I'm finding loads of cheap properties in Austin... (Houston, San Antonio: for sale, house)

[justanothercalifornian]

and they are not in the burbs! (Austinhomesearch.com) Yes, Austin is overpriced but if you don't mind fixing something up you can get a cool little house in even the "hippest" areas. I've even seen some under $160 for south Austin that were not that bad. Perhaps it's because I'm so used to the overpriced, butt-ugly housing in you know where, that this seems so great to me. Either way I feel more hopeful tonight.

[llkltk]

I wouldn't be so sure of the areas until you see them in person. Austin Home Search can only show you so much.

[achtungpv]

This listing caught my eye: Listing Details
...calling the neighborhood the "new Travis Heights" is a bit dishonest to say the least.

trulia.com is one of the better search engines since it maps every home and you can quickly nix homes in bad areas but it isn't an exhaustive list of homes for sale. realtor.com is getting better but the map component is buggy.

[austin-steve]

Yes, there are good, decent, older homes in South Austin for under $200K and only 15 minutes to downtown/Zilker areas.
Steve

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by achtungpv

Moderator cut: MLS link

trulia.com is one of the better search engines since it maps every home and you can quickly nix homes in bad areas but it isn't an exhaustive list of homes for sale. realtor.com is getting better but the map component is buggy.

That's really not a terrible location, it's fairly close to Westgate etc. and not bad at all. Really, for under $200K it's pretty good...and it just MAY be the new Travis Heights one day soon and we'll all wonder why we didn't snap it up!

[austin-steve]

I saw a listing a couple of years ago in the Western Trails neighborhood behind Westgate Mall and Central Market. The agent wrote in the listing "the Tarrytown of South Austin but 1/3 the price, bigger and you get a garage".

I laughed at first. But if you drive through that are, he wasn't far off. It's really nice back there. The older Cherry Creek is nice too, but the homes are mostly smaller. But if you don't need more than 1400 sqft for under $200K, there are plenty of good areas to check out in South Austin.
Steve

[fallof09]

We love living in Cherry Creek! Nice neighbors, 13 mins to Whole Foods, mature trees (watch out for those Ash trees though since they are at the end of their life spans.) We however, are moving to Ft. Worth, b/c we can live in their version of Travis Heights for around $850 a month. We'll be putting our house on the market in April b/c we just can't swing our mortgage, no matter how good of a deal our 'hood is.

[soothsayer1234]

Originally Posted by fallof09

We love living in Cherry Creek! Nice neighbors, 13 mins to Whole Foods, mature trees (watch out for those Ash trees though since they are at the end of their life spans.) We however, are moving to Ft. Worth, b/c we can live in their version of Travis Heights for around $850 a month. We'll be putting our house on the market in April b/c we just can't swing our mortgage, no matter how good of a deal our 'hood is.

Good decision. Ft. Worth is the most unsung reasonably priced city in Texas, has more amenities than Austin, and is more cosmopolitan. Plus, you are only a 30 minute drive from watching the 7-1 Cowboys. Houston, San Antonio, and DFW will take off with the Austin investors that will bail out when overpriced Austin reaches a tipping point, if it hasn't already! Great move going to Fort Worth!