Looking to move to a suburb around Austin (Dallas, Round Rock: house, transfer to)

[Reflexx]

A little about me...

I currently live in Ventura County, CA. About 15 minutes north of Malibu. I work in Venice Beach, CA.

I worry about the economy here. I also worry about the schools here. My son is only 2 yrs old right now, but we want to move before he's of school age.

We weren't sure if Austin or DFW would fit us better. But we're leaning towards Austin because of the grassy hills around there and the weather being a little more tolerable.

I've been told good things about Round Rock. But I really know nothing about the other communities surrounding Austin.

Any feedback from you area experts is greatly appreciated.

A general list of what we're looking for is below.

House - Something $150,000 - $200,000. 2000+ sq feet. Decent sized front yard and back yard where kids could play. Nice safe neighborhood.

School - some place safe with a good quality education

Jobs - I currently commute 90 minutes to work one way. So anything under 45 minutes would be nice. Though my wife would prefer her commute to be shorter. I work doing 3d art and animation for video games. My wife is a business analyst. She's worked as a business analyst in both in Healthcare and Banking. But her skills would transfer to a variety of different industries that need a business analyst.

Kid friendly - parks. maybe basketball courts. a lake would be nifty.

Entertainment - movie theatres. kart racing.

Food - would like a variety. It doesn't have to be some awesome ethnic food. But I do like Thai food.

Shopping - outlet malls and shopping malls.

Politics - My wife and I are pretty conservative. We're also ethnic minorities. Ideally I'd like to be in an area with some diversity.

Community - friendly people. We don't know anyone there, but would like to make some friends.

[FalconheadWest]

For the price range, look into Cedar Park. It's right next door to Round Rock and you'll get a little more for your money there. The school district itself is not rated as highly as Round Rock, but it's individual schools you should look at and not the district as a whole. I've been selling a lot there lately. One house was 3100 sqft for $199k. Definitely more bang for the buck and nice parks and trails around.

[TexasHorseLady]

Cedar Park is, indeed, an option. You might also want to look at Georgetown - not a suburb, but a small town just north of Round Rock. (I had Thai there for lunch just the other day and was quite pleased, FWIW.) And there's Lake Georgetown - not as big as some of the other lakes, but quite nice and with an awesome hiking trail around it. Wolfe Ranch shopping center has the usual suspects (Best Buy, Target, Petsmart - you know the drill - and an assortment of restaurants), though there are several local restaurants that are pretty tasty, as well. (Used to be a personal chef before I became an agent, so as you can tell, I'm really into the food.)

You can check the ratings of the schools, of course, and should, but consider that just a starting point. You'll want to look into why the schools have their particular ratings, and remember that a school can move back and forth between Recognized and Exemplary year to year, simply because of 1 point. You'll also, with your knowledge of your own child, want to look at whether a school, however highly rated, fits your particular child or not.

I'd recommend, if possible, a trip to check out both Dallas and Austin. It's about 3 to 4 hours (depending on where in each city you start and what kind of driver you are, or you could take a quick flight from one to the other) between the cities, so it would be doable if you had just a few days and a Native Guide in each. There are so many subjective factors - we can tell you what we think, but we can't really convey the "feel" of each city (and they're very different) as much as just spending a couple of days in each will tell you about how that feel will fit your family.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Don't forget to check out Hutto. (right next to Toll road)

[kiacook]

I'd recommend you and your wife get jobs and then look at an area to live.

[Reflexx]

Thanks. We'll give Cedar Park a look.

We plan a trip to visit some time next year. And then maybe move around 2012.

[mark311]

I think you're right on with looking at Round Rock. Cedar Park is great, but will be less diverse and should cost a bit more than the East side of Round Rock from what I've seen.

[kelly katsus]

If it were me after living in the area about 2 years... I would look near Lake Travis. The homes there are not too expensive considering it’s near the lake and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It is kid friendly and close to Austin, so shopping will be convenient. The rolling hills are breathtaking and I love to just take it all in when driving over in that area. I just sold a place over in that area to a young couple, and they are in Heaven. Good luck in your decision, I know it is a tough to decide, but well worth checking it out.

[TexasHorseLady]

Kelly, are you talking about Apache Shores?

[FalconheadWest]

Originally Posted by kelly katsus

If it were me after living in the area about 2 years... I would look near Lake Travis. The homes there are not too expensive considering it’s near the lake and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It is kid friendly and close to Austin, so shopping will be convenient. The rolling hills are breathtaking and I love to just take it all in when driving over in that area. I just sold a place over in that area to a young couple, and they are in Heaven. Good luck in your decision, I know it is a tough to decide, but well worth checking it out.

Ummm, I live over here and I would love to know where you can buy $150-200k. Even Apache Shores as THL has suggested is going to be next to impossible as I believe there is currently one home, very small like 1300 sqft, for under $200k.

But, maybe you're talking about Spicewood as being near Lake Travis?