Everyday more and more people are packing up and moving to Austin, and it is those people that have propelled this city into one of the fastest growing in the nation. If you are thinking about calling Austin your home, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to assure that your move goes as smooth as possible.

The first, and probably the most important thing you should consider, is renting a self-storage unit. Despite what most people think, self-storage facilities are not just for people who have run out of room at home and need a permanent location to house their excess baggage. They are also an incredibly convenient way to move if you haven’t settled down yet. Temporary storage can be used to house a lifetime’s worth of belongings just long enough for you to conduct a thorough search for a new home.

The majority of self-storage facilities allow you to rent month to month, eliminating the need to rush or to find a contract that fits your short-term needs. Here are a few tips on finding the right storage company for you in Austin.

• If you have an idea of the general area or neighborhood that you want to live in, find a local self-storage facility to make your move less of a hassle.
• Weigh your options of cost versus convenience. The cheapest self-storage facility might not be located anywhere near where you intend to live, so you could end up paying more per month for convenience. But if moving out of your rental space will require more than one trip, consider paying more for a closer facility.
• Urban dwellers may also feel more confident about Austin storage facilities with high-tech security, as well as gated and alarm-activated storage units.
• Pack your unit carefully. Put non-essential items like furniture in the back, and leave items such as clothing where they can be easily reached. You might be living out of your temporary storage space for a while and you’ll want to be able to get to certain things easily.

• Have a professional moving company deliver your belongings to a pre-arranged self-storage unit. If you’re moving a fair distance, this will require that you get a good idea of exactly how much temporary storage space you’ll need. And if you have to overshoot, do so. It’s far better to have too much room than too little room.
• If you’re not moving far, look for moving storage companies that offer both movers and storage facilities. Not every self-storage company has a staff of movers and trucks at the ready, but there are some that combine services, which can significantly lessen the hassle of moving.

Renting from one of these facilities can seriously reduce the chaos that can be associated with the relocating process. Use a company like SpareFoot to guarantee you find the best deal available and also remember this is Austin, so once you are here, help us keep it weird.

This article was provided by SpareFoot, the largest online marketplace for self-storage.

Realty Austin developed the map based off of commute times from its agents and employees. We are always looking to find the best data, so please help us make it better! Do you live in an area in Austin that is misrepresented on the map? Let us know in the comments below.

Realty Austin's Communte Times Map Find where you should live if you want to avoid commute times and make your life a little easier.

Special thanks to Marsha Miller for the great photo!

Festival attendees want to stay at the best Austin hotels, the best ones being in Downtown Austin where the action is or hotels far enough from the action so you can get a good night's rest. Luckily for them, Portfolio.com put together a list of the best places to stay for business travelers and those attending SXSW. Portfolio.com's list of the best five hotels in Downtown Austin and North Austin details each hotel's business staples, standout features and even their downsides.

Enjoy SXSW and choose one of the best hotels in Austin TX downtown that's right for you.

 Best Austin hotels for SXSW attendees

• Four Seasons Hotel - Downtown Austin
• Omni Hotel- Downtown Austin
• W Austin - Downtown Austin
• Holiday Inn Midtown - North Austin
• Hilton Garden Inn - North Austin

Special thanks to Nomadic Pursuits for the incredible photo!

Follow these 3 simple steps and be assured that you will have officially begun real estate investing!

Jason Grote is the co-founder of I buy ugly houses in Austin. He buys houses in Austin and the surrounding areas, fixes them up, then hires a real estate agent to list the property on the open market who, hopefully, sells the home fast. Building relationships with solid real estate agents is invaluable. Realtors help with market research on potential investments, as well as finding those diamonds in the rough! Contact one of Realty Austin's top-producing real estate agents today.

Author Bio  Jason Grote, co-founder of http://www.IBuyAustinHouses.com, has been involved in real estate investing for 10 years.  His family formed the company I Buy Austin Houses in 2006. Since then, Jason has been a full-time rehabber and marketing expert in the residential investment industry, selling over 50% of his properties within 10 days of market time. Through his experience, Jason has gained the expertise to sell a home fast and can also help owners looking to sell a house for cash or stop foreclosure. Because of his initial struggle to enter the "flipping business," Jason also enjoys working with and encouraging beginning real estate investors to "just do it!"

 There are two requirements: 1. You must own your home on January 1.2. You must use the home as your principal residence on January 1.A state law that took effect on September 1, 2011 has changed proof of residency requirements for homeowners applying for the property tax homestead exemption.

It's vital that home buyers update their address on their driver's license, and with the tax assessor/collector in their area in order to be able to provide the required documentation for the homestead exemption.

The following items are required when filing for your Homestead Exemption in 2012.

Your Homestead Exemption will NOT be allowed unless all the required documents show the same homestead address. ALL THREE DOCUMENTS MUST HAVE THE SAME ADDRESS.

• APPLICATION FOR RESIDENTIAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION
• Copy of DRIVER'S LICENSE or IDENTIFICATION CARD from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the address MUST MATCH the homestead address.
• Copy of Vehicle Registration Receipt. The address MUST MATCH the homestead address. Once the change of address is processed by the tax collector's office, homeowners can get a copy of their registration receipt either from the tax office or from the department of motor vehicles.
• If you do not own a vehicle, you must complete the Non-Ownership of Motor Vehicle Adavit (found on the Application for Residential Homestead Exemption), sign it before a Notary Public, and attach a copy of a utility bill showing the homestead address.
• Mail the completed form to the Appraisal District for your County.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a homestead?

A homestead can be a separate structure, condominium or a manufactured home located on owned or leased land, as long as the individual living in the home owns it. A homestead can include up to 20 acres, if the land is owned by the homeowner and used as a yard or for another purpose related to the residential use of the homestead.

Do all homes qualify for homestead exemptions?

No, only a homeowner's principal residence qualifies. To qualify, a home must meet the definition of a residence homestead: The home's owner must be an individual (for example: not a corporation or other business entity) and use the home as his or her principal residence on January 1 of the tax year. If you are age 65 or older, the January 1 ownership and residency are not required for the age 65 homestead exemption.

Do I, as a homeowner, get a tax break from property taxes?

You may apply for homestead exemptions on your principal residence. Homestead exemptions remove part of your home's value from taxation, so they lower your taxes.For example, your home is appraised at $100,000, and you qualify for a $15,000 exemption (this is the amount mandated for school districts), you will pay school taxes on the home as if it was worth only $85,000. Taxing units have the option to offer a separate exemption of up to 20 percent of the total value.

What homestead exemptions are available?

There are several types of exemptions you may receive.

School taxes: All residence homestead owners may receive a $15,000 homestead exemption from their home's value for school taxes.

County taxes: If a county collects a special tax for farm-to-market roads or flood control, a residence homestead owner may receive a $3,000 exemption for this tax. If the county grants an optional exemption for homeowners age 65 or older or disabled, the owners will receive only the local-option exemption.

Age 65 or older and disabled exemptions: Individuals 65 and older and/or disabled residence homestead owners may qualify for a $10,000 homestead exemption for school taxes, in addition to the $15,000 exemption for all homeowners. If the owner qualifies for both the $10,000 exemp-tion for 65 and older homeowners and the $10,000 exemption for disabled homeowners, the owner must choose one or the other for school taxes. The owner cannot receive both exemptions.

Optional percentage exemptions: Any taxing unit-including a city, county, school, or special district-may offer an exemption of up to 20 percent of a home's value. But, no matter what the percent-age is, the amount of an optional exemption cannot be less than $5,000. Each taxing unit decides if it will offer the exemption and at what percentage. This percentage exemption is added to any other home exemption for which an owner qualifies. The taxing unit must decide before July 1 of the tax year to offer this exemption.

Optional 65 or older or disabled exemptions: Any taxing unit may offer an additional exemption amount of at least $3,000 for taxpayers age 65 or older and/or disabled.

• Licensing  Custom home builders should be licensed by the state. In order to be qualified for a license, the home builder should have minimal financial stability and a deep understanding of construction codes.
• Financial Stability  Because of the difficulties with the national economy and the collapse of the housing market, it is now more important than ever to check the financial stability of the custom home builder with whom you want to work. It is important to know that your home builder will not only be around to complete your home, but to also address any issues with the home that may present themselves in the years to come. It is quite common to ask your custom home builder to provide you with either banking or trade credit references so you can research the company’s financial stability
• Experience  It is of the utmost importance that you find a custom home builder who has extensive experience in the custom home building process. Ask for references of past work, ask specific questions regarding their experience in the business, and ask about the experience and expertise of their subcontractors. Remember: your custom home builder will be the project manager for your home and will need to possess experience, competence and leadership.
• Rapport  Your custom home builder may have all the credentials and more on paper, but what about your rapport with them? Because you will be working on the design and construction of your home with your custom home builder for many months and investing a great deal of money into the project, it is vital that you and your builder share a mutual trust and respect.

We compared our year over year sales increase with that of our competitors, and the results are amazing.

We grew our sales 111%, which was an increase of more than $183M.  To put that in perspective, of the top 10 local brokerages, our closest competitor only grew by 30% and $40M. 

So how did we do it?

1 - Hire the best agents in Austin.  We grew our team by 40%, but we increased our sales by 111% by hiring some of the highest producing agents in Austin. On average, our 110 agents each have more than 10 years of experience. 

2 - Implement the best technology.  In 2011, realtyaustin.com was visited over 1,750,000 times by potential buyers and sellers who collectively viewed more than 14,000,000 online listings. This online presence has helped us build a customer database of over 135,000 potential buyers for our clients' listings. 

3 - Invest in Marketing.  We promote our company and our agents through an innovative print ad campaign that runs in 7 of the most prominent local magazines. We promote our listings on all the top ranked websites, in print through direct mail, and by email through our 110,000 recipient email newsletter.

When you're looking for results, there is no reason to shop around.  Our outstanding team has helped more than 1,400 buyers and sellers make the move this year alone.