Family Relocating from Orlando, FL (San Antonio, Austin: apartment, rental, new home)

[EWoodall]

I have to start with a smiley face just cause I'm so ready to get the hell outta Orlando.

Husband is finished with the Military late this year - 2016.
We're in our early 30's, family of 2 boys under the age of 10.
He's been with law enforcement more specifically ( Corrections ) for over 6 years now, and want to continue in that field when we move out there.

Austin is his #1 choice mainly cause of Pay, but San Antonio is mine, cause of Low budget living.
We've been stationed in El Paso, TX for 4 years -- Wish we never left TX to come back to Florida, but now we have the opportunity to move back to Texas permanently.
We've narrowed it down to wanting to be anywhere between Austin and San Antonio, but can't decide.
We'll come visit before we make the big move, but we'd like some input;
Obviously we wouldn't be purchasing a house right off the bat, we are flexible, and want to get a feel of the Cities before we settle down. So we'd be renting, and kids would be in Elementary, and Middle Schools. We don't want to stay anywhere near Bad Neighborhoods, Bad Grade Schools.
We'd like to rent a decent apartment/ preferably a house 3bed/2bth -- Under 1100/Monthly.
We don't mind living in the outskirts, but we'd like to stay between 30-35 min from Downtown, cause more than likely he'd be working there.

What are some places we should be looking at?
If it helps -- Reasons why we aren't considering ELP, Not much Nightlife; it gets boring after a while, we ran out of things to do with our Kids, and just as a Couple. We love bars, dancing, drinking and socializing atleast a few times a month. Although the cost of living is very cheap, we were getting Military Pay which was decent, But The Pay for Law Enforcement is very low there. Also ELP was extremely dry for us, and lastly, it was just too far from everything. We like seeing Green every now and then as well, lol.

Any help would be appreciated -- Thanks in advance.

[centralaustinite]

You won't find any 3/2 single family homes in the Austin area -- even far outside the city in rural areas for $1100 -- much less within 30 minutes of downtown. I would look at areas outside of SA.

[clarksvillemom]

Money will go farther in SA. Plus, it's a really fun place and tons of things to do with kids.

[givings]

Originally Posted by EWoodall

I have to start with a smiley face just cause I'm so ready to get the hell outta Orlando.

Husband is finished with the Military late this year - 2016.
We're in our early 30's, family of 2 boys under the age of 10.
He's been with law enforcement more specifically ( Corrections ) for over 6 years now, and want to continue in that field when we move out there.

Austin is his #1 choice mainly cause of Pay, but San Antonio is mine, cause of Low budget living.
We've been stationed in El Paso, TX for 4 years -- Wish we never left TX to come back to Florida, but now we have the opportunity to move back to Texas permanently.
We've narrowed it down to wanting to be anywhere between Austin and San Antonio, but can't decide.
We'll come visit before we make the big move, but we'd like some input;
Obviously we wouldn't be purchasing a house right off the bat, we are flexible, and want to get a feel of the Cities before we settle down. So we'd be renting, and kids would be in Elementary, and Middle Schools. We don't want to stay anywhere near Bad Neighborhoods, Bad Grade Schools.
We'd like to rent a decent apartment/ preferably a house 3bed/2bth -- Under 1100/Monthly.
We don't mind living in the outskirts, but we'd like to stay between 30-35 min from Downtown, cause more than likely he'd be working there.

What are some places we should be looking at?
If it helps -- Reasons why we aren't considering ELP, Not much Nightlife; it gets boring after a while, we ran out of things to do with our Kids, and just as a Couple. We love bars, dancing, drinking and socializing atleast a few times a month. Although the cost of living is very cheap, we were getting Military Pay which was decent, But The Pay for Law Enforcement is very low there. Also ELP was extremely dry for us, and lastly, it was just too far from everything. We like seeing Green every now and then as well, lol.

Any help would be appreciated -- Thanks in advance.

If you are staying in corrections, you might consider the Kyle unit. This is a South Austin suburb with low home prices for the area and a huge number of homebuilders with new subdivisions. The market is strong so there's not much of a premium. This is a place for families and not far from downtown. They are planning it pretty well. Here's a list of all the Kyle new communities: http://www.newhomesource.com/communi...amefilter-kyle

Kyle is getting popular with being on the edge of Hill Country. Schools are good (as they pretty much are across Austin). The cool thing about Kyle is everyone is new there, so blending in should be easy. Since it is along i35, you can get to San Marcos or San Antonio quickly.

One other alternative if you want rural and very inexpensive is the Lockhart unit. Great BBQ, but I have no idea what living there is like or the quality of schools. Good luck.

[EWoodall]

Originally Posted by givings

If you are staying in corrections, you might consider the Kyle unit. This is a South Austin suburb with low home prices for the area and a huge number of homebuilders with new subdivisions. The market is strong so there's not much of a premium. This is a place for families and not far from downtown. They are planning it pretty well. Here's a list of all the Kyle new communities: New Homes in Kyle, TX - 1,680 New Homes

Kyle is getting popular with being on the edge of Hill Country. Schools are good (as they pretty much are across Austin). The cool thing about Kyle is everyone is new there, so blending in should be easy. Since it is along i35, you can get to San Marcos or San Antonio quickly.

One other alternative if you want rural and very inexpensive is the Lockhart unit. Great BBQ, but I have no idea what living there is like or the quality of schools. Good luck.

Awesome, Checking it out now. Thanks for the help!!!

[Glenn Ross]

I second Kyle and would add in Buda which is next door. There are a lot of LEO's living in that area. Close proximity to Austin, yet much more budget friendly. The earlier point about $1100 being hard to find is a valid one. Also don't rule out San Marcos and New Braunfels. You may find it easier to rent there with the plan of buying closer in to SA or Austin.

[cp102]

You will have to up your budget if you choose a rental in Kyle, the average rental price for a 3 bdrm is 1300 or more. Kyle is growing at a quick pace. Its a really nice place to live.