North and east Austin Texas

[Patrick Mora]

Hey BP members, I live in Austin Texas and I'm looking for my first multi family house hack. I know the market is hot right now, but I see north and east Austin are really starting to expand into the rural areas. Does anyone know what a trend/time table of those areas being built and will it eventually be a good location for rental properties?

[David Ivy]

@Patrick Mora

You're right about Austin expanding to the east and northeast. In 2016, Austin added 159 people per day on average (source). If Austin's population grows at 2.9% per year, the population would be around the 3 million mark by 2030, which is only 13 years away. So, over the long term, it's fairly certain that the undeveloped or more "rural" areas of outer Austin (or its ETJ) that you're exploring will be fully developed. However, I don't think anyone can give you a specific timeline for that with enough confidence to significantly impact your present-day investment decisions. There are just too many factors affecting that, including local and state politics. For example, both the City of Austin and many of its residents are very hostile to urban "sprawl." They have actively worked to fight it in the past and will almost certainly continue to do so. This is a big issue for CodeNEXT.