Moving - West Austin Questions (Spring, Cedar Park: houses, neighborhoods, new construction)

[newtoaustin]

First of all, thanks to all the great posters on this site. I've been lurking for quite some time and the information I've garnered has been valuable.

We're moving to Austin in late September. I'll be travelling down there at the end of July to house hunt.

We've narrowed down our search to a few areas - most notably, Steiner Ranch and Lake Pointe (Steiner because of all the great feedback here and the outdoorsy? nature of it, and Lake Pointe because of a recommendation from someone that lives there). As far as I can tell, both areas have good schools (important), will not be too bad of a commute for me, and are within our price range.

Before my trip down, I thought I'd just post to see if there was a subdivision I might be missing out on.

Factoring in our decision are (somewhat in order):
1) Price - up to around $325k
2) Good schools - change that ... Great schools
3) Good commute - I will be working near 360/2222
4) Nice neighborhood

We're not extravagant, so we don't require the biggest house in the area. We're probably looking at 3 bedrooms (plus study/4th bdrm), 2000-2500 sq feet. Lot size is more important to me than house size though.

Finally ... I mentioned commute ... would someone also be able to give me an estimate of how long it would take to go from Steiner Ranch Elementary to 2222/360 at around 8am and back again around 5:30/6?

Thanks in advance!

[another_hot-day]

I would say about 20 minutes. Not bad at all...

[Derek ATX]

It sounds like steiner will work out great for you and your needs. commute will be very easy. Another place that might work for you would be Lakeway. It would add about ten minutes to your commute but it is just off of 620 as well a few miles north of Steiner.

[Derek ATX]

Also Lakewood is nice. It is right at 2222 and 360. Homes are a little older but the neighborhoods are nice with rolling hills and mature oaks with a large greenbelt.

[tom-tom]

360/2222 and like great school (similar to EANS ?) then go to Great Hills, Spicewood Springs or High Vista Views subdivision (78759). Just 5 or 10 mins to work and has best school ( i think its middle and high school are ranked higher than Lake Travis)

[gigi927]

Your commute from steiner may be 20 minutes on some days to 360/2222 and on other days it could be longer. School starts at Steiner at 7:45, and sometimes there are backups on 2222 and 620 with all the traffic leaving Steiner from school dropoffs and things. This may improve with River Place now having its own elementary instead of having to drive their kids back into Steiner.

If house size is not a concern for you and if you don't care about having new construction I would also consider Grandview Hills off 620 and east of 2222 which would give you the same if not shorter commute than Steiner, and I would look at some of the smaller homes in RiverPlace. We do not currently have a lot on the market for under $325K but smaller homes do come on in here in that price range. You would then avoid the 620/2222 intersection all together and have probably no more than a 15 or 20 minute commute down to your work even on a bad day. Our elementary school is opening this year and there are fairly well set plans to build a high school at 2222 and 3M (Ribelin Ranch area).

[newtoaustin]

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

I've been expanding my search a bit to include some areas I may not have looked at (although I'm still focusing in the W/NW areas).

One place that has peaked my interest has been South of Anderson Mills and East of 620. I think the subdivisions are Canyon Creek, Anderson Mills Estates and Spicewood Estates?

Older homes than in Steiner/Lakepointe, but that doesn't really scare us off if they've been maintained. I like that the lots seem bigger and the taxes lower.

It seems to be a busier area with all the stores and malls around. Is it still a family-friendly area? Or is it to busy with cars/noise?

The schools seem to be pretty good in this area as well ... Spicewood Elementary, Canyon Vista Middle and Westwood High. Any feedback on these besides what can be read at GreatSchools?

Also, in terms of commute to 360/2222, it looks like the most direct way would be to take Anderson Mill Road to 183 to 360 (from the north parts) or take 620 to 2222 (from the south parts). Any idea of times with these commutes?

From Spicewood Estates, it almost seems that one could travel down Spicewoods Springs Road to 360? Would this be a viable route vs the others?

Thanks!

[atxcio]

From Spicewood Estates, it almost seems that one could travel down Spicewoods Springs Road to 360? Would this be a viable route vs the others?

You can do this shortcut (Old Spicewood Springs Rd to 360) from all of those areas I think, by meadering through Balcones country club area to Spicewood Springs. Couldn't tell you the exact route.. but once you hit Old Spicewood Springs road, it's a kind of a neat little drive -- very much like you are out in the country. It's a 2 lane road that is slower but has no stop lights IIRC. I have no idea what traffic is like during rush hour along that route.

There are several low water crossings along that route, so you might be out of luck using it on rainy days.

[newtoaustin]

Ya ... I was thinking it might be a nice drive.

WRT the low water crossings, it brings up another question. From what I can gather it seems like that whole area (south of 620, west of 183) has potential for flooding. Is that normally a concern for the average property owner? Or is it mostly issues with roads, etc.?

[atxcio]

Actually that area is mostly a decent elevation, and you don't typically see flooding except in the areas right by Bull Creek (Old Spicewood Springs rd, then Lakewood right by 360). I read about some drainage-related flooding problems in an older part of Cedar Park(statesman.com), but that's not flood-plain stuff; it's more a result of development or poor drainage planning along some of the hillside developments and roads.

I wouldn't say it is a problem for the average homeowner, though. There are some things to look out for -- especially if you are looking at something on a sloped lot or near houses on sloped lots. With all the rain, you should be able to see things like washed-away areas of the lawn, earth right up against the back of the house or something (with no way to drain away), lack of gutters, etc. An inspector should spot those things, too.