Area recommendations based on schools and soccer club practices (Austin: for sale, houses)

[PJ12]

Hi everyone,

We are relocating to Austin in couple of months. Looking for recommendations on areas that have good schools (elementary, middle, and high) and won't be too far from soccer practices. My boys play competitive soccer and we need to make sure they have access to ample soccer play opportunities. I have looked into 2 soccer clubs - Lonestar and Lake Travis Elite. Lonestars practices can vary unless the player is in their top teams in which case the practice is at Round Rock sports complex. For Lake Travis Elite, the practice is at Field of Dreams which is in Bee Cave. Our budget is upto 600k-650k. Sq ft preferred is about 2500 to 3000 sqft. We really liked the area of Steiner Ranch but I am not sure how far it will be from Round Rock in case my older son makes it to their top teams. My wife and I both have work from home jobs so commute is not a concern as of now.

Thank you for your help!

[ashbeeigh]

Did you search the forum yet? This sounds like almost every parent on this forum except for the soccer thing. The only thing I know about lone star is that they practice at circle c park in southwest Austin. You might be able to get in there at that budget, but the drive to the other areas will be painful in Austin terms.

[CarnivalGal]

Steiner Ranch is a heck of a lot closer to Round Rock than Lakeway or Bee Cave. But there are a lot of people here whose kids play with Lonestar, so lots of chances for car pools.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by PJ12

Hi everyone,

We are relocating to Austin in couple of months. Looking for recommendations on areas that have good schools (elementary, middle, and high) and won't be too far from soccer practices. My boys play competitive soccer and we need to make sure they have access to ample soccer play opportunities. I have looked into 2 soccer clubs - Lonestar and Lake Travis Elite. Lonestars practices can vary unless the player is in their top teams in which case the practice is at Round Rock sports complex. For Lake Travis Elite, the practice is at Field of Dreams which is in Bee Cave. Our budget is upto 600k-650k. Sq ft preferred is about 2500 to 3000 sqft. We really liked the area of Steiner Ranch but I am not sure how far it will be from Round Rock in case my older son makes it to their top teams. My wife and I both have work from home jobs so commute is not a concern as of now.

Thank you for your help!

Maybe look at avery ranch. It is a pretty nice master planned community that fits your criteria. Schools are good, but you need to check each vertical.

The problem with steiner is traffic is terrible and bottle necked at 620/2222. Avery ranch gives you easy access to 183/mopac and I35, or even local roads.

Also avila is one of the more popular training groups and they are located pretty well for avery ranch.

Lonestar is known for allowing elite players to compete, but not for doing a good job of training them. So you will need some other training organization.

[blakely]

Are your boys more likely to go with Lonestar or Lake Travis Elite? I'd be looking at different neighborhoods depending on which league they end up in....or vice-versa, to manage your commute, the neighborhood you choose might dictate the league your willing to drive to.

For commuting to Lonestar practice in Round Rock, I'd be looking north/northeast (Round Rock, Avery Ranch, Brushy Creek, Pflugerville), but for Lake Travis Elite, I'd be looking farther west, like several communities along Hwy 71---Spicewood, Sweetwater, The Homestead, or some of the more moderately priced homes in Lakeway could also fit your budget. A slightly longer but still doable commute to Lake Travis Elite could work from the northern parts of Dripping Springs off Fitzhugh Rd.

Commuting in and out of Steiner is a headache with LOTS of traffic (you can search this forum to read about it), so I'd think hard before committing to that. Right now with COVID, traffic isn't as bad as normal, so it's hard to get a sense of what it was like pre-Covid if you were to visit right now.

[PJ12]

Originally Posted by blakely

Are your boys more likely to go with Lonestar or Lake Travis Elite? I'd be looking at different neighborhoods depending on which league they end up in....or vice-versa, to manage your commute, the neighborhood you choose might dictate the league your willing to drive to.

For commuting to Lonestar practice in Round Rock, I'd be looking north/northeast (Round Rock, Avery Ranch, Brushy Creek, Pflugerville), but for Lake Travis Elite, I'd be looking farther west, like several communities along Hwy 71---Spicewood, Sweetwater, The Homestead, or some of the more moderately priced homes in Lakeway could also fit your budget. A slightly longer but still doable commute to Lake Travis Elite could work from the northern parts of Dripping Springs off Fitzhugh Rd.

Commuting in and out of Steiner is a headache with LOTS of traffic (you can search this forum to read about it), so I'd think hard before committing to that. Right now with COVID, traffic isn't as bad as normal, so it's hard to get a sense of what it was like pre-Covid if you were to visit right now.

Not sure yet.. I am not a big fan of Lake Travis ISD schools since its very difficult to find a house which will not be too far from their middle or high school. Here we usually walk to schools so the idea of driving miles down or sending kids by school bus does not excite us a lot. So we will go with LTE if we were to stay in Steiner because that might still be doable. Staying in Steiner kind of gives us the flexibility to going to practices in round rock area or Bee Cave. But of course traffic can be a nightmare. We have our own bubble here in LA so we actually don't spend lot of time sitting in traffic. We are leaning towards the cedar park, brushy creek, round rock areas.

[PJ12]

Originally Posted by Austin97

Maybe look at avery ranch. It is a pretty nice master planned community that fits your criteria. Schools are good, but you need to check each vertical.

The problem with steiner is traffic is terrible and bottle necked at 620/2222. Avery ranch gives you easy access to 183/mopac and I35, or even local roads.

Also avila is one of the more popular training groups and they are located pretty well for avery ranch.

Lonestar is known for allowing elite players to compete, but not for doing a good job of training them. So you will need some other training organization.

I have heard that from few people about Lonestar possibly not doing a good job of training the players. I will look into Avila. Thank you

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by PJ12

Not sure yet.. I am not a big fan of Lake Travis ISD schools since its very difficult to find a house which will not be too far from their middle or high school. Here we usually walk to schools so the idea of driving miles down or sending kids by school bus does not excite us a lot. So we will go with LTE if we were to stay in Steiner because that might still be doable. Staying in Steiner kind of gives us the flexibility to going to practices in round rock area or Bee Cave. But of course traffic can be a nightmare. We have our own bubble here in LA so we actually don't spend lot of time sitting in traffic. We are leaning towards the cedar park, brushy creek, round rock areas.

It is every bit as difficult, if not more, to find a house in Steiner right now. Houses are selling in a day for over asking price, with the exception of houses that are $1 Million+. And there's hardly any inventory. At the end of October, there were only 10 available homes for sale. Here's some good info:

https://www.realestateinaustin.com/s...november-2020/

[Swizzle Stick]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

It is every bit as difficult, if not more, to find a house in Steiner right now. Houses are selling in a day for over asking price, with the exception of houses that are $1 Million+. And there's hardly any inventory. At the end of October, there were only 10 available homes for sale. Here's some good info:

https://www.realestateinaustin.com/s...november-2020/

This is not surprising. Steiner is the ultimate WFH neighborhood.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

It is every bit as difficult, if not more, to find a house in Steiner right now. Houses are selling in a day for over asking price, with the exception of houses that are $1 Million+. And there's hardly any inventory. At the end of October, there were only 10 available homes for sale. Here's some good info:

https://www.realestateinaustin.com/s...november-2020/

It’s difficult everywhere. I’m helping my parents find a home in between San Marcos and Manchaca and homes are also going in a day or two.