questions about austin area (Georgetown, Cedar Park: apartment, rent, buying a house)

[mystic97z]

my wife and i are thinking about moving from st. louis to austin, mainly for the weather. we are not city people at all, the ONLY time we go downtown is for a blues game. we live about 30 minutes south of the city , and like it that way. somewhat country, yet a ton of stores, newer subsivisions etc.

what areas should i look to move to. we will probably come down and rent an apartment for the first year to make sure we like it before we buy a home. we deffinatly love new construction, and well maintained areas. we like areas where everyone takes pride in their homes and lawns, vehicles, etc. you get the drift. what areas should we be looking in? our budget for a home would be 200-230,000

[sinking]

Do you work from home? If not, what kind of commute is acceptable?

Are you on CZ28.com or corvetteforum.com? Your name looks familiar.

[centralaustinite]

do you have a job lined up? Don't come without a job in hand. Once you know where you will be working, live close by. Austin has what you describe in every direction, the key is not to live across town from where you will be working.

[mystic97z]

lol i used to be on cz28 a loooong time ago, corvetteforum as well. i'm out of the car scene now though.

you guys bring up a good point that i was going to worry about myself, but since you brought it up. my wife works in accounting now, but she is wanting to open up a photography business. she has one here now, but it's small, she basically works for herself, but she wants to do that for a living. as for me, i'm a journeyman electrician. however, i do not like to do city work. i'm a residential guy. non union. do you know how the market is down there? i'm not too far away from having enough hours (in missouri) to get my own license and work for myself. that's my goal is to open up my own company, and have about 5-6 guys working for me. as for when i move down there, my plan was to apply at some places, then fly down for a few days and interview as much as i can. i wouldn't come without a job. this move is not in the near future, but i'm not the kind of guy that does things on a whim. i need to know every detail lol. what are some nice towns within 30 miles of austin i could check houses out on the internet?
thanks for the help

[sinking]

Georgetown sounds like it might be what you are looking for.

[RooCeleste]

Cedar Park would be another option on the NW side of town - takes about 25 or so minutes to get downtown outside of rush hour. There are lots of new houses going up, so there would be a lot of people wanting post-build electrical work to be done for a good price.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by RooCeleste

Cedar Park would be another option on the NW side of town - takes about 25 or so minutes to get downtown outside of rush hour. There are lots of new houses going up, so there would be a lot of people wanting post-build electrical work to be done for a good price.

The other reason greater Cedar Park (basically the area up & down Parmer north of 620..... & the area between US 183 to I 35 on RR 1431) might make alot of sense is that in addition to delivering most of what you prefer.....the minor league hockey team plays in the new Center up there.

But definitely have a job lined up & be aware that the taxes on 225K would be about 5K per year.

Are schools a consideration?

[atxcio]

Remember that the "city" here in Austin is nothing like the "city" in St. Louis. Our central neighborhoods might be more like what you are used to in the suburbs up there; suburban feel and very safe. There are hardly any bad neighborhoods in the inner city here -- most are quite expensive and desirable.

[ROY DUBOSE]

if your plan is to find an apartment for awhile and discover the area, does it really matter where the apartment is?

[mystic97z]

schools are a consideration yes.

i am planning on moving into an apartment for the first year or 6 months. i would want it to be in the same area i plan on buying a house in so i can get used to the area.

that's good to know about the good neighborhoods near the city. that's exactly why i don't like going into downtown. well that, and once you get within about 15 minutes of the arch, you go from houses being new-15 years old in subdivisions off windy roads, to city blocks, and houses that are 50+ years old, old brick square houes, no driveways, stacked on top of each other. exactly the same looking all the way down the street. we are into the subdivision feel. nice newer style houses.