How much does it cost to own a home in Austin? If you ask most realtors, they will probably say something like, “The median home price in Austin last month was $xxx,xxx.” The median sales price is a good figure to use when tracking trends or comparing locations, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.  Here’s why.  The median price is determined by taking all homes that have sold within a specified time period and finding the home right in the middle of the list. There are an equal number of homes that sold for less than the median price as those that sold for more than the median price. 

Today, we’re going to take a different look at home much it costs to own a home in Austin using www.austinhomesearch.com, which is a publicly-accessible website provided by the Austin Board of Realtors and includes nearly all properties that are currently listed for sale in our local MLS system (realtors and home sellers have the option to prevent their listing from showing on this website, but this occurs very, very rarely).

Using the website, we searched for the least expensive home currently for sale within the city limits of Austin.

LEAST EXPENSIVE: $29,500
The least expensive home listed today (January 12, 2012) is located in Southeast Austin, just east of IH-35 and south of William Cannon. The 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath townhouse is located in the 78744 zip code and was built in 1980. With 1,236 square feet of living space in a two-story floorplan, the property appears to have had some recent renovations, some of which may not be completed, as seen in the property photos.

The description provided on the website reads:
Affordable South Austin Retro Charm! Walk to Greenbelt and Park! Kitchen is Open to Spacious Family Room w/ Floor to Ceiling Limestone Fireplace, Small Fenced Back Yard w/ Deck and Woods Behind, Vaulted Ceilings in the Bedrooms, Minutes to Downtown.

Patricia Williams with Keller Williams Realty has the listing.

To see the full listing, please click here.

MOST EXPENSIVE: $10,000,000
The most expensive home currently listed on the website is located in west Austin, very near the Wild Basin Wildlife Preserve in the 78746 zip code. The home features 6 bedrooms, 7 full baths and 2 half baths in 15,779 square feet of living space. The property also features a swimming pool, two offices, and a 9-car garage. From floor to ceiling, this home doesn’t miss a trick. The photos on the website show an immaculate presentation of the home complete with luxurious finishes and impeccible landscaping. The home site is approximately 80 acres.

The description provided on the website reads:
Located just 12 minutes from downtown Austin, inside Loop 360, sits this 16,000 sq ft masterpiece on 80 acres adjoining the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve. The spectacular and thoughtful floorplan features two offices, a gorgeous master suite on the main level, five enormous bedroom suites upstairs, and a 9-car garage. A breathtaking estate property with resort-style amenities, privately set in the hills of Westlake.

Cord Shiflet with Moreland Properties has the listing.

To see the full listing, please click here.

[For our search, we checked only "Residential" properties within regions listed as "Austin" on the www.austinhomesearch.com website. The properties may or may not be available at the time you view this web post. We have no affilliation with Patricia Williams or Cord Shiflet and have provided this blog post purely as informative and entertaining. We are not endorsing or discouraging the purchase of either property. If you have questions about our methodology, please email us at info@missionmortgage.com.]