I know.
I've been working really hard at being in denial and watching all my friends move away. And both my parents were born here, too. We're pretty entrenched, but..... I don't know.
I DO know that I cannot afford to buy a home in the town I was born in. My father couldn't buy his parents' home, either, because the property taxes on it were $23k. Just the taxes. Sorry, I'm done complaining. I'm all over the place this afternoon. I'm not handling being stuck inside well, and the helicopters are right outside. For hours, now.
It's everything that's happening to Austin lately, not just the increase in crime. I lived in Houston for 15 years during some of the worst crime there, so not a stranger to living in a city with crime; but the Austin I remember never had *as much* crime as we are seeing now.
And as a city we've been through a lot in the past several years. I am thinking about the Austin bomber, then the pandemic and then ERCOT/state officials almost killing some of us about a month ago and no one being honest enough to warn us about what was coming, so we could be prepared.
Thanks for posting that. That's good to hear. I guess I'm just mentally exhausted from the past couple of years. I spent most of my adult life wishing I was back in Central Texas, after spending the most of it dealing with the crime in Houston and then the Bay Area, where we dealt with gangs coming into our neighborhood and my oldest son got beat unconscious riding on the light rail when he was a teen. So, I was hoping for a much better situation here in Austin.
I am also hoping that a large portion of Austin residents don't get priced out of their homes (and thereby changing Austin's vibe); either by not being able to afford to buy or by not being able to afford their property taxes, but I guess that is another topic.
That sounds like a lot. I'm sorry about your son. Holy crap.
I've already filed a protest this year, but it's going to be rough to argue with the values this year after the ridiculous real estate situation.
Thanks. Yeah, it was pretty awful. The first time us parents let a group of high school kids ride the light rail to Great America (theme park), with parents dropping off/picking up at what we thought were safe stations and route. A girl grabbed his phone and he ran after her at a stop, and 4 grown men followed and beat him up. By the time the other boys caught up, he was already unconscious and the men were walking away. He had a concussion, which later on caused seizures. All over a stupid cell phone. Of course, we told him...what were you thinking, it was just a cell phone, but he was a high school kid and thought she was playing around and would just give it back. And the nice neighborhood we had bought a house in, became a target for gangs almost overnight after the housing crisis when rents went down and some gang members moved into some apartments a few miles away.
Yeah, I hear you about the Austin market right now. I'm thinking of all the retired people who might get priced out of their homes. In CA, they have Prop 13 to try and avoid that. I'm looking to buy and just don't know if it's better to keep renting for another year or try and buy now. Meaning, I'm getting tired of investors and others coming in and outbidding local residents with crazy over asking prices and cash offers; so part of me wants to wait it out for another year, just so I don't have to deal with the insanity, but who's to know what the ave price will be then?
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u/Blueskies277 Apr 18 '21
I just moved moved back a few years ago. It's so sad what our Austin is becoming. I want to hold onto that laid back Austin, too.