| Austin, the capital city of Texas, is one of my | | | | How can they take advantage of opportunities |
| favorite places to live in. And not only is mine, the | | | | presented by this city? Well, they need to settle |
| city is at top of many people's list of the best | | | | down in the city and for that they will need a |
| places to live in, which has made every inch of | | | | home in the city. The following paragraphs will help |
| Austin real estate a hot cake among realtors. In | | | | them find a perfect nest I (almost) for |
| 2009, Money magazine selected the city as the | | | | themselves in the city. |
| No. 3 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live", and it | | | | 5 Austin real estate buying tips |
| was at No. 2 position in 2006. Other accolades | | | | Research the neighborhood: This is something |
| that Austin has received include: | | | | anyone will ask you to do. It is an absolute must |
| - Greenest city in America, MSN | | | | because you are going to spend time with people |
| - No.2 city with the best people, CNN Headline | | | | there. See if the neighborhood is suitable for you |
| News and Travel & Leisure magazine | | | | or not, and if it can meet your needs or not. |
| - America's No. 1 college town, Travel Channel | | | | Check the following: |
| - 5th safest city | | | | - Crime rate |
| - The least stressful large metro area, Forbes | | | | - Schools |
| magazine.Now can you see why the houses in the | | | | - Grocery stores |
| capital city of Texas are sold long before "Austin | | | | - Departmental stores |
| Homes for Sale" placards are placed before | | | | - Park |
| them? Not only that, the rub-off effect of | | | | - Sports club & gym |
| Austin's real estate success can be seen on | | | | - Doctors and hospitals |
| homes in Kyle as well, a city 21 miles southwest | | | | - Police and fire departmentFind a real estate |
| of Austin. Call it Austin phenomenon that even | | | | agent you can trust: Finding a reliable Austin real |
| "Kyle homes for Sale" placards do not have to | | | | estate agent is as important as finding a good |
| wait longer before it is shoved inside the already | | | | neighborhood. A real estate agent will not only find |
| crowded stowage. | | | | a good home at the best price for you, but he will |
| The Silicon Hills not the Silicon Valley | | | | also help you settle in the locality. He will assist |
| Austin also goes by the name of the "Silicon Hills" | | | | you in finding shops of daily requirement, and will |
| because of the high concentration of high-tech | | | | also use his knowledge of the community to help |
| firms operating in the city. 3M, AMD, Apple Inc., | | | | you settle down. I have heard of many stories |
| Applied Materials, Cirrus Logic, Cisco Systems, Dell, | | | | where Austin realtors have turned into a lifelong |
| eBay/PayPal, Freescale Semiconductor (spun off | | | | friend for their customers. |
| from Motorola in 2004), Google, Hewlett-Packard, | | | | See a handful of houses: Do not commit a |
| Hoover's, IBM, Intel Corporation, National | | | | mistake of settling down for the house shown to |
| Instruments, Samsung Group, Silicon Laboratories, | | | | you in the first go. Austin has many good houses |
| Sun Microsystems, and United Devices are the | | | | in every neighborhood. Look at minimum 4-5 |
| names of the high-tech companies running their | | | | houses before deciding on any. Click pictures of |
| from Austin. | | | | each home that you visit, and ask for the |
| These companies have made the price of local | | | | benefits each has to offer. |
| real estate go through the roof compared to the | | | | Pay your Austin real estate agent well: Bargaining |
| real estate prices in many parts of rural Texas. | | | | with an estate agent on his commission is not |
| But still it is much cheaper than the housing cost in | | | | that good an idea. After all, it is on him that your |
| the Silicon Valley. That is why many tech giants | | | | property-search depends. A grumpy real estate |
| are flocking to the city making "Austin Homes for | | | | agent may get you a bad deal, whereas, a happy |
| Sale" placards disappear much more quickly than it | | | | agent will get you the house at the best possible |
| should. | | | | price. |
| It is not only the high-tech companies that are | | | | Hire a home inspector: A home inspector will help |
| coming to the city; it is pharmaceutical and | | | | you evaluate the worth of the house you are |
| biotechnology companies as well. 85 companies | | | | considering. He will also tell you about things that |
| from the industry operate out of Austin. | | | | will need immediate fixing, and things that can |
| These companies along with the state agencies, | | | | wait. He will spend a whole day in the house and |
| colleges, and universities produce so much of | | | | will produce house audit report, which will cover |
| employment that it makes the city a place where | | | | every aspect of the ownership. |
| a person can allow its dream to fly. The city is up | | | | Follow these steps and you will get a good deal |
| for a dream run, and so are the people living here. | | | | on an Austin home. It doesn't matter if it has |
| But, what about those who do not live in Austin? | | | | "Austin Home for Sale" placard or not. |