Navigating Downtown Austin

Central Library

Last week I spent a bit of time downtown for work and play. For work, I showed some condos in the Posada Del Rey condominium community at 505 W 7th Street. If you haven’t heard of this community, that is partially due to its small size and has units available for lease more frequently than for purchase. While searching for parking, I circumnavigated the old Extended Stay Hotel, which will be the home of the new 6 X Guadalupe tower at 400 W 6th Street. This will be a mixed-use tower comprised of office spaces, 349 residences and ground floor retail. After driving around in a circle for a bit, realizing my parking karma wasn’t with me that day – I settled on a parking garage.

I didn’t feel so defeated the day I visited the Austin Central Library. If you haven’t already gone – I highly recommend it. There is something for everyone even beyond the books. You can find coffee, have lunch, play board games, utilize a meeting room or relax in the 6th floor garden area and take in the views. Garage parking is a little pricey. I elected to use street parking, since my parking karma was on point. Austin street parking rates have also increased recently, so drivers beware.

Do you know what else has increased? Austin’s median home price which reached an all-time high for any September on record. The Austin Board of Realtors reports the median price of a single-family home in the city of Austin rose 11.9% in September to $406,000.