Austin Area TW Chapter (all gens welcome, even T4Rs; heck, just make it a Toyota and we're good)

It would be great if we didn't have to pay the taxes based on that valuation.

 

My wife has been here since 1983. Mortgage Wholesale Banking. Ya, she was here during the bust. She was kicking herself for not having the cash for a Terrytown bungalow that went for $15K. HUD foreclosures for $15,000. Ahem. A friend of hers picked up about 10 of those, later reselling and buying a REMAX franchise. He's done OK in Austin. Ahem.

I bought my first home in Portland Or for $121 in 1991. The job went bust, so glad to sell for the same price in 1993. Moved to Roundrock. Wilshire home for $140K. The market went bust in 2000, glad to have sold it for $180K. Bought our current place during that bust in 2001. Two IBM Engineers had built their own house. 1800 sq ft, three-bedroom on 1.5 acres. They were relocated to NY, a house not quite finished. Primer walls, no baseboard, crappy Limonium, and pink shag carpet in the bedroom. They wanted top dollar, gasp! Six months later, they finally got a realtor. No change to the house. Most buyers took one look and took off running. We smiled. My wife's comment was "buy me a tile saw, I'll do the floor with 12" tiles". I took a look at the lack of trim and said, "buy me a trim saw and I'll do the door and floor trim". We had the 700 ft garage poured level, converted it into two more bedrooms with an office and mudroom. Hired masons to do the outside brick. Whew. All four kids camped in the living room the first year. Ya, we must have been crazy!

While that was going on, had a 1500 ft slab poured for my garage & second office area (30' x 50' building with 14' side walls. Back 10' is an office with AC on one side and paint room on the other side). Oh traying to up 14' sheet metal walls with a slight breeze, what fun!

So if your father and uncles remember the crazy wholesale mortgage lady, Pam, that was her. One day she was up at home depot loading bags of Quickrete and one of the builders spotted her and said "I wish my crew had your work ethic".

That's the challenge. Writing out that check every year is a pain! 2001 was under $4000. 2021 $11,000. I just wish my salary had increased at the same rate! We are against a 10% cap every year, just sucks!

Thankfully I'm still working, and our legacy products keep selling meanwhile the old guys keep retiring, so work is happy that I am still here and helping out.

We'll stay put for a few more years, time to finally have a concrete driveway installed our wood deck replaced. For years I didn't do the driveway as I didn't want to get higher appraisals! Well, they are over the cap, time to get a decent driveway put in.

 

Oh well, same place we moved into when we married....

Good Morning ATX. No free ice rocks or other damaging stuff out in Lockhart. 0.33" all told, just about as forecast. But, I was not being thrilled last night when this turned North up 35.

 

Mine jumped $40,000 from last year.. insane.

 

I'm not sure how much rainfall we got out here in Hutto but I was real worried about the potential for tornados and hail again last night. It didn't seem like it rained too much but the winds were really abusive for several hours, and the thunder had the whole house shaking! Starting to think I need to invest in a couple of those inflatable hail-guard car bounce houses for both our cars. If nothing else they'd help me panic less when these storms hit every spring...

 

I've thought about those, lacking a useful garage. I keep hedging on it tho....

 

Try $19,180.

$52.55 a day, before I even get out of bed.

And half of that is to educate other people's kids.

 

Ours went up 20.6%...

 

My next door neighbor has a 3 month old Tundra, and parks it outside. He could park it inside, but has to clear some space in his 3 stall garage. The 4/15 storm threw down some dents, as you might imagine, because that storm snuck up. So last night, with hail in the potential forecast, I noticed he still had the Tundra outside.

Me: You might want to put that Tundra in the garage, there may be hail later.
Mrs. Neighbor: The forecast we're looking at doesn't say that, just rain.
Me: #notmytruck

They had the Tundy in the garage about an hour later.

 

A "little more work" in the garage, and I could organize everything in the middle to the back, and squeeze the RAV4 inside, going out the roll up. The RAV is new. Little Big Red is 2007, and may have to settle for some moving pads and a cover.

 

6 months to a year....depending on the rental. I know typically houses/townhomes usually require a year lease, where apts you could maybe find 6 months...

 

Lots to digest. Thank you!
Unfortunately, work is taking us up there.

 

Got with DownHillDragon yesterday to get a tune and hopefully stop the transmission roulette BS. Immediate improvement! On the drive home the truck acted like it knew what to do with all 6 gears. Fun guy to talk to and he made the process pretty easy.

Was living in Killeen/Ft Hood a few years ago. Coming down here to Liberty Hill was a steep jump in housing costs, even just 5 years ago. The home prices in our neighborhood are up 60% since we purchased. It is insane. I totally agree with the previous statement, the area isn't worth it. Traffic is incredibly bad and they are designing the roads in the area forcing people onto the tolls.

Since I started telecommuting, the traffic is way worse. If I had to start driving back to the office, I don't think I could deal with it. It used to be that I could break out of traffic about Lakeline and 183. Now the traffic solid all the way to Liberty Hill.

Don't get me wrong. I have only lived here about 5 years. I know that makes me part of the problem. I just didn't expect it to grow like it did. At this point I am just hoping I can sell while it is still lucrative.

 

In short (Tacomaworld Express) is when you become a shipping service for something too expensive to use typical shipping service.[/QUOTE]

Can you give more context? Do you want me to try to bring something from GL, or help out once I’m in TX. Sorry if I sound dense here.

 

Can you give more context? Do you want me to try to bring something from GL, or help out once I’m in TX. Sorry if I sound dense here.[/QUOTE]

So in this case someone's selling a TRD sport hood and grille in the color my buddy is looking for in SW Florida. But obviously too big to be shipped. And the grille potentially could it's just awkward dimensions so it's expensive. So wanted to see of you potentially had room to bring them down with you when you move out here.

 

So in this case someone's selling a TRD sport hood and grille in the color my buddy is looking for in SW Florida. But obviously too big to be shipped. And the grille potentially could it's just awkward dimensions so it's expensive. So wanted to see of you potentially had room to bring them down with you when you move out here.[/QUOTE]

that’d be a *big* maybe. I don’t have a lot of time to meet them, but even if they met me I’m not sure what kinda room I’m gonna have in my truck and trailer. Do you know if the seller has any material they could wrap them in? I’d feel a bit better trying to fit them in if they would be less likely to get damaged.

 

My recommendation, having already started this journey in January, is to do what you’re suggesting (which I’m kinda also doing): just commit to renting for 6 months to a year and start your home search while you’re here. There’s a bit of a bubble everywhere. My home here in FL sold for 10k over asking with 3 offers in just the first day. Austin just happens to be *really* poppin right now for big businesses and jobs. Since that’s the case I think that home shopping from the area would kinda take some of the stress out of it. We lucked out with the property we found by touring the neighborhood at the right time, so being around and actively looking can still net you some decent options if you stay on top of things in your searches.

 

that’d be a *big* maybe. I don’t have a lot of time to meet them, but even if they met me I’m not sure what kinda room I’m gonna have in my truck and trailer. Do you know if the seller has any material they could wrap them in? I’d feel a bit better trying to fit them in if they would be less likely to get damaged.[/QUOTE]

No worries I figured it would be a long shot anyways but I'll see if I can figure out the logistics and I'll pm you about it.

 

Good afternoon ATX!

 

Aloha! Happy Friday, my friends!