what is jester like? (Spring, Lost Creek: HOA, house, neighborhoods)

[moxie23]

Our family currently lives in Allandale and are looking for a bit more space, but don't want to be too far out. We enjoy the conveience of living pretty central - short commute to downtown, quick drive to go just about anywhere, and lots to do nearby.

However, we're in need of a bit more space now that we have kids and they have stuff and one of us is working from home.

We've been looking at Northwest Hills, Arboretum area, and Jester. We love the trees and location of Northwest Hills - pretty similar to what we enjoy now. We like the convenience to shopping and such of the Arboretum, and the fact that it's not too far from where we are now. But we're really attracted to the views, the hills, the newer homes, and the neighborhood feel of Jester.

Questions: How bad is the commute down 2222 to get to Mopac to go downtown? What is Jester Club like? Is Jester snobby? How strict is the HOA - for example, is xeriscaping allowed or must a homeowner maintain St. Augustine? Just trying to get a feel for Jester that we can't get by driving around the neighborhood...

Thanks!

[atxcio]

I don't have any first-hand experience living in Jester, but I did look for homes there when we bought our last house. However, you should know that eastbound 2222 at 360 will be reduced to 1 lane for over a year starting in May, as they work on the 2222 and Lakewood bridges over Bull Creek:

2222CONA page for TxDOT RM2222 project

The alternate "shortcut", going out of Jester via Lakewood directly to 2222, is closed right now and will be closed on and off throughout the next 2 years. This is going to be a major pain, I suspect, for some neighborhoods.

Anyway, we also love NW Hills... if you can find the right combination of decent condition house/views/price (not easy).

Have you thought of anywhere south of the river off 360? Depending on where you work, you might want to check out Lost Creek. Prices are similar to NW Hills, but homes and views are a little more like Jester (& no HOA). Closer and quicker to downtown and SoCo, but not as convenient to the abundant shopping in the northern part of town.

[moxie23]

That's the problem we're finding with NW Hills - the combination of house and price isn't working well for our needs. $400k in NW Hills buys a house in need of a lot of work. Otherwise it's great.

Regarding the traffic due to construction, would exiting Jester via Lakewood onto 360 and down to Spicewood Springs to MoPac work? Or is that route going to be in accessible as well?

I'll look into Lost Creek. I assume that feeds into Eanes ISD. So good schools academically. What's the feel there? Laidback? Snobby? I've never been down there and don't know much about the area.

Thanks for the info.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by moxie23

Our family currently lives in Allandale and are looking for a bit more space, but don't want to be too far out. We enjoy the conveience of living pretty central - short commute to downtown, quick drive to go just about anywhere, and lots to do nearby.

However, we're in need of a bit more space now that we have kids and they have stuff and one of us is working from home.

We've been looking at Northwest Hills, Arboretum area, and Jester. We love the trees and location of Northwest Hills - pretty similar to what we enjoy now. We like the convenience to shopping and such of the Arboretum, and the fact that it's not too far from where we are now. But we're really attracted to the views, the hills, the newer homes, and the neighborhood feel of Jester.

Questions: How bad is the commute down 2222 to get to Mopac to go downtown? What is Jester Club like? Is Jester snobby? How strict is the HOA - for example, is xeriscaping allowed or must a homeowner maintain St. Augustine? Just trying to get a feel for Jester that we can't get by driving around the neighborhood...

Thanks!

Maybe think about expanding your house. I dont know about allandale, but in areas where $/sq ft are above around 200 it is a no brainer to add on up to about 2500-3000 sq ft.

It may cost 100-150 /sq ft and so you "make" money when you add on. Additionally costs are lower now because remodelers are really struggling. Focus on location vs. the size of the house.

We like living in the suburbs because we like the location, cul de sac, backing to green belt and best schools.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by moxie23

Regarding the traffic due to construction, would exiting Jester via Lakewood onto 360 and down to Spicewood Springs to MoPac work? Or is that route going to be in accessible as well?

I assume that's going to be open, and probably the preferred route. On the other hand, for such a short distance maybe the 1 lane on 2222 won't be so bad (it will be worse for people who are backed up farther on the west side of 360, like those coming from RP or Steiner).

I'll look into Lost Creek. I assume that feeds into Eanes ISD. So good schools academically. What's the feel there? Laidback? Snobby? I've never been down there and don't know much about the area.

Thanks for the info.

Well, it is Westlake, so I can't say there isn't some snobiness. Lost Creek itself is fairly laid back, though. Probably not much different than Jester in that respect, but without the mandatory HOA. It's also similar to Jester in that it's not walkable like NW Hills... close in, yes, but it doesn't have the neighborhood thoroughfares like Mesa, Spicewood Springs, and Far West so that you can shop/eat/bank/etc "inside" the neighborhood. That would be something you'd give up in either Jester or a place like Lost Creek.