Hot Headlines

Red-hot Austin real estate market heats up the week's most popular stories

Editor's note: Real estate trends dominate this round of top stories in Austin. Read on for more of the week's most popular headlines.

1. Local suburb deemed one of America's 20 best small cities. Texas cities always do well on surveys of the best places to live, and a new report places one Austin-area suburb in its top 20. WalletHub recently released its 2016 list of the best small cities in America, and Cedar Park ranks No. 16.

2. Austin declared the No. 1 real estate market to invest in. The hottest real estate market to invest in 2017? It's Austin, of course. That's according to the annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate report, which includes interviews and surveys from leading real estate experts to determine the top markets to watch.

3. The five most expensive Austin neighborhoods to rent right now. After a surprising rent decrease this summer, Austin rents are on the rise, albeit minimally. The latest quarterly report from rental website Zumper shows that the median one-bedroom rent across the city is now $1,120, up $10 from June 2016. While that may seem insignificant, the increase is affecting some areas greater than others.

4. The ultimate guide to Austin's brand-new Sound on Sound music festival. The inaugural Sound on Sound Fest takes over Sherwood Forest Faire November 4-6 with big-name acts like Beach House, Explosions in the Sky, and Phantogram. To help you navigate the festival we've created a quick and dirty guide that covers everything from transportation to entertainment.

5. Favorite online shop selects trendy Austin district for first store ever. After popping up in Austin for a limited time in the spring, online boutique ModCloth is planting roots in the Capital City. The lifestyle brand, known for its vintage-inspired women's clothing, will open its first permanent storefront on November 12 in the 2nd Street District.

After a surprising rent decrease this summer, rents are on the rise.

South Shore District Austin apartment rent patio downtown skyline Riverside

South Shore District/Facebook

After a surprising rent decrease this summer, rents are on the rise.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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