Joe Cline asked:


Austin is the capital of Texas but it’s only the fourth largest city in Texas, giving it a metropolitan yet somewhat small town feel. If you’re already in Texas and are looking for someplace to move or if you’re moving here from out of state, you should know that Austin is a great place to be! Here are the top five reasons to purchase a home in Austin.

1. High Tech Jobs

Even in this tight economy, Austin has a large number of jobs in the high tech industry. With the largest employers being the state of Texas, the University of Texas, Dell and Advanced Micro Devices, there is plenty for those in the tech field to choose from. Other tech areas have very high real estate prices, which makes Austin a perfect choice in comparison.

2. No state income tax.

If you’re from out of the state, you might be surprised that Texas has no state income tax. By moving to Austin from out of state, you can actually keep more of your money. For example, the highest federal income tax bracket is 35% but people living in states where an income tax is charged can actually be up to 44% with the state tax involved. By living in Austin, you’ll never pay more than 35% maximum.

3. Affordable large houses on decent sized lots.

Although the Austin housing market did see a rise and fall over the last five years, much like everywhere else in the country, the dips and jumps were not that great compared to other locations. The median price of a home is still a lot lower than you’d find in any other metropolitan area. Finding a three bedroom, two bath home with a decent lot in California or Florida would cost several thousand more than it does in Austin.

4. Small town feel with big city amenities.

Although Austin is the capital, most new residents are surprised by the small town feel of the city. Since there are several close knit neighborhoods that make up Austin you’ll often see people that you know and get a real sense of community within the large city. It’s like living in a small town but still having the access to higher education and nightlife that a big city has. Speaking of nightlife…

5. Live music capital.

Not only is Austin the capital of Texas, it’s the “live music capital of the world.” Musicians from all genres from around the world come to Austin to perform. The weekly series “Austin City Limits” just scratches the surface of the variety of music you can hear in Austin on any given night. There are large musical venues, small clubs and even bars that feature live music.

These are just a few of the reasons why so many people make Austin, Texas their home. Some other reasons include the quality of education, access to universities and the reasonable weather. Come check Austin out for yourself!

Real Estate Advisor asked:


The real estate market of San Diego Central – mid-year picture of the median prices (2006) – Single Family Homes of this writing, the housing markets of San Diego appears to have shifted from one that favors sellers of one that favors buyers. However, this assumption may not be true for all communities within San Diego, as median prices continue to rise for some communities while lowering others. While there are many metrics to assess trends in real estate appraisal of a community, a commonly used parameter to evaluate the median price of homes from one point in time at a previous point in time. The median price reflects the point at which half of households is on a particular point in price, and half of households are below a particular price point. The median price metric provides a method for analyzing the direction of home prices, but should not be used as the sole source of data from which to form conclusions. The data below are a comparison of the median prices for various communities in the central county of San Diego, comparing data from June 2005 against the data for June 2006. This information is only one metric at a particular point in time, and other metrics or data from future months may support or contest known pricing trends below. For some of the communities of San Diego presented below, very few homes sold during June 2006, which diminishes the usefulness of the median price metric.COMMUNITIES PRICE INCREASES WITH MEDIUM – SINGLE FAMILY HOMES – June 2006 data below pertain only sales of single family homes and does not include condominiums or townhomes. The data are organized by the magnitude of change in median price, with the higher exchange first introduced the median price. For the housing market in Coronado, the median price was $ 1,775,000, representing a 14.7% increase from same time last year. Approximately 15 homes sold in June 2006 (21 homes sold in June 2005). To the Point Loma real estate market, the median price was $ 1,024,068, representing a 11.4% increase from same time last year. Approximately 20 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in the university town (UTC), the median price was $ 780,000, representing a 10.6% increase from same time last year. Approximately 5 homes sold in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in La Jolla, the median price was $ 1,692,500, representing a 10.3% increase from same time last year. Approximately 28 homes sold in June 2006 (38 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in Logan Heights, the median price was $ 425,000, representing an increase of 7.6% from same time last year. Approximately 13 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in the hills of paradise, the median price was $ 507,500, representing a 5.7% increase from same time last year. Approximately 8 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in Mission Hills, the median price was $ 927,500, representing a 3.1% increase from same time last year. Approximately 11 homes sold in June 2006 (12 homes sold in June 2005). For real estate Scripps Ranch (Scripps Miramar), the median price was $ 759,250, representing a 2.8% increase from same time last year. Approximately 34 homes sold this month (43 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in San Carlos, the median price was $ 563,000, representing a 2.4% increase from same time last year. Approximately 12 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005). For Del Cerro real estate market, the median price was $ 557,500, representing a 2.1% increase from same time last year. Approximately 13 homes sold in June 2006 (30 homes sold in June 2005). For the normal real estate market of the heights, the median price was $ 676,250, representing a 1.7% increase from same time last year. Approximately 20 in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005). COMMUNITIES homes sold PRICE DECREASES WITH MEDIUM – SINGLE FAMILY HOMES – June 2006 data below pertain only to sales of single family homes, and do not include condominiums or townhomes. The data are organized by the magnitude of change in median price, with the higher exchange first introduced the median price. For the old city housing market, the median price was $ 580,000, which was a 19.1% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 5 homes sold in June 2006 (14 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in gold on the hill, the median price was $ 451,000, which was a 16.4% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 10 homes sold in June 2006 (13 homes sold in June 2005). For real estate pacific beach, the median price was $ 851,960, representing a 14.8% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 15 homes sold in June 2006 (19 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in Tierrasanta, the median price was $ 570,000, representing a 12.6% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 9 homes sold in June 2006 (17 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market north of the park, the median price was $ 560,000, representing a 9.7% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 31 homes sold in June 2006 (16 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in the trees of the university, the median price was $ 475,000, representing a 5.9% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 38 homes sold in June 2006 (40 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in the heights of the city, the median price was $ 390.00, representing a 5.3% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 17 homes sold in June 2006 (30 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in Mira Mesa, the median price was $ 510,000, representing a 4.7% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 45 homes sold in June 2006 (47 homes sold in June 2005). For Linda Vista real estate market, the median price was $ 510,000, representing a 4.2% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 16 homes sold in June 2006 (17 homes sold in June 2005). For the real estate market of Mission Valley, the median price was $ 510,000, representing a 3.8% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 7 homes sold in June 2006 (18 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market in Encanto, the median price was $ 435,000, representing a 3.3% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 36 homes sold in June 2006 (47 homes sold in June 2005). For the Clairemont housing market, the median price was $ 555,000, representing a 2.6% decline from the same time last year. Approximately 30 homes sold in June 2006 (34 homes sold in June 2005). For the housing market Sorrento Valley, the median price was $ 861,000, representing a decline of 1% from same time last year. Approximately 6 homes sold in June 2006 (5 homes sold in June 2005). ADVISORYHomebuyers and home sellers should be aware that the above data are simply a picture in time, and inconclusive trends in pricing for any community. For some communities presented above, few homes were sold during June 2006, which makes using the median price metric threshold value. The data should be assessed on a longer duration and involve multiple metrics to fully understand market trends hold. Get in touch with your agent to obtain information on market trends hold for any given community.

Caffeinated Content