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Hi all! My husband just accepted a job with that little computer company in Round Rock, so we're headed out there at the end of this school year. Because our little one will be starting kindergarten this summer, we want to buy right away so that she is settled in and we don't have to move twice so we're sort of in a time crunch. Here is what we are looking for:
-a neighborhood that has some walkability. I'd like to get my kid to school, take her to a park, run out for some milk and grab a bite to eat without having to drive. I have been spoiled by city living, I know. Does that rule out Round Rock and only leave Austin?
-decent schools. We were planning to enroll her in the Chicago Public Schools, so our standards are clearly not that high (ha ha) but still, we need schools that are not failing and are at least improving. Test scores aren't a big deal to me
-less than 30 minutes driving from Dell
-a house, not a condo or townhouse
-under an hour to the airport
- at least a little diversity. My husband is of Indian descent and we don't want our daughter to be the only Asian kid she knows.
-my husband is a runner and he doesn't like running inside or along highways, so something near a running trail or residential streets would be great. (Of course he might start running inside when he feels Texas heat!)
Things less important:
-a large yard. I'm a city girl so as long as there is a fenced patch of grass out back where I can let the dogs out at night, that's fine.
-the price. Not because we're unconcerned about it but because it's so much less expensive to live in TX than in Chicago, it will feel like a great deal. I suppose under $250 would be nice but it's not a deal breaker.
I was hoping we'd find something in RR just because of the commute for him but I am not sure if I can get these things outside of Austin. If anyone is familiar with Chicagoland, I'd love a place like downtown Evanston without the pricetag.
-a neighborhood that has some walkability. I'd like to get my kid to school, take her to a park, run out for some milk and grab a bite to eat without having to drive. I have been spoiled by city living, I know. Does that rule out Round Rock and only leave Austin?
-decent schools. We were planning to enroll her in the Chicago Public Schools, so our standards are clearly not that high (ha ha) but still, we need schools that are not failing and are at least improving. Test scores aren't a big deal to me
-less than 30 minutes driving from Dell
-a house, not a condo or townhouse
- at least a little diversity. My husband is of Indian descent and we don't want our daughter to be the only Asian kid she knows.
-my husband is a runner and he doesn't like running inside or along highways, so something near a running trail or residential streets would be great. (Of course he might start running inside when he feels Texas heat!)
Things less important:
-the price. Not because we're unconcerned about it but because it's so much less expensive to live in TX than in Chicago, it will feel like a great deal. I suppose under $250 would be nice but it's not a deal breaker.
Going from your wants above, it really sounds like you should stay in the Round Rock area because it will meet more of your wants around the $250K price range than any area in Austin proper that is only a 30 minute commute from Dell.
For example, an area like Allandale in North Central Austin would be great for you, but you'd be looking at $300K for a 2000 square foot house built in the 60's. Unfortunately, even though he would technically be doing somewhat of a reverse commute, it would still probably take 45 minutes to an hour during rush hour on some days.
In a subdivision like Forest Creek, Sonoma, or one of the other dozens of Round Rock neighborhoods close to Dell, you can get a nice sized house at your desired $250K price range that's more like 2600 feet or more with just about all your other wants. Walkability is the tough one. However, some neighborhoods in Round Rock are walking distance to big grocery stores like Randall's or HEB Plus. Avery Ranch (technically in North Austin, bordering West Round Rock/Cedar Park) does have shopping centers that you can walk to with restaurants (and a Walgreen's for milk) and is very close to Brushy Creek Trail which is an amazing trail for your husband to run on. The Ranch at Brushy Creek is another nice neighborhood just North of Avery Ranch close to the trail.
In regards to diversity, the neighborhoods in Round Rock along with Avery Ranch will have some diversity (especially Indians) because of all the Dell and Cisco employees that live in those areas. I see a lot of Indians in Avery Ranch especially.
Remember to account for property taxes in your price range. Depending on the neighborhood or area, you're looking at something between 2% even up to 2.7%. I'd budget about $500 per month just for property taxes here on a $250K house.
I would recommend checking out the Deep Wood neighborhood and the Wells Branch neighborhood. Both are very well shaded and pleasant to walk/run and have hike and bike trails. They are both a 10 - 15 minute drive to Dell and you should be able to get to the airport in under an hour most of the time during rush hour traffic.
Deep Wood is very near shops, a grocery store and restaurants, but I don't know how easy it is to walk to them. There is a very nice city pool in the neighborhood and it has elementary, middle and high schools all with in walking distance.
I find it easy to walk to the school, neighborhood restaurants, coffee shop, parks/pool and library in Wells Branch. The neighborhood is very diverse, with a noticeable Indian and Asian population.
Great post Cindy. Lots of good data for folks to offer help & opinions.
Given your criteria, I would look at a swath of territory at neighborhoods along Tollway 45 (starting from east to west) from Toll road I 30 all the way to RR 2222. (note - traveling west...tollway 45 becomes RR 620 as it passes US 183). Yes look inside RR city limits....but also look further west for LOTS of neighborhoods that could be a good fit.
Look at a map...& it will make sense.
Along with Avery Ranch, I'd also look at Canyon Creek (probably first). Also, if you wanted homes LESS than 200K, the kinda old & dumpy.... but imo, the likely up & coming neighborhood of Anderson Mill would also fit most or all of your criteria.
If you look at GreatSchools, ethnic breakdowns for the dozen or more schools in this area will list "Asian" percentages. Probably 1/2 of the Asians will be Indian.
I think wildflower had two great ideas in Deep Wood (Round Rock West) and Wells Branch. I will also bring in two more possibilities, Anderson Mill and Rattan Creek/Milwood (near Jollyville Elementary).
I would recommend Wells Branch over Deep Wood due to the reasons wildflower mentioned. Schools are also above average. There is an HEB on the Pflugerville side of Wells Branch (just east of I-35) though I would recommend the west side for its amenities such as parks, running trail, rec center, etc. On a side note, the airport is 33 minutes from Wells Branch Library according to Google Maps.
As for Round Rock West, there is a Sprouts on the edge of the neighborhood abutting I-35. I think this neighborhood may not be as diverse as the other two, especially in terms of Asians. In my mind I would say Anderson Mill has a lot of Asians, Wells Branch has some/medium amount, Round Rock West (Deep Wood) not as many. However it does have a few good parks and is a decent neighborhood for running. I think the Anderson Mill and Wells Branch parks are better though - they both have soccer fields and swimming pools. They are better for running as well, in my opinion (I have run in all three on my own or with my old HS CC team).
Round Rock West/Deepwood is the closest to Dell at just an 8-minute drive from Round Rock West Park. However I would say its schools are probably the worst of the three choices (though still acceptable). The airport is a 36-minute drive.
I am actually going to suggest the Anderson Mill neighborhood just west of 183. The schools are very good (notch or two above Wells Branch) and there is an HEB and shopping center at Lake Creek Parkway and 183. Also, there are a few nice parks in the neighborhood and the area is great for runners. However it is more expensive than Wells Branch and farther from Dell.
According to Google maps, from Westwood High School (Anderson Mill neighborhood) to Dell the drive is 17 minutes - a straight shot down 620/Texas 45. This is a reverse commute so it shouldn't be too bad. On the other hand, it only takes 11 minutes to drive from Wells Branch Library to Dell. So your husband could save 12 minutes a day and your family could save some $ living in Wells Branch.
The Anderson Mill neighborhood is also very diverse with plenty of Asians (including Indians). I would venture to say a higher % than Wells Branch.
In conclusion, all three neighborhoods (Wells Branch, Anderson Mill, Round Rock West/Deepwood) would be suitable choices. Anderson Mill is the most expensive but also has the best access to Northwest and West Austin which have a lot of restaurants, shopping, parks, and other amenities. Round Rock and Pflugerville are developing more and more amenities though. For example, Pflugerville has a great Ethiopian restaurant near Wells Branch, better than any in Austin itself. Round Rock also has plenty of big-box stores, a huge outlet mall, Ikea, etc. So in terms of amenities, this area is becoming a more viable alternative.
Also, another option is Milwood/Rattan Creek (near Jollyville Elementary school) which is a relatively diverse neighborhood with very nice parks, 16 minutes from Jollyville to Dell, close to the HEB at Parmer and McNeil (across the McNeil from Jollyville Elementary) and two shopping centers at Parmer and McNeil with restaurants. 2nd most Asians of the the four neighborhoods (behind Anderson Mill). Schools are similar to Wells Branch, maybe a tiny bit better but very comparable (so a notch above Round Rock West, and a notch below Anderson Mill). Prices are cheaper than Anderson Mill and probably comparable/a little more expensive than Wells Branch. The two parks are probably the best of all 4 neighborhoods.
There are many Dell workers who live in all of these neighborhoods, so your husband could likely find someone to carpool with. I would recommend coming to Austin, looking at Google Maps, and taking half a day to walk around the parts of each neighborhood that are closest to the grocery store (some areas every neighborhood will be out of easy walking distance). You could probably combine that with an online MLS search/home visit in each neighborhood. Anyway, would love to hear what you end up deciding.
You guys are awesome, thank you so much! We are headed out there in a few weeks to house hunt but I wanted some specifics to tell the agent. I have taken down all this information and am going to do some map studying today. I appreciate the help so much!
Remember to account for property taxes in your price range. Depending on the neighborhood or area, you're looking at something between 2% even up to 2.7%. I'd budget about $500 per month just for property taxes here on a $250K house.
Actually, that seems like a deal to me. In Chicago we pay about 6% and it's getting higher each year. We're not sad to leave!
Actually, that seems like a deal to me. In Chicago we pay about 6% and it's getting higher each year. We're not sad to leave!
6% sounds a bit high. Looking at the Cook County Assessor's Office website, they give an example that works out to be about 2.3% of the "estimated market value". I have a feeling that property tax rates are about the same here as what you see there.
Just be prepared for about 5.5K - 6.5K (per year in property taxes) on a 250K home here in greater Austin.
Cindy....I know that you want to buy quickly.....but even if you are unwilling to "rent" for 6 mos, I would spend AT LEAST one month looking at ALL the areas & getting a lay of the land. (Get an extended stay place & rent a pod for your stuff). LOTS of areas to look at & i bet the "first" place you would have chosen won't be the choice you'd make 4-6 weeks out.
Here's a VERY OLD TX School map. I like it because it's user friendly (just click on Round Rock) & will give you a feel for the schools & WHERE they are. Using it along with the GreatSchools.net website (to determine ethnic diversity of the school & the neighborhood) might be helpful.
Post here again when you identify neighborhoods or homes & have questions.
(Curious about one thing that sb8636 mentioned in his very detailed post....I saw at least 50 homes for sale in the Anderson Mill neighborhood between 150K-200K. How does that compare with Wells Branch? I would have thought that the home prices are similar....thus why i think Anderson Mill might be a value & an "up & coming" area down the road. Most areas of Avery Ranch & Canyon Creek would be higher priced (more like 250K-400K)...and also nicer/newer/bigger....but all the neighborhoods mentioned have much to offer & are probably good values for the price).
Last edited by hound 109; 03-26-2011 at 02:41 PM..
6% sounds a bit high. Looking at the Cook County Assessor's Office website, they give an example that works out to be about 2.3% of the "estimated market value". I have a feeling that property tax rates are about the same here as what you see there.
It depends on the neighborhood and when your house was appraised, unfortunately. Cook Co has one of the worst means of calculating this--your next door neighbor could have the exact same house as you but for some reason you pay $1500 more a year than he does, because they reassessed your house this year but not his. My taxes went up almost $1000 this past year and my house value dropped. Good times! But you are right, I just figured it out and it's 'only' about 3%. Still, Texas will still seem like a bargain to us just because our mortgage will be so much lower. (And we appeal every year, showing them the comps, and they still don't lower it. Guess it's cause my last name is not Daley? Corruption rocks!)
Am I understanding this right: Anderson Mill and Wells Branch are towns in Texas? And the others are neighborhoods of either RR or Austin? I think we might be sticking with either one of those two, Austin or RR. I grew up in a small town and promised myself I would never, ever live in one again. Been 20 years, I hope not to break that yet!
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