Small Business Moving to Austin (Atlanta: apartment, for rent, homes)

[palaceman71]

In Austin, I am looking for a fun and reasonably priced neighborhood to open an office and be able to walk home. I am in my thirties, hetero, single, love live music and would ideally spend $500 for around 300 square feet of office space and another $400+ in rent for a total office/apartment budget of $800 to $1,200 a month. Please give me your input on a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood for work and play. Thank you.

Riverrock sounds fun and affordable but I just left a Los-Angeles area where all the singles were college kids or restaurant workers. Is that how Riverrock is? If so, is there a neighborhood like Riverrock but with late-twenty/thirty-something professionals?

SoCO sounds great but I would probably have to combine my apartment with the office to afford it based on what I've heard. That would eventually require employees to come to my residence (kind of weird), plus there might be tax and legal issues depending on Texas laws about doing such a thing.

Just looking for a neighborhood that combines nightlife, with a bit older singles and has office pricing reflective of the tougher times. BTW, if there are concerns over another "I am coming to Austin to over-congest it like Atlanta"-post I would just say: 1.) I will be getting down there and researching before making a final decision on where in the country to go. 2.) I will be bringing a job or two with me and 3.) I won't be driving a car until I meet a cool enough girl that MAKES me get a car so no more road congestion outta me. Heh. Thanks again!

[llkltk]

I think 400 for rent in the city would be an awful dump. You might want to try to find a roommate wanted type situation.

[austin-steve]

You budget isn't realistic for what you desire. Anything walkable will be Central, which is expensive.
Good Luck,
Steve

[palaceman71]

Perhaps instead of renting an office we all just work out of our homes. I will have some employees back in my homestate doing that. It leaves me with a whoooole lotta unused furniture and stuff though.

Problems. Problems. It makes it all worth it though when you get settled into a fun place. Work is work but you gotta let loose after 5pm. We aren't real good at the after-5 stuff in my town.

[atxcio]

You can do a shared-office type arrangement for your price range. There are different ones all around town, from artist studios to cubicles to offices. You might pay $300-400 per month and get an business address, a workstation, some shared common areas/storefront, etc.

That would leave $800-900 for your apartment. Definitely enough to rent a 1BR in SoCo, which is fairly walkable for Austin and certainly a "fun" area.

Another option would be to look for live+work space. If you don't mind a bit of a "rougher" area (by Austin standards), and schools don't matter, try East Austin. It's rarely mentioned as a walkable area, but in reality it very much is. I believe that part of town uses the most public transportation (buses), and lots of people walk. Artists, hipsters, and other "urban pioneers" seem to find it a pretty fun and lively area. Lots of restaurants, artist studios, etc.

[palaceman71]

Thx for the outta the box ideas, ATXCIO. The first time I left michigan for 3 years I hired a manager and had a real nice office space. Then, 2008/2009 hit and I had to move back here and downsize. This time, though, I'm going to sell my house, put my existing employees out of their homes and just find a way to make a move out of here happen.

I guess the trick is to approach it conservatively enough to where I don't have to keep moving back here to fix problems, but not so conservatively that I play it safe sit here and am bored to tears by my after-5 life! So, literally ATXCIO, your reaction to give some out-of-the-box suggestion rather than a kneejerk, "You can't afford it...now I'm on to the next thread" is literally a lifesaver. Heh. If you did nothing else today, please feel good about that!

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by atxcio

Another option would be to look for live+work space. If you don't mind a bit of a "rougher" area (by Austin standards), and schools don't matter, try East Austin. It's rarely mentioned as a walkable area, but in reality it very much is. I believe that part of town uses the most public transportation (buses), and lots of people walk. Artists, hipsters, and other "urban pioneers" seem to find it a pretty fun and lively area. Lots of restaurants, artist studios, etc.

We've eaten out several times on the east side in the past month and my wife and I both commented how gentrified it has become in the past 10 years. Used to be you worried for you car if you ate at Juan in a Million. Now there's dozens and dozens of good restaurants and I don't feel unsafe parking my car anywhere. There's few places in near east Austin where I would give walking a second thought.

[pbnj07]

Originally Posted by achtungpv

Used to be you worried for you car if you ate at Juan in a Million.

I'd be more worried about my digestive system than my car if I ate at Juan in a Million.