Steiner Ranch community in Cedar Park (Austin, Canyon: real estate, apartments, leasing)

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Torontonian

Hi

I'm new on this forum. I'm moving to Austin next month. Planning to buy a house few months after. I know that it is not a good time to buy a house but looks like Austin didn't experience this huge real-estate bubble, house prices are still reasonable and what surprises me they are still going up.
I'm looking at Steiner Ranch community (Cedar Park). Is there anybody from that area? I'd like to get all pros/cons of that area and probably to hear what alternative areas I should consider as well.

Some info about us - family of 4, kids are 5 and 8 yrs old, my work is in Arboretum area. Would like to buy a house for not more than 300K. Of course good neighbourhoud and exemplary schools are high priority.

Thanks in advance for those who reply

PS. Moving from Toronto, Canada ;-)

How many sq feet are you looking for? Moderator cut: realtor site

Moderator cut: MLS

That last one is north of mcneil between parmer and 183. I think this is an incredibly awesome location as it has really good access to mopac or 183 so the commutes arent hellish. It is also very quick to get downtown (except during rush hour). There are quite a number of the 100/sq foot houses in this area.

The distance to downtown is about the same, but the roads are much faster. Moreover you are much closer to major up north employers (dell, IBM, freescale etc). It is about 5 minutes to the arboretum without traffic.

Rush hour on 183 gets bad right around oak knoll going north in the evenings and going south in the mornings.

[BDixon]

Steiner Ranch is part of Leander ISD which is often connected to Cedar Park. You can get into Steiner Ranch for under $300 resale or just above $300k for new construction.

They've actually just started tapping into the million dollar home market. Some homesites in the back of the development - ie. the Bluffs, are amazing.

[504to512]

I am moving to Steiner Ranch also...or at least looking into it...any other pros/cons?

I do not like the Mcneil/Parmer area...I would rather the Leander school system.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by 504to512

I am moving to Steiner Ranch also...or at least looking into it...any other pros/cons?

I do not like the Mcneil/Parmer area...I would rather the Leander school system.

Much has changed in the two years since this thread was active...you might have better results creating a new thread that addresses your specific questions. Good luck.

[mm57553]

We have lived in Steiner Ranch for 4 years and love it. Like the pp said, it is not in Cedar Park, it's in Austin. It is, however, in Leander ISD. The schools are top-notch (part of the reason we moved here), and right now there are actually several properties listed below $300,000. You can go to austinhomesearch.com and look for homes in zip 78732. Most of those are in Steiner.

We also looked at River Place but decided on Steiner instead. First, River Place is more expensive. Second, River Place just didn't have the ammenities that Steiner has, namely the community pools (you have to join the country club in River Place to use the pool; Steiner had 3 pools for use by residents, and they are free). Finally, the HOA was ridiculously strict in River Place. Don't get me wrong, they are strict in Steiner too, but in River Place you can't even park your car in your driveway overnight - they all have to be in the garage. So, basically, we would need a 4-car garage so that when our kids get older, we would have enough garage space to park all the cars. That's just crazy.

[cabolissa]

Is there a community with similar amenities (hilly nature, good schools, pools, etc) in the $200 range? Most of what I'm seeing are in the flatter Eastern areas (Pflugerville, Manor, Hutto, East RR, etc).

[woodinvilleguy]

Originally Posted by cabolissa

Is there a community with similar amenities (hilly nature, good schools, pools, etc) in the $200 range? Most of what I'm seeing are in the flatter Eastern areas (Pflugerville, Manor, Hutto, East RR, etc).

Have you looked at Avery Ranch? it has a lot of the same amenities.

[cabolissa]

Originally Posted by woodinvilleguy

Have you looked at Avery Ranch? it has a lot of the same amenities.

I only drove past Avery... I liked what I saw but admittedly didn't go inside. I'll definitely be looking into this area. Thanks!

[iceshots]

Originally Posted by cabolissa

Is there a community with similar amenities (hilly nature, good schools, pools, etc) in the $200 range? Most of what I'm seeing are in the flatter Eastern areas (Pflugerville, Manor, Hutto, East RR, etc).

Check out Dripping Springs as well, but you wold be on the low side of the house pricing scale. I think there are some house models in Belterra in the 200 range. HighPoint may have something in that range, but I'm not sure. Sawyer Ranch would be above that level. Another nice spot is Hidden Springs Ranch which is right in Dripping Springs. You may be able to find something in your range in that area. They have a community pool and ball field. Large lots with a good community feel.

There should also be houses available in some of the other smaller neighborhoods, but they would not have the pools or other amenities and be more country lots.

Good Luck

[texastea]

Originally Posted by cabolissa

Is there a community with similar amenities (hilly nature, good schools, pools, etc) in the $200 range? Most of what I'm seeing are in the flatter Eastern areas (Pflugerville, Manor, Hutto, East RR, etc).

Cabolissa, have you looked into the Boulders area of Crystal Falls? The homes are Lennar so not super expensive, but the pool area is really nice.