Canyon Creek/Ranch at Brushy Creek

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by hound 109

I agree with Steve's opinion that buying a home in a "new neighborhood" with new homes competing (& adjacent new neighborhoods competing) will see far less appreciation (or more depreciation if the economy tanks) than established neighborhoods (particularly established neighborhoods in a "good" location or with superior schools).

And there are dozens of neighborhoods that are bounded by Mopac (on the east) / 183 (on the northeast) / 620 (on the northwest, west & southwest) that have seen significant increases in value over the last 4 years. Most are "built out" & have a perceived good location AND superior Schools:

Texas School Performance Maps

(look at the schools in the area bounded by these highways)

.

No argument regarding the neighborhoods that are not built out(I live in one and certainly do not expect significant appreciation any time soon, if ever--not why we bought the house).

My question would be, in those neighborhoods with the blue symbols, are those houses actually selling this year/month for significantly more than they did 4 years ago? My guess is one year ago(when we were looking), the 'inflated' prices in those neighborhoods drove us to look farther out and newer...BUT, given today's market, are those prices still realistic?

[austin-steve]

My question would be, in those neighborhoods with the blue symbols, are those houses actually selling this year/month for significantly more than they did 4 years ago?

Yes, most mature neighborhoods in Austin are up considerably from 4 years ago. I don't have time at the moment to run some quick stats, but basically, almost anything that attends a good school in a built out neighborhood is well above 2005 prices. Even Steiner Ranch resales in the older sections are going to be above 2005 prices.

It's the newer sections and neighborhoods you have to be careful of, thus my wariness of Ranch at Brushy Creek vesus Canyon Creek.

Steve

[stephanie3430]

Thanks for the great responses regarding a newer versus older, more built out neighborhood. At this point, our plan is to stay in the house for the next 10-15 years...but of course, unforseen events could cause us to move earlier. The location/road access at the Ranch at Brushy Creek is more convenient for my husband's job (since he will be working near Anderson Mill/Palmer). Of course, the commute from Canyon Creek seems pretty doable and shouldn't be a major issue if it is really our best neighborhood bet (I'm thinking the Canyon Creek commute would be about 10 mins w/o traffic and 15 minutes w/traffic whereas RABC commute might be 5-10 minutes). If you have any additional thoughts on the traffic, feel of the neighborhood, amenities, etc., please let me know. It sounds like the schools are somewhat better in Canyon Creek. However, it seems like the school districts are still being modified as new developments come in (and our first child is only a couple months old so we definitely have time). Thanks in advance for your great thoughts on where you would pick and why (or if there is somewhere else with a simliar feel, lots of trees, parks, pools, etc. that you'd choose instead).

[mark311]

Originally Posted by stephanie3430

(and our first child is only a couple months old so we definitely have time). Thanks in advance for your great thoughts on where you would pick and why (or if there is somewhere else with a simliar feel, lots of trees, parks, pools, etc. that you'd choose instead).

It sounds like the Ranch at Brushy Creek is a good fit. While it might not be the best "value for the money" right now, you're buying into a good area to raise kids. The Brushy Creek Regional Trail would definitely be your hangout as your kids grow. Living near that trail is a good trade-off for not getting the best short term investment value in my opinion.

Brushy Creek Trail