Living the Good Life

Austin young professionals clamor for these homes in trendy neighborhood

Austin’s Riverside area has been labeled “up and coming” for a while, but we have news: Riverside already has arrived.

The bustling entertainment district — just a stone’s throw from downtown Austin and Lady Bird Lake — is now a go-to spot for trendy eateries and hip music venues, like Austin mainstay Emo’s and the brand-new Grizzly Hall. It’s also the place where everyone, especially young professionals, is clamoring to live now, with thoughtful housing developments popping up on large lots and offering first-class amenities.

MileStone Community Builders is constructing The Eastwood at Riverside, a collection of modern homes starting in the low $300,000s. Phase 1 began in 2014, and it’s become one of Milestone’s best-selling communities, with more than 100 homes already closed. Phase 3 just opened for sales in mid-July, so the race is on to secure the perfect home before they’re all gone.

Timeless design is paired with tech-savvy and eco-friendly elements — pretty much the ideal combination. Keyless entry, digital programmable thermostats, radiant barrier reflective decking, and insulated double-pane windows are a few of the assets, making for a smart home that reflects today’s smart buyer.

Options range from the three-bedroom, two-bathroom Seaholm, which is cozy at 1,272 square feet, to the more than 2,100-square-foot Benson, which features four bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. No matter the floorplan you select, an array of high-end finishes and designer touches are yours for the choosing.

“The No. 1 reason people are buying at Eastwood at Riverside is that it’s a great value — you definitely get more for your money,” says MileStone’s James Carreon. “Private yards and modern yet comfortable homes, all for a reasonable price close to downtown.”

Jumping into the Austin property game might seem intimidating, but MileStone proves there are still homes out there at affordable price points — and in desirable areas like Riverside. Just imagine what’s at your fingertips (downtown, Rainey Street, and the hike-and-bike trail), and what’s waiting for you back at home.

---

Learn more about available homes in The Eastwood at Riverside here.

Welcome to your new Eastwood at Riverside home.

Photo courtesy of MileStone Community Builders

Welcome to your new Eastwood at Riverside home.

home-for-sale promoted

Rental Rumblings

Cramped? Austin renters feel the squeeze in more ways than one.

Algarita Apartments/Facebook

Austin renters have less space than they did in 2009.

Feeling cramped? There's a reason. In a recent study, real estate website Trulia found that renters — especially those with children — have less space than they did several years ago.

Trulia looked at U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 American Community Survey data to determine the number of needed bedrooms based on children and married couples in the family. Married couples together only need one bedroom, while non-married adults as well as children were assumed to each need one bedroom. Households with fewer bedrooms than non-married adults or children are considered to suffer the “space crunch.”

In the nation’s biggest metro areas, 14.7 percent of households had fewer bedrooms than family members, an increase of half-a-percentage point since 2009. The study showed that renters with kids are especially cramped, and the larger and pricier the metro, the more likely renters are tight on space. Trulia found that just 8.1 percent of nationwide homeowners are tight on space, versus 26.4 percent of households who rent.

Contrary to the national trend, a few major Texas metros, including Houston and Dallas, posted a bigger drop among space-crunched renters compared to homeowners. Austin, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, on the other hand, are consistent with the national trend, where more renting households are sharing bedrooms than they did in 2009.

In the Austin-Round Rock metro area, 13.2 percent of residents face the space crunch. The bunk-bed wave hit just 7.3 percent of Austin homeowners in 2014, down .6 percentage points over a five-year period. In comparison, 22.8 percent of renting households have fewer bedrooms than they need, up 2.4 percentage points since 2009 — the highest increase in Texas by far.

While space is seemingly getting worse for renters in Austin, as well as Fort Worth and San Antonio, the share of cramped renters in Houston and Dallas has dropped more significantly between 2009 and 2014 than the share of cramped homeowners. Still, 28.8 percent of Houston-area renters are bunking up. In Dallas, the figure is over 27 percent.

reports