Round Rock vs. Cedar Park (Austin, Georgetown: sales, new house, neighborhoods)

[jzbik]

Hi everyone,

My family and I (husband, 3 yr. old son) are considering a move to the Austin area from San Diego, CA. We have pretty much narrowed it down to Round Rock and Cedar Park for the home affordability/schools/etc. The two neighborhoods seem interchangable, so I was wondering if anyone knows about:

1. Are property taxes lower in one vs. the other?
2. Are both school districts fairly evenly matched?
3. Are utilities affordable? I know it gets hot there, can you afford to run the A/C?
4. Any thoughts on building a new home vs. buying a resale home? The price difference doesn't seem that dramatic, would it be worth it to go new construction? (We are looking to spend up to $300,000)
5. Any issues with cities cutting budgets to libraries? I'm a librarian and San Diego is broke, so no library jobs to be found...

Thanks for any input, I am really looking forward to being an ex-Californian!

[fortyfiver]

Re library jobs - I know that City of Austin has recently cut hours once, and narrowly avoided having to do so a second time. COA has a hiring freeze at the moment. I also know that City of Round Rock is still filling library vacancies (though they have none at MLS level, so far as I know). However CORR's sales tax receipts are WAAAAY down on last year, so I suspect some kind of freeze will not be long in coming. No info about Cedar Park and Georgetown, but can't imagine they are much different. All of these communities are closely intertwined and depend on Austin as the regional economic engine, no mater what some suburbanites would like to think.

(I'm a recently retired public librarian).

[AddressQueen]

First of all...glad to hear you're making your way to Texas, especially the central TX area...it's beautiful here. To answer some of your questions...
1. Assuming only that you buy inside the city limits of CP or RR, property taxes are higher in Cedar Park. The total tax rate for Round Rock is 2.293935% and Cedar Park is 2.44637%. The difference is only .01% between school districts, but the city tax rates are the big one. RR city is .36522 and CP city is .50807. Round one goes to Round Rock.
2. Noooo...the school districts are not fairly matched, even though their taxes are close. I don't know about CP, other than to say my boss hasn't been happy with that district's staff at his son's schools (that's the Leander ISD). My son, on the other hand is going into high school next year, after having been in this ISD since pre-K. You have kids...move to Round Rock...you'll be very pleased with the schools here. I moved from Austin to Round Rock in 2000, a year before my son started school, specifically for the schools! They are building a bunch of new schools, including a state of the art high school. RRISD has a unique program for its graduates too. A special note goes onto their final transcipt indicating they've been through the program. Check out their website for more info on it... www.roundrockisd.org. Round two goes to Round Rock!
3. Utilities...not sure one town would be better than another, but I know my bills are reasonable. It just depends how cool you like your house in the summer and how warm you like to be in the winter. Just for reference, I can tolerate house temps from 73 in the winter to 78 in the summer, and my bills range from $55e & $20g in the summer to $30e & $45g in the winter. (e is electric & g is gas) My house is 1113 sq ft though, and I recently added 6" of insulation in the attic...smart move.
4. Build new vs. buy 'used' My bf just bought a new house around the corner from one that's the same floor plan and 2 years old, because of the deals the builder can offer to get you into a new house. He ended up paying less up front and overall for the house. I'd go with new if there's no price difference because you get a new home warranty from the builder with it, and they're usually right around the corner while the development is being built out. There's no clear winner between CP and RR here, but I can tell you if you want a house up to the price you listed, you can get a fantastic house in Lake Forest, Sonoma, Forest Creek or Mayfield Ranch in Round Rock. All new or newish subdivisions with beautiful homes in that price area.
5. The library...we just had a big remodeling project to the RR library in October, and someone recently retired from the library - in February. Check out the city's web for jobs... www.roundrocktexas.gov/jobs
In my opinion, Round Rock is the clear winner, but someone in CP may feel otherwise. I presented well-researched facts...the rest is up to you and whoever else replies. I admit I'm biased because I live in Round Rock, but how else would I know all this awesome info to share it with you? I don't live in any of the neighborhoods mentioned above, and my son won't go to the new high school, but this is a great town no matter your 'station in life.' I hope you'll agree, but whatever the case, good luck with your decision and impending move! ~Kim

[Go_Gators_07]

Part of Cedar Park is zonded to Round Rock ISD. We just bought a new home in the Walsh Trail subdivison off of Brush Creek road. It's a very nice area and has many parks and a lake right across the street. Prices range from $250K and up. Our house was just under $300K with updgrades.

[TexasHorseLady]

As far as the schools are concerned, you're going to have to make that judgment for yourself. Both of my children attended private school and public school. The school that was excellent for my son would have been a disaster for my daughter, and vice versa. This is even within the same family, so if there's anything I know, it's that one school doesn't fit (or not fit) all. You'll have to look at the schools (both districts have good reputations) with your specific child or children in mind.

Buying new versus resale - if you can buy a spec home, the builder in my experience will be more likely to deal than they will on a to-be-built.

[texastea]

And part of Round Rock is zoned for Leander ISD. The boundaries get choppy at the edges.

I agree with TexasHorseLady. Both school districts have good reputations and good schools--research both and find the best fit for your child.

And everything AddressQueen said about RRISD is true of LISD. Bunch of new schools, including new high school for next fall (although LISD opened new high schools in 2004 & 2008. They like to keep their student population at or near 2,000 for better learning environment and student involvement), and unique program for graduates (Passport--like a "major" for high schoolers).

[Julia78681]

I recently moved to Teravista and love it. It's a community in RR. RR is so great for so many reasons. CP is nice, too. Nothing to complain about. As for schools, my child goes to Sunrise Montessori. I am looking forward to her attending Teravista Elementary next year. They have the BEST PTA I've ever heard about! So many events that it makes it easy to meet people and make friends. Since I am from out of state, that was huge for my family. Best of luck!