From Chicago to Austin (Round Rock, Meridian: house prices, neighborhood, schools)

[deeptrance]

Wow, so many good suggestions already on this thread, I don't know if I can add anything other than "one more opinion."

There is a myth that says "My family will be happier if we live in a nice suburban area, even though the commute will be long." There is a recent study showing that this is not true.

True story:
I have close friends who have a 4 year old daughter, they bought a house in a "nice family neighborhood" in Pflugerville and that's the last anyone saw of daddy/hubby, cuz he spent all his spare time in traffic. They moved 3 months ago into deep east Austin, right in the middle of the "hood", they even see drug deals going down on their street! And THEY ARE MUCH HAPPIER!!!!

I've never seen them so relaxed and at peace with where they are. They've got a smaller house (less to furnish and worry about), their commute is 5 minutes instead of 50, the spend much more time together as a family, and they're actually enjoying the cultural diversity of a gentrifying neighborhood. The daughter is one of the only white kids in her Montessori school, and she's getting a lot out of being around different cultures and colors. I know I'm defying the orthodoxy but these are all facts about a very real and very "normal" family (whatever "normal" means to you.)

Pflugerville is a suburban nightmare with absolutely no character. But you might like that. We're all different! And the worker in the family might end up commuting to Round Rock, just up the road from Pflugerville. It's only a bad commute if you're going into central Austin. Avoid getting a job there if you're not going to live there. Live near your work and your family will be happier, I think that's my main message.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by southaustingal

If you've got kids in school, I'd stay away from East Austin. It's a great place for investors and young professionals, but the schools are horrid. Trust me, I used to work in them.

I just saw your comment after I wrote the story about my friends who have their child in a Montessori school in east Austin. Very important distinction. Yes, what you say about the public schools in east Austin is true. If you live there, you need to find a charter school or use the money you save on gas and house payments to pay for private school. That was the decision my friends made, to re-prioritize away from spending on driving and house payments and put more emphasis on family-oriented spending. And it's working beautifully.

By the way, real estate agents probably won't even show houses on the east side to white buyers except in the mostly-white, more expensive zones close to the university and downtown. It's illegal to practice racism in real estate, but it's done all the time anyway. Edit: After reading southaustingal's response (below), I realize I'm talking about the past. Things have changed and I over-generalized in the above comments about agents and racism. My apologies, and thanks to S.A.G. for updating me on current reality.

[southaustingal]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

By the way, real estate agents probably won't even show houses on the east side to white buyers except in the mostly-white, more expensive zones close to the university and downtown.

Interesting comment since I have several white friends who have lived in East Austin areas that were heavily populated with blacks and Hispanics. My friends told agents they were looking for something close to downtown and the price range they gave dictated the East Austin neighborhoods.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by southaustingal

Interesting comment since I have several white friends who have lived in East Austin areas that were heavily populated with blacks and Hispanics. My friends told agents they were looking for something close to downtown and the price range they gave dictated the East Austin neighborhoods.

I forgot, things have changed a lot since I bought a house on the east side! Now it's all the rage. I hereby request that my previous comments be stricken from the record! I might even go back and edit them out....

But back in 1992 when I was house-hunting, I had to find my own house because I couldn't get agents to show me the eastside. It was bizarre.

[southaustingal]

'Tis bizarre. My friends bought there in the early 90s. Perhaps it was your agent. Maybe he/she saw a bigger sale west of 35. Were you wearing an Armani suit?

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by southaustingal

Were you wearing an Armani suit?

Maybe it was the gigantic "White Power" logo on my t-shirt! JUST KIDDING!!!

I guess it was just a matter of chance. I happened to meet agents who didn't realize that the eastside was habitable. It wasn't just one agent, either. There was a general attitude that was kind of offensive to be around, snooty and "the west is the best" sort of thing. That was when I was in a PhD program in Marketing at UT, so I probably was looking and acting fairly conservative, which might have influenced them, I dunno....

[ICANHELP]

There are lots of choices in the Austin area, and you can find a home in 5 days; busy, lots of work, but doable! There are many resales on the market and lots of new construction in all price ranges.

To make the search manageble, you definitely want to narrow the search before you get in the car with a Realtor and start looking. Also, have to prioritize your commute, taxes, school-districts, family interests, etc.

We lived in SW Austin (Circle C) when we moved here 11+ years ago, then built a home and moved to Round Rock ~6 years ago...we love it in RR. You mention wanting to be close to Austin...even from RR its a half-hour drive (non-commuter hours!) to downtown if you have an event or want to visit.

[moneli95]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

Do yourself a favor and find a buyer's agent to take you around town while you're here. I can recommend our agent if you want. She was born and raised in Austin and is super nice and knowledgeable.

Good luck!!!

Thanks for all of your info. and about your agent friend I would love if you could give me her info. We are planning to travel down there next week and that be of great help. That's exactly what I would want someone that is knowledgeable and best of all knows the city well.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by ICANHELP

To make the search manageble, you definitely want to narrow the search before you get in the car with a Realtor and start looking. Also, have to prioritize your commute, taxes, school-districts, family interests, etc.

That's the best advice yet --- AMEN to THAT post!

Arriving here not knowing that you have about 50,000 choices will completely wipe out any chance of efficiently using your time. Follow the advice of ICANHELP, who just lived up to his/her name by, um, helping!

[lfint]

<<Do yourself a favor and find a buyer's agent to take you around town while you're here. I can recommend our agent if you want. She was born and raised in Austin and is super nice and knowledgeable.>>

Please, please... I need the name of a good agent who can show us around town. We moved here 2 weeks ago and our agent keeps trying to push us into these huge expensive houses that go to the edge of the property line and I keep telling her that I don't even know what part of town I want to live in . I work downtown (unfortunately right off of I-35), but am looking for property (an acre or two)... do you have any suggestions on a good part of town for me?