Anderson Mill neighborhood? (Austin, Spring, Jollyville: sales, rentals, houses)

[atlanta hope]

What is the Anderson Mill neighborhood like? It looks quite affordable on austinhomesearch.com, especially when you contrast it to the Balcones neighborhood just to the south of it.

I see it has Anderson Mill Elementary whereas the Balcones neighborhood has Spicewood Elementary. They are both good schools so I'm wondering why Anderson Mill is so much cheaper to buy a house than the Balcones neighborhood.

Anyone?

Thanks!

[car957]

My mom lives in Anderson Mill. She loves it. She's been in AM for about 25 years. I still remember how mad my dad was when it got annexed by the City of Austin. Her neighbors are long term players like herself. It is a nice place to live and close to the technology firms and major employers near Research/Mopac. It's a hike downtown but it is all good.

Lakeline mall has added a lot of traffic. The area has changed. But it is a nice, safe place.

I can't comment on schools since I don't have children.

[Trainwreck20]

The short distance further out can make a noticeably longer commute if you are driving downtown. Also, although I think the houses are from the same 'era', the homes in BW were originally higher dollar homes. BW is a little older and appears to have slightly larger lots, but that could be an incorrect impression. Anyway, it APPEARS to have more space, and there are some huge trees in BW compared to AM.

[texastea]

Once you drive through the two neighborhoods you'll know why. Although AM has some nice streets in it, it has a large number of starter homes and although many have been updated and are quite nice, some have not. Many are rentals. Most of these homes are one-side or 1/2 side masonry. BW is a country club neigborhood with larger lots and very well kept homes. I wouldn't hesitate to buy in AM though if you find a house you like...the location and schools are so good that the neighborhood will continue to improve.

[atlanta hope]

The Balcones neighborhood seemed really nice when we visited but it seemed to be a lot of retired folks playing golf. I didn't see many kids running around. Is AM less stuffy and more family friendly?

I do like a nicer house on a larger lot though...

[texastea]

Originally Posted by atlanta hope

Is AM less stuffy and more family friendly?

Yes, lots of neighborhood parks, pools, schools, churches and young families. Another neighborhood in the area is Barrington Oaks...it has homes similar to AM but its on the other side of Balcones. Did you get to drive through that area? Its at Jollyville/Oak Knoll and used to be priced less than BW but its been awhile since I've paid attention to home prices around there so I'm not sure. (That's where we started out when we first moved to Austin.)

[atlanta hope]

Originally Posted by texastea

Yes, lots of neighborhood parks, pools, schools, churches and young families. Another neighborhood in the area is Barrington Oaks...it has homes similar to AM but its on the other side of Balcones. Did you get to drive through that area? Its at Jollyville/Oak Knoll and used to be priced less than BW but its been awhile since I've paid attention to home prices around there so I'm not sure. (That's where we started out when we first moved to Austin.)

My agent took me to see houses in BW but not the surrounding neighborhoods. We were looking in the $325-350K range. If the others are cheaper, she wouldn't have wanted to take me there!

[texastea]

They must be less then!

Sometimes agents narrow things down TOO much. I guess a principle of sales sometimes is don't give 'em too many choices. I used to do fragrance modeling and the sales lady would get mad if I offered a customer a sample if she already had that person trying to choose between perfume A or B. I only did it when I noticed the customer didn't REALLY like either one! (They usually bought mine and the saleslady still got the commission. )

[fil]

Anderson Mill road has also been in construction since we moved here and traffic between 620 and 183 is nuts.

We live on the other side of Anderson Mill on the McNeil/Spicewood Springs-side and what a difference 1 mile makes in commute. It's a pain every time I drive to my gym on 620 and AM road.

Our realtors did not take us to where we now live. If you can afford a little more, check out Tree Bend [whatever]. Homes were built 2001+ and range from $450-$800K and are pretty nice.

If you look at the Northern edge of Great Hills--Yaupon, Cassia, Fire Oak, etc.--you may find homes in your price range.

Balcones are older homes.
The Mountain and Spicewood Estates were built in the 1990's and are decent.

All in all, this area is about proximity and land value...location.

We love being central to most things in Austin with quick access to 183, 620, and 45.

[atlanta hope]

Originally Posted by fil

Anderson Mill road has also been in construction since we moved here and traffic between 620 and 183 is nuts.

We live on the other side of Anderson Mill on the McNeil/Spicewood Springs-side and what a difference 1 mile makes in commute. It's a pain every time I drive to my gym on 620 and AM road.

Our realtors did not take us to where we now live. If you can afford a little more, check out Tree Bend [whatever]. Homes were built 2001+ and range from $450-$800K and are pretty nice.

If you look at the Northern edge of Great Hills--Yaupon, Cassia, Fire Oak, etc.--you may find homes in your price range.

Balcones are older homes.
The Mountain and Spicewood Estates were built in the 1990's and are decent.

All in all, this area is about proximity and land value...location.

We love being central to most things in Austin with quick access to 183, 620, and 45.

What is the commute time to downtown from Anderson Mill?

We can't make it up to $400K with the property taxes. If we stayed here in Atlanta we could... I hate that we have to scale back to accomodate for the expensive tax. Granted there is no state income tax -- but heck, I'm a stay at home mom, that doesn't help me any!?!?