From Chicago to Austin (Round Rock, Pflugerville: real estate, rent, houses)

[moneli95]

Hello
I am looking for some help here, my husband and I will be visiting Austin in the next couple of weeks and will be in search of a new place to call home. We will be moving from Chicago and although we made up our minds to move since April we have not yet taken the trip to actually look for a house, but being that the cold weather is near and we are not willing to shovel snow one more year, we are determined to find a house in 5 days (a bit unreal right?!) or do we have a chance?
We are looking for a family oriented neighborhood with good schools being that we have a 5 and a 2yr old. Close to shopping, parks and a suburb kind of feel is ok, but we would prefer something not too far from the city. I've heard round rock is pretty nice and affordable but I think it might be too far I would like something closer also some one mentioned to me Bee Cave don't know how that would be? As you can see we have no clue as to where to start, would love some insight on the matter, thanks

[southaustingal]

Your price range will also dictate where you can live. There are some nice areas in Austin proper that are great for families, though they're a bit pricier than what you'll find in the suburbs. Lots of folks like the Lake Travis areas (Steiner Ranch comes up a bit). People love the schools, the lake, and the hills.

Southwest is starting to boom, but I live there, so please stay north! Circle C is in the southwest area of Austin, and it's a master-planned community like Steiner Ranch.

You can search all of these places on the Internet and find homes. Check out www.austinhomesearch.com

And you shouldn't have a problem finding a house in five days. There are tons on the market and tons of new construction.

[AustinTraveler]

I think it will be much easier to make some suggestions if you share your housing budget. Also, where will you be working? Commuting here is not fun and you really should take that into consideration.

I realize you have two children so you don't want to be moving twice, but I highly recommend that you rent first, at least for six months. There are so many nice areas in Austin and if you rent, you'll at least be familiar with the city before you buy a house. There are tons of great houses but the neighborhood is what's important and it's hard to figure that out in a five-day trip.

[gigi927]

I just relocated here to Austin from AZ YESTERDAY! So I have some insight to share as well.

Southaustingal is right also - there are plenty of homes on the market to choose from, and new construction as well, but we found that the variety of neighborhoods and areas were so diverse here in Austin that it took us one 4 day trip just to narrow down what part of town we actually wanted to start looking in - and we are realtors (not licensed in TX), so we can narrow stuff down pretty quick. So I agree with Austintraveler that one trip may not be enough time. I would suggest you take one trip to drive various areas and neighborhoods, and a second trip to buy a house once you've honed in on the area you want to be in.

A lot of people suggested renting to us as well, but we couldn't justify throwing away anywhere between $6K and upwards of $12K or more in rent to do that. I think it's a personal choice, either way!

If you are indeed willing to share your housing budget and needs/wants in a house that would certainly help us all give you suggestions. You'll find a ton of great help here, I know have! good luck!

[moneli95]

Thank you all for your suggestions, although we had at one point considered renting we have since then made up our minds against it. We think alike with gigi927.
What we need/want would have to be a good family oriented neighborhood, not too far from the city but not way out in the country, with good schools, and stores close by (ofcourse), we might be looking for something in the range of $300-350k but not more for now. any suggestions on neighborhoods with similarities and/or suburbs?

[Spookmeister]

With that kind of budget, you're spoiled for choice! From what I've read, I'd recommend looking at some properties in a neighbourhood/sub-division called Scofield Farms that's off of Parmer Lane, between I-35 and Mopac. You won't be dissapointed with the area, amenities or proximity to all the things you've mentioned.

[AustinTraveler]

You don't say where you'll be commuting to and I think that's a very important factor. Personally, I would choose Bee Caves over Round Rock just because of I-35. I would stay away from any place where I-35 is your main road into Austin.

Bee Caves is in Northwest Austin and it is growing like crazy. You should be able to find something nice in that price range. I hope you have figured in property taxes to your monthly payment too cause that will make a big difference.

A few places pretty close to town and in the nice hilly areas to check out would be subdivisions off 2222 (Jasper comes to mind) and the Great Hills area (although your budget may be a little low for this area).

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!!!

[moneli95]

Let me see then... basically stay off anything further south like south central and southwest, and oh yeah defenitely off east central? Did I get it right?

What about north, up by the region of Pflugerville how is that area? Although it might be a bit too far from the actual city, a friend of my husbands had mentioned it but I'm afraid it might just be tornado alley? I hope I'm wrong!!!

[AustinTraveler]

Since we still don't know where you're commuting to, I can't really say where would be best to live. I am, however, puzzled by the places you have decided are out. I don't see how you came up with those areas from this post. Maybe I'm missing something.

Pflugerville is a nice, generic, and inexpensive place to live but you will have to commute using I-35. I'm not sure what you have read against SW Austin but that is probably one of the most desirable and fastest growing areas in town! The east part of the city has a bad rap because that's where most of the minorities live. But even that area is being developed due to lower real estate costs and will no doubt become a higher demand area in a few years.

I really would not worry about tornadoes. Those nasty things can happen just about anywhere but are not prevalent in this part of Texas. You should watch out for low-lying areas and streets that are prone to flash flooding during our infrequent rain storms.

[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.

Central has some great areas, but your budget won't get you a house big enough for kids. You'll be looking for something in the 'burbs, most likely, unless you want to pack your family in a 2-bedroom renovation-ready home. Which 'burb you choose depends on your commute and which schools you'd like your kids to be in. There are nice areas in all parts of Austin, except for east. Pflugerville has some good schools, but it's not as pretty as the hills west of Austin.