Is Manor THAT bad??????? (Austin, Round Rock: for sale, homes, established neighborhood)

[txorbust17]

My family will be moving to the Austin area next March. My husband will be a full time MBA student at UT and I am a nurse and will be working in either a North Austin or Round Rock hospital. We definitely want to live outside of Austin, but within a 30 minute drive to work and school. I have done tons of research on Manor, Pflugerville, & Round Rock areas. It seems like Manor would be the closest place for us to live, but I've read TERRIBLE things about the school district. Is it that bad? Our son won't be in school for another 5 years, but I don't want to purchase a home that will be unsellable or have my property value decline.
Shadowglen in Manor seems to be a great neighborhood with lots of nice homes. It seems like a shame to have a nice master planned neighborhood in a terrible school district. Does anyone know if things have improved or if homes are selling in this area despite the poor school ratings? Or can anyone suggest a good subdivision that would be a short commute to the UT campus? I know the traffic on I-35 is going to be brutal in the mornings. We are a military family relocating from Germany. I'm doing my research online ahead of time. We're native Texans, but not from the Austin area. We'd like to keep it under the 200K price range. Thanks!

[CptnRn]

I don't have any direct experience, but maybe this site will help Manor Middle School - Manor, Texas - TX - School overview

Manor Middle School serves grades 6-8 in the Manor Independent School District. Based on its state test results, it has received a GreatSchools Rating of 3 out of 10.

Parents have reviewed this school and given it an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

[txorbust17]

Thanks for the school info. My father in law is a Superintendent of a school district in Texas and said Manor had big problems.......From what I can see, some of their schools are good and some are unacceptable. I think the homeowners in Manor can only hope for a big school official/school board overhaul. I just see way too many nice homes for sale in Manor that have been drastically reduced and have been on the market for over 180 days. I'm guessing it's the schools that are ruining it, because it's a super short commute to Austin from there.

[love roses]

One of my very good friends lives in Manor and has 2 kids, one who is in 1st grade and she has been happy with his school. I think the only thing she hasn't been happy with is all the rattlesnakes that have ended up on their front porch lately

[luksky]

I live in Manor and like it quite well. Manor has very easy access to all parts of Austin. Trust me, I drive them all every week and have an easy commute. As far as home values that's an iffy one. The economy seems to have taken a toll on Manor's housing. I don't really have any personal experience with the school system because I homeschool my daughter, but none of my neighbors that send their kids to Manor schools seem to have any qaulms about them. Hope this helps.

[austinite45]

Originally Posted by txorbust17

My family will be moving to the Austin area next March. My husband will be a full time MBA student at UT and I am a nurse and will be working in either a North Austin or Round Rock hospital. We definitely want to live outside of Austin, but within a 30 minute drive to work and school. I have done tons of research on Manor, Pflugerville, & Round Rock areas. It seems like Manor would be the closest place for us to live, but I've read TERRIBLE things about the school district. Is it that bad? Our son won't be in school for another 5 years, but I don't want to purchase a home that will be unsellable or have my property value decline.
Shadowglen in Manor seems to be a great neighborhood with lots of nice homes. It seems like a shame to have a nice master planned neighborhood in a terrible school district. Does anyone know if things have improved or if homes are selling in this area despite the poor school ratings? Or can anyone suggest a good subdivision that would be a short commute to the UT campus? I know the traffic on I-35 is going to be brutal in the mornings. We are a military family relocating from Germany. I'm doing my research online ahead of time. We're native Texans, but not from the Austin area. We'd like to keep it under the 200K price range. Thanks!

In short, yes, it's that bad.

A totally undesirable area in my opinion.

[txorbust17]

Thanks for the input. It's nice to hear from people who know the area. I think I'll cross Manor off the list. Now I'm looking into some new Centex neighborhoods. One is called Ashbrook near Manchaca. Anyone heard of this? It looks pretty nice and near the new Southpark Meadows shopping center.
Or what about the Cantarra neighborhood in Pflugerville? I've also considered some of the more established neighborhoods in Pflugerville such as Heatherwilde and Wells Point. Just trying to decide which place would be the most convenient to UT & decent shopping.

[verybadgnome]

I used to ride out to Manor on my bike when there was nothing going on as far as building. Nice little main street area if a bit run down. I haven't been back but if its anything like other small towns where the developers have run rampant it lacks both big city conveniences and small town charm. So I have to ask besides low prices is there any reason to consider it?

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by txorbust17

Thanks for the school info. My father in law is a Superintendent of a school district in Texas and said Manor had big problems.......From what I can see, some of their schools are good and some are unacceptable. I think the homeowners in Manor can only hope for a big school official/school board overhaul. I just see way too many nice homes for sale in Manor that have been drastically reduced and have been on the market for over 180 days. I'm guessing it's the schools that are ruining it, because it's a super short commute to Austin from there.

No, just the opposite. The new subdivisions spread to out that way to keep costs low. The schools were already questionable but getting better due to the new development and growth. Manor was the next "diamond in the rough". I guess this economic downturn put the brakes on that. Too bad for those people who thought they were getting in on the ground floor of future dreams.

[RoundRockinite]

It's not too bad if you mind your manors :-)