Any comments on living near medical center? (San Antonio, Van: for sale, apartment complexes)

[sabex]

Hi all.
I am very close to agreeing a new job with USAA and am eagerly scouring the web for information on housing.
Based on what little I saw on my short trip, the medical center area looked nice. Its convenient to USAA and appeared reasonably priced.
My major priorities are a clean & quiet neighborhood, with minimal risk of property devaluation. I don't have kids so schools is not an issue (apart from the property value aspect.)
I am also looking at condo / townhomes and my short search indicates there seem to be a fair amount in that area.
Can anyone give me an idea if I am on the right track?
Also: if anyone currently lives in that vicinity, an idea of total property tax rates would be useful. I am coming from VA so the whole property tax thing seems to be big deal...

Thanks

[IrishSA]

Very good area and yes its very close to USAA. As for as taxes im not sure. I have a few friends in that area ill ask them. Its not a bad part of town at all. Ull also be around alot of young professionals.

[FastFerrari]

uhm....depends if u want to hear sirens all the time from cops to fire trucks and dont forget the ambulances....check out google maps...and ull see the sub station for the northwest side.(SAPD)....bout 3 firehouses....and numerous numerous hospitals....alot of noise pollution....but besides that...good schools...great shopping..highway acces...and if you ever need a hospital take ur pic..

[JurisDocster]

Hi,
Around the Med Center is a great place to live. There are some very nice neighborhoods where the property values will never sink and then there are some where the zoning has ended up causing huge "apartment cities" which aren't such great investments. Safe and stable neighborhoods north of Callaghan and east of Babcock. There is pretty good diversity of prices within this area too. Try the area around the intersection of Vance Jackson and Wurzbach. Easy to access USAA and safe.

You can actually investigate the taxes on San Antonio homes by going to the website of the Bexar County Appraisal District. (Google it.) Look for Property Search -->Property Address. Type in a street name you see in a neighborhood you like and you'll get a list of all the residences on that street. Then you can click on the link to a map and individually look at homes and what they are appraised at as well as who owns them and what the taxes have been for the past ten years on that specific property (be sure to click "expand details.") Also you can see what's for sale by looking on Zillow. That will tell you "GENERALLY" what houses are selling for and give you aerial views of neighborhoods you're interested in. Remember that much of their data is based on the appraised value so best to check with a realtor to know what homes are actually selling for. Realtor dot com is a good site to see what's for sale.

Good luck and welcome to San Antonio!

[sabex]

Thanks for the advice.

[Angie104]

Any Condo or Apartment complexes one should avoid in the Medical Center area?