If you own a home in Austin, its price is on the rise, but still doesn't compare to West Coast home values, experts have been saying this month.

Sam Sawyer, founder and CEO of Dallas-based real estate agency Archetape, took to Social media last week to make that comparison - and say that Austin home prices will continue to increase.

"Austin TX home pricing is rising at an insane rate, BUT it is still very cheap compared to California which is fueling a lot of the growth in the area," Sawyer said in a Friday, Aug. 20, Twitter post. "CA buyers don't blink at $500-$800 a foot for what you get in Austin at these prices. Prices will keep rising and rising."

A couple of days earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported much the same under the headline "Austin is Capital of Homes Selling at Super Premiums" and citing the Texas capital's job growth and "cultural appeal" that is attracting home buyers "ready to pay $100,000 or more above asking price."

"A homebuying frenzy is gripping much of the U.S., but Austin takes the prize for the biggest increase in homes selling well above the asking price," the Wall Street Journal reported, saying that almost 2,700 homes in Austin this year have sold for $100,000 or more above their initial listing price.

The news report cited an analysis by Redfin Corp.

"While a few other U.S. cities have had more properties sell at that premium to the asking price, none have experienced as big a percent rise in homes transacting at that lofty an increase," the news report said.

Business Insider reported much the same the following day, saying the rise in Austin home prices is being "driven in part by out-of-towners with tons of cash to spend."

That isn't exactly a new trend in Austin, but it accelerated during the still-ongoing pandemic, Sean Waeiss, a broker and the owner of Wise Property Group in Austin, said in Business Insider's news report.

"Austin is a market that's attractive to the San Francisco, the Los Angeles, the New York market, even the Miami and Chicago market," Waeiss said. "It's got good weather, it's a young city, vibrant, we've got a good culture, live music, and it's more affordable than all those places I just mentioned."