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Old 07-25-2010, 09:15 AM
 
202 posts, read 228,253 times
Reputation: 101

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We are currently looking into Austin, but we want to keep an open mind. We are from Raleigh, NC and would like something at least as good.

We are fiscal conservatives/social moderates.
Religion not an issue.
We would like to keep the house price under $300K for a greater than $2000 sq. ft.
Single story house or only bonus and bath up.
We prefer a suburban feel, but within 20 minutes of city amenities.
Low crime a must.
Economy relatively stable over time.
A good mix of new construction and historical sites and homes with character would be a nice bonus.
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Old 07-25-2010, 11:19 AM
 
Location: WA
5,306 posts, read 7,592,900 times
Reputation: 8286
The suburbs around pretty much every Texas city are going to fit that description....except possibly the historic homes thing. In all but the most exclusive neighborhoods you'll probably find real estate prices to range from $100-120 a square foot for reasonably nice newer construction. Prices will go up dramatically as you get nearer the central cities and historic neighborhoods. And most everything you'll find will be one-story unless you are looking at really giant McMansions.

You'll find no problem whatsoever locating nice suburbs. The two more important questions are schools and employment. Do you have school age kids and are you moving here to follow/look for work? Or are you childless and retired or self-employed such that commutes and schools are not important?

Because most Texas cities have very decentralized school systems. The Dallas area probably has 50+ different independent school districts. There are probably a dozen or more around Austin and San Antonio. So school quality can be greatly influenced by where you live. On the flip side, the so-called "top" school districts are going to command a significant premium when it comes to real estate prices. For example, in Austin you are most definitely going to pay a substantial price premium for any house within the Eanes school district.

Also, Texas cities are HUGE geographically. Don't do the insane thing and try to commute across a major city like Houston or Dallas. Lots of people do it and spend 2-4 hours in their cars every day. If you are working in South Austin, don't buy a house in Round Rock or vice versa.
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Old 07-25-2010, 12:13 PM
 
202 posts, read 228,253 times
Reputation: 101
Quote:
Originally Posted by texasdiver View Post
The suburbs around pretty much every Texas city are going to fit that description....except possibly the historic homes thing. In all but the most exclusive neighborhoods you'll probably find real estate prices to range from $100-120 a square foot for reasonably nice newer construction. Prices will go up dramatically as you get nearer the central cities and historic neighborhoods. And most everything you'll find will be one-story unless you are looking at really giant McMansions.

You'll find no problem whatsoever locating nice suburbs. The two more important questions are schools and employment. Do you have school age kids and are you moving here to follow/look for work? Or are you childless and retired or self-employed such that commutes and schools are not important?

Because most Texas cities have very decentralized school systems. The Dallas area probably has 50+ different independent school districts. There are probably a dozen or more around Austin and San Antonio. So school quality can be greatly influenced by where you live. On the flip side, the so-called "top" school districts are going to command a significant premium when it comes to real estate prices. For example, in Austin you are most definitely going to pay a substantial price premium for any house within the Eanes school district.

Also, Texas cities are HUGE geographically. Don't do the insane thing and try to commute across a major city like Houston or Dallas. Lots of people do it and spend 2-4 hours in their cars every day. If you are working in South Austin, don't buy a house in Round Rock or vice versa.
We will not be bringing kids, so schools are not a huge concern. Where we live now, they have had a busing policy that is now being overturned. The county based school system is a disaster, so going somewhere with individual schools districts is better for resale value.

We would not be moving for work's sake, but want to be where the economy is somewhat balanced and has shown to be stable over the years. We are well funded, so we can be out of work for extended periods of time.

Where we live now, we can be one or two suburbs away and still get to the heart of the city within 15 to 30 minutes. It doesn't sound like that is the case in Texas.
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Old 07-25-2010, 12:21 PM
 
10,238 posts, read 19,516,642 times
Reputation: 5943
Quote:
Originally Posted by texasdiver View Post
The suburbs around pretty much every Texas city are going to fit that description....except possibly the historic homes thing. In all but the most exclusive neighborhoods you'll probably find real estate prices to range from $100-120 a square foot for reasonably nice newer construction. Prices will go up dramatically as you get nearer the central cities and historic neighborhoods. And most everything you'll find will be one-story unless you are looking at really giant McMansions.

You'll find no problem whatsoever locating nice suburbs. The two more important questions are schools and employment. Do you have school age kids and are you moving here to follow/look for work? Or are you childless and retired or self-employed such that commutes and schools are not important?

Because most Texas cities have very decentralized school systems. The Dallas area probably has 50+ different independent school districts. There are probably a dozen or more around Austin and San Antonio. So school quality can be greatly influenced by where you live. On the flip side, the so-called "top" school districts are going to command a significant premium when it comes to real estate prices. For example, in Austin you are most definitely going to pay a substantial price premium for any house within the Eanes school district.

Also, Texas cities are HUGE geographically. Don't do the insane thing and try to commute across a major city like Houston or Dallas. Lots of people do it and spend 2-4 hours in their cars every day. If you are working in South Austin, don't buy a house in Round Rock or vice versa.
THAT's the dadgum truth! I don't live in the DFW metroplex, but have some family and friends who do. And those that live in the suburbs but work in the main cities will tell you the same thing.
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Old 07-25-2010, 12:46 PM
 
Location: WA
5,306 posts, read 7,592,900 times
Reputation: 8286
Quote:
Originally Posted by NC to Austin View Post
We will not be bringing kids, so schools are not a huge concern. Where we live now, they have had a busing policy that is now being overturned. The county based school system is a disaster, so going somewhere with individual schools districts is better for resale value.

We would not be moving for work's sake, but want to be where the economy is somewhat balanced and has shown to be stable over the years. We are well funded, so we can be out of work for extended periods of time.

Where we live now, we can be one or two suburbs away and still get to the heart of the city within 15 to 30 minutes. It doesn't sound like that is the case in Texas.
That will be the case for Austin but not Houston or Dallas. You could find a nice house in your price range in a master-planned community in say Round Rock and be 15-30 minutes from downtown Austin depending on traffic. And you'll have plenty of amenities and shopping options much closer than that. Round Rock is an attractive city in its own right. There's a AAA baseball team. It's the home of Dell Computers so lots of tech jobs. And there are good schools.

Houston and Dallas are cities on an entirely different scale. Greater Houston is the size of New Jersey. I have friends who live in typical upscale Houston suburbs like Katy and the Woodlands and they face hectic 1 hour commutes to the central city during rush hour. Luckily they don't have to as they work nearby. But many of their neighbors spend their lives in their cars.

Based on your description, I'd look at suburban Austin and also suburban San Antonio. the northwest side of San Antonio is also very vibrant economically and your dollar may go a bit further than in Austin. In fact, San Antonio may actually be better than Austin in many professions as you aren't so much competing with all the hipsters who are moving to Austin for the scene.

If kids aren't a factor then there are lots of wonderful areas to live in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. If I were childless and in your position I'd move to the Tanglewood neighborhood of Fort Worth or the Lakewood neighborhood in Dallas in a heartbeat. They are both fabulous older neighborhoods with great parks, restaurants, museums, and everything you could possibly want and very close in to the downtown areas of both those cities. Houston has similar close-in areas. Austin does too but you'll pay much more of a price premium in Austin to live in the central area because of the Univ. of Texas and the Capital.

Last edited by texasdiver; 07-25-2010 at 12:56 PM..
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