Advice for relocating Empty Nesters? (Austin, Spring: estate, hoa, budget)

[danalyst]

I've done my share of lurking here but haven't found this topic discussed. Most of the threads seem to be about young families moving to Austin and looking for appropriate/safe/etc. neighborhoods.

From suburban Boston, I have two children in college and a third on the way in the fall, so my wife and I are finally able to look forward to life in a sunnier (and just different) area. We both like live music, the arts, cooking, travel, books, lectures, and so forth -- so Austin seems like a great fit. We're youngish 50-somethings and have no interest in an "active senior community" or golf club.

We also have family here, which makes the move seem more natural. My sister has lived in the Bee Caves area for about eight years -- which she loves, but she lives to golf more than take in an author talk or visit a gallery -- so she's not a lot of help in scoping out the area.

Here's the question: Is there a place you'd recommend that has these attributes:
1. Walkable -- we're sick of needing a car to get everywhere
2. Close in -- 15 minutes or less to Austin's attractions
3. Quiet -- away from highway noise (and maybe UT fratboys )
4. Diverse/eclectic -- various ages and lifestyles; we're pretty open-minded
5. Charming -- subjective, I know!
6. Dog-friendly -- we love our dogs and want easy access to walking trails

Put this all together and it sounds like the "New Urbanism" model, but I don't know of any explicit examples of this in Austin. I'd be happy in one of the new lofts, but my wife isn't ready, as she puts it, to "live in a box." So we want something modest (not too big or showy) that lets us take advantage of the "indoor/outdoor" lifestyle (deck, trees...). We have about $400K to spend, which could be spent partly on renovations, but we'd rather get something new or already nicely updated (we have no aversion to older homes; they're often better built). We'd also like three bedrooms, even though it seems like most of the bungalows have two.

Based on research in Craigslist and so on, it seems like Tarrytown and Pemberton are out of our budget range, and Hyde Park is too noisy. What about Crestview or Brentwood? Gracey Woods, Allandale, Bouldin Creek? Is East Austin too far from the hill country? Are any of the master-planned communities worth visiting? Are there any new developments in the works over the next couple of years (we could rent and wait)? How about the Mueller airport makeover?

If I'm unrealistic about getting everything I want, tell me where the tradeoffs are...

Sorry for the long post -- I was trying to anticipate the follow-up questions. I now bow to the wisdom of the hive mind!

Dan

[atxcio]

Allandale should be easy to find in your price range, but not as walkable as you'd like. The area around Shoal Creek is very nice. Brentwood and Crestview might be a little bit less nice than what you want.

I'd try Rosedale (just north of downtown), Barton Hills(SW. of Barton Springs & Lamar, near Zilker Park), Travis Heights(SE of downtown, some areas close to I35 though), Bouldin (SE. of Barton Springs & Lamar, close to Parmer Events Ctr). Harder to find for $400K, but I think it is still possible, I found a few listings in each area for ~$380K on a quick search. These neighborhoods would definitely meet (IMO) the following criteria:

2. Close
3. Quiet (relatively, anyway)
4. Diverse/eclectic
5. Charming
6. Dog-friendly

As for (1) walkable, they are very good by Austin standards, but not walkable like some other cities. That's pretty hard to find anywhere in Austin.

[gigi927]

I immediately thought of Allandale when I read your post. There are quite a few things to walk to around there, but it's certainly not 100% "urban" in my eyes. For example, I don't know that you could walk to do your grocery shopping, but can walk to several restaurants and coffee shops. I don't know that you'd get anything super fancy or remodeled for $400K, though. Might take some hunting.

I would say don't waste your time on any of the master planned communities because they really don't offer the lifestyle you outline. and, most of them are a bit farther out than 15 minutes away (except SW).

East Austin is pretty flat; it's the more westerly part of Austin that are "hill country." But certainly you can get to hill country very easily from any other part of Austin.

[danalyst]

Thanks, atxcio and gigi927 -- Allandale will be at the top of my list. You've also added some areas that I haven't heard of before, so that's useful, too. As far as walkability, I should have mentioned that I like to bike, as well, so biking a mile or two to get to the drugstore is fine with me -- I just don't want to be crossing freeways to get there.

[jco]

We just drove around Rosedale today, and I would suggest that neighborhood as well. We saw a house for sale that was just over 400k. It was nice, 3 bed/2bath, craftsman style. A lot of pride of ownership there!

[AustinTraveler]

As someone who lives in Rosedale, I think that is exactly what you're looking for. Within walking/biking distance is Central Market (upscale grocery store), CVS Pharmacy, lots of restaurants, a bakery, a pet store, shops, consignment stores, hair salon, etc. In the Central Market shopping center you will find a bookstore, the Gap, a gift store, several boutiques, and more. Central Market also has a cafe that features live music on the weekends.

Another neighborhood option would be Brentwood, which is very close to Rosedale. But, be careful with how close you are to Mopac (Loop 1) when looking in Brentwood. Definitely can be noisy, especially when the train goes by at 4:00 in the morning. Rosedale is very quiet.

It will be difficult to find something completely updated for $400K and you will have to forget brand new. A brand new home in Rosedale would be closer to $700K, if you could actually find one.

Good luck!

[austifornian]

You'll have better luck searching on line if you use zip codes instead of neighborhood. You should be able to find what you are looking for in 78731, 78757, 78756, 78703 and 78704. If you use a public search engine like realtor.com this will allow you to do some rough comps on the different neighborhoods. The Statesman has a good neighborhood descriptions with maps to help you identify some neighborhoods that you might not have seen yet.

[danalyst]

Wow, this is great. Living in an area where a ZIP code covers an entire town, I never thought about using specific ZIPs as a search filter.

Thanks everyone. I'll add Rosedale to Allandale as a huntable area.

Dan

[orngkat]

My husband and I are 50 somethings who live in Allandale. We talk about moving to a smaller city someday but then we realize we will probably never again find such a good fit. Everything is close by, our neighbors are varied and friendly and folks are not pretentious.

[danalyst]

orngkat,

Let's hope we're neighbors someday soon! If things work out the way we hope, I'll ping you when we're there.

Dan