Austin Market / Suggestions on Primary Residence in Austin

[Christopher Thompson]

I'm a newer real estate investor. Bought a nightly rental in Park City, UT back in 2012 and sold it at what I deem as the top of the market in September 2016. I'm now in the process of purchasing around 5-6 SFR investments in Birmingham, Memphis and maybe St. Louis. Starting with two right now and purchasing more in the next couple months.

With that said, my wife and I are moving to Austin, TX in April (or sooner) and we'd also like to buy a primary residence there - I'm really only looking at it for an appreciation gain, but not counting on too much. 

Market

• Could someone give me a sense of the current market in Austin?  Is it hot and getting hotter?  Stabilizing? Cooling Down slightly? 

Areas to Look

• In terms of general areas we're looking at, I don't know a ton about Austin, but I'd like to be relatively closer to restaurants, parks, any hiking trails, etc (i.e. walking/biking to them if we can).  It seems like East Austin is a good place to start but if anyone else has some other areas I should check out, that would be great.

Any insight/advice would be amazing.  thanks a ton

[Mark Seale]

In terms of hot areas, the Burnet Corridor, which encompasses neighborhoods: Allandale, Rosedale, Brentwood, Crestview is incredibly hot.  There are many different options in terms of housing as these are older established neighborhoods that still have quite a bit of inventory in terms of older houses but have been under heavy development for the last 5 years or so.  This is also an area that features larger lots (for in the city) that will easily sub-divide and allow for dual development.