investment, development, and property
management company. It’s important to
have an understanding of what Austin has
to offer, so you can choose a
neighborhood that’s right for you.
Downtown
The greatest apartment growth may very
well be in Downtown Austin, where
construction cranes tower over existing
skyscrapers to build even higher. Over
1,682 units were completed in the
downtown area this year, and over 3,400
are on the horizon in the next year or two.
Downtown Austin is seeing increasingly
younger residents, mostly middle to upper
class. These Austinites love the
convenience of being just blocks from
shopping on Congress Avenue, live music
venues on 6th Street, and even some great
parks, hiking, and biking along the
Colorado River.
South Austin
Across the Colorado River from Downtown
Austin is where young, artsy, and hippie
types seem to collect. Although Barton
Heights has some great family areas, Travis
Heights and Bouldin Creek attract mainly
hip, liberal Austinites, as well as transplants
from other parts of the country. The main
drag in this part of town is South Congress
Avenue.
North Austin
North Austin consists of areas like Round
Rock, Cedar Park, and Leander, which
attract a lot of families. The Leander school
district is an award-winning district, and
many tech companies like Apple and Dell
have large operations in the area. North
Austin also has some great luxury
apartments, like The Allure, an NRP Group
property. The Allure has a fitness center,
conference room, wi-fi in all common
areas, a pet park, and even green features
like electric car charging stations and
smoke-free buildings. “Austin is a very
green city. There’s a lot of demand for
green living,” says Parkhill. North and
northwest Austin are fast-growing Austin
neighborhoods, great for families, animal
lovers, and the environmentally-conscious.
West Austin
West Austin has some of the wealthiest
(and most expensive) neighborhoods in the
city, such as Westlake Hills and Steiner
Ranch. The commute into town is a bit
longer than in other areas of Austin, but
residents are closer to Lake Travis and the
great outdoors. Further south are middle
class, conservative neighborhoods, such
as Oak Hill and Circle C Ranch.
East Austin
East Austin is the epitome of Austin
eclecticism. Although it used to be
considered the poorest part of the city, the
area is now mostly a hipster neighborhood.
Old houses and funky remodels sit next to
sleek, modern developments. Southeast
Austin is home to a lot of University of Texas
students, likely because of the large
numbers of apartments and other rental
properties in the area.
HOW TO FIND AN
APARTMENT IN AUSTIN
With such a competitive market, and the
variety of neighborhoods in an ever more
eclectic Austin, how do you find a great
Austin apartment? Like anywhere in the
U.S., there is always Craigslist and
newspaper listings. If you already live in
Austin, you could also drive around the
part of town you think you might want to
live in. With demand so high, many
apartment managers just put up signs in
front of the building. If you live across the
country, however, finding a great Austin
apartment can be more difficult.
There are a lot of things that can complicate
an apartment hunt, like a limited budget or
having pets. Austin is a very pet-friendly city.
For example, there are over 200 restaurants
in Austin that allow leashed dogs in their
outdoor or patio seating areas. That’s not to
say, however, that every apartment complex
will allow pets. Pets often mean more
liability for a landlord, and some complex-owners choose to avoid problems by simply
not allowing pets. Overall, however, quite a
few places in Austin are pet-friendly. Some
places have restrictions on species, size,
and breed. Breeds that are considered
aggressive, like pit bulls, for example, are
restricted from many otherwise pet-friendly
buildings. If you come across an apartment
that does not allow pets, try offering to get
pet liability insurance. The landlord may
change his or her mind.
Having a restricted budget can also make
an apartment search difficult, particularly in
a market with as much demand as Austin.
You may be tempted to rush into a
commitment to secure a great deal before
someone else snatches it up. As anyone
who has surfed Craigslist apartment listings
in any city will know, deals that are too
good to be true, usually are. The fastest,
easiest, and safest way to find the
perfect apartment in your budget is to
get help from a local — and Austin has
a lot of apartment locating resources.
