CT to Austin , Family with Toddler, where to start out??

[blakely]

You've had some good suggestions. When you visit in April, be sure to drive around several of these communities: Georgetown, Hutto, Dripping Springs, Driftwood, parts of Round Rock ISD, Circle C. You might also want to check out Wimberley- it's southwest of Austin and may not work depending on where your jobs are, but has charming feel and might have the community you're looking for.

This forum can be a tougher crowd than people in Austin, IMO, so don't let it deter you. Back when I moved here, I would have been hard pressed to justify our reasons for moving based on all the questions asked of you. We had a job offer and frankly needed it to make ends meet, so we packed our bags and moved thousands of miles. I was pregnant and couldn't travel when the decision had to be made, so took a risk. If we ended up not liking it, we would have changed course---it didn't have to be forever, and we were ok with that. We found that visiting- while definitely helpful- doesn't give you a complete sense of what it will be like to live here or in any community, for that matter. There's no way, for example, to fully understand what 5 months of non-stop heat feel like until you've lived through it. Or commuting, your new neighbors, what you will think of your schools. But you will learn some things, such as how geographically spread out Austin is for a city of its size and what implications that has for your choice of home location vis-a-vis work. Do your homework, but trust your instincts, too. And realize that some of the snark comes from a desire to let people know that Austin is suffering from rapid growth, in part due to all the hype pitched about how it's the promised land. Just be cognizant that this city wasn't built to support all of the influx, so traffic and home prices have become Austin's Achilles heel.

Good luck.

[Cardiff Giant]

You don't need to justify why you're moving here, all you had to say was that you were moving from CT.

Me and my wife grew up on LI and moved to Austin after 7 years in Manhattan back in 2005 with the intention of starting a family. I haven't spent a ton of time in the surrounding areas but Austin proper is nice and it's a good place to raise a family IMO. Like others have mentioned, Circle C was the first thing that popped up in my mind. We purchased a second home in Sweetwater a few years back for my in-laws and while it's a nice community with lots of young families, it's a little too far out there for my taste.

We came down to Austin a few times while visiting family in Dallas and thought it was just ok but it grew on us over subsequent visits. Once we decided that we were moving, our final 2 visits were in February (cold and rainy) and August (sunny and furnace-like). I said that I would never complain about the heat and I've stuck to that for the most part. Also, some on this forum might say that folks from the NE have trouble adjusting to Austin/Texas but that was not the case for us. We felt right at home as soon as we plopped our bags down.

Good luck!

[riaelise]

Rising property values and taxes and congestion is what makes people sore. And I can't blame them.

We will have to sell our home when we retire because of escalating property taxes. We can't fight the tax appraisers, not when you have a SMALLER HOUSE with no pool and smaller lot going for the same price you paid for your home three years ago. and there's no let up.

[Danica32]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

Yep. We're also extra sensitive to these threads in March due to SX. https://www.statesman.com/news/local...qBBQMi9IWTo9N/

That's great! Maybe California should put something like this out after the Rose Parade, millions of people with snow around their homes watching the parade, the sun, the smiles...they want to move to California lol.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Danica32

That's great! Maybe California should put something like this out after the Rose Parade, millions of people with snow around their homes watching the parade, the sun, the smiles...they want to move to California lol.

I'm sure there's some people doing some moaning and groaning during peak California events, we just don't know about it here in austin unless we have a California connection (I don't).

[A-Tex]

Y'all keep recommending Circle C. Would the OP's $370K maximum budget even work there?

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by A-Tex

Y'all keep recommending Circle C. Would the OP's $370K maximum budget even work there?

Good point. I didn't see anything under $425k when I pulled a Realty Austin listing page of lowest priced homes for sale in CC. Doesn't mean there isn't SOMEthing, but....

[Em678]

And yes, I've seen homes in Circle C for that price, possibly off season and not during Spring/Summer but it's there... But also be prepared to fight for it because everyone and their damn mother wants to live in Austin.

[Em678]

Legend /Western Oaks is another area to look into... Close to Circle C. Older homes but probably more available. I would even suggest Shady Hollow. Rent first and see if you even like the area.

[Em678]

OP can definitely get a home further SW in Belterra off 290 on the border of Drip and Austin for that price....another suggestion.