Gated Communities and Property taxes in Austin Area

[txtimo]

My Parents moved us to Austin in 1994. They had a 7000sqft home built in Rob Roy which is on Capital of TX hwy a.k.a 360. The neighborhood of Rob Roy is located in Westlake Hills and has always been associated with large homes and wealthy residents. Over the years Rob Roy has gained much attention as a premier neighborhood and last year became a 24 hour guard gated community, due in part to the thru traffic from 360 to Bee Caves Rd and the number of complaints from residents. Even back in 1994 homes for sale in Rob Roy had a high price tag with homes no less then 450K. Now in 2008 you cannot purchase a home in Rob Roy for less than 1M. My parents built there home for 550K in 1994 and now in 2008 it is worth 3.1M. Homes range from 3000sqft all the way to 15000sqft or more. Gated communities are a good idea especially when you have a neighborhood like Rob Roy where security is a factor. If you decide to move to Austin you should look into gated communities such as Rob Roy, Rob Roy on the lake, and other very established gated neighborhoods scattered throughout the Westlake area. Westlake is a great place for families and children with award winning schools and private schools in the area such as St Michaels Academy. Westlake has a Police dept. and Fire dept. Shopping is very exclusive, and the area of Westlake is renouned for it's prestige and elegence being a great place to live and raise a family and it's close proximity to downtown, Zilker park and shopping malls/grocery stores.

[TexasHorseLady]

Just to clarify, property taxes in some parts of the Austin/Central Texas area are as low as just below 2%.

[jwb123]

What's wrong with cul-de-sacs?

[TexasHorseLady]

Yeah, I was wondering that one, myself. Cul de sacs are highly desired by many of my buyers, gated community or not, and I can understand why - less traffic going by, sometimes the lots at the end and sides of the ends are a bit larger, more privacy. What's wrong with them?

[orngkat]

Gated communities don't sound very friendly to me.

[scongress1234]

Gated communities are not germane to the ethos/vibe that is Austin. For many reasons, they are anthetical to what the spirit of the city/metro is all about(community spirit, for starters). The irrelevancy of gated communities to detering crime, in that they are typically in safe areas to begin with, creating a false sense of fortress tightness, is just a starting point. They are laid out internally with convoluted street grids, an abject lack of ease for pedestrians and children to get from place to place, and a spirit that precludes getting to know one's neighbors, or establishing typical community ties. The prevailing ethos is to make one's residence a self-contained fortress/moat, closing the somewhat frightening real world behind oneself along with the garage door. McMansions are the rule, and most are cookie-cutter, extending the general souless theme. To put it another way, if they became common, they most assuredly would remove the openness and largeness of soul that still exists in the Austin metro, and is probably the largest attraction for relocatees after the home prices. I pray that this doesn't become a growing trend in the Austin metro.....

[jacquejoy]

i am currently working with a family of buyers who are also interested, like you, in a gated community with amenities such as Golf etc. We are looking in Cimarron Hills(i live nearby) which is a really really nice area with a resort like lifestyle with Golf,tennis,sports, fitness center,spa, chef and club membership levels. I would have to double check but i believe the lower end of the price range would fit into the high end of your budget. I agree with your assessment of gated communities and crime. We live in a different gated communtity very nearby called Gabriel's Overlook. This has no golf course but of course one is very nearby. Have you had any luck finding the right property yet?

[tibbar]

You may want to look at Meadowlakes right beside Marble falls. My Dad was a golfer and he chose Meadowlakes for the guard at the gate and most of all for the golf course. He lived there very happily for many years. I looked up a Meadowlakes property (on the golf course) I know has retired people over 65 living in it and their tax rate was 1.9304

City of Meadowlakes Texas