Austin, 2012: the year “let’s wait and see” got expensive
Everyone in Austin knows someone who almost bought in 2012. Some of them are you.
In 2012 Austin was already “getting expensive.” That was the argument for waiting. The FHFA all-transactions index says a $300,000 house from that year is worth about $767,136 now.
The regret isn’t really the house price. It’s the leverage. A 20% down payment was $60,000; amortize the 3.66% thirty-year loan you didn’t take, subtract the balance you’d still owe, and the equity comes to about $605,759 — roughly 10.1× the cash you’d have put in. The stock market had a great decade too. It did not do that on a $60,000 stake.
We print the parts people leave out: property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and the possibility you’d have sold in 2016 anyway. The methodology is open about all of it.
Run the 2012 Austin numbers yourself
Figures are index-derived estimates for the metro market — not an appraisal of any specific house. FHFA data; this site is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA. Not financial advice.