Gothic Austin home sells after catching the eyes of onlookers during the Modern Home Tour

Victorian is the new black

Photo by Leonid Furmansky

Not even a month after the Modern Home Tour, a home listed on the tour has sold. The all-black Victorian house has sold, according to John Gioffre, the owner.

Gioffre posted on his Instagram saying, "I am thrilled to announce that we have officially accepted an all-cash offer on the Modern Victorian. It is officially after 5 pm on the last day of our option period and the earnest money has gone hard!! This has been such an incredible journey in my career. One that I will truly remember for life."

The listings on both Zillow and Trulia have the home listed for $3.7 million. It is four beds and three baths. The two-story home comes with a pool, and is equipped with Google fiber, smart lighting, smart switches throughout, and home audio/video that can be operated by a smartphone.

This home, along with other unique homes on the Modern Home Tour, is located on Lake Travis and in the Hill Country. If you didn't get a chance to attend the tour, you can see the homes listed on the Modern Architecture + Design Society's website.

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

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Austin rent prices drop for first time since start of pandemic, report shows

Room for rent

Austin renters could soon see relief in monthly rates, according to a recent study by Apartment List, a research firm that studies rent prices across the U.S.

Overall, rent in Austin is still up about 24.7 percent since the start of the pandemic. But, in November, prices went down by about 1.2 percent, compared to a 1 percent decrease nationally. That's the first sign of a decrease since the start of the pandemic, according to Rob Warnock, a senior research associate for Apartment List.

Warnock said the decrease may be because of a broader macro-policy that the Federal Reserve has been implementing — and he said the market could cool off more.

"This isn't a storyline we've been able to say since 2020, which was really when there were plenty of other concerns on people's minds. So we're finally seeing some relief," Warnock said. "We expect it's probably going to continue to cool here as we're in the winter season. Fewer people move. There's typically less demand in the housing market right now."

Apartment List also recently provided rent data to the federal government to help adjust the fair market rent medians used to calculate things like Section 8 housing voucher amounts. Because of that work, Austinites on Section 8 could see an increase of around $150 added to the value of their vouchers for a one-bedroom apartment in 2023.

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

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Space-inspired screenings invade Austin Film Society ahead of Wes Anderson's upcoming release

Asteroid City

Yes, Wes Anderson was born in Houston, but we like to claim the UT graduate as our own here in Austin. With his latest film Asteroid City set for release in just a matter of weeks, the anticipation is high. Thankfully, Austin Film Society (AFS) is helping locals get ready.

On June 9 and 10, AFS will screen a series of three films the Texas director cites as influences on his new project. The series is free and will culminate with a special sneak preview of Asteroid City on June 10 at AFS Cinema.

Set in a fictional American desert town circa 1955, the film follows the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention. Organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition, the convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

In true Wes Anderson form, the large ensemble cast features both previous collaborators (Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Adrien Brody, among others) and newcomers in the Anderson universe such as Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Maya Hawke, and more. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to rave reviews.

The trio of AFS screenings leading up to the sneak peek will include On The Waterfront, directed by Elia Kazan, on Friday, June 9, at 5 pm, followed by Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind at 9 pm. The series continues on Saturday, June 10, with John Huston's The Misfits at 5 pm before the Asteroid City preview screening at 8:30 pm.

A new book about the mid-century cinematic influences on Asteroid City will also be available for purchase throughout the weekend series. Edited by Jake Perlin and published by Pushkin Press, Do Not Detonate Without Presidential Approval focuses features essays, photography, and a new conversation between Perlin and Wes Anderson.

This series of films is free, and tickets will be available to the public on Tuesday, May 30. To reserve tickets to these events, click here or visit austinfilm.org.

Lil Yachty, Jenny Lewis, and more join summer schedule for ACL tapings

Summer Sounds

Summer at Austin City Limits isn't just about the festival. The music is flowing in at the Moody Theater, where four diverse new acts will be taped for the world's ongoing enjoyment, even if Austin is too far to visit.

The taping schedule for Season 49 already includes Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Tanya Tucker, and Jorge Drexler, but more is coming. The more recent announcement brings in rapper Lil Yachty, singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis, jazz duo Domi and J.D. Beck (stylized DOMi & JD Beck), and Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. The latter duo will be accompanied by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, to mark the guitarists' first appearance in a decade.

Lil Yachty beckons to the mainstream youth of 2023, having built a career on recognizable red braids and an absurdist sense of humor in his melodic flows. Still only 25, he is gaining acclaim through his creative approach. Domi and J.D. Beck take an equally, if not even more wacky approach, combining their jazz sensibility with high-profile artist features like Snoop Dogg and Mac DeMarco.

Jenny Lewis and Rodrigo y Gabriela are the more long-established acts — Lewis, a former child actor, known for her honest lyrics and campy style, and the guitar duo known for blending disparate styles like nuevo flamenco and heavy metal. Their appearance with the Austin Symphony will expand the instrumentation of their latest release, In Between Thoughts…A New World.

Austinites can see the live performances if they win passes through KLRU, the PBS station that airs Austin City Limits. Tapings will later be available on KLRU and YouTube.

June 28 — Lil Yachty
July 7 — Rodrigo y Gabriela
July 8 — DOMi & JD Beck
July 26 — Jenny Lewis

City of Austin offers bonuses to meet lifeguard staffing shortage

Just keep swimming

It's that time of the year again! Pools are getting busier on the weekends, and that means the demand for lifeguards is on the rise. Right now, the City of Austin is offering pay bonuses to help fill its shortage.

The City currently operates 45 public aquatic facilities, including Barton Springs Pool and Deep Eddy Pool, as well as 22 neighborhood pools and 11 splash pads.

In an effort to fill over 500 lifeguard positions at pools and summer camps, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department has changed its bonus structure. The new structure is tied to the number of hours worked.

To receive the bonuses, an employee must earn a minimum of $20 an hour work between May 21 and August 12 to be eligible for any bonus payouts. For example, lifeguards will receive a $250 bonus for 200 hours of work, and 300 and 400 hours of work will add another $250 bonus.

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

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