House Hunting - Visited River Place - No Kids?? (Austin: real estate, HOA) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

gruve · 07-11-2012, 05:00 PM

Hi, we did some house hunting around austin. We're a young family looking for a good community with stuff to do for the kids. Originally we went through westlake, which honestly, felt like country back roads for the most part with run down houses and ugly yards until you get closer to 360. Also felt a little nervous about windy roads and having kids. So we ventured further out to Steiner, Lake Pointe, Flint Rock, Falcon Head, Senna Hills, etc. A lot of it felt very cookie cutter - small lot, brick house, asphault roof... repeat... Some was very nice.

Anyway, onto the question - we visited river place, and while hilly, still felt safe with sidewalks and not a ton of traffic... but then we noticed... there werent any kids... anywhere. We went back again the next day, even went to the park and hiking trails, which are AWESOME, and again, no kids. It's summer, last week was around the 4th of July... everywhere else we went had kids playing ... what gives? Is this a good place to raise kids?

We want excellent schools, great community feel with kids and families and activities, safety (not just crime but from getting run over, which, i suppose, is technically a crime), a lot big enough to play catch (maybe 1/3 acre+), and proximity to necessities like groceries, restaurants, movies, etc. Price range is pretty flexible but would probably like to stay under 750k. Commute is not an issue for work, but we do like to go into the city for cultural things like the children's museum, UT campus, entertainment.

Senna Hills seemed to have a lot of what we're looking for also but maybe a little too small of a neighborhood... maybe I'm just getting picky.

And... I'm rambling, so what is up with River Place and no kids?

123MA · 07-11-2012, 05:58 PM

Hi,
We are in the process of relocating from MA to Austin and have very similar criteria. The areas we ended up targeting were Barton Creek West, Senna Hills, Uplands, Spillman and Steiner Ranch. I think all of those neighborhoods have plenty of families and children. I think it is vacation time and also camp, indoor, etc time with it being summer and so hot. Very early in the morning and very late in the evening I think you would find more children out and about. As to proximity to downtown, Barton Creek, Senna Hills and Uplands are probably closest. We ended up purchasing in Steiner as we found a home and neighborhood that really clicked with us but I believe we would have been very happy in any of those neighborhoods. You will read that Eanes has an incredible school district - which Barton Creek West and Senna Hills are zoned to. Uplands and Spillman are zoned to Lake Travis ISD which is also considered top notch. Steiner has very good schools from what we can gather and we are hopeful we made a solid choice for us. Again, I have not lived in any of these areas yet so I do not have direct experience, only what my research and due diligence has found so far, so these are only my impressions/opinions.

Best of luck and one other tip - things in Barton Creek West and Senna Hills tend to go under agreement almost on the day they are listed, so if that is your target area and you see something you like, go for it!

Becca123 · 07-11-2012, 06:38 PM

Hi,
We are relocating from NJ to Austin. We looked a lot of places and ended up deciding between Steiner Ranch, Senna Hills, and River Place. Ultimately, we bought in Steiner Ranch because of the house we found. But, having said that, I did see kids in River Place. I've heard there are plenty of kids there, although it is smaller than Steiner so there are ultimately fewer. From what I understand.

ImOnFiya · 07-11-2012, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gruve

Hi, we did some house hunting around austin. We're a young family looking for a good community with stuff to do for the kids. Originally we went through westlake, which honestly, felt like country back roads for the most part with run down houses and ugly yards until you get closer to 360.

You didn't go to West Lake Hills then. Moderator cut: No real estate links allowed per TOS

Good luck!

clarksvillemom · 07-11-2012, 07:27 PM

I'm biased since I live in central Austin, but I see more kids walking around and riding bikes in the "old" Austin neighborhoods than I do the "new" ones, when I go visit friends. Tons of kids in Bryker Woods, Tarrytown, Rollingwood. That being said, many of my friends with young kids live in Steiner Ranch, Westlake near 360, Barton Creek West, Rob Roy...

LakeTravisAlum · 07-11-2012, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gruve

Hi, we did some house hunting around austin. We're a young family looking for a good community with stuff to do for the kids. Originally we went through westlake, which honestly, felt like country back roads for the most part with run down houses and ugly yards until you get closer to 360.

I very much agree with you on the statement in bold. I drive through West Lake Hills "proper" all the time, and I am just not impressed with the area. I'm not sure how it's such a sought after part of Austin. It really does feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, and the houses that you can see from the street are run down and old. I'm really not impressed with Rollingwood either. The houses there are not very nice with a lot of the yards not very well kept up with. Yet, somehow these two areas are some of the most expensive areas in Austin??

LakeTravisAlum · 07-11-2012, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 123MA

Hi,
We are in the process of relocating from MA to Austin and have very similar criteria. The areas we ended up targeting were Barton Creek West, Senna Hills, Uplands, Spillman and Steiner Ranch. I think all of those neighborhoods have plenty of families and children. I think it is vacation time and also camp, indoor, etc time with it being summer and so hot. Very early in the morning and very late in the evening I think you would find more children out and about. As to proximity to downtown, Barton Creek, Senna Hills and Uplands are probably closest. We ended up purchasing in Steiner as we found a home and neighborhood that really clicked with us but I believe we would have been very happy in any of those neighborhoods. You will read that Eanes has an incredible school district - which Barton Creek West and Senna Hills are zoned to. Uplands and Spillman are zoned to Lake Travis ISD which is also considered top notch. Steiner has very good schools from what we can gather and we are hopeful we made a solid choice for us. Again, I have not lived in any of these areas yet so I do not have direct experience, only what my research and due diligence has found so far, so these are only my impressions/opinions.

Best of luck and one other tip - things in Barton Creek West and Senna Hills tend to go under agreement almost on the day they are listed, so if that is your target area and you see something you like, go for it!

I thought you posted that you ended up in Falconhead/Lake Travis ISD. What made you decide to switch to Steiner Ranch?

SickOfCalifornia · 07-11-2012, 07:58 PM

I live in Steiner Ranch - there are TONS of kids here, as in literally almost every single house. There are also many kids (although not as many) in River Place. But driving around both communities this summer you won't see a lot of them. Because it's summer! Most kids are in some form of day camp. Or staying out of the 100-degree sun midday. River Place and Steiner are both great areas for young families. Steiner has more facilities (no common pool in RP, unless you join the country club - Steiner has three huge pool areas) and RP has stricter HOA enforcement of rules (parking on street overnight, etc). But both are great communities.

Exiled Texan · 07-11-2012, 08:02 PM

Central Austin here. A good mix on my immediate blocks. It's hit or miss though.

ImOnFiya · 07-11-2012, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LakeTravisAlum

I very much agree with you on the statement in bold. I drive through West Lake Hills "proper" all the time, and I am just not impressed with the area. I'm not sure how it's such a sought after part of Austin. It really does feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, and the houses that you can see from the street are run down and old. I'm really not impressed with Rollingwood either. The houses there are not very nice with a lot of the yards not very well kept up with. Yet, somehow these two areas are some of the most expensive areas in Austin??

Yes, if you looked at the Austin MLS and numerous real estate websites, you would know. As I also believe, people do see the homes and like them because it is the most sought area in the Austin metro region.

And to be clear (with a Texas hello), I know you know.