Austin bound next summer (Dallas, Round Rock: to rent, HOA, mortgage)

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, so a four bedroom plus an office that could be used as a guestroom would work? That opens things up considerably - there are quite a few houses here with that kind of configuration (four bedrooms including master up, office that could be used as a guestroom down). My search was for 5+ bedrooms only.

[famv5]

Perfect.

As long as we have that extra study/guest room we'd be good to go.

Right now we live in a 3 bedroom townhouse and seem to be gasping for air. (haha) We really need space. It was perfect for us when our kids were little but we are growing out of the seams now.

[iceshots]

Originally Posted by famv5

Three kids, two adults. Plus, we need an office/guest room. That's why we need 5 bedrooms.

I hear you. We have additional bedrooms to accommodate the relatives fleeing from the frozen north in the winter.

Many of the newer houses are being built with an office on the main floor instead of a formal living room. You end up with kitchen, breakfast nook, family/living/great room, formal dining, study, and master bedroom on the main floor. Sometimes with new construction, the office is convertible to a formal living room or a 5th bedroom. In a resale it would be listed as what the homeowners set it up to be. You will then have the rest of the bedrooms upstairs with possibly a game room and/or a media room depending on the size of the house.

My point is not to limit your search to 5 bedroom houses. They will be few and far between especially in your price range. 4 bedroom with a study or formal living room may be more common. Another option would be to utilize some of the game room space as office space and occasional guest sleeping area.

We moved down from Canada. One of the biggest challenges was understanding the style of houses in Austin and what room could be used for what. If you do MLS searches based on northern terminology and normal use of space, you could be limiting your results.

If you are interested in Dripping Springs, you may want to check out Ledge Stone. It is a new community out 10 minutes from the Y at 290/71. I noticed that Kimball Hill Homes just started building there. I checked their website and they have 4 BR homes starting from just under $200K. I have no information about this builder other than they hired a guy to stand at the entrance to Ledge Stone with a sign.

Ledge Stone looks pretty cookie cutter, but there are three builders in there so there is some variety in house styles. We were turned off by the standard 60x120 lot sizes. They have a community pool and what looks to be a club house.

Not sure what schools you are looking for, but my daughter loves the high school. She finds it challenging and fun at the same time.

Just a suggestion. Good Luck with your search.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by famv5

Perfect.

As long as we have that extra study/guest room we'd be good to go.

Right now we live in a 3 bedroom townhouse and seem to be gasping for air. (haha) We really need space. It was perfect for us when our kids were little but we are growing out of the seams now.

Yes, they do grow up and take up a lot of room both physically and mentally, don't they?

This is sounding even more doable (not that it wasn't already, but as I said, this opens things up considerably).

[FalconheadWest]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

...four bedrooms including master up...

Are you saying this as a good thing? Master up is sure to hurt resale in this price range.

[TexasHorseLady]

In Dallas, perhaps. Here, it varies (at least, with my buyers, it does). Some want a master down either to get away from the teenagers or looking forward to a parent moving in. Others want to be where they can keep an eye on things with the little ones and feel less safe if the master is down and the rest of the bedrooms are up. I suspect you're going to have some adjusting to do when you move down here!

[famv5]

I'm not sure how I feel about the master downstairs. On one hand I like the idea of having space away from the kids but on the other hand they are 7, 4 and 3 and I'm not sure I'm ready to not be within earshot. (haha)

What are the typical lot sizes down there? The house we had in Florida had a lot size of 99 X 125 and that was a good space between houses. It was considered an oversized lot, though.

What are the homes made out of in Austin? In Florida they were cinder block probably because of the hurricanes but in PA they are made of wood. That just doesn't make me feel comfortable. Are they made of wood in Austin? If so, maybe that's just the way houses are minus Florida.

[jread]

Most new homes in Austin are made of Hardie-Plank, which looks like wood and acts like wood, but is actually a wood/concrete mix, meaning that it won't burn and termites can't eat it. It also gives you a lower homeowner's insurance rate because it counts as "four-side masonry" just like a brick or stone house would. JamesHardie Siding

[TexasHorseLady]

You also have a lot of 3 sides masonry, one side hardiplank and some 4 sides masonry (brick or stone).

[texastrigirl]

Southpark Meadows is a nicer shopping center with good restaurants, big box chain stores, etc. If you have children that need to go to school, I would push you more towards Shady Hollow, Circle C Ranch, Villages of Western Oaks and a neighborhood called Oak Parke which is a bit of a gem IMO. I lived in Circle C and loved it but Jennibc is right...our house was 2269 sq ft in CCR and we sold it for $280K and we were one of the smaller houses in CCR. You may find a bigger house for that price but it will likely need a bit of work. That being said, CCR is a GREAT southwest neighborhood. I don't agree that "everyone" is moving north. I lived in Austin for a total of 10 years, a little over 2 of it in the Pflugerville area and the rest in CCR. The southwest has plenty of expansion happening and is a beautiful part of Austin to live in with great proximity to Hill Country, downtown, the airport and San Antonio (for those last minute Spurs tickets you might get! BTW, the CCR zip code is 78739 so you can do a search online.