Single Gal (40'ish) has housing/land questions (Houston, Austin: for sale, house)

[countrygrls]

I live in Cedar Creek, east of Austin, no its not ALL hill billy.
But Bastrop and its surrounding areas are pretty nice, Cedar Creek being one of them depending on location. Batrop, Lee, Caldwell counties are all within easy driving distance.
Bastrop has a huge grocery store, Walmart, Home Depot, golf courses, a large lake and all the fast food restaurants you can think of.
The property taxes (Bastrop County) are about half of what they are in Austin (Travis County), and lots more land for the money.
The further west you go the more property taxes are. That was the reason we DIDN'T move west (Travis, Hays, Williamson counties) of Austin. But if your anual income permits, go for it!
I don't know that the bartender business is booming in Bastrop like it is in Austin. But that 30+ min. drive is a sacrifice a lot of us make for better wages.
Hope this info helps a little, welcom to Texas !

[followingmyheart]

Meow! Can't remember the last time I read of a cat fight between men.... Good thing I didn't post a pic. ha ha. The last few posts were good for my ego! Thanks for the creative conversation! Very familiar with bass fishing (my ex boyfriend is a competitive fisherdude)....I'm intrigued that having my own boat would make me the perfect woman in Texas....on the east coast it was my motorcycle and here in NM it's my 4 wheeler.

Getting back to the subject of land and a house (sorry to bore you), are there any towns that have a nice downtown atmosphere like Georgetown? I've read that Smithville's biggest landmark downtown is their DQ. I know I'm being picky but I'm looking for something a bit more. How about Dripping Springs? Leander? Jonestown? Is it me or is Wimberley a dry town? A lot of the restaurants that I've read online ask that you "bring your own".

Also, I've been looking on sites like h o m e s d o t c o m and a u s t i n h o m e s e a r c h....any better sites available?

Thanks for keeping me in touch with you Austinites!

[followingmyheart]

Thanks for the info countrygrls! I'm going to check into Cedar Creek as well. I thought that as far as bartending, I do pretty in decent sized "small" cities/towns...Like here in NM our town population is 13k and I do pretty well working in the bars out here and my drive is 15 mts. into town.

I hear that the east side is much flatter and not as pretty, but as you said, the taxes are quite a bit lower. I plan on taking another trip out there when it warms up to check out all these areas. My last trip (over Thanksgiving) was quite cold and raining like hell so my realtor and I were pretty limited in our travels. She keeps leading me in the direction of Cedar Park/Leander/Liberty Hill. Cedar Park reminded me of Ca., Liberty Hill had nothing and I think I remember Leander as being nice. I absolutely loved the area near Lake Travis with all of the trees, etc. but hey, I'm rich in spirit, not in cash, so I was gonna check out south of there.

Keep the info coming...I really appreciate it!

[jimmyjack]

Twern't much of a dustup maam.

If you're looking for a rich vein to plough in the bartending world, stay away from the small and even medium towns, it's strictly subsistance wage out there. I'd keep my eyes peeled to the south/southeast. If you get outside the subdivisions you can pick up a 5 acre spread that will do you better than some of these improved lots you'll find out there. Getting to work will be easy since you work off hours.

I wouldn't rush it neither. Figure on renting for a while, it will take you six months to get the lay of the land with no mountains for reference and figure out where your tribe is here. Don't waste your time lookin on the internet at houses, it's a lot like that internet dating that poor shut in fella is so obsessed about, they make the pictures look so good on the computer but you can hardly believe it is the same house when you see it in person.

You also get bonus points for the 4 wheeler. We like mud doggin here too.

[followingmyheart]

Thanks for your suggestions! I'm definitely doing some searching southeast of Austin....it's actually not as flat as I've been told! I'm pleasantly surprised at all the pine trees...so not what I expected and even more exciting to explore! Unfortunately I don't know if I'll be have the luxury of renting before I buy because of my land needs (7 dogs - 5 choosing/needing to be outside because of their size)....I'm a pretty lenient landlord and have allowed pets on my properties, but I've limited them to ONE..ha ha!

I really appreciate the input and I'm just gonna keep searching..you're right with your comparisons on the internet....there are always unexpected surprises on the other side...particularly outdated pics that are 10 years old (I think we're on the same page here)....but I'm going to remain optimistic!!!!

THANK YOU MY AUSTINITE FRIENDS!!! I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING MY COMMUNICATIONS WITH YOU AND ESPECIALLY LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO RELOCATE TO THE AUSTIN AREA...ONLY FROM THE STANDPOINT OF ACTUALLY BEING A FELLOW AUSTINITE!!! ROCK ON!!!! (Sorry, got a little carried away there at the end...I'm still pretty wired at this hour after working a helluva busy Valentine's Day night shift!) By the way, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!

[Canine*Castle]

A bit off of your actual questions, followingmyheart, but it sounds like you have a lovely place in NM, something of which I'm dreaming. If you don't mind me asking, where in NM? I'm contemplating a possible move there sometime in the next few years, hopefully somewhere in the mountains of Otero County.

[love roses]

It's a common misconception that land East of Austin is completely flat as a board I live East of Austin and found this totally untrue as well.

[texastea]

Downtown Smithville is really cute....remember the movie "Hope Floats" with Sandra Bullock? It was filmed there.

[followingmyheart]

canine*castle: I have 7+ acres and 2 houses (1 I live in and 1 I rent) right outside a small town called Silver City (in Grant County), southwest NM. Not on the way to or from anywhere...2 1/2 hours to Tucson airport and 2 1/2 hours to El Paso airport....no damn Home Depot....no Chili's (or Presidente margaritas except for the ones I make) and has that "we don't like outsiders here" attitude...especially to Californians who have come to town and opened up successful businesses. I'm sure that same idiotic mentality still exists in a majority of small towns. My property here is beautiful (I'm in a valley) where the sunrises, sunsets and star filled skies take your breath away. I bought raw land and started from there. I'm told my "spread" is to-die-for, has every amenity possible and is still in a good price point....I've worked hard and spent my Cali. house profits wisely out here and it shows, so I don't see a problem putting it on the market when the time comes. Interested in a visit/showing? Just look for our "Puppydog Ranch" sign! (thought you'd appreciate that) Ha Ha!

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by followingmyheart

canine*castle: I have 7+ acres and 2 houses (1 I live in and 1 I rent) right outside a small town called Silver City (in Grant County), southwest NM. Not on the way to or from anywhere...2 1/2 hours to Tucson airport and 2 1/2 hours to El Paso airport....no damn Home Depot....no Chili's (or Presidente margaritas except for the ones I make) and has that "we don't like outsiders here" attitude...especially to Californians who have come to town and opened up successful businesses. I'm sure that same idiotic mentality still exists in a majority of small towns. My property here is beautiful (I'm in a valley) where the sunrises, sunsets and star filled skies take your breath away. I bought raw land and started from there. I'm told my "spread" is to-die-for, has every amenity possible and is still in a good price point....I've worked hard and spent my Cali. house profits wisely out here and it shows, so I don't see a problem putting it on the market when the time comes. Interested in a visit/showing? Just look for our "Puppydog Ranch" sign! (thought you'd appreciate that) Ha Ha!

I'm sure it's way out of my price range, but it sounds absolutely perfect. I wish I would have stayed in CA longer to get a piece of the pie; unfortunately, I moved to Texas way too many years ago and am still here. NM seems very appealing to me. I love the name of your Ranch, way too cute.

Being away from the things you mentioned sounds glorius and being in a valley sounds even more glorius.

I hope you can find something in Austin you'll like as well and since it's in the Hill Country, it's not flat. It's a nice area.