Great Hills vs. River Place (Austin: for sale, real estate market, HOA)

[Superma'm]

My husband and I are thinking about buying a house soon. We are pretty much sold on Great Hills: we live in the Arboretum area now and we like it a lot, my husband's work is very close too. But, I saw some quite nice houses in River Place recently that deserve consideration. Moving there would only add a few extra minutes to my husband's commute.

So here is my question: a big positive for GH is that - as far as I know - it's relatively easy to sell a house there and appreciation is good. Is the same true for RP? From the sales data, it seems that the houses that are for sale now have been on the market for awhile. Is this just this year's trend or resale is generally more difficult there? How about appreciation value?

It would be great if someone who lives/lived there (RP) could give me their opinion about the neighborhood in general.

Thanks a lot

[gigi927]

There are a lot of houses for sale right now in River Place and only 2 or 3 that are pending. it is really slow here right now. I think due to our location and excellent schools, we will always have a level of resiliency here that areas that are farther-outlying will not, but in the 2 years we've lived here (my husband is a realtor) this is the slowest we've seen business in the neighborhood.

That being said, unless I could afford to build a multimillion dollar house on Lake Austin, we'd never live anywhere else. We love this neighborhood, the community, our schools and our topography. The people here are as helpful, welcoming and fun as in any place i've ever lived! Good luck, both areas are great choices!

[atlanta hope]

My realtor keeps trying to sell us on Riverplace. She said she and her husband were building a home out there because the schools were awesome. I haven't seen it yet but we see some houses there today.

[mm57553]

We live just around the corner in Steiner Ranch. We looked at River Place but decided against it.

To address your concerns, I think this area will always be popular. The location near the lake, the views, and fantastic schools have a lot to do with this. Also, most of the houses being built in this area are high-end, so they do nothing but pull other property values up. Yes, there is a lull right now, but I think that will turn around when the real estate market comes back. On the positive side, it means you can get a great deal on a house right now.

We decided against RP for the following reasons. There are no community pools. We didn't want a pool at our house but wanted to be able to take the kids swimming on the weekends. The only way to do this at RP is to join the Country Club ($$$$$). Also, the HOA was crazy-strict. For example, you can not leave cars parked in your driveway overnight, they have to be in the garage.

Great Hills is beautiful too (we moved from that area). We really wanted a newer home, however, and to get out of AISD.

[S6Sputnik]

I agree with gigi. and keep in mind that the rpcc is not that expensive at $ 115 per month. Why not spend an afternoon in the neighborhood parks walk the trail and have dinner a rpcc. MM mentioned the HOA..that is the investment insurance program

Good luck

[mm57553]

Don't get me wrong, Steiner Ranch's HOA is pretty strict too, but RP's seemed a little over the top. The no cars in the driveway thing was crazy to us. (Steiner has a no cars in the street overnight policy). When our neighbor's son is home from college (Christmas break, Summer) they essentially have 3 cars. But they only have a 2-car garage. What would someone in that situation do?

Have you checked out Steiner? It's basically the same topography/area (they almost connect) and the same schools.

[S6Sputnik]

Originally Posted by mm57553

Don't get me wrong, Steiner Ranch's HOA is pretty strict too, but RP's seemed a little over the top. The no cars in the driveway thing was crazy to us. (Steiner has a no cars in the street overnight policy). When our neighbor's son is home from college (Christmas break, Summer) they essentially have 3 cars. But they only have a 2-car garage. What would someone in that situation do?

Have you checked out Steiner? It's basically the same topography/area (they almost connect) and the same schools.

In RP you can get a waiver...ever wonder what the green oval stickers with a 1 or purple sticker with a 2 mean?

That is the number cars that have been waived in front of a house!!

[Superma'm]

Originally Posted by S6Sputnik

In RP you can get a waiver...ever wonder what the green oval stickers with a 1 or purple sticker with a 2 mean?

That is the number cars that have been waived in front of a house!!

I don't get the oval sticker thing. If you want to park extra cars, you have to have some sort of sticker put on it by the HOA? Is it for a certain amt of time? What if you have 3 cars and only a 2 car garage? Not that it's the case, I'm just wondering.

The membership for the cc is over $100 per month? That's kind of steep just to have access to a pool. Is this the full membership price or just the social or what it's called?

Thanks for all the responses and keep them coming

[carlota01]

We have lived in Great Hills for the past three years and we love it. We live in one of the newer houses in a great lot. We don't have any problems with parking or HOA. And the commute is a big plus for us. The schools are great, Hills Elementary is a Blue Ribbon School and is rated exemplary.

[AustinGuy]

I'd say the main advantage of Great Hills is easier and quicker access to lots of shopping, jobs, and restaurants. Both areas mentioned are very nice.