What are the most upscale/desirable areas to live in Austin? (Cedar Park: crime, established neighborhood)

[tashina]

If you want views of the Hill Country but cheaper than Westlake, try 78736 and 78735. Here's my view in 78736.

The houses across the street have the really good views, but my lot premium was only $5k, so I'm not complaining.

Watch out for those Texas clouds!!

[jessemh431]

I see you came from SD...how would you describe you decision to move to Austin? Do you think you made a good one? Do you live more comfortably now? Do you have children-if so, do they like the decision and do they have a better education?

I'm asking you since SD is quite to LA.

[looking2tex]

I was in Round Rock last weekend to check out the area and found the homes in Teravista quite reasonable, I would love to back onto the golf course (and I don't even care to try golfing). Of course you might find it to be slumming if you aren't interested in anything in the 2-300k range.

[CravenClan]

Tashina

Better view than French Valley hey??? It looks nice!!

Can't wait to get there next week!!

Christina
Temecula

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

How bout 78731?

I really like this one. It has everything I want for under 500k, but I don't know how safe the area is. It has a pool, its in hilly terrain, two stories, 3 bed+/2 bed+, 2000+sq.ft.
REALTOR.com: Find a Home - Listing Detail

It's pretty hard to go wrong with anything in 78731 or 78746. Lived for about 10 years in the former, now in the latter. Lost Creek area, to be exact. Hey, if it's good enough for the governor...

The listing you posted may be a little too close to 2222, the major east-west thouroughfare. It might be a bit road-noisy, especially if 2222 ever expanded again. It's a very safe area, though. Although it is hilly, there are many older trees and your view would probably be wooded.

The neighborhood it is in, Highland Hills, is REALLY great though. I loved it. Very Austin-y vibe, feels (and probably was) like a neighborhood where all the UT professors might have lived back when Austin was just a college town. If you ever go to look at that neighborhood right near that house, you'd probably get lost because there are like 5 streets called Highland Hills. Highland Hills Drive, Terrace, Circle, Way, etc.. plus Highland Pass, Highlandale, etc. Many of them intersect. It's kind of a trip...

[texastea]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

So what is the popular hang out place during the summer besides attending live concerts in Austin. Do many people have boats and go boating in nearby lakes? Do many people have pools?

Its a boating town...swimming pool town...swimming hole town. A few people in my neighborhood have pools but most go to the community pool. My daughter goes wake boarding which is big here...

[tashina]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

I see you came from SD...how would you describe you decision to move to Austin? Do you think you made a good one? Do you live more comfortably now? Do you have children-if so, do they like the decision and do they have a better education?

I'm asking you since SD is quite to LA.

I grew up in San Diego and LA (divorced parents - lived in SD with dad, visited mom in LA on the weekends.)

I am not sorry I decided to move to Austin, but I'm also not staying. So it's mixed. I moved to get away from always waiting for the housing market to burst, or waiting to see whether the area you bought your $800k house in was going to go downhill in a few years. Although we aren't millionaires, we are of the Millionaire Next Door (book) mindset. Live below your means, retire early, live a little instead of struggling. Like many Californians we were looking for something a little like home, but farther from the rat race. I would say that we mostly found that here. It's clean, it's pretty, it has most of the stores you would be used to. But it doesn't have the California vibe...something that I didn't know California even had until I missed it. So I'm a bit homesick and have kept an eye on the prices out there - but I don't think they will drop enough in nice areas to make me move home. Better to stay in Texas I think and have the cash to visit out there.

We are looking to move to North Dallas. Feels more like the Wilshire District in LA to me. Flat and gridded streets and lots to do within 15 miles. Austin has turned out to be small town-ish to us. Our problem, not Austin's. We'd like to have a nice zoo, aquarium, malls, bigger libraries and all the other things you get in a large city. (We are sticking to North Dallas because that's where my husband can work). Dallas is also MUCH easier to get around. Maybe twice as fast to get to downtown even though it's half the distance where we are now.

In Texas, we absolutely live more comfortably - money-wise that is. Everything is cheaper. Everything. Housing, taxes, insurance, food, gas. The key to housing here is not to "let your eyes gets bigger than your stomach" as my mom always said. Housing is much cheaper than San Diego and it's easy to buy too much and then get hit with the long term utility and tax costs. Money matters more here in a way. I didn't have a part time job in California. Now I do, because that extra $$ every month actually seems to go a long way. In California, it was just another drop in the bucket.

By the way, it's awfully hot in the summer. We're getting a swimming pool. We loved ours in SoCal and feel it's even more necessary to have one nearby here.

[love roses]

Well, hope you enjoy Dallas The freeways for the most part aren't as congested except for 35 there at rush hour (who'd have guessed?). I have lots of family there, and like to go visit from time to time. Hey, you've got 2 weeks left to check out the state fair.

[S&AMOM]

Originally Posted by looking2tex

I was in Round Rock last weekend to check out the area and found the homes in Teravista quite reasonable, I would love to back onto the golf course (and I don't even care to try golfing). Of course you might find it to be slumming if you aren't interested in anything in the 2-300k range.

I'm sure that would be too "ghetto" for most of the people looking to move here. I'm blown away by some of the attitudes on this board. Where are the best/safest/upscale/expensive neighborhoods. I guess those of us living in anything under 300K are paupers. Or maybe just not sweeping in from California with a bunch of cash.

[HappyTexan]

lol...I had to laugh when I read some post here from someone looking for a "starter" home in the 350K range.