Visiting Austin Thursday - NEED HELP! (Round Rock, Cedar Park: for sale, house, buy)

[AustinTraveler]

Six and seven month leases (even month to month and three-month leases) are no problem in Austin. Just go to one of the larger apartment complexes. I know there's one near Avery Ranch called Ventana Oaks.

[cvic]

Actually we are looking at renting a house... I think that might be the problem

[AustinTraveler]

Yup, you're right, that might be a problem. I did a quick search on Statesman.com and found a house for rent in Avery Ranch and two in Brushy Creek (which I think is close to Avery Ranch). You might try calling them and asking if they'll do a six-month lease. Personally, I would definitely rent before buying. There is SO much to choose from here.

[austin-steve]

Are one year leases the only option in Austin? We do want to rent for a while but we may fall in love with a place in 6 months and want to buy it, so are a little apprehensive of getting caught in a 1 year lease. Any thoughts???

It's not a good idea for a landlord to rent a home for a length of time that would cause the lease to end during the Sept to Feb time frame in Austin, when it takes longer to rent homes and they rent for less. It's really hard to rent a home in Austin in Nov-Dec particularly. People don't want to move as they are thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up.

That said, some landlords and agents are not smart enough to know this and, especially if the home is sitting empty, you might find a landlord willing to go for a 6 month lease. None of the professional property managers I know would do it though. Now, if we have a vacancy in mid-November for some reason, we will do a 6 month lease to get the property back into the summer cycle.

Steve

[GANKS]

Sorry for not posting sooner. We really liked RR. The school is Cactus Ranch and there is a neighborhood going up in Behrens Ranch where you can walk to school. If you can see it on your trip you will see what I am talking about, just search for Cactus Ranch Elementary.

We decided we didn't want to rent and move twice so we just found a place we liked - which was stressful.

[mattUK]

Hi there, I'm in the same boat as the original thread which started this listing off. Im hoping to move (visa permitting) to Austin from London.
I have been over and interviewed, have seen Steiner Ranch, really impressed, but quite surprised about how high the taxes are.

I have 2 kids one elementary age and I liked the schools there, but looking to rent first before I buy. Can you rent houses in steiner?
If I rented outside steiner could I still get my kids to the schools there on the basis that I was looking to move there when the right house comes up?

Are there any other similar places like steiner around which are lower on taxes?

Also Im using Amelia Bullock as a realtor what are those guys like?

Whats the monthly cost for Aircon for say a 4 bed house out there? We dont have aircon in the UK because its so cold, I dont want any nasty shocks on bills when I move out!!!

Sorry about this and finally does anyone know of someone to contact about renting when I get out there?

thanks,

Matt

[austin-steve]

Also Im using Amelia Bullock as a realtor what are those guys like?

They are well respected.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by mattUK

Hi there, I'm in the same boat as the original thread which started this listing off. Im hoping to move (visa permitting) to Austin from London.
I have been over and interviewed, have seen Steiner Ranch, really impressed, but quite surprised about how high the taxes are.

I have 2 kids one elementary age and I liked the schools there, but looking to rent first before I buy. Can you rent houses in steiner?
If I rented outside steiner could I still get my kids to the schools there on the basis that I was looking to move there when the right house comes up?

Are there any other similar places like steiner around which are lower on taxes?

Also Im using Amelia Bullock as a realtor what are those guys like?

Whats the monthly cost for Aircon for say a 4 bed house out there? We dont have aircon in the UK because its so cold, I dont want any nasty shocks on bills when I move out!!!

Sorry about this and finally does anyone know of someone to contact about renting when I get out there?

thanks,

Matt

Our 4 bedroom in Steiner, ~3600sq. ft., is about $180 per month during the hottest months, but we haven't gone above $80 yet because we have had a very pleasant spring. One other thing is water, don't forget we love our grass out here, and I am not talking "420."

We haven't gone above $85 on the water bill yet because the rain sensor has been full, preventing the sprinklers from turning on according to its programmed schedule. Water can go up to about $120-130/month for us with about 5,500 sq. ft. of grass on a 10,900 sq. ft lot.

I have a workmate renting a home here in Steiner, and I have seen a few Lease signs. Do you have the same type of credit history as the U.S. in the UK? To rent, you need to have sterling credit, so if you are coming out here for a high tech job, that may help, but be prepared to share job offer letters, etc, to make up for any lack of a FICO score in the U.S.

[jessdine]

CVIC-

We are in the same boat! Coming out the week after next and then will be moving from SF to Austin July07! I found one apartment complex that allows 3 month leases but I have been playing tag with them. Not sure if I can name them on this site???

I haven't found any houses but I did check out some local relator websites and they have rentals listed BUT they all said one year lease. You could call them and double check.

Good luck!

[mattUK]

I didnt realise I could get help like this, its great thanks a lot.

I think $180 dollars a month sounds pretty good, someone told me (who lives in Dallas) that they would be 400+!!!

Whats the deal with the taxes in Steiner, I mean is it all down to house price/age or location within steiner?

Im looking at a Taylor Woodrow home around 360 - 440, what would the taxes on that be? I've checked similar house price ranges and they are around 8-9000 a year for tax.

I've also checked lower range houses around 300 - 330 and the tax rate is half at around 3500, thats quite a big drop considering only 100k in the price difference between houses.

Also how much would it cost for 2 reasonable 2nd hand cars out there, the cars in the UK are ssssooooo expensive...

thanks, Matt