🌟🐴 Why I HATE My Austin Apartment! By a Recent Texas Aggie Grad Howdy y’all,
I just graduated from Texas A&M and like a lot of other Aggies, I packed up and headed to Austin for my first “real world” job. I thought it would be an exciting step — a cool apartment, walkable spots nearby, and the start of that young professional life we all imagine. Well, let me tell you… reality hit harder than the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band on Kyle Field. Here’s why I hate my Austin apartment:
🚧 The Rent vs. Reality
When I signed my lease, I knew Austin was pricey, but wow — the rent is almost DOUBLE what I paid back in College Station. For that price, I expected at least decent finishes and working appliances. Instead, I’ve got leaky faucets, paper-thin walls, and a fridge that makes a weird humming sound every night like it’s plotting against me.
🚨 Safety Concerns
In College Station, I never thought twice about walking home from Northgate at 2 AM. Here? Totally different story. Within my first month, I saw a car break-in in the parking lot and had packages stolen from my doorstep. Now I find myself checking over my shoulder walking from my car to my door. That’s not exactly the “fun downtown living” I thought I was signing up for.
🚘 Parking Nightmares
I didn’t realize how bad parking could be until I moved here. My apartment “includes parking,” but it’s such a tiny garage that I feel like I’m parallel parking in a shoebox every night. And heaven forbid friends come over — guest parking basically doesn’t exist. I’ve already had two friends’ cars towed, which makes me feel like the worst host ever.
💧 Maintenance? What’s That?
One of the biggest frustrations is maintenance. Back in College Station, things got fixed fast (shoutout to Aggieland landlords who actually cared). Here, I put in a request for my AC unit, and it took nearly two weeks in the middle of a Texas summer before anyone came out. Two weeks! I was sweating through Zoom calls like I just ran laps at Kyle Field.
🎶 The Noise Factor
I thought I’d love the energy of Austin — music, nightlife, festivals. But no one told me I’d also get a front row seat to my neighbor’s midnight DJ sets. Or the dog upstairs who seems to be practicing sprints at 3 AM. Combine that with paper-thin walls, and it’s not exactly the peaceful oasis I imagined.
🌆 Lesson Learned for Fellow Aggies
If you’re a fellow new Aggie grad thinking about moving to Austin, here’s my advice: do your research on the apartment and the neighborhood before signing anything. Visit at night, check out parking, and don’t trust the fancy model unit they show you. Ask residents what it’s really like to live there.
I may not love my Austin apartment right now, but I’ll chalk it up as part of the “first job, first apartment” learning curve. And honestly, it makes me miss Aggieland even more — where rent was cheaper, neighbors were friendlier, and life felt just a little easier.
Gig ’em 👍🏼
👉 Fellow Ags, what’s been your experience with your first apartment after graduation? Drop your stories below — let’s help out the next class of Aggies before they sign something they regret!
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📲 Call or text me anytime: Grant – 214-492-9791
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