Hutto (Austin, Round Rock, Temple: real estate, apartment complex, townhomes)

[Ksea]

Hi, I see that you live in Hutto. Our realtor has sent some really nice homes in Hutto that are in our price range (100-120k). Houses look to be in great shape, new, nice yards. But we do not know anything about Hutto. We have two girls 10 and 6 and are looking for a nice, safe family-friendly community. Anything we should know about Hutto? Any desirable subdivisions? Thanks for your help.

[love roses]

I think most of the subdivisions are fine. The only one I'd stay away from would be Hutto Park. It's had lots of issues with soil settling and foundation problems. Hutto overall is pretty safe and family friendly and even as it grows people are trying as hard as they can to keep this the "small and tight knit" community it always was (not literally, but figuratively)...we do like the growth Emory Farms, Star Ranch (think they are zoned for RR schools though), Ranch at Brushy Creek and a couple of others I don't remember the names of. We just got our first apartment complex over by Star Ranch and it looks pretty nice. Right on the Golf Course.

One of the only things I don't like about Hutto is that we don't have a grocery store but there is an H.E.B plus a little over 5 minutes away, a super walmart close, a super target on the Hutto/pflugerville line, and a Randalls and HEB on Gattis School Road.

[verybadgnome]

I wouldn't want to live in Hutto and have to commute downtown or west of Austin. I'm also not sure about Hutto as a real estate investment. Many parts of Austin proper have gotten 10% or better annual appreciation but I can't see a bedroom community like Hutto performing like that.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

I'm of the belief there will always be people looking to move into a community such as Hutto. Don't let the gnome scare you away. They are being true to their name today, a very bad gnome. The toll road gets you downtown easily. The same home in Hutto that you found downtown or near downtown would cost 10x as much. I don't call that appreciation I call it highway robbery. What makes some of the neighborhoods nice is the school is so near. Also, some of the neighborhoods are within walking distance of Hutto, the city. Can't beat that either!

If you decide to move to Hutto: Welcome! Gah, loveroses brainwashed me. Do a search on Hutto in these forums and you'll find loveroses is a wealth of information and a decent person to boot. I have a feeling there are many more like her in Texas.

And where else could you go with a school mascot like the Hustlin Hippo's??? It's gotta be the greatest!

[love roses]

Thanks Don't forget Cabolissa either. A downtown commute from here with the new toll roads is a piece of cake actually. Lots of people here do it. Personally, my husband commutes into Temple, so it's sort of the best of both worlds for us. Badgnome is a little bit right, but only in the respect that when Hutto started seeing all this new growth it got a whole lot of "starter" homes built. What he fails to mention is that a new standard/law was just passed by City Council to get builders in who will build more higher end homes and other types of residents, such as garden homes, townhomes, etc...Hutto just got it's first apartment complex out near Star Ranch on the Golf Course.

There will come a day in the not so distant future when these little areas are gonna be eaten up by the Austin monster (as THL says) and the whole appreciation thing will improve. But, personally, ours has been increasing every year when we see our tax appraisals..haven't seen them take a nosedive, even in this economy.

It's not the most beautiful and spectacular town in all of Austin for sure, but I really don't care. I like my neighbors and most of the people I've met. I couldn't care less who thinks I'm "uncool" because I don't live West of 35 up on a hill in a multi million dollar mansion or downtown. I like having a big yard, living close to my daughter's school. From my neighborhood I can walk to every restaurant in town, the library, the post office, dry cleaners, dog groomer, antique store.....I really don't need to go to Austin for anything, since pretty much everything I do can be done locally around here. I usually go to the outlets in Round Rock instead of Lakeline Mall. I go to the movies in Taylor or Round Rock (by the Outlets). We have festivals out here and the surrounding area so we don't even have to only go to Austin for those either...although there are some in Austin that are worth it.

We've got parks, a trail that is going to eventually hook up with some trails out near Gattis School and eventually circle Hutto, Lots of kids sports (football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, cheer, tumbling, tennis etc...) dance schools (just local ones, if you have an aspiring dancer there are larger ones in Pflugerville and N. Austin), Karate. We're getting a new manmade lake, there is a splashpad and talks of a public pool. But plenty of neighborhoods have their own pools and rock n' river is just up the road at old settlers park. We've also got a few moms groups.

[newrrmom]

I have friends in Hutto who wish they thought about schools before moving there.
One said her value of home has consistantly gone down, this was even before economy was this bad.

[love roses]

To each their own. The schools don't have exemplary ratings (one is recognized, the rest acceptable) and with special awards in different classifications like Math, Science, Writing and Reading. I think it's great that in a lot of the schools that there are concerned parents who want the schools to be the best they can be and are working on improving it. I actually have no problem with my daughters school. I love her teacher and the principal is very good. Maybe your friends live in Hutto Parke or something because there really are no ghettos out here. I can think of maybe one or two other little pocket neighborhoods who could possibly have home value decreases.

On the flip side, We've got quite a few people out here who moved from South and South West Austin, Bastrop and other parts of Austin and are happy with the move.

[newrrmom]

Yeah I am sure one must be in ghetto part, she says her neighbors are super unfriendly, I only go to her house, don't know sub division, just street. Her duaghter hasn't started school yet though.
The other one who said her value is dropping is on the side by Home Depot.
Another is out in country more and said she was very unhappy with schools.

[love roses]

That's my side too and mines not dropping, but maybe it's a street by street thing. There is no ghetto part really but you could have super unfriendly neighbors in Steiner or Circle C or Belterra as well. If your friend is unhappy with the schools then why doesn't she just send her kids to Round Rock or something? You can do that out here now. If you don't mind me being nosy, what school and why? Even if I don't have a problem with my kids particular school, there are 4 other elementarys and two middles. I promise if you tell me I won't scream at you It may be something that can be worked out by the time I get my kid to that level...If we stay here that long. I say that because we like Hutto just fine but it's not our intention to live here the rest of our lives.

[newrrmom]

hmmmm, they have not mentioned they could do that, that is nice to know for potential buyers in area, since housing is so inexpensive in Hutto.

I was just being polite in the unfriendly aspect, it is more serious then that, but did not want to bag too much on area and cause a flare up on here, just wanting to help others with info I know from Hutto, to be careful in some neighborhoods. They are everywhere, but some more obvious then others.