyers want to lock in an area before they ever set foot here. I usually recommend the opposite, come for a weekend, let me drive you through three or four areas, and then we narrow it down with actual information instead of research from six states away.

If you're thinking about a move to Austin, reach out before you've settled on a neighborhood. I'd rather help you figure out where you'll actually be happy than just show you what's on the market.