Kyle vs Buda (Austin, San Marcos, West: mortgage, buying a home, neighborhoods)

[gabetx]

So I am looking at buying a home in either Kyle or Buda, both of which suit my price range. I know they are only a few miles apart and are in the same school district. However, each town feels different from the other.

Which would you prefer and why?

Some of the things I am looking at are schools, commute, area, neighborhoods, amenities, crime, Lehman vs Buda HS, and overall cleanliness. I know it is still a fairly vague topic. But please, some advise/ suggestions would help. Also, would you prefer a new build which is a few hundred square feet smaller (Buda), or an older home, built in early 2000's (northeast Kyle)?l

Thanks for the input!

[tibbar]

Check your utility bills. My daughter in "Meadows of Buda" has very high water bills, $100 a month in fees before the water bill is even figured.

[FalconheadWest]

I think it's all about personal preference. I just contracted two new builds in Buda. They didn't want to go so "far" to Kyle, and Buda kept them closer to Austin for their commute.

[gabetx]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

I think it's all about personal preference. I just contracted two new builds in Buda. They didn't want to go so "far" to Kyle, and Buda kept them closer to Austin for their commute.

I work downtown, but at night... The house in Buda is 15 miles from downtown. The House in Kyle is 21 miles. One thing I hate about Kyle is the conditions of the roadways. They are terrible! Plus a lot of the roads need to be upgraded and widened. The traffic in NE Kyle is ridiculous around Goforth Rd. and Kyle Parkway.

Buda doesn't have as much as a problem.

[FalconheadWest]

Those extra 6 miles can mean 20+ minutes some times. Not in your reverse commute since you work at night, but it's at least an extra 7-10 minutes depending on how you hit the lights once off I35.

[gabetx]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

I think it's all about personal preference. I just contracted two new builds in Buda. They didn't want to go so "far" to Kyle, and Buda kept them closer to Austin for their commute.

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

Those extra 6 miles can mean 20+ minutes some times. Not in your reverse commute since you work at night, but it's at least an extra 7-10 minutes depending on how you hit the lights once off I35.

Those six extra miles can feel like forever at the end of a 10 hour shift. But I guess I have to decide if it's worth paying for a $1400/mo. mortgage vs paying for a $1800/mo. one six miles closer in Buda.

I know it is not just the commute. The neighborhood and schools are better in Buda. Kyle has a few more amenities and has San Marcos a few miles to the south. Although, in Buda, you are right down the street from Southpark Meadows and only 15 miles from downtown. Finding a 4br. house anywhere else in the metro area in the low-mid $200's, within 15 miles of downtown, is pretty much impossible.

[Aquitaine]

I never thought of Kyle as the Austin metro area. I'm sure I could be mistaken.

Buda, absolutely. I wouldn't move to Kyle unless I liked spending the bulk of my time in Kyle or San Marcos.

[DCtoTejas]

Buda has more of a small town feel to me, Kyle seems like endless subdivisions. Between the two I would pick Buda.

[Trainwreck20]

Buda definitely has more of a community feel, to me. As mentioned above, review your choices for water and other utilities carefully....a few out there are apparently really, really high.

[FalconheadWest]

And many communities are being built outside city limits, so no city tax and no voting rights for the city, but you're paying a MUD tax for the installation of the utilities.