I've been working remotely for 5 years doing all sorts of web development. The two things that have helped the the most are:

1) Open source contributions.

2) Personal projects.

I still haven't made any money from any of those but putting them in the emails I send to offers found on the different job boards have always put me ahead in the line of people applying.

If you're desperate for money you can always go to sites like oDesk and applying for stuff there. You'll have to accept $15-$30 per hour (or even lower when starting) but once you get a good reputation you can make a decent salary out of that.

Finally, write me to federico@toptal.com if you have a semi-decent Github profile and I'm sure we can reach an arrangement!

Companies are having a tough time getting comfortable with remote developers.

Perhaps you could email a few Austin startups, tell them specifically what you'd like to help them with, ask to work remotely, and offer to visit their office once per month or quarter.

Austin has a growing startup/tech scene, and they're having a bit of trouble finding developers to fill the demand, so they may be willing to be more flexible.

when you figure that out, let me know. I have only been able to get partial work from home here in Houston, and that is usually given grudgingly and to your detriment to follow rigorously.