Buy and Hold in Austin?

[Brandi T.]

We're ready to try and find our first buy/hold property in the Austin area.  Any thoughts on up and coming areas in Austin?  

[Dan Burstain]

I love BP and it is made up of everyone giving their 2 cents. The one problem with that is that many people have different investment strategies that they live by. People say don't invest in Austin as the cash flow is not there. I love Austin and have bought 5 BRRR's in the last two years for myself as well as countless others for clients. For investors who focus on cash flow I say Cleveland, Ohio isn't bad. Want to stay in Texas, then yes, go way outside of Austin but just like Ohio, those are cash flow places and not really ROI places. The play in Austin is to ride its 40 years of constant appreciation. It is the safest place to put your money with its huge government and university job base that keeps us last in and first out of any economic downturn. So just understand when you are reading all this advice, each market has its ups and downs and one person's strategy may not fit the other. I believe Austin is one of the best places to invest in the country and I put my money where my words are. But that being said, I don't invest to solely maximize cash flow. I am into return on investment, forgoing some positive cash flow for the appreciation piece that in many areas is icing on the cake, but in Austin, the way the economy is set up here, has shown 40 years of consistent appreciation and I don't see that changing. Good luck to all and thanks for making BP what it is.