One of the biggest pitfalls about relocating to Austin is not something obvious like going with an out of state lender who doesn’t understand Texas title and closings. It’s coming at the wrong time of year.
I’m not talking about inventory and timing the market. If you look at inventory levels, you’ll see most sellers think Spring is a good time to list their homes as this is when the most people are out buying. So inventory may be higher in Spring, but then so is demand – you may end up visiting for a weekend and finding two houses you like only to find that they are also first on the list of several other buyers.
What I’m talking about is remarkably straightforward. Staying in Austin during one of the major festivals: South By Southwest (SXSW) and Austin City Limits (ACL) can be good and it can be very bad. So for a few weeks during the Spring – this year SXSW starts March 11th, and a few days in Fall – ACL starts on September 16th 2011, hotels are booked, flights are full, and traffic is bad.
Of course, it’s also a great time to visit Austin and go out and about. It’s just that travel becomes a little challenging. The same applies for people looking to buy new homes in Austin. There are visits to the design center to consider, and travel to book if you’re relocating.
I had one out of town client drive from Chicago one year to look at homes. They hadn’t planned their accommodation and ended up having to drive to Georgetown to find a hotel at the last minute. Driving to Georgetown might seem like a cinch if you’ve just driven 1,179 miles from Illinois, but probably wasn’t the most relaxing experience for someone looking at homes in Austin.
Get in touch if you’re relocating to Austin, and I’ll make sure you have a fruitful trip. Unless it snows. Austin closes down when it snows.
Garreth Wilcock is a REALTOR with Sherlock Homes Austin 1+512.215.4785.