commute from barton creek and senna hills (Austin, West: for sale, 2009)

[blincbo]

We are looking at the houses to buy in Barton Creek West and Senna Hills subdivisions. However, commute to downtown to work does not look encouraging. It looks like on the map like there is only one road, Bee Caves, to downtown. Is that correct? Or there are other alternative roads to take, any shortcuts? Also, why houses in Senna Hills stay on the market for a long time? Any insights? Is it only because of the commute or there are other reasons why people consider it less desirable neighborhood?

Thanks in advance.

[gigi927]

One semi related note - my husband was mentioning something about Barton Creek West being annexed or something with the county that will result in some significant changes in their tax rates. You should ask your realtor about it before you buy.

[koalabebe]

Originally Posted by blincbo

We are looking at the houses to buy in Barton Creek West and Senna Hills subdivisions. However, commute to downtown to work does not look encouraging. It looks like on the map like there is only one road, Bee Caves, to downtown. Is that correct? Or there are other alternative roads to take, any shortcuts? Also, why houses in Senna Hills stay on the market for a long time? Any insights? Is it only because of the commute or there are other reasons why people consider it less desirable neighborhood?

Thanks in advance.

I just purchased a house in Senna Hills (closing date will be on June 2). My husband is going to teach at UT, and he does not like long commute. We visited several areas, such as Lake Travis, Riverplace, Steiner Ranch.... When I had my heart set on Steiner Ranch (I love the community), my husband's coworkers strongerly advise us to consider other areas because the travel time from NW to downtown is worst. There are several people in this thread discussed this issue and suggested that SW is better than NW in terms of commute to Downtown.

Why the house in Senna Hills stay in the market for so long?
Well, the house we purchased was in the market over 190 days (long enough for us to neigoiate a good price). Yet, the owner is NOT eager to sell. We only manage to cut down 6,000 from the listing price (NOT a good bargain!!!) But this house has most stuff we would like to have, so.... we agreed. I guess that the house is Senna Hills is quite popular due to the school district. There is a new strip mall, which is about 5 minute drive. The area is exclusive enough for privacy and not far from everything else. I love the school (Barton Creek ES) and Westlake is highly rated HS.

[koalabebe]

FYI: when I searched for the house, I did notice one thing: some houses in Barton Creek West have Private Water company and Private Sewer company. It might not be a good thing because if something is wrong with the system, you will have to pay for it instead of City.

[Moonlady]

Originally Posted by blincbo

We are looking at the houses to buy in Barton Creek West and Senna Hills subdivisions. However, commute to downtown to work does not look encouraging. It looks like on the map like there is only one road, Bee Caves, to downtown. Is that correct? Or there are other alternative roads to take, any shortcuts? Also, why houses in Senna Hills stay on the market for a long time? Any insights? Is it only because of the commute or there are other reasons why people consider it less desirable neighborhood?

Thanks in advance.

I live in Austin Lake Estates which is a couple of miles up from Senna Hills. I don't commute to downtown but have a good friend in the neighborhood who did. She took Bee Cave to 360 south and then picked up Mopac north to the 1st and 5th street exits. She said it was much better than taking Bee Cave all the way through Westlake and Rollingwood. Right now, the worst part of that commute is on Bee Cave itself! If I leave my house NLT 7:15, I can make it to 360 in 10 minutes (that includes 5 minutes to get to the light at Bee Cave). If I wait until 7:30, it can take 2-3 times longer. Bee Cave slows down and backs up starting at about Riverhills and then you just creep along until you finally make it to 360. If there is any way to leave the house early, you can avoid that congestion. Even so though, it's not terrible - just slow and you have to plan for it. It lasts until about 8:30 when the last of the Westlake students are headed to school. Coming home in the evening, there's some traffc but overall it moves pretty well. Hope this helps.

[austinrules]

ok, we are in May 2009, 1 year later, but a similar theme.

Large number of houses up for sale in Senna Hills, very few sales.
Especially compared to Barton Creek West.

I find this surprising given the older homes in Barton Creek and really the 2 subdivisions are barely a mile apart.

Is it the tax rate 2.3% (Senna) vs. 1.7%, so on a $500k home, its like an extra $3000/yr or $250/month. With the interest rates these days $250 a month would finance about $50k of your mortgage (4.8%, 30 yr). Doesn't seem huge if prices have dropped significantly. Also, as another poster pointed out Barton Creek is to be annexed by Austin in 2015. Tax disparity should narrow further.

Is it that people are still expecting top dollar for their Senna Hill homes ? or just listing for an opportunistic upgrade. Although if they wanted to move within Eanes, doesn't look very probable.

[sugarshorts]

Does anyone know about the apartment homes listed as The Park @ Senna Hills or rental information for both Senna or Barton Creek West? Any info would be great. Thanks!