Looking at possible relocation to SA (San Antonio, Spring: transplants, real estate, renting)

[jnojr]

Howdy all, I'm considering moving to the SA area fairly soon. I would almost certainly wind up working at Lackland AFB We would want a house with a decent-sized fenced yard within a reasonable commute and with reasonable access to downtown. No kids, so don't care about schools, except we don't want to be too close to one or on a major migration path for hordes of kids We also obviously want to not be in or have to regularly traverse any "problematic" areas... I'm sure SA has "da 'hood" just like any major city, and we want no part of that. We want to live around honest working people with whom we can borrow and lend a lawn mower or something and nobody needs to worry about it coming home. We also aren't looking to get into a "status" home... a gated community of 5000 sq. ft. McMansions isn't for us.

Any ideas about where to look or avoid, other considerations specific to the area, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

[Newk]

Hello! I relocated from Springfield, VA in September 2008. Any questions, please ask. Nice to see someone from Northern Virginia making the big move! Housing is so cheap here! Do a search for my name, as I have made threads about this topic.

[majormadmax]

I work on south Lackland and can tell you there is a myriad of good neighborhoods you can look into, but keep in mind that SA is a very "family friendly" town so there's always going to be a good chance of having kids around. I wouldn't worry about it, it'll be that way in most places in the country.

But as for good neighbors, I think that's a pretty safe bet as well. Texans, and even transplants here like ourselves, tend to be very friendly and while I may not be "best buds" with my neighbors I do know I could count on them if I needed something.

As for location, I usually refer people to this map as a rough guide for someone who will be working at Lackland and is looking for good places to live...



Realize that we do have a "rush hour" here and that most major thoroughfares are congested during it. I am lucky in that normally I can go to work and leave early enough to avoid most of it (we live up near Helotes), and during those times when I have to commute during it I know what routes are better than others.

Many recommend renting for your first year, I think that you can get an adequate understanding of the area within the first week or two of looking around. But I am retired military, so I hate moving (I did enough of it while in uniform); so I would avoid the need to do so by finding a good home right off the bat. We had an excellent realtor (highly recommended!) and found our current home the first morning we went out looking. I would suggest spending more time researching and finding a good real estate agent to help you out, it will pay dividends in the long run!

Good luck and let me be one of the first to welcome you to San Antonio!

Cheers! M2

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by Newk

Hello! I relocated from Springfield, VA in September 2008. Any questions, please ask. Nice to see someone from Northern Virginia making the big move! Housing is so cheap here! Do a search for my name, as I have made threads about this topic.

Thanks Newk I will search for you!

Housing is a decent part of my choice. My GF has a house in San Diego, but I REALLY don't want to move back to CA. And she doesn't want to deal with the winters here We've both pretty much agreed upon San Antonio. I think she'll become even more enthusiastic after she reviews the real estate listings I sent her!

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

I work on south Lackland and can tell you there is a myriad of good neighborhoods you can look into, but keep in mind that SA is a very "family friendly" town so there's always going to be a good chance of having kids around. I wouldn't worry about it, it'll be that way in most places in the country.

We just don't want to be right there at Ground Zero

But as for good neighbors, I think that's a pretty safe bet as well. Texans, and even transplants here like ourselves, tend to be very friendly and while I may not be "best buds" with my neighbors I do know I could count on them if I needed something.

Can't ask for much more than that!

As for location, I usually refer people to this map as a rough guide for someone who will be working at Lackland and is looking for good places to live...

Muchas gracias! I'll use that as part of my research.

Realize that we do have a "rush hour" here and that most major thoroughfares are congested during it. I am lucky in that normally I can go to work and leave early enough to avoid most of it (we live up near Helotes), and during those times when I have to commute during it I know what routes are better than others.

I am hoping to be able to have enough flexibility to get in and leave earlier to avoid rush hour. I'd rather live a little farther from work, avoid traffic time, and have more of the other things we're looking for.

About how long is your commute from Helotes?

Many recommend renting for your first year, I think that you can get an adequate understanding of the area within the first week or two of looking around. But I am retired military, so I hate moving (I did enough of it while in uniform); so I would avoid the need to do so by finding a good home right off the bat. We had an excellent realtor (highly recommended!) and found our current home the first morning we went out looking. I would suggest spending more time researching and finding a good real estate agent to help you out, it will pay dividends in the long run!

We may rent, but we're also planning on visiting for a week or so after we've narrowed down our search as much as possible using the Internet. I think we'd prefer to find something and be done with it.

Good luck and let me be one of the first to welcome you to San Antonio!

Thank you!!

[majormadmax]

I go to work early (~6:00am) so I make the 17-mile commute in about 20-25 minutes. In the afternoon it takes a little longer to get home (30-35 minutes).

But I gotta ask, you stated "I would almost certainly wind up working at Lackland AFB" but do you actually have a job lined up or are you just expecting it to be easy to get one? If the latter, I hate to tell you but things are really tight here at the moment. Budget cuts mean both government civilian and contracts are being reduced, I've known several individuals whose contracts have not been renewed and they've had to go elsewhere for work.

As for the GS side, there's still a hiring freeze for the most part, some positions are being filled but it's not the numbers it used to be.

I don't mean to scare you, but SA has always had a reputation of being an easy place to find a government job. That's still true for the most part, outside of the DC area it is probably your best bet; but things have gotten harder lately and it's not as simple as it once was.

But being that you're in NOVA, I suspect you already work for the government. If you can wrangle a transfer to the SATX area that's would be your safest bet; but if you don't have something lined up I would do some serious homework before making the move...

Cheers! M2

[jnojr]

majormadmax - I have a daily limit of one PM and so can't reply to you until tomorrow at 1515 EDT :-(

[majormadmax]

No worries, but I probably won't be at a computer tomorrow as I have a full schedule for the day. I will get back to you as soon as I can!

Cheers! M2

[ItsTheTruth]

If you don't want to be near kids, find an older development, like something from the 70s or 80s. The owners are likely to be older since many bought in when they were in their 30s. The newer places like everything on the west side and off of 1604 will basically be filled with kids in every house. A friend moved to 1604/Braun last year (similar child situation) and moved away this year admitting her mistake. Her commute to Lackland is actually longer than mine would be (time-wise) despite the fact that she lives 5 miles closer.

[jnojr]

So, my better half is asking about things that are closer to restaurants, theater, music, etc.

From a place somewhere within the area majormadmax suggests, how long does it take to get downtown on Friday or Saturday night, assuming regular traffic?

Are there areas inside of the loop where we can have a good area, good people, won't find the car stripped to the frame if we forget to lock the door, etc. that's convenient to downtown as well as Lackland?