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Leander should have houses that are basically the construction cost. The land itself is almost negligible. I live in great hills and the land is only about 150K for .25 acres. I have a 2 acre lake front property off FM 2769 (technically leander) that I would be hard pressed to sell for 150K right now.
Basic construction cost of a tract home is in the $90/sq ft range to $150 for a *really* nicely finished house.
So at 3000 sq ft I would want to only pay about 300K to an absolute max of 450K for a house with all the bells and whistles ($100 hinges, high end appliances, lots of architectural interest).
Ill add that a typical heuristic is the house is 4X the cost of the land.
I tried to find a house in Avery Ranch, Pearson Place, Ranch at Brushy Creek and other north Austin places, but either it's way out of budget (like 525K+) or I didnt like the floor plans which I couldn't compromise.
I found this community is about 3 miles north of 1431, typically I felt its not far (As per Californian standard).
So I picked a plan (Which I liked) in this same community which about 3500 sqft home build on a 9000 Sqft lot and I need to pay about 400K + 30K upgrades.
I felt that I am paying about 50k more than the current market price, since I don't have any other option (as per my research) and also looking at the growth rate, I decided to go with this one.
I contacted few Realtor and most of them are not much useful and rather they support the builders.
Now after looking at the all these forum posts, make me to think that am I making a mistake?
What do you think about the land pricing specifically on this community for an .25 acre lot?
The thing that I'm most surprised about is that there are no restaurants or interesting shops in Cedar Park. I know - I lived there for 8 years and just sold my house in Oct '13. I was really frustrated by the lack of commercial growth and, to us, the lack of planning. Where is the center of Cedar Park? The new Costco? Really? it just seems like a big sprawl to me (and we lived in Los Angeles for years). I just don't understand (or like) the city planning of Cedar Park. Look where they put the City Hall - and everything around it is dead and out of business. I guess that sports grill is trying to make a go of it (Highlights) - good luck to them!
Add to that, the houses are either $200k (for older, not updated) or $400k plus! Where do you go to eat? The arboretum! If you want something besides HEB? The arboretum! (yes, I know a Sprouts is coming). The addition of the Drafthouse is great, but I can't point to much else.
Well, there's Cedar Park....and then there's Cedar Park. There's about a two-mile stretch of 1431 that has darned near any kind of restaurant you could hope for(with the exception of 'fine dining'). Not enough BBQ for my taste; but multiple steak houses, chicken galore, burgers from flat and skinny to 'gourmet', farm-to-table, tacos, etc, etc. I'm actually dismayed at the excessive growth in Cedar Park(but I don't live there, just 'visit').
The old Bell Blvd stretch is 'trying'; but it's more of a pass-through for many folks. Sorry to see ACE Hardware finally bite the dust; but Moonie's is hanging on! The little 'spurs' like Buttercup and Cypress Creek are hit and miss for sure. Certain businesses do well, others not so much. I think the City Hall move was a good one, even if it's not where most folks would consider the 'center' of Cedar Park(and certainly not near the oddly named Cedar Park Town Center).
Not picking on you; but did you really drive to the Arboretum to find a place to eat?...past Z Tejas, Cheddars, Kirbey Lane, Rudy's, Outback Steak, Chuy's, Luby's, Texas Land and Cattle, Texican Grill, Serrano's, Freida's, Moonie's, Reale's, 1431 Cafe, etc, etc? These are admittedly not(mostly) Cedar Park locations per se(Lakeline Mall is 'surrounded' by Cedar Park, but a heck of a lot closer than the Arboretum
And, yes, HEB is the big gorilla; but Cedar Park also has Randall's and Natural Grocer...and a pretty nice SuperTarget for that matter.
I read somewhere that leander is building some unreal amount of homes (tens of thousands if I am not mistaken) and cedar park is continuing to explode. I personally love the area- and even think jonestown-lago vista is going to see a huge growth as well due to cedar park expanding westward and leanders growth. The area has great schools, new homes, retail, plenty of dining, a mall, the alamo, access to the highways/tolls, nature within 5 minutes (lake travis, and the hills), and major employers within reach. To be honest there really isnt a big need to go to downtown Austin so im not sure why everyone acts as though you need to be 5 minutes from dt. Plus, getting downtown doesn't really take THAT long. Once the city comes up with a viable public transportation plan it will be less painful as well.
They better come up with a better water source plan and quick.
Not picking on you; but did you really drive to the Arboretum to find a place to eat?...past Z Tejas, Cheddars, Kirbey Lane, Rudy's, Outback Steak, Chuy's, Luby's, Texas Land and Cattle, Texican Grill, Serrano's, Freida's, Moonie's, Reale's, 1431 Cafe, etc, etc? These are admittedly not(mostly) Cedar Park locations per se(Lakeline Mall is 'surrounded' by Cedar Park, but a heck of a lot closer than the Arboretum
Fair point - I like Z'Tejas (but isn't that IN the Arboretum?) and Chuy's (very close to the Arboretum) and Kerbey Lane and Rudy's of course! We like Moonie's. But I still think that's a 5-8 mile drive AWAY from Cedar Park. (The rest I don't go to). I guess my point is - where are Chuy's? Round Rock or Duval. Where is Z'Tejas? Avery Ranch or Arboretum. Where is Rudy's? Round Rock or Duval. And there's no 'strip' or obvious place to develop them in CP. You are right - that Bell Blvd corridor is trying but 'meh.' And we lived near that Cypress Creek strip mall - and Buttercup - it's all just 'meh' with weird one-off Mexican places, JT's Grill, just nothing works out there and I don't understand why.
To put it another way, we've been out of CP for the last 6 months and other than to visit an ex-neighbor and another friend, we don't need to go back there at all for any reason.
And to be clear, I'm not just bagging on CP - I want it to succeed and be better and grow! The housing is going gangbusters! But when we looked to move up to the next house, I couldn't justify spending $400K+ (and plus big HOAs) to live sort of... out in the middle of nowhere.
Fair point - I like Z'Tejas (but isn't that IN the Arboretum?) and Chuy's (very close to the Arboretum) and Kerbey Lane and Rudy's of course! We like Moonie's. But I still think that's a 5-8 mile drive AWAY from Cedar Park. (The rest I don't go to). I guess my point is - where are Chuy's? Round Rock or Duval. Where is Z'Tejas? Avery Ranch or Arboretum. Where is Rudy's? Round Rock or Duval. And there's no 'strip' or obvious place to develop them in CP. You are right - that Bell Blvd corridor is trying but 'meh.' And we lived near that Cypress Creek strip mall - and Buttercup - it's all just 'meh' with weird one-off Mexican places, JT's Grill, just nothing works out there and I don't understand why.
To put it another way, we've been out of CP for the last 6 months and other than to visit an ex-neighbor and another friend, we don't need to go back there at all for any reason.
And to be clear, I'm not just bagging on CP - I want it to succeed and be better and grow! The housing is going gangbusters! But when we looked to move up to the next house, I couldn't justify spending $400K+ (and plus big HOAs) to live sort of... out in the middle of nowhere.
Did you miss the Avery Ranch Z Tejas? If you tiptoe, you can see Cedar Park across Brushy Creek!
You were in the 'very attractive but got clobbered by the downturn' area of Cedar Park. That whole are behind City Hall (Red Oak) came to a screeching halt in '08...coulda been a contenda!!! It's all going to change significantly with the extension of Little Elm Tr....won't recognize the place in 12-18 months.
Part of the disconnect in this conversation is the geography of Cedar Park. Some folks think of the Lakeline Blvd area behind and north of the mall, others like me think of Ranch @ Brushy Creek, Parmer at 1431, 1890 Ranch, and everything in between.
I'm guessing the Cedar Park folks don't care exactly WHERE 'it' is built...as long as it produces tax revenue! On a scary note, one early 'master plan' for Cedar Park included an extension of N. Lake Creek Pkwy to connect with Gupton behind the Vista Ridge stadium!!! Yikes!!!
I tried to find a house in Avery Ranch, Pearson Place, Ranch at Brushy Creek and other north Austin places, but either it's way out of budget (like 525K+) or I didnt like the floor plans which I couldn't compromise.
I found this community is about 3 miles north of 1431, typically I felt its not far (As per Californian standard).
So I picked a plan (Which I liked) in this same community which about 3500 sqft home build on a 9000 Sqft lot and I need to pay about 400K + 30K upgrades.
I felt that I am paying about 50k more than the current market price, since I don't have any other option (as per my research) and also looking at the growth rate, I decided to go with this one.
I contacted few Realtor and most of them are not much useful and rather they support the builders.
Now after looking at the all these forum posts, make me to think that am I making a mistake?
What do you think about the land pricing specifically on this community for an .25 acre lot?
If you found a house that you personally like, that's really all that matters. People have opinions on lots of things. Though I will say that it wouldn't hurt to maybe rent for a year or two to get a feel for the area and where it's heading. I rented before I bought here.
Greatschool ratings don't particularly sway me one way or the other, but the schools that Sarita Valley are zoned to aren't the "Best of Leander". Which is what I'd expect if I am paying $500K and above for a suburban house. The ratings can be considered good and definitely above average, but I assume Leander is a draw because of its schools . There are many lower priced homes in other cities that have the same ratings (and better) than those found in Sarita Valley. Suburban cities have traditionally given you more bang for your buck and that is partially why many are drawn to them. These new home prices are, IMHO, artificially inflated.
Its a big housing bubble since most people moving in are paying the prices for it. Let them build it and sit on the market , they will come down on price. A home like that is considered cheap for me because i an from NJ , a home like that here will cost you about 1 million. So it is easy for many transplants to pay. Its all about demand and the people paying. Let these idiots build the homes and sit there not selling and watch how fast they will adjust the prices..
There is a difference between a business/company that provides good quality for an affordable price and a company that tries to get greedy and make as much as they can.
Its a big housing bubble since most people moving in are paying the prices for it. Let them build it and sit on the market , they will come down on price.
Maybe or maybe not. I had that same attitude when I could have purchased a house just outside San Diego in 1998 that was $120K, but I balked at it because it had sold for $90K the previous year. Well, even after the bubble burst, that same house is still at $350K today, while it had reached over $500K at one point.
The point is that none of us really know until it actually happens so it's a gamble either way, but if it's something that you can afford and you plan to live in it then it doesn't really matter if it goes up or down 20% or 40% within the next few years. In my case, it went up so much that I couldn't afford to buy it at all. The main difference between here and the markets like CA that had issues is that people are actually buying homes to live in here where people were "investing" in those other markets that crashed. Now if you can show me some data that proves these areas are being bought up by investors then I'll agree.
Maybe or maybe not. I had that same attitude when I could have purchased a house just outside San Diego in 1998 that was $120K, but I balked at it because it had sold for $90K the previous year. Well, even after the bubble burst, that same house is still at $350K today, while it had reached over $500K at one point.
The point is that none of us really know until it actually happens so it's a gamble either way, but if it's something that you can afford and you plan to live in it then it doesn't really matter if it goes up or down 20% or 40% within the next few years. In my case, it went up so much that I couldn't afford to buy it at all. The main difference between here and the markets like CA that had issues is that people are actually buying homes to live in here where people were "investing" in those other markets that crashed. Now if you can show me some data that proves these areas are being bought up by investors then I'll agree.
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