Steiner Ranch (Austin, Canyon: house, neighborhoods, purchasing)

[luzababy]

Is Steiner Ranch a great place to live? Are the value of homes appreciating? We're looking at purchasing a home in a new subdivision and a little nervous due to other posts listed about the area. It's very beautiful and seems like a great place to raise kids.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by verycurious

Is Steiner Ranch a great place to live? Are the value of homes appreciating? We're looking at purchasing a home in a new subdivision and a little nervous due to other posts listed about the area. It's very beautiful and seems like a great place to raise kids.

I am curious about the postings you are nervous about. Also, this board is great, and contains a good cross section of folks to ensure you can get past normal biases of all of us. For me, I am biased for Steiner, but don't hide it.

One thing that may make it easier for you is it sounds like you can simply come to the neighborhood, and I would say do it multiple times, and just talk to people. That is what we did while we still had an "out" even though our home was being built. We still looked at Canyon Creek a lot, and River Place once, but we stayed the course because of what you can do in Steiner.

Now, with the Retail, including the Steiner Ranch Market, and the eventual Steak House near the Mansions, and the already open Tutto Gusto, we find ourselves staying close to home, and when we do venture out to Austin, etc, it is a new feeling.

Will other neighborhoods give that? You decide, but remember to just go to each neighborhood and engage the folks already there, it will tell a lot.

[austin-steve]

It's very beautiful and seems like a great place to raise kids.

If your kids are the #1 determinant, you can't go wrong with the quality schools and the quality of live you'll have in Steiner. I may from time to time have some negative things to say about the location of Steiner and the traffic, but it's no doubt a very impressive place and I'd live there in a heartbeat if the location weren't so inconvenient to me personally.

Steve

[desu30]

Steiner is a very good community with great schools....The only thing as you are aware is if you are working person the minimum commute to anywhere in austin would be minimum 30 minutes and definetely more depending on traffic and work location...Also I have seen value depreciating by about 40-60K from 2002 to 2004...little scary.....It is mainly lived by people who relocated from states where housing are expensive... You wont find many Austinites living there....

[jwb123]

I think Steiner Ranch needs it's own forum here

[luzababy]

Other threads have mentioned the traffic being a nuisance, and it's only going to get worse. Others have talked about homes being on the market greater than 60 days. I know it varies and they have to compete with new construction homes, but moving into a new area -- no matter what city you live in -- can be nerve wrecking. I just want assurance that we are making the right decision because my children are my #1 priority and I don't want to move again. What sold me, at Steiner, was the fact that it appeared to be VERY family oriented.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by Jenbar

I think Steiner Ranch needs it's own forum here

I disagree, I may miss some really good advice, and could miss out on another equivilent appreciation opportunity. We are coming up on two years, and I am gettin' that "itch" that my wife dreads, especially since we have nice equity, again, that we can leverage...

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by verycurious

Other threads have mentioned the traffic being a nuisance, and it's only going to get worse. Others have talked about homes being on the market greater than 60 days. I know it varies and they have to compete with new construction homes, but moving into a new area -- no matter what city you live in -- can be nerve wrecking. I just want assurance that we are making the right decision because my children are my #1 priority and I don't want to move again. What sold me, at Steiner, was the fact that it appeared to be VERY family oriented.

Just to give an example, our kids were so looking forward to the Carnival at LWB Elem. tonight (4/13), but it was cancelled due to the weather forecast. Our solution was to go down to the culs-de-sac and the girls played with their friends. We had some adult beverages, and the kids had some lemonade one of the moms made.

It was nice to talk about work, and other things, and how the kids are growing, and the best teachers to request for the childrens' next grade level coming up in late August.

[jwb123]

Sounds nice but I can tell you from experience, that happens in a lot of neighborhoods here in the Austin suburbs. From my experience, it's all really family-focused. I know that sort of thing happens in mine all the time.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by Jenbar

Sounds nice but I can tell you from experience, that happens in a lot of neighborhoods here in the Austin suburbs. From my experience, it's all really family-focused. I know that sort of thing happens in mine all the time.

And I hope it stays that way, and I think the right attitudes are in play to ensure that. If not our (my) neighborhood, then another one is fine by me.