Austin's Texas-Size Luxury Housing Boom

[roomtempmayo]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/austins-texas-size-luxury-housing-boom-11638377574

Peak 2021: Move to Austin because the cost of living is so low, then buy a ginormous house for a couple million.  Give the WSJ a tour.

Here's one in a long line of late-30s/early-40s guys with vague titles that probably didn't exist five years ago burning money in the article:

The Nolans, who sold their Brooklyn brownstone for $5.9 million in July, public records show, said that the lifestyle upgrade—and the absence of a state income tax—were worth the cost.  “In Austin, you’re not really saving much moving to where we moved, but the cost of life is 40% less than New York City,” said Mr. Nolan.

Downright thrifty.

[roomtempmayo]

Oops, this was supposed to be in the anti-mustaschian section.  If someone sees this and is able to move it, please do.

[314159]

Funny! Thanks for sharing.

[FrugalToque]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/austins-texas-size-luxury-housing-boom-11638377574

Peak 2021: Move to Austin because the cost of living is so low, then buy a ginormous house for a couple million.  Give the WSJ a tour.

Having drawn my attention with the Move Topic request, I now feel compelled to comment.

Once upon a time, having been forced to watch Magic Mike, I was astounded by the guy's financial disasters.  He had his eye on the ball (his money), but on the stupid ball.  He bought a giant 4x4, but was keeping all the plastic peel-off covers on the dashboard so it could keep its resale value. 

Like, what?!  You don't buy a goddamn 4x4 as an investment, you idiot!  You're an exotic dancer, not a construction worker.

Anyway, that's my bit here.

Toque.

[Morning Glory]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/austins-texas-size-luxury-housing-boom-11638377574

Peak 2021: Move to Austin because the cost of living is so low, then buy a ginormous house for a couple million.  Give the WSJ a tour.

Having drawn my attention with the Move Topic request, I now feel compelled to comment.

Once upon a time, having been forced to watch Magic Mike, I was astounded by the guy's financial disasters.  He had his eye on the ball (his money), but on the stupid ball.  He bought a giant 4x4, but was keeping all the plastic peel-off covers on the dashboard so it could keep its resale value. 

Like, what?!  You don't buy a goddamn 4x4 as an investment, you idiot!  You're an exotic dancer, not a construction worker.

Anyway, that's my bit here.

Toque.

It's a cultural thing: I haven't actually seen magic Mike, but I have seen this behavior. Guessing he was supposed to be from a poor white USA background??? When you are poor simply having something that was brand new when you got it is a status symbol.  My mil always kept the stickers on her TV and tags on her recliner,  long after they were obviously not new qny more. Drove me nuts.

[FrugalToque]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/austins-texas-size-luxury-housing-boom-11638377574

Peak 2021: Move to Austin because the cost of living is so low, then buy a ginormous house for a couple million.  Give the WSJ a tour.

Having drawn my attention with the Move Topic request, I now feel compelled to comment.

Once upon a time, having been forced to watch Magic Mike, I was astounded by the guy's financial disasters.  He had his eye on the ball (his money), but on the stupid ball.  He bought a giant 4x4, but was keeping all the plastic peel-off covers on the dashboard so it could keep its resale value. 

Like, what?!  You don't buy a goddamn 4x4 as an investment, you idiot!  You're an exotic dancer, not a construction worker.

Anyway, that's my bit here.

Toque.

It's a cultural thing: I haven't actually seen magic Mike, but I have seen this behavior. Guessing he was supposed to be from a poor white USA background??? When you are poor simply having something that was brand new when you got it is a status symbol.  My mil always kept the stickers on her TV and tags on her recliner,  long after they were obviously not new qny more. Drove me nuts.

By all means, do not go see Magic Mike.  As much as I've always wanted to crotch-thrust a crowd of screaming women to the sound of a machine gun (?), it's not a good movie

That aside, I'm not sure.  He had a fancy truck and a nice beach side house.  He wanted to start a business making cool art pieces from stuff that floated up on the beach, but he could never qualify for a loan from the bank.  Why did he need a loan?  He already had the beach side house and some equipment.  He could just make stuff and sell it, or sell his 4x4 to get better equipment if that was the problem, then make stuff and sell it.  He could even keep doing his stripper thing to keep things afloat while his business built up.

Yes, I'm a big fan of peeling the packing material off stuff.  That's right, it might get scratched now.  That's because I'm a human, and I'm using it.

Toque.

[Just Joe]

My mil always kept the stickers on her TV and tags on her recliner,  long after they were obviously not new any more. Drove me nuts.

Was your MIL Minnie Pearl? ;)

[Morning Glory]

My mil always kept the stickers on her TV and tags on her recliner,  long after they were obviously not new any more. Drove me nuts.

Was your MIL Minnie Pearl? ;)

lol I had to look up who Minnie Pearl was, but there were some similarities there.

[Spiffy]

My mil always kept the stickers on her TV and tags on her recliner,  long after they were obviously not new any more. Drove me nuts.

Was your MIL Minnie Pearl? ;)

Probably nobody cares, but the price tag on her hat started because she bought a new hat for a performance and forgot to remove the tag. Then it became part of her schtick. She was actually from a well to do family.

[talltexan]

Wait, so this thread started on the subject of Texas, but very quickly shifted to a movie whose star is openly flirting with a run for Governor of Texas?

[roomtempmayo]

By all means, do not go see Magic Mike.  As much as I've always wanted to crotch-thrust a crowd of screaming women to the sound of a machine gun (?), it's not a good movie

I'm imagining the Canadian equivalent, Magic Toque.  Clad in a red voyageur toque on top and a large maple leaf on the bottom, he thrusts to a dance remix of Celine Dion.

Remember, successful retirements have goals.

[mrsnamemustache]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/austins-texas-size-luxury-housing-boom-11638377574

Peak 2021: Move to Austin because the cost of living is so low, then buy a ginormous house for a couple million.  Give the WSJ a tour.

Having drawn my attention with the Move Topic request, I now feel compelled to comment.

Once upon a time, having been forced to watch Magic Mike, I was astounded by the guy's financial disasters.  He had his eye on the ball (his money), but on the stupid ball.  He bought a giant 4x4, but was keeping all the plastic peel-off covers on the dashboard so it could keep its resale value. 

Like, what?!  You don't buy a goddamn 4x4 as an investment, you idiot!  You're an exotic dancer, not a construction worker.

Anyway, that's my bit here.

Toque.

It's a cultural thing: I haven't actually seen magic Mike, but I have seen this behavior. Guessing he was supposed to be from a poor white USA background??? When you are poor simply having something that was brand new when you got it is a status symbol.  My mil always kept the stickers on her TV and tags on her recliner,  long after they were obviously not new qny more. Drove me nuts.

By all means, do not go see Magic Mike.  As much as I've always wanted to crotch-thrust a crowd of screaming women to the sound of a machine gun (?), it's not a good movie

That aside, I'm not sure.  He had a fancy truck and a nice beach side house.  He wanted to start a business making cool art pieces from stuff that floated up on the beach, but he could never qualify for a loan from the bank.  Why did he need a loan?  He already had the beach side house and some equipment.  He could just make stuff and sell it, or sell his 4x4 to get better equipment if that was the problem, then make stuff and sell it.  He could even keep doing his stripper thing to keep things afloat while his business built up.

Yes, I'm a big fan of peeling the packing material off stuff.  That's right, it might get scratched now.  That's because I'm a human, and I'm using it.

Toque.

Actually, Magic Mike is a quite good movie. I thought so, at least, and the critics were fairly positive too from what I recall. I think it is easy to assume it will not be good given the topic. (Let’s see how far off topic we can take this)

[Morning Glory]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/austins-texas-size-luxury-housing-boom-11638377574

Peak 2021: Move to Austin because the cost of living is so low, then buy a ginormous house for a couple million.  Give the WSJ a tour.

Having drawn my attention with the Move Topic request, I now feel compelled to comment.

Once upon a time, having been forced to watch Magic Mike, I was astounded by the guy's financial disasters.  He had his eye on the ball (his money), but on the stupid ball.  He bought a giant 4x4, but was keeping all the plastic peel-off covers on the dashboard so it could keep its resale value. 

Like, what?!  You don't buy a goddamn 4x4 as an investment, you idiot!  You're an exotic dancer, not a construction worker.

Anyway, that's my bit here.

Toque.

It's a cultural thing: I haven't actually seen magic Mike, but I have seen this behavior. Guessing he was supposed to be from a poor white USA background??? When you are poor simply having something that was brand new when you got it is a status symbol.  My mil always kept the stickers on her TV and tags on her recliner,  long after they were obviously not new qny more. Drove me nuts.

By all means, do not go see Magic Mike.  As much as I've always wanted to crotch-thrust a crowd of screaming women to the sound of a machine gun (?), it's not a good movie

That aside, I'm not sure.  He had a fancy truck and a nice beach side house.  He wanted to start a business making cool art pieces from stuff that floated up on the beach, but he could never qualify for a loan from the bank.  Why did he need a loan?  He already had the beach side house and some equipment.  He could just make stuff and sell it, or sell his 4x4 to get better equipment if that was the problem, then make stuff and sell it.  He could even keep doing his stripper thing to keep things afloat while his business built up.

Yes, I'm a big fan of peeling the packing material off stuff.  That's right, it might get scratched now.  That's because I'm a human, and I'm using it.

Toque.

Actually, Magic Mike is a quite good movie. I thought so, at least, and the critics were fairly positive too from what I recall. I think it is easy to assume it will not be good given the topic. (Let’s see how far off topic we can take this)

So did he have the beach house before or after he was a stripper? What was his previous career? I'm just picturing the episode of Shameless where Kevin dances at the gay club. Maybe I should just watch the movie.

I've never been to Texas or Afghanistan but I picture them just the same in my mind.

[FrugalToque]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/austins-texas-size-luxury-housing-boom-11638377574

Peak 2021: Move to Austin because the cost of living is so low, then buy a ginormous house for a couple million.  Give the WSJ a tour.

Having drawn my attention with the Move Topic request, I now feel compelled to comment.

Once upon a time, having been forced to watch Magic Mike, I was astounded by the guy's financial disasters.  He had his eye on the ball (his money), but on the stupid ball.  He bought a giant 4x4, but was keeping all the plastic peel-off covers on the dashboard so it could keep its resale value. 

Like, what?!  You don't buy a goddamn 4x4 as an investment, you idiot!  You're an exotic dancer, not a construction worker.

Anyway, that's my bit here.

Toque.

It's a cultural thing: I haven't actually seen magic Mike, but I have seen this behavior. Guessing he was supposed to be from a poor white USA background??? When you are poor simply having something that was brand new when you got it is a status symbol.  My mil always kept the stickers on her TV and tags on her recliner,  long after they were obviously not new qny more. Drove me nuts.

By all means, do not go see Magic Mike.  As much as I've always wanted to crotch-thrust a crowd of screaming women to the sound of a machine gun (?), it's not a good movie

That aside, I'm not sure.  He had a fancy truck and a nice beach side house.  He wanted to start a business making cool art pieces from stuff that floated up on the beach, but he could never qualify for a loan from the bank.  Why did he need a loan?  He already had the beach side house and some equipment.  He could just make stuff and sell it, or sell his 4x4 to get better equipment if that was the problem, then make stuff and sell it.  He could even keep doing his stripper thing to keep things afloat while his business built up.

Yes, I'm a big fan of peeling the packing material off stuff.  That's right, it might get scratched now.  That's because I'm a human, and I'm using it.

Toque.

Actually, Magic Mike is a quite good movie. I thought so, at least, and the critics were fairly positive too from what I recall. I think it is easy to assume it will not be good given the topic. (Let’s see how far off topic we can take this)

So did he have the beach house before or after he was a stripper? What was his previous career? I'm just picturing the episode of Shameless where Kevin dances at the gay club. Maybe I should just watch the movie.

I've never been to Texas or Afghanistan but I picture them just the same in my mind.

It's been a while since I watched it, so I can't be sure, but he was definitely living in the beach house - maybe renting it - with the intention of collecting junk off the beach to make his art.  But he needed a bank loan to - I don't know? - walk along the beach and collect it?  "Start a business"?

I mean McConaughey was solid, no question, and it had a lot of hilarious dick jokes and what not.  The story just didn't make sense.

Toque.

[zolotiyeruki]

Back on topic....I can only see the headline, main photo, and the first paragraph of the article.  Is the home in the picture their "ginormous house"?  I ask, because I live in a big house with my family, but I wouldn't call it "ginormous," yet it appears to be of a similar size.  Or did I just expose myself and need to hand in my mustachian card?

[nessness]

Back on topic....I can only see the headline, main photo, and the first paragraph of the article.  Is the home in the picture their "ginormous house"?  I ask, because I live in a big house with my family, but I wouldn't call it "ginormous," yet it appears to be of a similar size.  Or did I just expose myself and need to hand in my mustachian card?

Their house is bigger than it looks in the first picture - 5200 square feet.

FYI, I can often access WSJ articles if I Google the headline, even when I can't from a direct link.

ETA: The other family featured in the article had a 7000 sf home! 😯

[talltexan]

We're friends with a family who built an 8,400 square foot house. It's striking to contemplate that their old 6,400 square foot house--which felt very comfortable--is closer in size to that one than it is to our opulent 3,600 square feet.

[BicycleB]

Curiosity drew me to this thread.

Selling my Austin home suddenly feels very contrarian. Then again, mansions are not in my budget. My only luxury is time (and friends). :)

[Chris Pascale]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/austins-texas-size-luxury-housing-boom-11638377574

Peak 2021: Move to Austin because the cost of living is so low, then buy a ginormous house for a couple million.  Give the WSJ a tour.

Having drawn my attention with the Move Topic request, I now feel compelled to comment.

Once upon a time, having been forced to watch Magic Mike, I was astounded by the guy's financial disasters.  He had his eye on the ball (his money), but on the stupid ball.  He bought a giant 4x4, but was keeping all the plastic peel-off covers on the dashboard so it could keep its resale value. 

Like, what?!  You don't buy a goddamn 4x4 as an investment, you idiot!  You're an exotic dancer, not a construction worker.

Anyway, that's my bit here.

Toque.

I haven't actually seen magic Mike...............

Louis CK has not seen the end of Magic Mike - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHEr8-LtfUo