Buying a Home in Austin? Here’s What You Need to Know
Our Architects Share What You Need to Look for When Buying Property in Austin
Austin offers a lively music scene, top dining and shopping destinations, as well as easy access to nature and hiking trails. So, it’s no surprise that more people are moving to Austin than ever before. In fact, our city welcomes almost 100 new residents per day! With a competitive market and strict city renovation building codes, buying a home in Austin and making it what you want can get complicated.
Our Austin architects have helped new homeowners evaluate property potential to create dream homes. We’re sharing what you need to know (from an architectural standpoint) in our Austin home buyer’s guide.
The Architect’s Guide to Buying a Home in Austin
There are so many things to keep track of when moving and buying a home, from coordinating moving trucks to scheduling home tours with your realtor. It can be a busy time, making it easy to overlook important details when viewing properties.
Here are the top items our Austin architects recommend our clients look for when purchasing a home. Trust us — if you plan to renovate, these details can’t be missed!
Get a Lay of the Land: Understanding Austin Neighborhoods
With the right design plan, you can turn any home into your dream home. However, you can’t move the property across town! Take time to research the best Austin neighborhoods to see which area in the city best complements your lifestyle. Have a checklist of what’s most important to you, whether it’s a short commute, a good school district, or proximity to Lady Bird Lake.
Find Your (Home) Style
You can find a diverse mix of architectural home styles in Austin. While you can do a lot to change the look of a home in a renovation, we recommend honoring your property's original lines and features. So, are you looking for a sleek contemporary home or a traditional ranch? Either way, look for good bones, knowing you can expand upon the design with a renovation.
Set a Budget (for Your Property and Renovations)
If you are moving to Austin from out of state, calculate the cost of living difference to help determine your budget. Currently, the average home price in Austin is around $500,000. Remember, purchasing a newly renovated property or new build will be more expensive than the average, and you will be moving into someone else’s style rather than your own. Instead, our Austin architects recommend purchasing a property in need of renovation. This way, you can build equity and make it exactly what you want. So, make sure to set aside a budget for the property and renovations.
Check out some of our renovation before and afters in Austin: Homes Reimagined.
Decide to Renovate or Tear Down
No matter how weird your Austin property is, it can be redesigned! In some cases, you might see homes that look like teardowns. So is it better to build new or renovate? Well, it depends on many factors, such as the home’s condition, your design vision, city building restrictions, and even soil quality.
Let’s move on to some of the technical aspects to consider in your Austin home-buying journey.
Don’t Underestimate Austin Building Codes
Austin has strict building codes, and city inspectors take them very seriously. While other cities you’ve lived in may have given some leeway, trust us, Austin will not! Before you start planning where you’ll add an addition or install a pool, get a survey of the property to ensure there are no easements or restrictions.
An easement is the right to cross or use someone else's land for a specified purpose. This could be anything from a right-of-entry easement that allows a neighbor to cross your land to access their own property to a conservation easement that protects a natural habitat. Here in Austin, we recommend checking to see if any of your prospective property falls in a floodplain or contains any large trees. A few protected trees could prevent you from making any additions at all.
Once you start your renovation, we recommend working with trusted local architects and contractors who know the building codes and proper permits. Having an expert on your team can help prevent project delays or having to redo work that wasn’t up to code.
Have Your Property Work for You
While many Austin building codes are strict, the city has eased restrictions on ADUs or Accessory Dwelling Units. Austin’s HOME Initiative has given many homeowners the chance to add rental units and outbuildings to their property for the first time. There are many benefits to ADUs, including the ability to create a work-from-home office space separate from your main residence or generate rental income to offset your mortgage and renovation costs.
Make Sure You’re on Solid Ground
Austin has a wide variety of soil types across the city. Some areas have clay that could result in gradual shifts and cracks over time. Other lots are situated on stronger limestone. However, this could pose a risk of karst landscapes, underground caves or sinkholes that could prevent construction altogether. For example, one of our architecture client’s properties was a mix of soils. So their existing home was fine, but the addition had to be cantilevered in order to be supported! It’s beneficial to hire a geotech engineer to assess soil quality to ensure your dream home sits on solid ground.
Enlist the Help of the Experts
As you can see, there are so many things to consider when buying a home in Austin, from the neighborhood and style to building codes and soil quality. If you go it alone, you could end up making serious renovation mistakes. Enlist the help of the experts to keep you on the right path. A good realtor can advise you on the perfect neighborhood, and bringing an architect on early will allow you to determine what’s possible in your dream renovation.
Have questions? We’d love to come house hunting with you!