Recommended area to buy a house

[centralaustinite]

There are always the odd properties that are located right on a busy road (or on-ramp to Mopac), generally they have been rent houses for decades and decades and the owner long ago paid off the property, they might have been badly flipped or still in rent house condition that are lower priced in places like 04, 03, 51, 56, (Travis Heights, Bouldin, Tarrytown, Allandale, Rosedale, Hyde Park) but they are rapidly disappearing and there is a usually a significant "negative attribute" that prevented their sale until now. In other words, Komeht is right. The $350K homes in any of those areas are generally gone.

You can still find them in 78702 and 78722 but the good ones without some significant downside are getting scarce. You can find them (good houses with potential to appreciated at $350K in 78722, 78752) with patience and a good realtor.

[curious1111]

Originally Posted by A-Tex

You're comparing apples to oranges. But feel free to not consider school tracks for your massive investment properties. That just leaves more for us to buy to add to our substantial portfolio of properties.

I never said anything about massive investment properties. I was looking to purchase a property as an investment. I don't understand your apples to oranges comment. Put quite simply, there is a reason that real estate downtown is more expensive than real estate in Round Rock, Bee Cave, or wherever. There is a reason that a home on Windsor will cost more than a house on Palmer Ln, etc. Its not the school districts. School district matters out in the suburbs, not downtown. There is too much demand downtown for people that don't care about schools. And even for those of us that do, the closer to downtown, still the better investment. Your $ in Rollingwood or West Lake Hills will appreciate faster than the same $ in Round Rock, even though it is a great school district.

By the way, I am just voicing one opinion and mean no offense, while you seem a little touchy on this topic...

[sua2017]

Honestly I would avoid UH/WH. A few years ago people were talking about how the east side was going to be the new 'it' place and real estate was hot. Prices went through the roof and people started to realize that they could afford the same house on the west side which came with either a) better schools b) hills c) richer neighbors or d) all of the above. People then quickly started buying those houses and the value in homes in East Austin quickly fell and people did lose money. (My dad is in real estate and we have friends who bought investment properties and saw the value fall). With 350k, you shouldn't be looking in UH/WH because it doesn't matter if it is as close to downtown as other properties, it is still the east side and value will not apperciate as much.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by sua2017

Honestly I would avoid UH/WH. A few years ago people were talking about how the east side was going to be the new 'it' place and real estate was hot. Prices went through the roof and people started to realize that they could afford the same house on the west side which came with either a) better schools b) hills c) richer neighbors or d) all of the above. People then quickly started buying those houses and the value in homes in East Austin quickly fell and people did lose money. (My dad is in real estate and we have friends who bought investment properties and saw the value fall). With 350k, you shouldn't be looking in UH/WH because it doesn't matter if it is as close to downtown as other properties, it is still the east side and value will not apperciate as much.

This is pure fiction. This poster just invented a real estate crash that never happened. If anything the East side has exceeded rising expectations. There has been no spike and crash on east side prices. Just about everything from 290 to the river is rapidly appreciating and will continue for some time as the area becomes more and more desirable for its proximity to downtown. WP has additional benefit of being on Mueller's doorstep which will make it even more desirable with each year that goes by.

The truth of the matter is this: if you want to be central in Austin and have a limited budget, there really are no options left on the West side...East is all that is left at 350 and below. And there is no equivalent neighborhood in on the west side that is remotely as affordable as WP right now for what you get. There are some other East Side neighborhoods worth considering.

[MzATX02]

Don't believe the hype!! I'm born and raised here in Austin... For the last 10 years crime has gone up a lot! Everyday they are finding dead people every part of Austin.. And lately it's been in the higher income neighborhoods. Or someone is getting hit while riding a bike. And left for dead... The media don't tell us every time the police discover dead bodies especially if it were a homeless or somebody no one is looking for. I like to look at the police reports and listen to my trucker/police scanner and believe me Austin Police Department don't tell us everything!

[JT-3]

On another note, University Hills was just rated #3 "hottest neighborhoods in Austin" in the latest Austin Monthly magazine.

OP, where did you end up?

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by MzATX02

Don't believe the hype!! I'm born and raised here in Austin... For the last 10 years crime has gone up a lot! Everyday they are finding dead people every part of Austin.. And lately it's been in the higher income neighborhoods. Or someone is getting hit while riding a bike. And left for dead... The media don't tell us every time the police discover dead bodies especially if it were a homeless or somebody no one is looking for. I like to look at the police reports and listen to my trucker/police scanner and believe me Austin Police Department don't tell us everything!

Not a great first post as the crime rate is down from 2002 to 2012. And I'm not sure there is any data out there on the number of unreported crimes being higher now than it was ten years ago. Unless there is a conspiracy from Avecedo on down that is pure fiction.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Austin-Texas.html

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by JT-3

On another note, University Hills was just rated #3 "hottest neighborhoods in Austin" in the latest Austin Monthly magazine.

I read that article in Austin Monthly... it's fiction for the most part. Many of the "Top 10 hottest neighborhods" are new developments in places like Leander and Georgetown. It's just an advertising piece.

[OneFormula]

Finding something in downtown Austin for that price will be a Bear. good luck

[Tralfaz]

What's wrong with 78736, apart from the Y?

(ok, that's a bit like saying "Apart from that, how did you enjoy the play Mrs. Lincoln?", but Southwest Pkwy always worked for me as a blowoff valve..)