Moving From California to Austin? Let's Make It the Easy Part.

The right fit is an agent who makes this move regularly, knows Austin's luxury market (Westlake, West Austin, and Lake Austin) firsthand, and will shoot you straight from a distance. I have built my career in Westlake, Tarrytown, and on the Lake Austin waterfront. I represent the buyer, I do my own showings, and I will tell you when a home is not worth the money.

Yes. Texas does not tax personal income, which is one of the biggest reasons California families look here. It changes the math on a job offer, a business sale, or a retirement plan. Confirm your own situation with a tax advisor; I handle the housing side.

For Bay Area families, Westlake usually comes up first because of the schools in Eanes ISD. I know Westlake block by block and compare it honestly against nearby options like Tarrytown, Barton Creek, and the Lake Austin corridor, so you are confident before you commit.

Generally, yes. Texas relies on property tax where it skips income tax, so the annual property tax on an Austin home usually runs higher than what California buyers are used to under Prop 13. On any specific home, I walk you through the real annual number rather than an estimate. The full breakdown is in the tax math article.

Yes. Once an Austin home is your primary residence, you can file for a homestead exemption that meaningfully reduces the taxable value, and Texas limits how much a homestead's assessed value can rise each year. I point you to the current rules and deadlines at purchase.

For many buyers, proceeds from a California sale go a long way in Austin: more house, more land, or a much smaller mortgage. How far depends on the neighborhood and the year, so I show honest comparables before you commit to a home.

Yes, and most of my California clients do exactly that. With honest video tours, trusted local inspectors and lenders, remote and digital signing, and one person coordinating every hand-off, buying from a distance is routine when it is handled right.

Earlier than most people expect, usually three to six months out, even while you are still deciding whether to move. Starting early lets me watch the right neighborhoods, line up financing, work backward from the school calendar, and move fast when the right home appears. A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.