Thoughts on Lago Vista? (San Antonio, Austin: fit in, real estate, insurance)

[CameraGirl]

Please help! We have spent the past 3 years in an extremely difficult situation- we moved from Denver, Co to an extremely small town in South Carolina on the coast. It has been a disaster. We got taken badly on the real estate deal, the townspeople are hateful to outsiders and basically it is "the exact opposite" of what we had moved here for & hoped it would be. Now, I am scared- big time. We are planning a move to the Austin area- we own our own business- that we will be marketing from Austin & it's suburbs to San Antonio and all the area's in between. The nature of our business is mostly home-based though and any commuting will be done at times when traffic should be low. I am trying to be far more careful with this move- I have found a couple of houses in Lago Vista. I'd love to know people's thoughts on that area. We have no kids, nor plans to have any- so that also doesn't fit in to the equation. Is there shopping in Lago Vista- grocery stores, fast food etc? Is there restaurants? I've tried to google it and I don't find really "anything". How far is it to all that stuff? Is it a safe area, a nice area? What is the collective perception of that area? After all that we have been through- failure this time around is not an option. Help shed some light.

[txmom]

I know a guy whose work takes him from North Austin down to San Antonio. He lives in Buda, just south of Austin, and LOVES it. Have you considered Buda or Kyle (or even South Austin?). They strike me as better locations for you.

Sorry to hear that you are having a hard time in South Carolina. People in Central Texas are open and friendly...I love it here (don't love the traffic, but I guess you can't have it all).

[CameraGirl]

Originally Posted by txmom

I know a guy whose work takes him from North Austin down to San Antonio. He lives in Buda, just south of Austin, and LOVES it. Have you considered Buda or Kyle (or even South Austin?). They strike me as better locations for you.

Sorry to hear that you are having a hard time in South Carolina. People in Central Texas are open and friendly...I love it here (don't love the traffic, but I guess you can't have it all).

Hi TXMom:

We are also looking in that area, but we have fell for a house in Lago Vista and when we last visited Austin we missed out on seeing Lago Vista and so I have no idea what it looks like, or anything about it.

Camera Girl

[austin-steve]

I can't think of a single reason that would cause me to recommend to anyone to live in Lago Vista. It's very, very far from Austin. It's mostly considered a retirement area and it's mixed with old run down stuff, condos, lake properties, and scruffy homes with a tad of new stuff starting to appear.

There are loads of downside and little if any upside to locating yourself there. I agree with the other post, look at Buda/Kyle if you're going to be working the area between Austin and San Antonio.

Steve

[CameraGirl]

Thanks Austin Steve:

Now that was certainly candid! I wanted to hear something direct. I am getting confused and it can certainly be overwhleming trying to figure out where to buy - when you live across the country. Here is one more aspect though- we are professional photographers and work on assignment and that is usually once or twice a week, so that is why it is not that important to be central- between the two area's were marketing to. Does that change your opinion any? I don't like the sound of what you said about the uneveness of the homes (condo's, trailers etc....} We want some space and are looking for homes mostly between- $350 to $400. We have no kids, but we do want a pool. Any suggestions? What your thoughts on Cedar Park, Lakeway or Wimberly & Dripping Springs?

I really appreciate any help...Thanks....

[austin-steve]

we are professional photographers and work on assignment and that is usually once or twice a week, so that is why it is not that important to be central- between the two area's were marketing to. Does that change your opinion any?

No. My opinion is based on some personal rules I follow when buying real estate. Admitedly, I think from a narrow-minded somewhat conservative investment point of view. In other words, I like my real estate to go up in value, and I believe there are some predictors that, when observed, make that more likely to happen over time.

That doesn't mean that a specific home in Lago Vista won't be a smart buy for you personally, and that you won't enjoy living there. And you might even find a friend or two in Austin willing to drive way out there to visit you once or twice a year.

But I think the location is too inconvenient, isolated, undeveloped and ill-defined. I personally rule it out on those factors alone.

Steve

[luzababy]

I agree with Austin-Steve. I've done Home Health and have had to see some Pts out there. It took me 1 hour to get there from Austin (without traffic). It's a pretty drive, but don't know if it's worth it. The majority of the people who live there are retired. There aren't any major grocery stores with few small mom and pop restaurants. One concern, as a nurse, is if anything happened to you or a loved one and needed to go to the hospital, they would have to fly you to the closest hospital because they are too far out.
Cedar Park is the closest city and they are approximately 30 minutes away.

[CameraGirl]

Thanks Luzababy:

You guys have really opened up my eyes. Like I said- I really blew it on my last move and I am determined to have a good experience this time around. I am going to take all three of your(s) advice and avoid Lago Vista- were not a good fit for that experience right now. It's just that I am now at loose ends - starting anew with more of this crazy real estate searching.

I wish I was already in my new house all unpacked and was having you three over for bar-b-que and a swim at our new and perfect house in the perfect spot.

Camera Girl

[txmom]

CameraGirl,

You said you are looking for homes between $350,000 to $400,000. The property taxes in Texas are very high, so you might want to consider that. As a very general rule, expect to pay at least $10,000 in property tax on a $400,000 home. Our home is valued at 215,000, and we will pay $5134 in property tax for 2007. Our homeowner's insurance is only $800 per year (through USAA). Other insurance companies may be higher than USAA.

You might want to make another post to ask about Cedar Park, Dripping Springs, etc. There are some very helpful people on this board, and I'm sure you will get some replies. The more specific you are about your requirements, the better (i.e. do you want to live in a master-planned community, things like that). I do know that Cedar Park is growing very quickly, and has some really nice neighborhoods. There is one poster who seems to know Cedar Park really well (Gigi927). She's really nice and helpful - maybe you could pm her.

I'm hoping you find your perfect place. Bar-b-que and a swim sounds great!

[achtungpv]

If you want a small town feel and have that budget, I'd really look at Wimberley. It's really nice, has a few decent restaurants and has pretty good access to Austin. THe access to I-35 to get to San Antonio will improve drastically when the bypass in San Marcos is built.