Rural north of Austin, HELP!?!~ (San Antonio, Cedar Park: apartment, rent, movers)

[neddy]

Look on 2243 between Georgetown and leander and I think you might find something or Liberty Hill and Stonewall Ranch might fit for you also.

[HappyTexan]

I think your best bet if you want to view rural, then buy rural yourself. A lot of times these new subdivisions butt up against a rural property only for that rural property to eventually turn into the next phase of that subdivision.

If you do find a property..check to see who owns that rural property that will be your view. If it is a development Company then you know it won't be rural for long.

[love roses]

That was too funny about the candygrams and land sharks . Good advice above about finding out who owns the rural property that will be your view. I wish I would have known that about where I'm at now. Even if there are no hills

[car957]

Liberty Hill would be anoter choice, as well as Seward Junction

[FoxClover]

Bruce:

So you currently reside in West Michigan? I’m a Hollander born and raised. If the reports from my parents are correct you should have experienced the pleasure of 2 or 3 major snow events already. If you are looking for something that resembles west Michigan I would suggest East of I-35. I owned property in Lexington, TX (45 miles east I believe) and if you ignore the fact that you are warm rather than freezing your butt off my property had so many pine type trees on it I kept thinking I was back in Michigan. I sold that property a ways back when I realized a daily commute to Austin area would be out of the question. I now live on 3+ acres in Liberty Hill that is part of an equestrian ranch. It is truly the beautiful rural/nature lifestyle you were describing. If you have specific questions about the area I would be happy to tell you what I know. I will make one mention (and mind you I too have kids) about the scorpions. When I lived a little farther east (closer to Austin) I too had never seen a scorpion. When I cleared and leveled the property we live on now (dozer rental is just up the road – lots of fun) I noticed a few scorpions here and there. Once we built the house and moved in and the rains disappeared for a few years there, you would see several everyday (usually on the concrete sidewalks and driveway). I did some research and realized that my biggest problem was all of the loose rock that I had not yet cleared from construction. Once we cleared that and I spread some general-purpose fire ant granules we were fine. I think we saw 3 scorpions in the past 12 months. No one in the family has been stung yet and we have been here 4+ years so I think it is something to be aware of but not concerned over. Your mileage will of course vary.

-Fox
?

[brucemc777]

Yep. Hohoho, I is lookin' at snow. I have slipped a number of times on the ice but so far not hit the concrete. Gee. how I will miss that. On the other side, it is very pretty, and I will miss that aspect. Of course, moving to an area where jobs are actually available will be nice. I sent my wife a picture of one of our daughters sledding today via email. She responded by telling me about having to use air conditioning today.

With her taking the point, I suspect we will be renting for a short while, up to a year, very likely in a subdivision area (which will now drive me nuts), but provided I can begin earning a decent income once again I will be able to influence a move back into a rural setting. I am going to be happy to start at the beginning again and just get good work in some entry level capacity and work my way back up - over some 30 years I worked up to eventually running my own small company, but Michigan's refusal to come out of the 1999 recession has left me owning simply a corporate shell - rather devastating.

I am looking forward to the move therefore for a number of reasons - I hope a few more Texans will be welcome...

[FoxClover]

I understand your comments. My brother shut down his business of over 7 years in the Holland area recently because he could not get enough traffic into the store on a daily basis to even pay for his fixed costs. My father finally accepted retirement when his busy 6-day week of service calls dwindled down to 1-½ days a week worth of calls – barely worth the upkeep on his service vehicle.

I’ve found that working for someone else has suited my lifestyle quite nicely in the Austin area but I have many friends who have opened their own shops. I've seen several of them succeed and I have seen some fail. Of all those that failed I can't count one of them that failed due to lack of market opportunities. So, if you have a plan and don’t mind working hard there is no reason you cannot succeed here.

Unfortunately if you are looking to work for someone else don’t expect the fact that you were president of your business to help out a lot. I have interviewed heaps of former company presidents, VPs, and directors while I have lived here. Titles really don’t hold much power in the Austin area. Most employers are more interested in what you have done rather then what you were called. You’ll also hear that formal attire is not important in the Austin area but I am still impressed when a prospective employee arrives wearing a suit. That being said – my best hire was a kid in blue jeans and a polo shirt.

Renting is always a good plan because it gives you a good opportunity to look around and find out what is important and what is not. I hope it all works out for you as expected and Yes; we have plenty of room for a few more Texans.

If you want to get excited about what Texas has to offer, I highly recommend TEXAS: The Big Picture DVD (http://texasstatehistorymuseumstore....ategory_Code=B)

[brucemc777]

Heck, I am working on a "cover story" with a friend that also runs a business to say I worked for him. Truth is I would be rather dubious of anyone who ran their own business for any length of time because they are much more apt to be a maverick and resent corporate structure, along with the Peter Principal (I am sunk if any prospective employer ties this to me...). I will become a sales manager or director of operations for his business. I hate lying, but I am sick of not working. All I want to do is get my foot in the door in an entry level position. Even though my wife says that the rate of pay in the Austin area is relatively astronomical - she has been interviewing controller's assistants that have provided evidence of breaking $100,000/yr., - I will be thrilled to start at next to nothing provided that if I prove myself I will be paid what I am worth. Guess that is a by-product of running your own business, you are completely happy with being paid what you are worth, and if you don't produce, you shouldn't be paid - though there are way too many folks out there that still collect a paycheck. On the other side, if I produce, I damn well expect to be paid what I am worth.

Can you advise of what you see as the best avenues for finding work in the area? I love operations management, though have been based in commercial credit management for the last 30 or so years. I know Dell had a parting of ways with Citi Group a year or so ago, and I could probably do well for them there, but I would prefer working my way up in production, even if it meant starting all over from the ground at 51 yrs. old. Also, aviation has always been a love of mine (even though I get motion sick a bit too easily), and would greatly enjoy working around an airport. But, as mentioned before, I fundamentally would just be thrilled to be working again.

btw, it appears that we will have clearance on the move tomorrow, so the mover's estimated lead time of two weeks is probably how long until y'all (I still say that from college in Okla. City) will have another Texan (six, counting my daughters and dog...).

[brucemc777]

OK folks, I am packing boxes that were dropped off by the moving company I am using (Corrigan, so far, so good. 15 months ago I used Nationwide Van Lines - NEVER use them!!! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!!). Also this evening our pickup was loaded onto a truck to be taken down to Cedar Park. The loading was in the midst of a snow blizzard that has cars skidding into ditches. The moving company starts packing Wednesday and will load Thursday & Friday. I and the girls and pets start on down Saturday morning after a nite's sleep (hopefully)...

[mrsengle]

Hi there Bruce - that's going to be a looong drive! Sounds like the Griswold Family Move in the old Family Truckster

Y'all be careful - hopefully the weather won't give you any fits.