ATX: the Austin Real Estate Life Blog

Let's Be Real: The 7 Biggest Problems With Living in Austin, Texas I love this city. I was born here, raised here, and I've spent my career selling Central Austin real estate. I'm not planning on moving away, ever, but the country lifestyle is starting to appear rosier. That's exactly why I get to say what follows. Austin Texas has changed. It is constantly evolving with the modern times, for better or worse.   Here are the seven things that perturb and grind on me the most , counting down to the one that bothers me the most — with real examples pulled from my own first hand life history account. 7. A City of Strangers In the 1990s, Austin had a small-town feel. You knew people, and you knew where they came from — the family, the industry their parents worked in, the high school they went to. Leaving the house meant running into a familiar face at the post office, the dry cleaner, or the coffee shop. These days, with the city population well past 1 million, I hardly kno...

 #1. The vagrancy homelessness. crisis remains out of of control in Downtown and throughout Austin, TX. Where perhaps in previous generations and decades homeless people in the ATX were beggars, asked for food and often kept to themselves, today's modern homeless Austin, TX residents have become confrontational and agreesive. It is has become obstrusive and dangerously unsafe. Here's is a #1 specifc example that occured this past week for me. While getting a standard haircut at an economical babershop locatin in South Austin on the frontage road of 290 and Mencheca Road, a shirtless tatoooe agreesive  man tried valiantly to entry the store. Luckily the glass door is constantly locked and the 2 lone female baberists intelligently refused this man entry. God only know what might have happen to us barbershop patrons and workers if they had allowed this aggressive homeless man with a dog to gain entry in the barbership. Real Life GVM example #2. So I went Downtown to the 2nd stre...

  Thanks for all of you who took time to complete my survey last week. There were lots of good responses, and they’re helpful to me. One reply especially struck me.  A 36-year-old, lifelong Austin resident said: “If you can do the basics really well, then the voters will support and trust that you can do the extras as well.” Something else that struck me was how much folks want to engage and to learn about what’s in the budget and how it works. That’s why I recently sat down with Kerri Lang, the Director of Austin’s Budget & Organizational Excellence Department, to talk more in-depth on the ins-and-outs of budgeting. I call this going behind the Wire. Behind the Wire: Austin’s Budget Essentially Austin Austinites want their local government to deliver quality essential city services. They want to know that the city is focused on maintaining our roads, improving drainage, supplying residents with clean water, keeping the lights on, providing effective and responsive public ...

  Off-Market 3/2 Home in Historic Robertson Hill | Fully Updated with Rental Income & Future ADU Potential Silent Market Property for Sale Robertson Hill | East Central Austin Located in the highly desirable and walkable historic Robertson Hill neighborhood of East Central Austin, this beautifully updated 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom single-family residence presents a character-filled opportunity to acquire an income-producing property asset in one of Austin’s most sought-after neighborhoods. According to the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD), the home offers approximately 1,468 square feet of living space and sits on a 0.114-acre lot (approximately 4,966 square feet) . The residence has been extensively updated throughout while maintaining the character and charm of this historic Austin neighborhood. As a contributing property, this real estate may qualify for historic designation , which could make it eligible for a Historic Landmark plaque and potential historic annual pr...

    Upcoming rowhomes from Cedar (assuming a few changes are made to HOME this year)   Austin · HOUSING Policy update   What’s next for infill housing in Austin     A couple months ago (May 7) Austin City Council voted 9–1 to direct City staff to make key changes and updates to HOME to make it easier two and three unit residential projects citywide.   Here’s the resolution , initial amendments aren’t due back at Council until December 3, 2026. But it's a clear, targeted policy signal that some of the major friction points with HOME are set to be fixed.           Key changes to HOME could make rowhomes the defining housing type across Austin     Smaller minimum lot sizes, setback reductions, permitting, etc         While not necessarily the ideal, this is the most prototypical 2-unit site plan for a lot sized between 3,600sf - 5,750sf           HOME allowed in certain NCCDs, neighborhood overlays         Neighborhoods that have special use regulations that sometimes prevent HOME’s...