I am a native Austinite—the first of four sons born to John and Vivian. They moved to Austin in 1981 and brought us up in Cherrywood and Crestview, back when both were working-class neighborhoods. Our parents worked full-time, so I was often in charge of watching my younger brothers. Most days, this meant exploring Austin on our bikes and skateboards. Together, we watched it evolve from a budding college town into one of the hottest, fastest-growing cities in the country. I’ve seen Austin through the eyes of a child, student, bartender, public servant, tech worker, renter, homeowner, son, husband, and father. And I bring each of these perspectives to work each day. I live in the French Place / Cherrywood East Central neighborhood with my wife, Melissa, our kiddo Sonny, and our dog, Waffles. Click here to be directed to Ben Leffler's official campaign website District 9, Austin City Council                          ...

Return to the Office? Not in This Housing Market Prospective renters wait outside to enter an apartment unit during an open house in the Williamsburg neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S. Bess Adler—Bloomberg/Getty Images BY ALANA SEMUELS MARCH 11, 2022 7:00 AM EST Click here to be directed to the TIME ARTICLE In May of 2021, Sara Corcoran got a great job as an assistant project manager for a construction company in Dallas, working from home. Because the position was fully remote, she and her husband bought a 3-bedroom mobile home in Wylie, a lake community about 30 miles northeast of Dallas, in November. She loved the affordability of Wylie, where they paid $500 a month, less than half of what they had paid to rent a two-bedroom apartment in North Dallas, and that she could “smell the lake and see the stars.” But eight months later, her company suddenly called everyone back to the office and told her she wasn’t remote any more, she says. “They said, ‘We’re going to h...

  I'm gonna be on TV Today. No B.S! 1 pm, Channel 16 Austin Public Access TV on Spectrum & Grande, or click the link below to stream. Tune in Every Tuesday 1pm! Spotlighting Austin, TX business, entrepreneurs, restaurants, events and real estate. This week Troy Schlicker's Austin Spotlight: George Vance McGee, Silent & Active Market Real Estate is a native Austinite, author and self-publisher of 3 books and a Realtor with Austin Silent Market. He has seen all of the tremendous growth and changes that Austin has experience and enjoy helping his clients navigate the current market. Broadcasting on Austin Music Television/Austin Public Ch.16 Spectrum, Grande, AT&T U-verse Channel 99, Roku App, Apple TV App, Amazon Fire TV (search Austin Public) and here

ENTERTAINMENT Priced out of Austin, artists and musicians are fleeing for small-town Texas life in Elgin Chris O'Connell March 14, 2022 On a side-note, Robert Mann, pictured in the TOP LEFT is a graduate of North Central Austin's  McCallum High School and band member of such early 90's, 2000's bands ie.; COLORCAST & RECOVER. Robert Mann is a casual friend I've known off and on as a Local Austinite, & simultaneous NYC dweller decades. Robert is an easy going, approachable soul and as you'll read a 3x time dad and family man. --GVM Before he quit bartending at Geraldine’s, the restaurant inside  Austin ’s swanky  Hotel Van Zandt , Bob Mann started getting annoyed at the conversations he’d overhear. Located on Rainey Street, once a quiet residential street and now a bustling party zone, Mann would catch snippets of investment talk as he shook up espresso martinis.  “There’d be real estate conventions going on, and I’d hear them talking about how much money ...

In Booming Austin, Texas, There Is Still Room for Upside in Key Areas Home buyers can find good value—and views—in Dripping Springs, Lakeway and Spicewood BY PORTIA CROWE | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 11, 2022 | MANSION GLOBAL Austin, Texas, has been heating up since long before the pandemic. Now, home prices there are reaching unprecedented levels. Over the past decade, prices for single-family homes in central Austin have risen 177% from an average of $212 per square foot in 2012 to $586 per square foot this year, according to data from Douglas Elliman. That kind of price growth has been evident in the luxury market as well. “The whole state of Texas is seeing increased prices, and on waterfront properties, definitely—mainly because there is low inventory,” said Tammie Bennett, a real estate adviser for Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty. “It’s the quality of life,” said Michael Reisor, an agent with Douglas Elliman. “You can spend the morning on a hike with a view of the city a...

  Per the Travis Tracker; Project Connect claims first victim: century-old campus diner Dirty Martin's It may have been only a matter of time in Austin's ever-changing economic climate. But the passage of a recent light rail expansion bond may have greatly accelerated the demise of one of the places that claims to be " Austin's oldest restaurant ." Dirty Martin's Place, open since 1926 and originally known as Martin's KumBak (earning its nickname due to its earlier lack of flooring) is apparently in the way of the Orange Line of Project Connect. It has remained a hot spot for adjacent University of Texas students for the entire time, and maintains an outdoor garden area popular in the evenings. Manager Daniel Young, via a forum dedicated to Austin's many past-and-present greasy spoons, confirmed rumors the establishment had received an eminent domain letter from the city: "We’re going to fight the city on this, but need your support! .... We’re g...