Austin Neighborhoods (The Colony, Bastrop, West: to rent, HOA, houses)

[Laurek]

Hi there-
We're planning to re-locate to Austin and will be scouting neighborhoods while we're visiting in October. We're planning to rent for a while to get to know the are better before buying, but would like some ideas of Neighborhoods to look at. We would like a home with an acre or so of land in an area that is commutable to Austin (no job yet). Any suggestions on nice neighborhoodds to scout? Your recommendations are much appreciated!!

[southaustingal]

The acre of land is tough to find in Austin. If you've got a bigger budget, you might be able to find a home with an acre in a central area, such as Tarrytown. Otherwise, you'll need to look for pockets in the burbs, and many of these homes will be older homes. Right now, builders are touting 100-foot lots as "big lots." Again, if you've got the budget, you can find some neighborhoods with extra large lots, some as big as an acre.

I think folks envision the frontiers of the West when they think of Austin. Instead, picture a medium-size town with a bunch of cookie-cutter suburbs surrounding it. Beyond that is ranch land, where you can pick up more than one acre.

[croatoan]

Originally Posted by Laurek

Hi there-
We're planning to re-locate to Austin and will be scouting neighborhoods while we're visiting in October. We're planning to rent for a while to get to know the are better before buying, but would like some ideas of Neighborhoods to look at.

Here is a web page which might help:
http://ancweb.org/

[Trainwreck20]

There are a couple of neighborhoods around the arboretum area that have some sizeable lots. The houses on the larger lots are usually from the 70's (or earlier), since anything newer than that is typically part of a 'modern' development. Anugs Valley and the the older areas around balcones woods have some of these larger lots. Of course, you will pay a premium for those lots. The smaller lots in that area (where I used to live) where ~50k a lot for about 1/3 acre, and I expect the 1+ acre ones to be much more. Some actually allow horses and such still.

[deeptrance]

Nobody will suggest you look east of Austin except ME! It's an easier commute than fighting the mobs on the west side, and prices are lower. There are developments like The Colony near Bastrop that offer 2-3 acre lots, and it's pretty upscale yet affordable.

Problem is, if you don't know where you'll be working then you could be stuck with a horrible commute no matter WHERE you live. So I STRONGLY recommend you not buy yet, just rent and get jobs and then buy a place that fits your location. Plus, that gives you a chance to get a taste of all the variety around here. It's completely different in each direction from downtown, and none of us can predict what you will personally fall in love with. But the odds are there's something here that will make you happy if you just take the time to explore before committing to that mortgage.

[momof2dfw]

I don't know what neighborhood this is in but I heard it from someone here the other day that used to live in Austin. They loved their house, they could not say enough good things about the house, yard, subdivision, etc. That the yard would have been GREAT for a pool but they were not allowed to put in pools in their private yards because there was a neighborhood pool. ???? What neighborhood is this?

[Laurek]

Thanks for all the great input! We're looking forward to our visit!

[Trainwreck20]

That the yard would have been GREAT for a pool but they were not allowed to put in pools in their private yards because there was a neighborhood pool.

I don't think this is my neighborhood (Western Oaks, SW Austin), but most (~90%+?) of the houses in our neighborhood cannot put in pools due to SOS impervious cover limits. We do have a free city pool (shhh!) that just recently changed to open year round with limited hours. I think there is a deal between the developer, the city, and the HOA. The HOA does kick in a little money to help fund lifeguards and such.

Anyway, I supppose there are neighborhoods that have HOAs that prohibit pools, but it may just be the SOS ordinance effects, too.

[southaustingal]

Whether or not you have kids will make a difference, too. Bastrop was mentioned. Friends of mine moved to the Austin area and bought a house in Bastrop a few years ago, a beautiful home in an upscale neighborhood (Bastrop is beautiful, by the way, if you're into forests). When school started, they took their three kids over and were horrified. They asked the teachers what was up with the school, and the teachers told them that anyone who knows anything puts their kid in private school in Bastrop.

So be careful.

[Trainwreck20]

I don't know much about the Bastrop school district these days, but back in the days of yore when I was a kid, it was definitely below the average for the Austin area; however, I expect that it is (or soon will be) improving, simply by the fact that there is way too much money moving out that direction. The tax base and expectations from the school should increase correspondingly, I would think. I guess if you move out there with kids, you may have to be involved in the imporvement, though .