Belterra info (Austin, Spring, Hamilton: HOA fees, mortgage, houses)

[TXgirl72]

Can you tell me about the Belterra subdivision? I've read mixed things, and trying to figure out if we should consider looking there. How long is the commute from Belterra to intersection of I35 and 71 hwy? Big consideration for hubby. Also, are the utility and propane "scandals" really true and still happening? We can't afford extremely high utilities on top of the high property taxes. How are the schools there? It's seems like a neat place for a family to live. We have two kids, ages 7 & 4.

I'd appreciate any input.

[RooCeleste]

All I can speak to is electric - is it Pedernales Electric? If so, they're cheap. We have a large, open one-story house with lots of west-facing windows and high ceilings, and last summer even with the hot drought, our bill never surpassed $200.

[thedogatemyhomework]

don't know about your commute or the utility scandals...

i'm not a fan of planned communities so belterra is not my cup of tea, but if that's cool with you, belterra could be a great choice. it's affordable, in a beautiful area with excellent schools and very family-friendly. it's in dripping springs, which is a small town but growing and increasingly desirable.

[LongTimeAustinite]

Originally Posted by TXgirl72

Can you tell me about the Belterra subdivision? I've read mixed things, and trying to figure out if we should consider looking there. How long is the commute from Belterra to intersection of I35 and 71 hwy? Big consideration for hubby. Also, are the utility and propane "scandals" really true and still happening? We can't afford extremely high utilities on top of the high property taxes. How are the schools there? It's seems like a neat place for a family to live. We have two kids, ages 7 & 4.

I'd appreciate any input.

We live in Belterra. The drive time between Belterra and I-35 depends on what time of day it is. If it's not during rush hours you can do it in about 25 minutes. The slow point would be the Y in Oak Hill. There are ways around the Y.

The propane can be expensive. If it's a really cold month, we would expect to pay a couple of hundred dollars. That's for a 2700 sqft house. During the summer the gas bill is around $40 or so.

The schools are great. Your kids would go to Rooster Springs which is right in Belterra.

[jobert]

Taxes are something to take into consideration as well. I ran the numbers on the Belterra tax rate. I took a random property right off of Belterra Dr. and the tax rate was 2.9296% That translates to $7324 each year in taxes for a 250K house.

Enter the address of a property you are looking at, and take note of the "entity codes" that apply:

http://www.hayscad.com/Appraisal/Pub...rID=&NodeID=11

Then cross-check with the list of rates for those "entity codes":

http://tax.co.hays.tx.us/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=e39GZIk2pmI%3d&tabid=36& mid=377

I am mentioning this because I know of a couple that ended up moving out near Hamilton Pool road into a 300K house because they ran the numbers and found out they couldn't afford a 240K house in Belterra after they factored in the taxes and HOA fees.

[TXgirl72]

Thanks for the info. Yes, the taxes and fees concern me. Property taxes increase your monthly mortgage payment really quickly! If we have to add high propane bills on top of that, we could be paying much more than we expected. This is why I am trying to do my homework before we even consider it.

I'm not sure what my opinion is on planned communities. Never lived in one. Some things seem appealing, especially the community aspect. Others, like heavy handed HOAs & expensive fees don't seem so appealing.

Dog, what do you not like about planned communities? It seems nice to have a built in social network to plug into where the kids go to school together and families gather for events. The small town girl in me is showing. What are the negatives of these types of communities?

[TXgirl72]

Thanks for your input, Longtime. You said the commute is 25 mins not during rush hour. Do you know what it is during rush hour. Hubby drove it when he visited down there and said there are alot of lights, and he thinks the commute may be bad during rush hour. Glad to hear you like living there. It sounds like a nice place.

[thedogatemyhomework]

Originally Posted by TXgirl72

Dog, what do you not like about planned communities? It seems nice to have a built in social network to plug into where the kids go to school together and families gather for events. The small town girl in me is showing. What are the negatives of these types of communities?

suppose the flipside of the social network is the potential oppressiveness of it. but to each his own. practically speaking, the homes tend to be pretty close together with small yards and there isn't much variety on the types of houses you can get. this is not necessarily a belterra issue, btw.

good luck.

[LongTimeAustinite]

Originally Posted by TXgirl72

Thanks for your input, Longtime. You said the commute is 25 mins not during rush hour. Do you know what it is during rush hour. Hubby drove it when he visited down there and said there are alot of lights, and he thinks the commute may be bad during rush hour. Glad to hear you like living there. It sounds like a nice place.

Once you get through the Y there are no lights almost all the way to the airport. There are maybe 8 or 9 lights between Belterra and where the nice part of 71 picks up after Oak Hill. During rush hour I'd leave myself maybe 40 or 45 minutes.

That whole area at the Y will eventually be a toll road. The lights will be gone and you could probably knock off 10 minutes off your drive time.

What kind of commute time is he looking for? I would be concerned about my commute if I lived South and worked north and was driving during rush hours. Living in Belterra and working South should not be a problem.

[Driftwood1]

Originally Posted by LongTimeAustinite

That whole area at the Y will eventually be a toll road. The lights will be gone and you could probably knock off 10 minutes off your drive time.

They have been sayin that for over 10 years now, I would now move somewhere banking on that to happen...

The negative side of the planned communities can be easill found by doing a search here on "HOA's" ---Its so hotly debated here the moderator had to ban discussing it.