We need a neighborhood!

[citygirls]

Ahhh! stuck in the suburbs again. Which do you suggest? My kids are preschool and 2nd grade. We would like to spend about 350. My husband will have about an hour and a half commute initially-so we don't want to go too far northwest. something with some trees...maybe a little history?

[jwb123]

I don't know the town that your husband will be working in, at all. So, I can recommend a place... but want to caution...

We would like to spend about 350.

DO NOT just consider actual house cost when deciding how much you want to spend on a mortgage. The property taxes are super high here - double what we paid in WA. Insurance and utilities are another big expense here. Make sure you figure in total housing cost, when considering a mortgage budget.

$350k will get you a lot of house here - but on just that amount, figure over $7-8k a year on property taxes, I think. Maybe more?

[jwb123]

http://www.google.com/maps?q=Yoakum,...i=map&ct=title

I am looking at a map of Yoakum - and it looks really south.

Perhaps you should consider other places like San Antonio, New Braunfels, even Bastrop... over Austin. Buda, Kyle - maybe?

[Spookmeister]

New Braunfels and San Marcos are the more realistic choices if your husband will be commuting to Yoakum. That's a pretty boring drive out to nowhere TX! I should know, I drive to Victoria a couple of times a year and if it wasn't for the radio, I'd probably have to stop a couple of times and indulge in cow-tipping to keep me amused.

[AustinTraveler]

I'm with Spookie on this one (well, not the cow tipping part!). I was in San Marcos the other day and I was pleasantly surprised by the town and I really loved the historic feel of it. You should be able to get a nice house there in your price range.

If you're set on Austin, then I would recommend that you not give up on your dream of a walkable/bikeable urban neighborhood. Your price range won't get you a huge house but I think you could find something cool. I would check out Allendale for your price range. Great family neighborhood and close to everything. I'm no school expert (don't have kids) but I know the school in my neighborhood (Rosedale) has an exemplary rating. You won't have to worry about middle or high school for a while and in the meantime your house will be appreciating well. The neighborhoods I listed definitely have a good appreciation factor. You can always move to the burbs later if you don't like the middle/high schools (although you won't want to!).

Good luck!!

[jwb123]

AT is right, but from the parenting mindset - it would be pretty hard to pull her kids out of school, to move - after they've been in one elementary the whole time.

Hey, parents do it - but personally, if you can avoid it....

Moving to the hip neighborhood would be for the adults, not the kids, benefit. Staying in a less cool, more family friendly neighborhood where the kids could remain in the same school, develop lasting friendships... etc... sounds more stable to me... it's harder and more traumatic to move kids around as they get older.

Just my .02

[AustinTraveler]

Well, I'm just going by what I see in my neighborhood. There are tons of kids and they all seem pretty well adjusted to me. Living in the city is a different experience than the burbs, but not necessarily a worse experience. IMHO, of course.

By the way, I moved several times while growing up and it sure didn't hurt me. Yes, you feel like it's the end of the world when it happens, but kids have an incredible way of adjusting to what life throws them. Much better than most adults if you ask me.

Again, I know I don't have kids and I'm not claiming to be an expert. I do know though that there are lots of kids growing up and thriving in these neighborhoods.

[d.h.badger]

I'm building in a new neighborhood in Dripping Springs (south west of Austin) that's a southern-living style community. Drippin' has exemplary schools, but if you work downtown it'll be a good commute (30-40 min).

Another area with "older" architecture is Georgetown, just North of Austin. I've always liked that area.