Austin Housing Market (Round Rock, Spring, Georgetown: cul-de-sac, for sale, real estate)

[gtmo]

I'm considering a relocation to Austin, and I'm looking to get some information on the housing market. I'm going to list my ideal house and hopefully I can get some feedback on whether or not it is feasible and what I may need to give up:

4 Bedrooms
2.5 baths
2,500 square feet
less than 20 years old
Central Air (I'm from the northeast, so I'm used to considering this as a luxery)
Swimming Pool
at least 0.5 acres (up to 2 would be ideal) I have a couple of large dogs who need space to run
suburban lifestyle but commutable to the north side of Austin (off of rt 183)
under $400K (300-350K would be ideal)
2 car garage
basement for storage
areas for hiking, walking, enjoying the beautiful outdoors

Based on a map, I think that I would be looking at the northwest portion of Austin and going out towards Leander.

[EzPeterson]

You're definitely looking in the right neck of the woods. The basement isn't going to happen - out here, we use a Texas basement, aka attic or standalone outbuilding.

NW Austin will be tough to find that lot size. As you move out to Leander/Cedar Park, you should be able to find some options for sure.

And central air is not a luxury - it's a must have!

Check out Austin real estate | Homes for Sale Austin | Austin Homes | Austin Board of REALTORS you can sort by your criteria and see what comes up.

[gtmo]

Thank you. I'll ditch the idea of a basement and look to get an outbuilding of some sort. Should I assume that AC is standard in all houses?

How is the commute along 183? I see that it is a toll highway, do they have those high speed tollbooths?
What is the area to the west of 183 near Cedar Park and Leander?
- Deer Creek Ranch
- North Buttercup Creek
- Crystal Falls (Fairways and Grand Mesa)
Are these areas with 500K+ homes? The names sound fancy.

Do most areas have Homeowners Associations?

I've been checking out realtor.com, but I thought that I might get better feedback from people who live in the area.

[Trainwreck20]

Although it is possible, I would recommend not really looking for a basement, they are just too rare and would limit your options enormously.

Other than that, you have the right area.

[Trainwreck20]

Should I assume that AC is standard in all houses?

Yup

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by gtmo

Do most areas have Homeowners Associations?

In the areas you are looking in, the answer is yes.

[TexasHorseLady]

Out Cedar Park/Leander way, there will be HOA neighborhoods and neighborhoods that do not have them, mandatory HOA's and voluntary HOA's (more like neighborhood associations, really, with no real clout beyond peer pressure). Remember that Cedar Park and Leander are NOT suburbs of Austin but were originally communities in their own right (like Round Rock, Buda, Kyle, Georgetown, and on and on, some of them as old as Austin) and still are, even if sometimes you need a map to know which one you're in, so you'll find a range of kinds and ages of homes and subdivisions in a variety of prices. It all depends on what you're looking for.

If by "high speed tollbooth" you mean you have a sticker and can just drive through rather than stopping to pay a toll, yes, they do. Also, most of the toll roads here are very shortly going, if they haven't already, to mail only if you don't have a sticker - they'll mail you a bill for your toll, at a higher price than the sticker toll.

There are a lot of areas that will fit what you're looking for in the Austin area, by the way. The thing that will move you out further in your price point is the half acre lot, but it's very doable. I've got a set of clients looking for something very similar, and they've got lots of options.

[hts]

Dripping Springs?

[gtmo]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Out Cedar Park/Leander way, there will be HOA neighborhoods and neighborhoods that do not have them, mandatory HOA's and voluntary HOA's (more like neighborhood associations, really, with no real clout beyond peer pressure). Remember that Cedar Park and Leander are NOT suburbs of Austin but were originally communities in their own right (like Round Rock, Buda, Kyle, Georgetown, and on and on, some of them as old as Austin) and still are, even if sometimes you need a map to know which one you're in, so you'll find a range of kinds and ages of homes and subdivisions in a variety of prices. It all depends on what you're looking for.

If by "high speed tollbooth" you mean you have a sticker and can just drive through rather than stopping to pay a toll, yes, they do. Also, most of the toll roads here are very shortly going, if they haven't already, to mail only if you don't have a sticker - they'll mail you a bill for your toll, at a higher price than the sticker toll.

There are a lot of areas that will fit what you're looking for in the Austin area, by the way. The thing that will move you out further in your price point is the half acre lot, but it's very doable. I've got a set of clients looking for something very similar, and they've got lots of options.

As for HOA - I'm sure that there good and bad HOAs. I'll worry about that when looking at houses.

Toll roads - Up here in the northeast, they are starting to add tolls where the pass holders are diverted to sensors that pick up the transmitters with cars going 55 mph. That is what I mean by high speed toll booth.

Lot size - I removed the lot size restriction from my realtor.com search and numerous homes showed up. It seems that if concede that point, I'll have more options than I know what to do with.


Are there dog parks in Texas? Up here in CT, every town has a dog park. It's basically a fenced in area, usually tucked in the corner of the town park, where you can allow your dog to run off leash and play with other dogs.

[FalconheadWest]

Yes, there are dog parks, but not all over the place. Yes, it's a good idea to lose the half acre restriction. The size of the lot for your dogs is going to depend on a lot of things. A 1 story home has a larger footprint so a smaller yard than a 2 story home. A Swing garage will have a smaller backyard because the house is pushed back to accommodate the driveway and garage in front of the actual house.

The pool is going to take a way a lot of yard, so better to find one where they put the pool to one side or the other and not center it on the yard. Corner lots and Cul-de-sac will give a larger yard. Most houses are about .2 acres and there are lots of dog lovers, so if those dogs can take it, yours can too.