SW, W, NW Austin? (Spring, Canyon: how much, houses, neighborhood)

[tashina]

Lantana Ridge and Covered Bridge are both nice neighborhoods. I live in Covered Bridge and can tell you that the people are really nice here too. We have great pool parties and BBQs and even Easter and 4th of July parades for the kiddies (haven't been to those - don't have kids).

Let me know if you have any questions about Covered Bridge.

[tanyagail]

Not sure if this is the back way Mcj is talking about but sometimes we take a route that takes us through Circle C on Slaughter to MoPac.

290
R on 1826
L on West Slaughter Ln
L on MoPac to get downtown

It doesn't save you anytime but takes you by the drive thru Starbucks in the morning and the nice HEB for picking up dinner in the evening!

For a REALLY scenic trip TO Belterra, and when we have no rush on time, we take a Left on 1826 from Slaughter to Nutty Brown. Beautiful rolling hills and ranches.

[McJ]

I don't take Slaughter, that would slow things down due to the lights and lots of people by the shopping area. I take 1826 to 45 and that turns into Mopac(Loop 1)

[audrey2]

Thanks for those shortcuts! I think I will try them as soon as we move out there. The more I think about it, the farther away I think Belterra is. I will look forward to checking out Lantana and some of those other communities when we get out there. How long do you think the builders will be offering those great incentives? My dh really wants to wait a year to buy a house as we get to know the area, but I want to do it much sooner but still without rushing. Is there anything else further west and/or north that would be comparable to Lantana, etc. and under 25 minutes commute to 35th when leaving at 6:45? Now i am not asking anyone to go out there and drive those distances for me at 6:45 in the a.m., but does anyone have an idea? ALL of your posts have been incredibly helpful, by the way, and I sure do appreciate it!

[mimimomx3]

I suggest you really take your time, rent for a year until you get a feel for traffic, neighborhood personality, etc. Choosing a neighborhood that doesn't work for you is a very costly mistake.

[tashina]

That works in a flat or down market, but who knows where real estate in Austin is headed.

I considered renting first when we got here in 2005. We ended up in contract on a new home within about a week of arriving in Austin. The model's base price increased $35k from July 2005 to March 2006 (I know this because we could have got a company relo if we had waited to move til March 2006, so I was looking to see if we made a good decision moving ourselves - we did). That was a full 10% increase within the first year.

I'm not saying that price increases will continue at that rate - hope they don't - I just left a housing bubble and don't need another, but you can easily get priced out of the home you want by waiting in an up market.

One further example - bought in Temecula in 2002. Could have rented first but moved in immediately. Prices went up by about 40% within 18 months. I think they'll come back down to the 2002 level, maybe in 2010. But I'm glad I bought when I did or I'd have been stuck with a far lesser house or stuck renting til 2010.

[mimimomx3]

Maybe...but I would still hate to buy a house I hated in a neighborhood I hated. My .02.

[tanyagail]

McJ--hey I bet that would work great! I usually have to stop for something at the shopping area anyway, but the times I don't I'll try taking 45. I'm guessing taking Nutty Brown down to 1826 then to 45 or vice versa might be my best bet? Thanks for the suggestion.

[McJ]

Originally Posted by tanyagail

McJ--hey I bet that would work great! I usually have to stop for something at the shopping area anyway, but the times I don't I'll try taking 45. I'm guessing taking Nutty Brown down to 1826 then to 45 or vice versa might be my best bet? Thanks for the suggestion.

No problem. Are you coming from Belterra? If yes, that would be a back way good route for you coming or going.
Also, on the 45 you can turn left at Escarpment to go to the stores/HEB as well.

[karnival96]

Originally Posted by audrey2

Does anyone commute from Circle C? Would that commute to 35th be any better than the one from belterra? I threw myself in to a web search on lantana and am in love!!! What would you say the views there compare to, those of you who live there? Stupid question of the hour: If we build, we'd expect to pay a lot more (than a comparable resale in same area) because we'd have to purchase the lot on top of that, right?

The commute from Circle C West (the most remote part of Circle C) to 35th would take about 15 minutes during the summer. Traffic seems to pick up quite a bit when school is in (UT and AISD) or when it rains, so you should probably add about 5 or 10 minutes to your estimated commute during those times.