Relocating to a new city can be overwhelming. In this
section you will find handy phone numbers and links to
help ease the transition. Need new phone service or
electricity hook-up? Want to find out where to register your
pet or get a new driver license? It’s all here.

Real Estate Market
Unlike almost all markets outside of Texas, home prices
have remained relatively stable in Austin. Austin is doing,
well in maintaining its home values despite the national
housing market crash. A major indicator of a healthy market
is the number of months of inventory (which is simply the
number of listings divided by the number of sales.)
Although Austin has more listings than it has ever had, the
number of sales (even our reduced number of sales)
shows a projected inventory of 6.1 months. That is better
than any major city in Texas and better than any
comparable city in the US. The US inventory is 11.1 months.

While Austin is affected by national mortage and housing
problems, other local and state positive economic factors
will help avoid the worst effects of the bubble markets.

Commercial Real Estate Information
Colliers Oxford Commercial
www.colliersoxford.com / 474.2400

CB Richard Ellis
www.cbre.com/US/TX/Austin / 499.4900

NAI Commercial Industrial Properties
www.naicip.com / 346.5180

Austin Board of Realtors
www.abor.com / 454.7636

Home Builders Association of Greater Austin
www.austinhomebuilders.com / 454.5588

Austin Real Estate Connection
www.austinre.com

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Average Rental Rates
Per square foot: $.91
(2007 Apartment Realty Advisors’ (ARA) TX Multifamily Report. )
1 bedroom: $670 (U. S. Department of Housing & Urban Development 2006)
2 bedroom $900 (U. S. Department of Housing & Urban Development 2006)

Rental Information Resources
For Rent magazine
www.forrent.com / 326.1133

Greater Austin Apartment Guide
www.apartmentguide.com

Austin Apartment Association
www.austinaptassoc.com / 323.0990

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Electric Utility Services,
Austin Energy
www.austinenergy.com / 494.9400
Bluebonnet Electric Co-op
(Cedar Park, parts of Austin)
www.bluebonnetelectric.com / 800.842.7708
Pedernales Electric Co-op
(Cedar Park, parts of Austin & Hays County)
www.pec.coop / 800.554.4732
TXU Electric
www.txu.com / 800.368.1398

Cable Companies
Cox Communications
www.cox.com / 930.3085
AT&T
www.att.com/uverse / 800.288.2020
Dish Network of Texas
www.dishnetwork.com / 888.825.2557
Grande Communications
www.grandecom.com / 220.4600
Time Warner
www.timewarnercable.com / 485.5555
Xcable
www.xcable.com / 250.3474

Garbage Collection
City of Austin Solid Waste
www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws / 494.9400
Browning-Ferris (BFI)
247.5647
Texas Disposal Systems
www.texasdisposal.com / 800.375.8375

Gas
TXU Energy
www.txu.com
1.800.368.1398 residential
1.888.398.8711 business
Southern Union Gas Company
www.southernunionco.com / 800.700.2443

Telephone
Bestline
www.bestline.net / 328.9095
Verizon
www22.verizon.com / 800.483.4000
WesTel
www.westelsystems.com / 480.5500
XO Communication
www.xo.com / 692.1000
AT&T Directory Service
800.792.2665

Water and Wastewater
City of Austin Water & Wastewater Utility
www.ci.austin.tx.us/water
Establish new service: 494.9400

Post Office
USPS call center
www.usps.com / 800.275.8777

 

Drivers & Vehicles
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Obtain or renew your drivers license or find information about
public safety in Texas.
www.txdps.state.tx.us

North Side Station
2121 N. Lamar Blvd. / 424.2076

South Side Station
4719 S. Congress Ave. / 444.5241

Vehicle Registration
Travis County / 854.9473
Bastrop County / 581.7161
Williamson County / 943.1602
Hays County / 393.5545
Caldwell County / 398.1830

Voter Registration
Citizens must be 18 or older and register at least 30 days before
election. Registration is valid for 2 years.

Travis County
P.O. Box 1748, Austin 78767
854.9473
Williamson County
301 S.E. Inter Loop, Ste. 104
Georgetown 78626
943.1630
Hays County
401-C Broadway St., San Marcos 78666
393.7310
Office of the Secretary of State
Texas Voter Registration / 463.5770

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County Goverments Directory
Travis County
www.co.travis.tx.us
County judge: 854-9555
Commissioners:
Precinct 1 — 854-9111
Precinct 2 — 854-9222
Precinct 3 — 854-9333
Precinct 4 — 854-9444

Williamson County
www.wilIiamson-county.org
County judge: 943-1550
Commissioners:
Precinct 1 — 733-5380
Precinct 2 — 260-4280
Precinct 3 — 943-3370
Precinct 4 — 846-1190

Hays County
www.co.hays.tx.us
County judge: (512) 393-2205
Commissioners:
Precinct 1 — 293.2243
Precinct 2 — 262.2091
Precinct 3 — 847.3159
Precinct 4 — 858.7268

Austin City Council
Austin has a council manager government.
One mayor and six council members make
up the City Council. All are elected at-large by city voters.
Members serve staggered three-year terms.
The mayor and council members may serve for a maximum
of six years, or two consecutive terms. Information about the
mayor and council members, including their e-mail addresses,
is available at
www.ci.austin.tx.us/council

Mayor
Office: City Hall, 301 W. Second St.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767. 974-2250.

Council members
Office: City Hall, 301 W. Second St.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX
78767.
Place 1 — 974-2260
Place 2 — 974-2264
Place 3 — 974-2255
Place 4 — 974-2258
Place 5 — 974-2256
Place 6 — 974-2266

City manager
The city manager, appointed by the City Council, implements
policy decisions of the mayor and council and manages the
daily operations. The manager is not subject to term limits
and serves at the will of the council.
Office: City Hail, 301 W. Second St.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767. 974-2200.

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Banks
Texas Credit Union League
www.tcul.coop / 800.442.5762

Directory of FDIC insured institutions
www2.fdic.gov/idasp (search by office)

Legal Services
Lawyer Referral Services of Travis County
www.austinlrs.com / 472.8303

Legal Services Providers In Texas
For alphabetical directory of legal service providers in Texas visit www.texaslawhelp.org

State Bar of Texas
www.texasbar.com/Template.cfm / 800.204.2222
427.1463

Travis County Domestic Relations
www.co.travis.tx.us/dro / 854.9696

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Property Laws
Homestead Exemption Laws
The “residential homestead” refers to the lot or parcel of
land upon which the residence of the family or single adult
is located. Anything which is a part of that land is subject to
the homestead exemption laws of the State of Texas.
Those laws primarily provide for the security of a family’s
home, shelter and earning of a livelihood free from the
claims of all creditors, save and except the holders of
purchase money liens, home equity liens and liens for
improvements, taxes, and federal tax liens. You may apply
for homestead exemptions on your principal residence.
Homestead exemptions remove part of your home’s value
from taxation, so they lower taxes. For example, if your
home is appraised at $150,000, and you qualify for a
$15,000 exemption, you will pay taxes on the home as if it
was worth only $135,000.
For more information, contact the Travis County Tax Office
at 854.9473

Community Property Laws
Texas is a Community Property State. Community property
may be defined as all property acquired by either spouse
during marriage, except that which is the separate property
of either. Separate property may be defined as “all property
owned or claimed by either spouse before marriage and
also that acquired afterward by gift, devise or descent.”
Exactly what constitutes separate property is a question of
fact, as property acquired during marriage is generally
presumed to be community property. Therefore, for the
purpose of insuring title, should one spouse claim
property to be separate in nature, that spouse must be
able to prove it.
More information can be found at:
www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/jsc2.html

Travis County Property Tax Information
www.traviscountytax.org

Williamson County Property Tax Information
www.tax.wilco.org

Hays County Property Tax Information
http://tax.co.hays.tx.us

Local Property Tax Law Info
www.cpa.state.tx.us/taxinfo/proptax/proptax.html

Property Tax Law FAQ
www.cpa.state.tx.us/taxinfo/proptax/ptax.html

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Senior Services & Nursing Homes
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
www.tdhca.state.tx.us / 475.3800

Austin Group for the Elderly
www.ageofaustin.org / 451.4611

Capital Area Planning Council
www.capcog.org/divisions/regional-planning/

Community Care for the Aged and Disabled
www.dads.state.tx.us / 908.9435

Family Elder Care
www.familyeldercare.org / 450.0844

Texas Department of Human Services
800.252.5400 (abuse hotline)
424.6500

Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center
478.7695

Elder Haven Adult Day Care
www.ageofaustin.org / 451.4611

Senior Activity Center
474.5921

South Austin Senior Activity Center
448.0787

Foster Grandparents Program
374.6098

Area Agency on Aging of the Capital Area
www.aaacap.org / 888.622.9111

 

Newspapers
Check your local newspapers and magazines for stories and
events. Several dailies and periodicals are focused on particular
cultural interests such as the Spanish-speaking population.

Austin American-Statesman
www.statesman.com / 445.3500

¡Ahora Sí!
(Spanish Newspaper)
www.ahorasi.net

Austin Business Journal
http://austin.bizjournals.com / 494.2500

Austin Chronicle
www.austinchronicle.com / 454.5766

Applause
www.uterwincenter.com/applause/index.html 471.7744

Arriba Art & Business News
479.6397

Austin Community Newspaper
327.9594

Daily Texan
(UT student paper)
www.dailytexanonline.com / 471.4591

El Norte
(Spanish Newspaper)
448.1023

Greensheet
www.thegreensheet.com / 421.4500

Hill Country News
www.hillcountrynews.com / 259.4449

La Prensa Newspaper
(Spanish Newspaper)
www.austinlaprensa.com / 478.3090

Nokoa (African-American)
499.8719

Pflugerville Pflag
251.5574
Round Rock Leader
www.rrleader.com / 255.5827

Senior Advocate
www.senioradvocatenews.com
800.969.7274

Texas Observer
www.texasobserver.org / 477.0746

L Style G Style
(Gay/Lesbian)
www.lstylegstyle.com / 443.3663

Texas Weekly
(Political)
www.texasweekly.com / 302.5703

Villager Newspaper
(African-American)
www.austinvillager.com / 476.0082

West Austin News
www.westaustinnews.com / 459.5474

Westlake Picayune
www.statesman.com/news/content/customerservice/
communitypapers/westlakepicayune.html
327.2990

Magazines
Austin Family
www.austinfamily.com / 733.0038

Austin Fit
www.austinfitmagazine.com / 407.8383

Austin Monthly
www.austinmonthly.com / 263.9133

AustinWoman
www.austinwomanmagazine.com
328.2421

Celebrate Austin
www.celebrate-austin.com / 346.6235

Good Life Gusto
www.goodlifemag.com / 236.1618

Hispanic Magazine
www.hispaniconline.com

Texas Highways
www.texashighways.com
800.839.4997

Texas Monthly
www.texasmonthly.com
800.759.2000

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