Amhurst vs Alamo Ranch (DR Horton homes) (Lackland AFB, Center: real estate market, houses)

[longhorns21]

Hi,
I am wondering if i could get some suggestions, we are a military family that recently relocated to san antonio. We are in the process of trying to buy our first home and have decided we love DR Horton homes, but now need to decide betweeen Amhurst and Alamo Ranch. Alamo Ranch is a beautiful area and seems to be the new "hot area" from what we hear. We have found affordable homes in both areas, but are now contemplating the commute. He works at lackland and i work in the medical center area can anyone give some advice or insight into the pros and cons of both areas? thanks for the help!

[nicholasa101]

I dont know if this post will be of much help but here it goes-we are retired military and we also looked at Alamo Ranch and Amhurst. We went with Amhurst. Alamo Ranch is a bit more expensive (for the same model), but in hindsite I do have to say, you get what you pay for. We are very happy with our home in Amhurst, but Alamo Ranch has more appeal, meaning the landscape of the common area is nicer, they have a bigger community pool etc. The surrounding area is established- you know that there are shopping areas and lots of housing, nice housing in the area. In Amhurst- we are not sure what is going to be built behind us. On the con side for Alamo Ranch is traffic, traffic and traffic. Good luck!

[Steel Man]

Amhurst is on Potranco and until this street is widened, also has traffic problems, but not as bad as AR. Did you also look at Redbird Ranch (DR Horton)? It is near SH 211 further out on Potranco and is a quick way to get to Lackland AFB (211 to 90 to Military Drive). The Medical Center area is definitely a longer drive anyway you look at it.

[VA DIVA]

My husband is stationed at Lackland as well. We bought ( we will close on 4/15) a DR Horton home in Redbird Ranch, which is further down Potranco. We looked at Alamo Ranch also because we wanted to be near shops, etc., but the same model at Alamo Ranch was $20K more than at Redbird Ranch. We got a cul de sac house with a huge backyard. Alamo Ranch houses are bit closer. Amhurst is a nice subdivison, but I didn't really care for the surrounding area and turning onto Potranco Rd is horrible when there's traffic, there's no way to avoid it. Good luck!

[scuba steve]

About commuting...

That area -> Lackland: probably alright
That area -> Medical Center: total hell

[longhorns21]

thanks for the input, i am realizing that it is definitely going to be a worse commute for me! i really do like alamo ranch though, close to shops and nice landscaping...i also have been told that it may be easier to sell in the longterm due to the "exclusiveness" that is associated with the area..i dont know, i need to make a decision already!!!!!

[NJTransplant2008]

I can only comment on Alamo Ranch since we didn't look at Amhurst when we bought. We bought in AR in August of last year and moved in the beginning of October. Since we moved in we've seen houses continue to be built and continue to sell. A lot faster than I would have thought given the real estate market. I know SA is a bit more insulated than some areas of the country in terms of real estate but these aren't the least expensive houses and they're still selling really fast. From August until now there have been no less than a dozen houses built along our road. Most of them have been sold quickly. If the same is true in Amhurst then both areas will probably be great investments in the longer term. If that's not the case in Amhurst then I'd lean more towards Alamo Ranch. It is very convenient to have all the shopping so close by.

[miche111e]

I think Alamo Ranch will add 15 minutes to your commute, without traffic.

[yosoyway]

We live in Alamo Ranch/Riverstone and we are very happy with our decision. The traffic is bad but you get used to it. But IMO it is not as bad as sometimes it is portrayed.

I would suggest that you drive out there one day in the morning so that you can get a feel of what you will be going through. We did that when we were looking at homes in Stone Oak and that morning my wife decided NO!!! lol

I work by 1604/Heubner and it's an Ok commute. But sometimes I take my daughter to school at Health Careers which is by the medical center. That is a nightmare sometimes. Granted we leave the house rather late. When we leave by 6:50 or 7, it is not that bad. But if we leave around 7:20 it will be terrible.

Good luck on your decision.

[liby]

We just bought a home in Amhurst and we love it. My husband works on Lackland and his drive is about 15 minutes. We looked at Alamo Ranch, but felt a bit out of the way. They are still building here and there a lots of military families here. The plazas along Potranco has lots of stores. Our only regret is that there isn't a bigger pool or basketball courts for the kids. The elementary school for Amhurst is great. Forrester Elementary.