In early September, Amazon took North American cities by surprise, announcing that they are looking to open a second headquarters. With the announcement, Jeff Bezos’ company set out the parameters as to what it will take to secure the contract to house Amazon’s HQ2. Tax incentives, reasonable real estate costs, ability to attract and retain high-quality tech talent, and proximity to a major airport are all key factors that will determine which major city will be welcoming HQ2. According to Re/Code, there are 22 cities in the continental United States that meet or exceed the criteria as well as at least two cities in Canada.

But, why are all these cities bending over backward in an attempt to woo the multi-billion dollar eCommerce giant? Continue…

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In recent weeks, we’ve glanced at some of the most popular cities in different regions of the country. We compared each of those cities to the cost of living here in Austin, Texas.

As the final blog post in this series, we’re looking at the Western U.S. The cities in this part of the country make up some of the most popular places to visit in the U.S., and in many ways, they reflect many of the lifestyle features that people cherish about living in Austin.

Don’t forget to read our previous editions, in which we compared Austin’s cost of living to moving to the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest. Let us know what you think of our findings in the comments below or on social media. To make fair comparisons, we use Best Places to reflect the price…

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There’s nothing wrong with entering the Central Texas real estate selling market with optimism. But if you’ve been trying to sell your home for a while without much traction or interest from buyers, your optimism might be waning.

Sitting on a home that doesn’t sell is discouraging. Fortunately, there are strategies that smart real estate agents use to pique the interest of home-shoppers. You can implement these tricks as a homeowner to gain more sales momentum for your property.

The truth is, there are several common sale-slowing factors that might be at play in your listing. Here are the three that we find exceptionally common, listed as the solutions you can use to get your Central Texas property out of its silent rut.

1) Make a prospective…

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It’s easy to forget that the technology we use every day once only existed in the imaginations of quirky sci-fi writers. Now, these innovations appear in our everyday lives and continue to change the way our communities, cities, and jobs appear and function.

With so many inventions changing the way we live, shop, work, and play, it isn’t a surprise to learn that our homes are also evolving to keep up with these emerging technologies. When houses are outfitted with some of the latest and greatest innovations, we call these houses “smart homes.”

Smart technology – whether in your phone, car, or home – is about automation. Home automation alleviates household upkeep to give you and your family more safety, control, and time to do what you love.

…

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This is our second trip to the East Coast during our Cost of Living blog series. In a previous post, we compared the cost of living in Austin to that of living in the Northeast United States. Today, we take on the southern half of the East Coast and look at three of the region's largest cities. 

We used Best Places to compare the cost of living in each of the cities. This website lets you compare city-to-city costs of living across the country, and factors in the cost of daily essentials such as housing, food, and utilities. If you don’t see the city you’re curious about in this post, you should wait for the fourth and final blog we have of this series, which will compare the cost of living in Austin to cities on the West Coast.

Sit back, relax,…

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Natural disasters, theft, and other home security problems can arise no matter the technology or attention that you give to your home. But preparing your home with practical safety measures is a powerful way to enhance the safety of your family, and alleviate the problem or damages these incidents cause.

Central Texas isn’t exactly the most dangerous place to live in the U.S., but even the safest places on earth are far from perfect. Theft, fire, and weather are a possibility no matter where you turn. Those who desire more safety for their family can easily improve their security with a few intentional investments of time or money.

Here are a few ways to improve the safety of your Central Texas home:

1. Always Give The Appearance Of Someone…

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For somewhere to qualify as a lucrative place for homeowners to lease out their properties, the city should offer several traits. The most optimal locations tend to be areas popular to young families, and where local universities consistently attract students to the area.

With those factors in mind, Austin is a great city for taking the plunge into your landlord business. With many young families moving to the area, and the thriving campuses of Austin Community College and The University of Texas at Austin, local property managers have a long future of business to look forward to.

But becoming a landlord is not usually a get-rich-quick scheme. There is a lot that goes into being a successful property manager, especially at the beginning when…

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Locals are the first to brag about the experience of living in Austin, Texas. Their happiness has spurred a migration of families from every corner of the country who couldn’t resist all that is offered in this slice of the Hill Country.

New families come to Austin every day. The healthy lifestyles, booming job market, year-round warm weather, and renowned cuisine is enough to incentivize people to try Austin for themselves.

As real estate agents, we know that exciting and tasty motivations are not all that gets factored into a move. Choosing the next city to call home is a decision that considers job possibilities, housing costs, and more. To help families looking for their next home, we devoted this blog series to compare Austin real estate to…

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There’s no denying it. Texas heat found us again.

High Central Texas temperatures are great for swimming, but can be real a downer when that heat penetrates your home and proves stronger than your air conditioning. Many families rack up enormous utility bills in the summer just to combat those local temperatures.

But Texas heat doesn’t have to break the bank. There are several easy tricks for lowering your utility costs while still enjoying the pleasure of a/c.

Before you spend a fortune by cranking down the temperature, give a few of these money-saving tips a try for keeping your house cool.

1. Don’t Fall For This Common Air Conditioning Myth

There’s a myth that for years has instructed families to turn up their temperature whenever they…

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When it comes to affordability, families don’t usually shop in big cities when they hope to land a real estate bargain. Home shoppers know they’ll pay more to experience the conveniences that major cities provide.

But a new study from gobankingrates.com revealed that when it comes to measuring the comfort of residents’ cost of living, Austin goes against the major city grain. In the study, not only did Austin prove to be one of the most comfortable cities, but Texas was also concluded as the state whose cities offered their residents the most cost-friendly living situations compared to the rest of the nation.

The study said, “Texas is the state that boasts the most cities in which the median income is enough for a comfortable living”.

In…

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