Steiner Ranch? (Austin, Lakeway, Barton Creek: wood floors, rent, how much)

[CarnivalGal]

I'm in no way implying that traffic on 2222 is a breeze. But SW Austin traffic is getting just as bad. My mom lives there, and every time I go to her house, it seems to be worse. And don't even try to do any shopping in Sunset Valley - it'll take 30 minutes just to go 1 mile on Brodie Lane.

And I have to respectfully disagree about the schools. The numbers indicate that the schools here, especially the high school, perform better. And we also don't have to deal with all the AISD BS that's going on right now.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

Seems close enough to Austin but seems to be a lot of posts that the place is way out there? Anyone care to clarify? Any other neighborhoods closer to Austin that are as populated with tons of kids and has great schools?

How bad is it living in the perfect community/HOA etc? Anyone buy there and hate it?

Where will your job be located?

Will you be buying or renting first (& if you're buying, why aren't you renting first?) If buying (which you shouldn't), how much are you spending?

Lots of neighborhoods in greater Austin with "tons of kids" & great schools. Need alot more info in order to give good answers.

& MM is correct.....all numbers indicate that the Vandegrift (& the schools that feed into it) delivers a superior education to Bowie (& the schools that feed into it). Same with WL, WW, LT, CP, VR & probably other high schools.

And i'm not sure what SW Austin has to do with someone looking at Steiner. There are alot of neighborhoods & schools closer to Steiner than SW Austin.

But most importantly....where is the job?

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by hound 109

Where will your job be located?

Will you be buying or renting first (& if you're buying, why aren't you renting first?) If buying (which you shouldn't), how much are you spending?

Lots of neighborhoods in greater Austin with "tons of kids" & great schools. Need alot more info in order to give good answers.

& MM is correct.....all numbers indicate that the Vandegrift (& the schools that feed into it) delivers a superior education to Bowie (& the schools that feed into it). Same with WL, WW, LT, CP, VR & probably other high schools.

And i'm not sure what SW Austin has to do with someone looking at Steiner. There are alot of neighborhoods & schools closer to Steiner than SW Austin.

But most importantly....where is the job?

Hello...I asked where the job was!

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by llkltk

Hello...I asked where the job was!

not sure what "hello" is about.....but it looks like we both asked where the job will be located.

Probably an important enough question for two people to ask.

[City Guy997S]

Job will be at home (self employed) so commute is less of an issue. Steiner would be ideal for a rental for us. A community full of kids is a priority. I prefer to live on the lake (Travis) but am concerned about the amount of kids around when the real estate prices climb to the 3MM price point. I would spend 750K+ in Steiner, I don't want to own the most expensive home in there, just a nice one 4-5,000 sq ft.

There seems to be a glut of upper end homes available so a rental is definitely money well spent! No sense in buying, hating it and then trying to sell like hundreds of other people! Steiner seems flat in pricing from what they sold for new 4-6 years ago.

[llkltk]

If that's your budget I would vote Lakeway over Steiner.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by llkltk

If that's your budget I would vote Lakeway over Steiner.

I concur with the Lakeway suggestion. Your access to downtown would be better, and your options for "day-tripping" are also better south of the river (New Braunfels, Driftwood, Wimberley, Lockhart, Fredericksburg, Gruene, etc). I have no idea how the schools in LISD and LTISD compare, though. If traffic is an issue, survey the traffic on Google maps and select the "traffic" option during various times over a one-month period, and look at Quinlan, 2244, 620, 2222, 71, etc. and you can make your own assessment.

[hound 109]

At 750K, i agree with any of 1/2 dozen areas near Lakeway (LTISD) over Steiner.

But i'd also be looking at Riverplace (flows into Vandegrift HS), Great Hills (flows into Westwood HS) & areas that flow into Westlake HS.

Good to hear that you're going to get the lay of the land prior to buying....& I assume you know that a 750K home would probably have annual property taxes 16-18K. (but money well spent if you have a handful of kids in public school).

[CarnivalGal]

Lakeway is great, but I still think you get more of a family feel in Steiner. Just my opinion. I wouldn't spend that much on something in Steiner, however. Older homes here that are $400k and less have seen appreciation in the last 4-6 years. The larger, more expensive ones, are the ones that haven't, probably because they are building so many more of them. They are still building $400k homes too, but the new ones generally have much smaller lots and are farther back in the development than the older $400k homes; and those are two things that you can't change later one. You can always upgrade appliances if they're dated.

[CarnivalGal]

BTW - If you're looking to spend $750k, I would also look into Lost Creek. There is a good family feel there as well, it's near Lake Austin, and Eanes schools are simply the best in the area, if not the state.