In the year 2000, Red Wassenich a librarian at Austin Community College had no idea that he had coined what would become his city’s official slogan. Unlike the previous catchphrases “Live Music Capital of the World” and description, “A Blue Dot in a Red Sea,” this three-word phrase effortlessly captured its vibrancy. Despite its brevity, […]
What’s Driving Austin’s Nitro Fueled Economy and What Does it Mean?
As the old saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas. And in the case of the city’s capital of Austin, that includes what most citizens across the country value the most—the economy. But non-Austinites may wonder what exactly is driving Austin’s nitro fueled economy? The answer, of course, is an open secret that has become […]
Best Austin Neighborhoods without HOAs
HOAs are a very polarizing aspect of buying a home in Austin. Some buyers feel compelled to buy a home in an HOA while others don’t want another entity telling them what they can and can’t do on their property. If you find yourself in the latter category, you’re in the right place. While some […]
What Locals Know About Austin that Tourists Don’t
While Austin may be world renowned for its indie art scene, famous festivals like SXSW and commitment to waste free and organic living, the best things about Austin are secrets that only the locals know. But if you are from out of town or are looking to relocate to Austin, don’t worry. We’re going to […]
Austin Tops the U.S. News & World Report Rankings for Best Places to Live in the U.S. (Again) in 2019
For a third year in a row, Austin tops the best of list that carries the most weight with consumers, the Best Places to Live in the US by US News and World Report. US News and World Report comes up with several lists yearly and Austin typically finds themselves in the top 5 most […]
How Much are Property Taxes in Austin
If you’re thinking about relocating to Austin, or if you have never bought a house, one of the things to pay attention to is the tax rate. Just how much are property taxes in Austin? The tax rate in Austin usually ranges anywhere from 1.8%-3.3% of your home’s assessed value and are due by January […]
How to Research an Austin Neighborhood
When you’re looking to buy a new home, you’ll want to gather as much information about a particular neighborhood as possible. The more you can learn about the neighborhood before you buy, the higher the likelihood you’ll enjoy living there for longer. We’ve put together a guide to help you research Austin area neighborhoods. Here […]
Expensive Neighborhoods in Round Rock
Earning several awards such as the 4th safest city in the US, 8th fastest growing city in the US and others, Round Rock is one of the go to suburbs for home buyers. Only minutes from Round Rock and Northwest Austin employers, a reasonable drive to Downtown Austin, highly rated school district and parks and […]
Top 25 Public High Schools in Austin
Recently, Austin Monthly released their yearly Best Schools in Austin issue and it had some interesting findings. Some of the ratings aligned with what we see on sites like Great Schools and others were slightly different. The rankings from Austin Monthly Magazine’s lists were based on findings from Texas non-profit, Children at Risk. Every year, […]
25 Best Middle Schools in Austin
Recently, Children at Risk, a Texas non-profit agency advocating for children, came out with their annual best schools in Austin list. They use a different set of criteria than your traditional rating systems like GreatSchools.org and the Texas Education Agency, so it is interesting to see where they rank Austin’s public middle schools. Here, we’ll […]