Dripping Springs advice needed! (McGregor: real estate, apartment, how much)

[chris4t4]

We finally have narrowed it down to two places to live. One is very different than the other. One is Dripping Springs but we want some acres. Our thinking is this, we want child to have an ATV and live in the "country" so to speak. We think we would enjoy living on land like this vs what we are used to in the suburbs. But don't even know if it's in our budget, where good lots with existing houses are. We have looked on real estate sites but don't know the best area in Dripping to look. Then, the other questions are....can we drive an ATV around on a few acres or do we need a lot more land than that? What is the critter situation? What are good areas to look at for houses on land? what/where to avoid?

thanks so much!

[CptnRn]

You said there were two places, what is the second one?

Any place you live that is rural or near large green belts will have a few scorpions, snakes, racoons and possums, and a few assorted bugs. Other then that its not so wild.

[chris4t4]

The other choice is going into a subdivision like Belterra or Highpointe. But there is something in me that is just done with suburban living and want a town not a subdivision. I love going out to all the small hill country towns. I would love for my child to grow up riding around on an ATV, learning about life/land, etc. As a kid I spent summers in lake towns goofing around, exploring, having space and then we went home to the city where some of the other kids lived there year round and I was so envious of their lifestyle. Do we do that on a weekend excursion or actually live the life???

Where do I begin to look in Dripping Springs for this? It's hard to tell on the realtor sites and I wouldn't know good land from bad land.

P.S. our budget is up to $300k. Will that do to get what we are looking for? and how many acres do you need to comfortably have an ATV/dirtbike? And do other neighbors do this?

Is this crazy thinking?

[TexasHorseLady]

What do you want to do on the land besides have your kid ride an ATV? That will help determine what's "good land" versus "bad land".

How much acreage you can get with a house will depend, in part, on the kind of house you're looking for, as well.

So, what kind of house ARE you looking for with some acres? I can tell you now that you're not likely to get a Belterra-type house with acres in that price range.

[centralaustinite]

Just please be careful with that ATV. I know two families whose lives were devastated when their child (over 12) rode on an ATV -- it overturned and resulted in death.

[chris4t4]

Good advice on the ATV. Is a dirtbike better??? Yikes! Do they have ATV's with safety rollbars, seatbelts, etc?

As far as what else we want with the land....basically we want family over to have family meals, bbq's outside, run around, have a fire pit (if allowed with the burn bans/safety), nice view, country view. We don't really want neighbors noise, being right up on your neighbors fence, neighbors keeping up with the Jones'. Just want to be us and live a good life and provide a wonderful, memorable lifestyle for children. Also would like a nice pool! I sure am reaching for the stars, huh!? But have you ever gone somewhere and felt, this is home? I have felt like that in Dripping Springs.

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, again, what kind of house? Would an older house work? Size?

[chris4t4]

I would like a fairly new house, could be happy with anything from 1800 and up. Not a fan of older homes as most homes we have lived in been new and don't want to sink a ton of money in for repairs. Not really very specific it would depend on the house itself and what the land looked like. We have lived in many sizes from an apartment to 3700sq ft. I prefer smaller, as less to keep up.

[TexasHorseLady]

Okay, looking on the MLS, with very basic specs ($300,000 or less, 1990 or newer, 1800 or more sq. ft., 3 acres or more), five possibilities pop up, mostly in the 4 to 6 acre range. You're going to want to be looking in the McGregor/Bell Springs/Fitzhugh area, mostly, it looks like. (Wanted to confirm that before sending you that direction - that's what I thought I remembered from recent searches for clients.)

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by chris4t4

Good advice on the ATV. Is a dirtbike better??? Yikes! Do they have ATV's with safety rollbars, seatbelts, etc?

Having ridden dirt bikes since I was 8, my opinion is that if you aren't an experienced rider then you really shouldn't get your kid involved in it.

It was very fun but it was also pretty dangerous. For example, we played tag on motorcycles...3 on bikes and 3 on foot. We had our own small course that a friend's uncle bulldozed for us. Plenty of brush, trees, and hills to provide cover. You waited for someone to ride by and then jump out of a tree or tackle someone off a bike to get your turn.