What are these types of homes? Something between exurban and rural. (Austin: transplants, real estate)
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What are these types of homes? Something between exurban and rural.
(Finally my first post on the Texas Forum. Howdy!)
There's this curiosity of mine regarding a certain kind of development that falls somewhere between a suburban home and a "Ranch House" of sorts.
They're mostly located on the fringes of urban areas, with many of these examples near the Hill Country.
The description of these homes goes as follows:
Relatively large lots (1/2 - 2), yet homes are modestly sized (about the size of a non-mcmansion suburban home from the early 80s or earlier)
Large spacing between the homes.
Built together as a neighborhood, usually in groups of 12-30 lots.
Narrow roads, usually without pavement markings, sidewalks, and ditches instead of pipes alongside the roads.
Some homes have just a couple of cars, but many I've seen either have A) an RV, B) a motorboat , C) Lots of cars in the driveway , D) a fancy driveway or E) A couple of cars that they never use anymore.
Seem to have been built at least a decade or two before the area underwent suburban sprawl. Basically, when these homes were built, the surrounding land was still "unspoiled countryside", but now, there's likely to be much more development around the neighborhood.
Likewise, the residents who've lived there for a long time will probably tell you how fast the countryside was swallowed up by (Insert Texan City Here)'s growth. My mom will make a remark that (Insert Texan City Here) is getting too big, and the transplants need to go somewhere else. (I'm referring to Austin, and my mom is a lifelong resident of the town).
So my question is: What are these things?
How much do they cost (relative to other developments in the area)
What are the demographics of these neighborhoods? Who lives there? Parents with children? Retirees? Young professionals? Empty nesters? Upper middle class? Impoverished?
How "sustainable" are these developments? The thing I like about them is that there's enough room to grow your own food, but from what I've seen, that isn't the case. It seems many living there are either retirees (not the type of people who tend to grow their own food) or the upper middle class (who have lots of cars, plus an RV and boat, overall big consumers).
I have two friends who live in a neighborhood like this, both around my age. One is up north in Cedar Park, and her parents bought the home for their retirement and because it was next to a private airfield. The other friend lives near Manchaca, on a 1/2 acre lot near the UPRR.
You would have gotten more action in the city forums (for sure in Austin). A few comments below.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GlobalistPotato
(Finally my first post on the Texas Forum. Howdy!)
There's this curiosity of mine regarding a certain kind of development that falls somewhere between a suburban home and a "Ranch House" of sorts.
They're mostly located on the fringes of urban areas, with many of these examples near the Hill Country.
The description of these homes goes as follows:
Relatively large lots (1/2 - 2), yet homes are modestly sized (about the size of a non-mcmansion suburban home from the early 80s or earlier)
Large spacing between the homes.
Built together as a neighborhood, usually in groups of 12-30 lots.
Narrow roads, usually without pavement markings, sidewalks, and ditches instead of pipes alongside the roads.
Some homes have just a couple of cars, but many I've seen either have A) an RV, B) a motorboat , C) Lots of cars in the driveway , D) a fancy driveway or E) A couple of cars that they never use anymore.
Seem to have been built at least a decade or two before the area underwent suburban sprawl.
Basically, when these homes were built, the surrounding land was still "unspoiled countryside", but now, there's likely to be much more development around the neighborhood.
Likewise, the residents who've lived there for a long time will probably tell you how fast the countryside was swallowed up by (Insert Texan City Here)'s growth. My mom will make a remark that (Insert Texan City Here) is getting too big, and the transplants need to go somewhere else. (I'm referring to Austin, and my mom is a lifelong resident of the town).
So my question is: What are these things?
How much do they cost (relative to other developments in the area)
Less than newer homes nearby. Probably a good value for the square foot.
What are the demographics of these neighborhoods? Who lives there? Parents with children? Retirees? Young professionals? Empty nesters? Upper middle class? Impoverished?
All of the above. Retirees will gradually move/die & will be replaced by younger familes. (The "sustainability" of these neighborhoods imo will depend on the quality of the schools & the tax hit they're getting. Plus location location.)
How "sustainable" are these developments? The thing I like about them is that there's enough room to grow your own food, but from what I've seen, that isn't the case. It seems many living there are either retirees (not the type of people who tend to grow their own food) or the upper middle class (who have lots of cars, plus an RV and boat, overall big consumers).
I have two friends who live in a neighborhood like this, both around my age. One is up north in Cedar Park, and her parents bought the home for their retirement and because it was next to a private airfield. The other friend lives near Manchaca, on a 1/2 acre lot near the UPRR.
Ask the questions in the city forums and you might get more responses. Good luck.
people who want them--
those people vary
some are young couples who plan to have family and want to do it away from "bad influences" in a city
some people who have lots of toys like jet skis, boats, trailers, cars, dog pens, and need more room than a city lot
people who want privacy so they don't have three or four houses looking into their backyards if they decide to grill something
there is no common denominator for who buys these
as far as sustainability again lots of factors--
general overall success of the immediate area--that type of house in Southlake which is affluent suburban town west of DFW airport--could cost 400-700K depending on the condition of the house and its size and the lot's location and size
in areas like Mansfield or Rendon or Forney or Brock the price can vary quite a bit because the immediate area/town is not that desireable
We even have several subdivisions like that south of Abilene, and we are a much smaller town. I think people here are trying to get their kids in smaller school districts than the city school district. The retirees that I know in those areas are investing their retirement money in the hopes of making money later when the property appreciates. (Obviously, they bought before the current crash in real estate.) Prices vary from a little more than $100,000 to as much as you want to spend.
Lubbock has quite a few areas like that south and west of town, except they are mostly newer homes and upper/upper middle class, though there are some more middle class neighborhoods. They seem to be getting more popular here becuase they have a lot of space, but are still only 20 or so minutes from dowtown. The suburban development is approaching these areas, though. Is this kind of development rare in other regions of the nation?
The two subdivisions in Oak Hill and near Shady Hallow existed well before the rest of the area built up around them, the one in Oak Hill was old when I moved there in 1981. Some of the lots may have new houses on them now, but most were older and smaller back then. They were some of the first subdivisions when very few people wanted to live out that far, and those who did wanted large parcels of land. We bought one of them to put the City Fire Station on at McCarty Lane. I remember reading the old deed restrictions, talked about limits on how much livestock was allowed on each lot.
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