Circle C -v- Belterra -v- Westlake (Austin, Spring: 2009, big house, transfer)

[ncet]

Hi, we just moved to Austin and we are in temp housing for a couple of months. We are looking at different areas and just wanted some feedback from people that live here.

I will be working downtown, close to Congress Bridge.

We have looked at:
Circle C, nice area but houses seem close together in neighborhoods we have seen. Are there areas where the houses are spread out a bit more?

Belterra, we really liked it, but concerned about the commute, taxes and utilities that I have read about here

Westlake, Homes seem smaller for $$$, can you find a reasonable home here for about 300k?

We have kids, 10 and 12 that might end up starting in Eanes district unless we sell our house soon. We would prefer to not start them in Eanes and then transfer after a couple of months.

[Moonlady]

Sounds like it might boil downm to big house or big commute. Yes, that price range is a challenge in Eanes. You might try searching zip code 78733 - you might find some homes in that price range if you want to stay in Eanes.

There are some other areas south that would also be a good fit for you - hopefully one of the southside experts will chime in here.

[iceshots]

Check out some of the areas just off Southwest Parkway. The Ridge at Lantana is a new development at teh corner of William Cannon and Southwest. There is another neighborhood just west of there near old Bee Caves road. My agent sent me a listing for a house there that looked good.

It may be a stretch commute wise, but you could also look around Bee Caves road just behind the Galleria off 71 and 620. Nice houses in the Lake Travis ISD. Take Southwest Parkway to MoPac to avoid most of 71 and especially the Y at Oak Hill.

I will be in the same boat as you in two weeks. We are moving down and the house is not sold yet. We will be in corporate housing for up to 3 months. My daughter has already decided that she is going to Dripping Springs HS, so that is where our search is concentrated. Both of us will be working at Southwest and William Cannon so the commute is not an issue.

Good luck.

[texastrigirl]

I lived in Circle C for 7 years and loved it. It's a very active, neighborly community. My kids were younger but my nephews who live in Shady Hollow both went to Bailey and Bowie which are middle school and high school for CCR. You can find bigger lots down in Shady Hollow though I don't think the commute is great. Eanes has the better middle schools and high schools but you will pay for being there. Commute to downtown from CCR is not bad considering. My husband worked in the old Austin Opera House just south of Townlake and it took him 25-35 minutes in rush hour. There are several north/south roads into downtown from the CCR area. I think you will be hard pressed to find anything in Eanes under $350, maybe even $400K.

[TexasHorseLady]

Shady Hollow is, indeed, likely to have larger lots in some areas. The commute isn't really that bad - Brodie to 290, 290 to Mopac or 290 to Lamar or 290 to Manchaca or 290 to Congress are just three possible ways.

[chambo]

We live in Belterra and love it -- none of the issues I've read about on forums. Commute is great going the back way, nice drive through the hills. I get to downtown in about 20 min in the morning.

Best of luck!

[austin-steve]

It's going to depend on what you establish as your "must have" priority. If it's the highest rated schools, you'll have a tough time finding a great house for $300K in Eanes, unless you go out to Lake Austin Estates, but your kids will be receiving a great education.

In Circle C, you'll also have really good schools and a reasonable commute. Also a more predictable social interaction with other school-kids families around.

We hear the "houses are too close" a lot from buyers, but the funny thing is most people don't live out in the street looking at their house, and many people live most of their lives indoors, not seeing the neighbor's house. So I think it's over used as an objection.

When you think about what makes life great, it's social interaction with friends and neighbors. Most people would rate that right at the top with safety and good schools. But then we show houses that are conducive to having more friends and neighbors and people say "those houses are too close".

Another area to check would be Granada Hills. The lots are about an acre, so you end up with 30-50 feet between houses instead of 10-20ft. Schools are the same as Circle C and the commute is about the same, which is roughly 10-15 shorter than what you'll have in Belterra.

Steve

[LongTimeAustinite]

We also live in Belterra. The commute is not bad at all. Going down 290 to the Y takes about 10 minutes, another 5 or 10 minutes to the river, all this during non-rush hours. Getting through the Y and then across the river is the slowest part during rush hour. There are ways around the Y.

The taxes are high in Belterra. The propane bill can get high. We've had neighbors that have had a $500 propane bill. The highest we've had is about $250. That's for a 2700 sqft house.

The schools are good. The high school was rated the 5th out of all Central Texas High Schools with Westlake being first. Austin Public School Rankings 2009


LTA

[gabbarsingh]

Great input above...
You might also want to consider Western Oaks. Great community and reasonable prices !!

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by gabbarsingh

Great input above...
You might also want to consider Western Oaks. Great community and reasonable prices !!

I'm guessing 'ncet' found a place since 'chambo' responded to a 15-month-old thread. It would be nice to hear what happened to 'ncet' and his/her thoughts after being here over a year. Didn't find any more recent posts from 'ncet'. I guess not everybody gets 'addicted' to C-D.