Affordable houses (Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park: short sale, real estate market, foreclosure)

[MSLITTLE]

I am looking in the round rock area for homes under 100,000 I dont see any unless they are forclosures or auctions. Are there any good areas in that price range im a single female I dont need a big house. And where are the cowboys

[FalconheadWest]

You'll need to bump up to at least $120-130k to find something decent. That won't be a "newer" house and it will need work, but we're just not a $100k market anymore.

[tomchard]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

You'll need to bump up to at least $120-130k to find something decent. That won't be a "newer" house and it will need work, but we're just not a $100k market anymore.

Falconhead-West is correct ... this is "not a $100k market anymore." ... Much to many folks' chagrin, too.
There's been much gnashing of teeth and hand-wringing on other forums, about the "affordability" of housing in the Austin Area (in an approx. ~60 mile circumference).
Single parents, widows/ers, and retirees are all being squeezed out of the real estate market in the area.
While RE agents/brokers are all doing the "Happy Dance©" because of increased pricing and demand for homes, many people (including me & mine) are opting to completely-bypass the Greater Austin Area because of the cost of getting-into a home there - all I'm seeing for my $$$ are "fixers" or less-than-desirable condition places, in less-than-optimal locations to retire to, which is what we would be doing.
While I would prefer to be closer to my grown children in the immediate area, those factors are ugly facts-of-life that need to be dealt with, and with a fixed income, we'll be hard-pressed to be able to afford anything within the area.

Be mindful that, if you're willing to do the work, you can (indeed!) score a good bargain.

I know that the big disappointment for me is seeing the home I sold some years ago in Cedar Park now rated worth more-than 4 times what was paid for it, in 1976 ... And I understand how things have grown since I left!

For our money, we'll be concentrating our searches in smaller towns, outside the "influence" of the Greater Austin Area.

As Always ... YMMV - Thanx! --- TC.

OOPS! Forgot to tell ya ... Real cowboys don't live in Austin - they all moved-out to the small towns, too!

[MSLITTLE]

Thank you for the info. So are there smaller towns that have houses in my price range that are decent area?

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by MSLITTLE

. Are there any good areas in that price range im a single female I dont need a big house. And where are the cowboys

I'm aware of one in each category up in Lometa. Heck of a commute, though.

[CptnRn]

You can't expect to move to one of the hottest, fastest growing places in the country, which already has a shortage of housing and rental properties and find decent housing in the $100K price range.

You will probably find more of what you are looking for in Kingsville, TX, including cowboys. http://www.city-data.com/city/Kingsville-Texas.html

Estimated median house or condo value in 2011: $70,215[LEFT]
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Kingsv...#ixzz2syBSUJhk
[/LEFT]

[HappyTexan]

OP..you're probably 10 years too late for that priced home.

[love roses]

You MIGHT look in Hutto, but it's getting harder and harder to find anything under 100k. You may be able to find a short sale or foreclosure.

[Tralfaz]

Maybe Garfield, Wyldwood/Cedar Creek or Bastrop?

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by MSLITTLE

Thank you for the info. So are there smaller towns that have houses in my price range that are decent area?

Yes. Lots of smaller towns ALL OVER Texas that are nice & have homes in your price range. A few questions:

- Why Round Rock?
- Where is your job? (or will you not be working?)
- When you say "decent", what do you mean? What do you like to do? What is needed for a town to be "decent"?
- Are schools of any importance? (if yes, what do you want out of the school?)