THE AUSTIN READING ROOM
Search Austin real estate advice and local reporting. Keep useful historical context separate from the source checks you need for your next move.
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The median Travis CAD living area runs from 1,246 sq ft in 78721 to 3,679 in 78730. Where houses differ most, and how to check the number on one.
A 0.27-acre lot at 2013 Cullen Ave has five City site-plan records since 2021. The newest, filed Oct. 23, is a 6-unit building under the small-project track.
Austin issued 367 new two-family permits in 2025. ZIP 78754 held 202, all from March to May. Outside it, the yearly count has barely moved since 2019.
Texas gives renters three named ways out of a lease and gives landlords one duty when a tenant leaves. Here is what each says, and what is left to your lease.
We timed 482,215 home parcels in five counties to five big employers. Only 19,784 are within 30 minutes of both Tesla and Samsung's Taylor fab.
37,255 of 117,958 Austin houses on the 2026 appraisal roll were built before 1978. What the TREC lead addendum gives a buyer, and the 10-day clock.
Of 6,676 Austin houses that changed hands in 2025, 60% carry a homestead exemption on the 2026 roll, against 92% of houses unsold since 2017. Here is why.
FEMA records show 324 flood insurance claims in ZIP 78744 in 2013. Federal policies there fell from 483 to 187 since. What that means if you're buying.
Two site-plan applications for the same 10-acre tract at 4867½ E. Yager Lane, filed Oct. 5 and Oct. 12, have no case numbers yet. What the records show.
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 16, the City of Austin issued 360 house demolition permits, 10% fewer than in 2025. What the records show and what must happen before a house comes down.
Since Oct. 1, Austin providers with 50+ dwellings must give renters a written, itemized fee list before they apply. What the ordinance says and how to read it.
227,024 Travis County workers worked from home in 2020-24, 30.2% of the total. How that, and commute length, varies across five Austin-area counties.
Lenders closed 12,672 home-purchase loans in Travis County in 2025, down from 24,205 in 2020. One in five was FHA or VA. What the filings say about financing a purchase.
Five taxing units set 2026 rates for an Austin address: $2.121 per $100 combined, up 3.6%. What each line did, and why a median county bill still fell.
Austin issued 825 residential foundation repair permits from Jan. 1 to Oct. 9, 2026, against 557 a year earlier. Where they cluster and what to ask a seller.
A 2023 site plan at 12201 Heatherly Dr. sought a one-year extension on Sept. 29, and its 30 building permits list an Oct. 16 expiry. How to read both.
The City of Austin issued 909 house addition and alteration permits from Jan. 1 to Sept. 27, 2026, down from 972 in 2023. What the records show, and what to ask.
Census data puts the typical Travis County tract at $1,769 a month in gross rent for 2020-2024, up from $1,319 five years earlier. What that figure counts.
CapMetro's new weekday Red Line schedule drops two morning trains and moves the last northbound train to 7:42 p.m. What it means if you live on the line.
Across 155 MUDs in Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, the 2025 district tax ran from $0.0531 to $1.05 per $100. Here is what to read before you sign.
Freddie Mac's 30-year rate hit 7.28% on Oct. 1, the highest since Nov. 2023. Austin prices are flat, so the whole squeeze lands on the monthly payment.
Sixty of 729 Hyde Park parcels touch FEMA's high-risk zone. The city's drainage fix for the area costs over $100 million and is not in the Nov. 3 bond.
A 7-acre rezoning at Tillery and Govalle is one of four requests under Austin's new density bonus. What the ordinance requires and what protects neighbors.
The City of Austin issued 1,205 new single-family house permits from Aug. 3 to Sept. 27. Where they landed, how 2026 compares, and what a permit does not tell you.