Steiner Ranch, Circle C or Cedar Park??? (Austin, Round Rock: real estate, new home)

[CLQ]

Which is better for commuting to downtown for work, schools and raising two boys 6 and 8? We love the outdoors - water, parks, boating, walking dogs, etc. I hate driving in traffic for more than half an hour.

Any other suggestions on where to live for homes under 325K?

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by CLQ

Which is better for commuting to downtown for work, schools and raising two boys 6 and 8? We love the outdoors - water, parks, boating, walking dogs, etc. I hate driving in traffic for more than half an hour.

Any other suggestions on where to live for homes under 325K?

OK, so let me make sure I have this correct, you want it "Fast, Cheap, and Good" so pick any two! Sorry, it's an engineering joke.

We have two of the three in Steiner, and I will give a hint to which one we don't have. I spend on average, about 38 minutes driving 19 miles to work, and I don't work downtown. Having said that, it is a great neighborhood, and my two girls, 6 and 8, love it!

[CLQ]

Originally Posted by FromCalitoSteinerRanch

OK, so let me make sure I have this correct, you want it "Fast, Cheap, and Good" so pick any two! Sorry, it's an engineering joke.

We have two of the three in Steiner, and I will give a hint to which one we don't have. I spend on average, about 38 minutes driving 19 miles to work, and I don't work downtown. Having said that, it is a great neighborhood, and my two girls, 6 and 8, love it!

haha! fast, cheap and good is ideal. arghhh! the commute would kill me. that is one of the driving factors of leaving LA/OC. thx for the input!

any other suggestions on a comprable neighborhood a little closer in or further but a faster rush hour commute? would cedar park be a faster commute with the new toll road and the Metro train that will be in place in 2008?

thanks for all your suggestions. all of your input is so helpful on this forum.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by CLQ

haha! fast, cheap and good is ideal. arghhh! the commute would kill me. that is one of the driving factors of leaving LA/OC. thx for the input!

any other suggestions on a comprable neighborhood a little closer in or further but a faster rush hour commute? would cedar park be a faster commute with the new toll road and the Metro train that will be in place in 2008?

thanks for all your suggestions. all of your input is so helpful on this forum.

I was lucky, my OC commute was from Rancho Santa Margarita to Lake Forest/Irvine border across the street from Costco. My biggest battle was about 3 signals that I always, and I mean always, hit during red. It made the drive go over 12 minutes most days!!!



Anyways, stick around on the board, and when you come out, just come to the neighborhood one time, to make sure you have a sense of what is offered, then decide.

[CLQ]

I will be in Austin in August to test the rush hour traffic from Steiner Ranch. I heard bad things about the 2222. Are there any plans to alleviate the traffic from this area?

BTW, RSM to Lake Forest?!! That's a great commute! I would love to have a commute like that in Austin. Would you say that Steiner Ranch is similar to Rancho Santa Margarita? We like that city too but never lived there do to the commute to El Segundo. I like the lake access and the community - bike paths, parks, etc. Do you think Cedar Park has or will have a similar feel? It is really cheap there, I'm wondering if it's the next RSM and will appreciate the same once building is complete and moves north to Leander and further.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by CLQ

I will be in Austin in August to test the rush hour traffic from Steiner Ranch. I heard bad things about the 2222. Are there any plans to alleviate the traffic from this area?

BTW, RSM to Lake Forest?!! That's a great commute! I would love to have a commute like that in Austin. Would you say that Steiner Ranch is similar to Rancho Santa Margarita? We like that city too but never lived there do to the commute to El Segundo. I like the lake access and the community - bike paths, parks, etc. Do you think Cedar Park has or will have a similar feel? It is really cheap there, I'm wondering if it's the next RSM and will appreciate the same once building is complete and moves north to Leander and further.

There are agents on the board that can explain it better, but the dynamics out here are different in terms of real estate. It was recently announced that Crystal Falls, which is already 5000 acres will be expanded after an additional purchase. What this means is a supply of new homes for years to come around that area. Good for those that want a new home, but bad for resales, or could be bad for resales, as the builders can chop off $20K here and there to get inventory off their books. For a resale, I know my pride would get in the way, if that was necessary. It could dampen appreciation to more sustainable levels, but if you are used to the crazy gains of CA, just so you know...

Where we are at, there will only be so many homes, and it is done, and yes, we settled here after living in Round Rock for just 14 months because it did remind us of RSM, but we got a lake with it too! By the way, we sold a one story, 3000 sq. ft. home at a small loss in Round Rock, but have made it back up here, on paper at least.

Lastly, the 2222 can be a pain, but not like 405 pain, there are time when you can get up to 60, then slow back down, and there are signals. The 405 is just depressing because of all the darn cars around you.

[CLQ]

That is true the drive on the 405 is just horrendous. It may be worthwhile to commute in.

Do you think the commute will be less than 45 to downtown from SR?

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by CLQ

That is true the drive on the 405 is just horrendous. It may be worthwhile to commute in.

Do you think the commute will be less than 45 to downtown from SR?

Depends on the time you drive. It is not as bad as getting on 405 by 5AM to have less traffic, but after 7:15 on 2222, it gets busy, and I am sure Mopac at 7:30 is not going full speed.

Anyone do that drive that can help out here?

[CLQ]

Also, does anyone know the commute time from Circle C and Cedar Park (using toll roads) to downtown during rush hour?

Also, between Steiner Ranch, Circle C and Cedar Park, which community is best in terms of raising a family, schools, commute time to downtown and value?

I appreciate all your input!

[Zzyzx]

Originally Posted by CLQ

I will be in Austin in August to test the rush hour traffic from Steiner Ranch.

To really make a fair comparison on traffic, you really need to do it during when UT and all the other schools are in session. I think UT starts 8/29. The faculty and students add quite a bit to the rush hour traffic