single mom teenage boy- renting- lakefront? (Austin, Hurst: for sale, real estate, rental)

[dbatche]

thinking about moving to austin with teenage son. He would love to live on lake- we have a boat. Move will be for only a couple of years so would rather rent- not knowing the area- we would love to live on a lake again- not sure what the options are, are there lake properties avaialble for rental ? I will be working in austin. Would we be better off with condo/apt elsewhere and just put boat in marina- not sure where best schools, best teenage life are...

[CptnRn]

I have had a sailboat on Lake Travis for most of the 30+ years that I have lived in Austin. Almost everyone would love to live on a lake, so those properties are usually pretty expensive. I am sure there are some available, but if you have commute into Austin every day, I'd recommend you keep your boat at a marina on Lake Travis and commute to the boat when you want to use it. Lake Travis has a large variety of places you can go to eat and drink along its shores.

In the water slip rental has gotten pretty expensive on Lake Travis. For a boat slip in the water I'd recommend:

Sail & Ski Yacht Club‎
16406 Stewart Road
Austin, TX 78734
(512) 266-2507
http://www.sailandskiyachtclub.com‎

They also allow you to keep a boat on its trailer there and put it in the water yourself when you want to use it.

Hurst Harbor has dry boat storage, you call them when you want to use it and they will put the boat in the water so its waiting for you when you show up. This is less expensive and requires less maintenance of the boat bottom, bottom paint, algae removal, etc.

Hurst Harbor Marina Ltd‎
16405 Clara Van St
Austin, TX 78734-3916
(512) 266-1800
http://www.hhmarina.biz‎

There are lots of nice houses with boat slips along Lake Austin and a few places where you can rent a boat slip, but it is very expensive property. The "lake" is also a long narrow river course which doesn't allow much variety other then traveling up stream or downstream. Since it is so narrow there are restrictions on boat speed and wake, and it gets pretty crowded. Not many places to go or stop for drinks and food. Friends who had a powerboat Lake Austin it quickly got bored with it.

[hoffdano]

I don't know how many lakefront properties are available for rent - you'll just have to look at some listings. I suppose it is possible there is something affordable since you could get by with a 2 BR place.

I commute from Spicewood to the Arboretum area every day. It is worth it for me, but not for some. I drive 27 miles each way and it takes about 45 mins most days.

I agree with the comments above about Lake Austin. Lake Travis is much larger, has warmer water, and has good fishing. If you have a dock on Lake Travis you WILL have to deal with changing lake levels. That means you will have to move the dock in and out as the lake rises and falls. This is not difficult if the dock has good cable winches. Lake Austin is a constant level lake while Lake Travis can easily move up or down 20 feet in a year.

Dry stack storage is available in several marinas - not just Hurst Harbor. Emerald Point is another.

[CptnRn]

The real estate section of the local paper this morning had an example of how expensive lakeside property is on Lake Austin. It featured an article about a condominium for sale, where there were places to tie up your boat right out the back door. This was at the Orleans Harbor Lake HOmes, 2401-2605 Westlake Drive. This unit was built in 1977, renovated in 2000's. 2 bdrm, 2.5 bath, 2,309 SF, it is on the market for $835,000. Condo offers lock-and-go elegance on Lake Austin Photo http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/...POTLIGHT_5.JPG