In Which Austin Neighborhood should Jim and Pam Live? (to buy, school)

[scm53]

Originally Posted by hound 109

Why start a Professional Sports Marketing company in a town that doesn't have any professional sports teams??

Because the two aren't related. Because it is easy to hire or recruit creative talent here. Because there is a huge national ad agency here, with three more an hour flight away. Because in that business, distance is almost irrelevant. Creative talent is everything.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by scm53

Because the $300 p/sq. ft. home in Hyde Park is sooooo not overpriced compared to $125 in P'ville.

Beauty, like all things, is in the eye of the beholder.

The beholders are will to pay 3X as much for a house in Hude Park vs one in Pflugerville, that kind of premium shoud tell you something about how most people "behold" Pflugerville vs Hyde Park.

And of course everyone is free to make their choice. But knowing Jim and Pam and their sensibilities and generational preferences for living centrally then I am offering them a reasonable path forward to living centrally. They will make the final decision of course, but if its between a place in the us ribs they don't like with a hard and one in the city that shares walls but ends up being in the middle of everything they want then there is a legitimate decision to make that many people (clearly not all, I've never argued this is for everyone) wil decide the lawn isn't worth trading the life they really want to have. Jim and Pam want the Austin vibe and simply will not find it in Cedar Park or Pflugerville. And they can have that vibe by making so reasonable decisions about what really matters.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by mark311

Found it with BING (Go Microsoft!)

Downtown Pflugerville is drawing a crowd | www.mystatesman.com

Good find!

[sheaday]

Originally Posted by hound 109

I disagree.

We see alot of people coming to Austin with no job (or just a semi job).....reading about cheap housing, good tacos, cool music etc. Probably in a similar or worse situation than this fictional couple.

If the best they can expect for housing.... is to rent a KB starter home in Buda, Manor or northern reaches of Leander....or a 1 BR apt. near downtown, then they should know about it ahead of time.

I think this is stretching it. Yes, there are people who post asking about $1000 "cheap" (Ha) housing.

But look at many of the posts where people have a $500k-$1mill budget- most of the time they ask about Westlake/Rollingwood/Steiner/Dripping Springs because they want a yard, land, good schools.
And then you get people who reply "oh live downtown with all that money and send your kids to a private/charter school". So now you're driving your kids across town in traffic to get around the mediocre schools in your central neighborhood. What's the point of that?

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by Komeht

I ran into Jim later that night and asked him how the house hunt was going. He shook his head in disbelief and said he had no idea that Austin was so overpriced. He thought that 200k median meant he could find a place near something like the Dog and Duck pub for that. Maybe not a new place or a nice place but something. He said his realtor keeps showing him tract homes in Pflugerville, and Cedar Park (at this point he looked a little nauseous) and telling him that's the best he can hope for in their circumstances. Pam seems ok with it, but the thought of spending an hour and a half every day on the road on too of having to put in very long hours at work at the start up is killing him.

I asked what he really wanted. He said, you know what, he came to Austin to be in Austin and not some carbon copy of every other place in the America, and the being away from the family for most of the day very day just doesn't work for him. I said he should consider a town home or condo. Maybe one right off a park where Pam can take the children to play, a place close to places like the Dog and Duck Pub, shops, restaurants, cafes etc. maybe one close enough to transit or the office where they can sell a car and save a bit more that way.

He seemed pretty receptive to the idea. He asked if I knew a realtor who could help him, his doesnt seem to be working out to well.

That's so funny that you say that. He told me that what he really wanted was a 4-2 split level with big trees and a big backyard that he could grill in and put up a hammock. Funny.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by scm53

Oh, I don't know. There are a couple of new entries in the contest.

lolololol

[philopower]

I honestely do not comprehend how people can spend more than an hour in a car each day commuting during rush hour. Seems like such a crap life.

[Eastcoasting]

Originally Posted by philopower

I honestely do not comprehend how people can spend more than an hour in a car each day commuting during rush hour. Seems like such a crap life.

You honestly need to get out more.

But I'll play along, how long is your commute and how do you commute.

[sloppymeg]

Originally Posted by scm53

Oh, I don't know. There are a couple of new entries in the contest.

Glad to see I am making it into one of the ridiculous threads! Yay for me! Boo for my dog.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by Austin97

This may be one of the most ridiculous threads I have ever read on here - arguing about the hypothetical desires of fictional characters, which is really just an excuse to start the same old suburbs vs. central debate.

Originally Posted by atxcio

Seems like the only fitting location for a fictional couple would be a fictional location.

How about Arlen? Or McManorberry?

Yep...