Austin’s a bargain . . . for now . . .

by Zack O’Malley Greenburg Thursday, May 14, 2009provided by FORBES. com

Try these places if you want to get the most for your money

Nearly a decade ago, after making a donation to a volunteer-run radio station in Austin Texas,local librarian Red Wassenich was asked why he chose to support a broadcaster with a penchant for playing strange crooner music. “Because it keeps Austin weird,” he said. “Austin has always been really different from the rest of Texas,” says Wassenich, 59. He’s talking about the city’s weirdness, but he might as well be talking about its affordability and profusion of job opportunities. Four other Texas cities make the list of America’s Best Bargain Cities, but none come close to Austin, whose 5.5% unemployment is the best in the country and about half the national average. Behind the Numbers : To determine which U.S. cities are the best bargains, Forbes looked at the country’s 50 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions–geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget used by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics.

We assigned points to metro regions across four data sets: Average salary for workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher, from PayScale.com; annual unemployment statistics, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; cost of living, from Moody’s Economy.com; and the Housing Opportunity Index, from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo, which measures the amount of homes sold in a given area that would be affordable to a family earning the local median income based on standard mortgage underwriting criteria.

Austin earned high marks across the board.

“They have the triple-whammy of being a university town, a state capital and a technology center,” says Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis at PayScale.com, a salary data aggregator based in Seattle. “It makes for a very robust economy and a great place for people to work.”

Lone Star Constellation :

While the capital of Texas graced the top of our list, the rest of the state’s large cities performed admirably too. All five of Texas’ biggest burgs– Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Ft. Worth –were among the top 10 best bargains. Not a single city in Texas ended up on our list of most overpriced places. Part of the reason is that Texas offers some of the best incentives for entrepreneurs looking to start or move a business, according to Eduardo Martinez, a senior economist at Moody’s Economy.com. Like Phoenix, Texan metros “have picked up a lot of California companies that have left because of high operating costs,” he says. Still, the state’s future is far cloudier than its big blue skies. Martinez warns that Texas is vulnerable because of its exposure to America’s foundering auto industry via manufacturing. The Lone Star State may also be aversely affected by the expected decrease in defense spending as contracts won in the Bush years begin to expire. Back in Austin, though, residents are facing a different sort of challenge: To keep the city weird–and to themselves.

Current & Recent Listings

1402 Gorham

Recent construction in the Enclave at Gracywoods. Shopping and restaurants nearby at the Domain. Biking and hiking trails at Walnut Creek Park within walking distance.Date: Nov 21, 2011Number of Photos in Album: 29View Album

Pedernales Lofts 2401 E. 6th # 4066

Corner unit 1 bedroom loft overlooking downtown Austin. High ceilings, walls of windows, covered parking, communal garden and walking distance to commuter rail stop.Location: 2401 E. 6th St. # 4066 Austin, TX 78702Date: Jul 26, 2011Number of Photos in Album: 26View Album

5306 Halwill

Charming mid century modern home in Windsor Park. 3 beds, 2 baths, spacious kitchen and sunroom. Spacious backyard with detached garage and woodshop. Only 2 blocks to the shops at Mueller, restaurants and Bartholomew Park.Date: Jul 21, 2011Number of Photos in Album: 28View Album

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After 30 years of marriage, Sharon and Michael Newman decided it was finally time to move from the Catskills to New York City.

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