Moving this spring--commute help for Cedar Park, please (Austin, Canyon: for sale, rental)

[janineg]

We're from out of state and my husband will probably start his job at the very end of April. It will be located right near the intersection of Parmer and Mopac. His hours would most likely be to start at 9:30am and end around 6:30pm. So it would be nice to find an area with a commute time 30 minutes or less.
We have 3 kids who will be in elementary school, and just because the QUEST program seems so good, I've been mostly researching schools in the Leander school district. My husband and I both went to Cornell and I did the IB diploma thing in high school, but we're not really looking for super intense schools like the Westwood feeder chain. I like schools with a friendly feel and with interesting projects and programs (chess club).
I'm not sure about our budget. I think we'd like to stay at around $325,000. I don't care about a house being new normally, but I wonder if it might be easier to buy new in this circumstance because you can kind of "order" a house without competing for it. I saw houses online I liked at Buttercup Creek for instance. My husband will go ahead of us and rent for a few months or so. He could also do house hunting for pre-owned homes, too.
So, if you have any neighborhood suggestions I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
Janine

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by janineg

We're from out of state and my husband will probably start his job at the very end of April. It will be located right near the intersection of Parmer and Mopac. His hours would most likely be to start at 9:30am and end around 6:30pm. So it would be nice to find an area with a commute time 30 minutes or less.
We have 3 kids who will be in elementary school, and just because the QUEST program seems so good, I've been mostly researching schools in the Leander school district. My husband and I both went to Cornell and I did the IB diploma thing in high school, but we're not really looking for super intense schools like the Westwood feeder chain. I like schools with a friendly feel and with interesting projects and programs (chess club).
I'm not sure about our budget. I think we'd like to stay at around $325,000. I don't care about a house being new normally, but I wonder if it might be easier to buy new in this circumstance because you can kind of "order" a house without competing for it. I saw houses online I liked at Buttercup Creek for instance. My husband will go ahead of us and rent for a few months or so. He could also do house hunting for pre-owned homes, too.
So, if you have any neighborhood suggestions I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
Janine

Buttercup Creek is interesting; but there is some serious traffic involved just to get out of the neighborhood. It's a little zig-zaggy to get from there to Parmer/MoPac...not horrible; but you could cut out some of the commute by looking up and down Parmer. Specifically for rental purposes, Davis Spring has more 'for lease' signs than 'for sale' from what I saw on a quick run-through. Nice homes that are +-15 years old.

[Idlewile]

Just a heads up since you mentioned it, our elem school has a large chess club, an abundance of fun programs and is very community-driven... just got a cool parent evite for kindergarten coffee talk with the principal for next week, and 'lunch with the librarian' for next month, but it is in the Westwood chain.

While we did pay less than your price point for our home, those deals are very hard to come by in this area and you certainly will get more house for your money (sq ft) in the other areas you mention.

Buttercup Creek is nice though as is Avery Ranch. Good luck.

[janineg]

I had looked online at Caraway elementary in RRISD and thought it looked really nice, with lots of trees (the downside of new schools is how they barren they are), but a few people have mentioned that the TAG program is just harder work, not more conceptual, creative work. Do those schools end up being a grind? The commute would be much better from that Westwood area if we could afford it though, I'm guessing.
Thanks for the tips on Buttercup Creek's commute. It sounds like it could be a pain, but I wonder what the commute time would be.
Janine

[hound 109]

Homes that feed into Carraway will likely be above your price range (unless you snag an undesirable 70s model that you'll feel the need to toss 50K at).

If hubby is working at Parmer & Mopac, why not the areas immediately west or southwest of there (like Balcones Woods or a similar neighborhood)? His commute would be much shorter & it would feed into McNeil or Anderson....both good HS's (as good or better than any LISD HS except for Vandegrift) & not the Westwood track that you're trying to avoid. Plus a FAR less suburbia feel than CP if that's an issue.

I've never understood why many of the researching spouses who post here (who aren't doing the commuting) aren't considering the breadwinner's commute as a high priority. Especially when schools & neighborhoods near Dad's office are just as good (or better) as the ones found out in the box burbs. After the schools, it's # 1 priority for me (& most workers who've had to do tough commutes) Not picking on you OP.....it seems like a majority of initial inquiries don't seem concerned about the commute.

Also, plug in 2.5% for CP property taxes....probably 2.0-2.2% for the Carraway/Anderson/McNiel areas.

[Idlewile]

I can't comment personally on RRISD TAG because mine is a tad too young yet. That said, neighbors/friends who have kids in TAG at RRISD have never shared any negative experiences; yes, some have more homework than others. I do think that implementation and cultivation can and will vary school to school. And, clearly, it really depends on the child as far as thier experience. Caraway, Laurel Mountain and Spicewood all path to Canyon Vista Middle School (the best rated RRISD middle) and then on to Westwood. I would be happy to have my child at any of the three (we are at Spicewood) and we have friends with children at all three and they all love their school.

Another neighborhood option for you that is RRISD Westwood (but different elem and middle) but more house for your money is Canyon Creek -- it's farther though... work for us is at Duval and Mopac and there are a lot of co-workers living in Canyon Creek so it must not be too bad. Very popular area and you would be able to find something for 325K or less but the homes go just as fast as where we are. They have a great top-rated elem school IN the neighborhood --it is smaller than the other three I mentioned. A tiny portion of the neighborhood is also zoned to LISD which could also be a good option for you but their elem school is elsewhere.

I really do get your concerns surrounding TAG programs in general and, even though we're not near high school years yet, and while I bought my home because of the Westwood track, as most do in this area, I would not hestiate to make changes if I found the competitive academic environment detrimental to my kids' learning style or growth.

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by hound 109

I've never understood why many of the researching spouses who post here (who aren't doing the commuting) aren't considering the breadwinner's commute as a high priority. Especially when schools & neighborhoods near Dad's office are just as good (or better) as the ones found out in the box burbs. After the schools, it's # 1 priority for me (& most workers who've had to do tough commutes) Not picking on you OP.....it seems like a majority of initial inquiries don't seem concerned about the commute.

Good point. For our situation though, schools AND distance to work were the top priority after having had ridiculously long commutes in the past (out of state). This time around we refused to be any farther than 8 or 9 miles away, especially considering all I learned about Austin traffic from this board during my research when we were still out of state. Even 9 miles can sometimes translate into a 30 minute commute.

[janineg]

I was thinking that the areas around Anderson might be more expensive, so I haven't looked at them closely. But it does look closer! Hubby says 30 minutes is fine, but of course less is better. I wanted to ask this question about commute times because it does seem to me that a lot of these areas I've mentioned are close (Avery Ranch, Buttercup Creek), but I know that looking at how many miles away they are doesn't translate exactly into how long the commute will be. Right now we live 25 miles away from work and it takes 30 minutes for him. It's freeway all the way and he's not driving at peak times, so it works out. His work is in a very expensive area, so we had to live far from it. It would be great to bring it down to 20 minutes in Austin.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

I can't comment personally on RRISD TAG because mine is a tad too young yet. That said, neighbors/friends who have kids in TAG at RRISD have never shared any negative experiences; yes, some have more homework than others. I do think that implementation and cultivation can and will vary school to school. And, clearly, it really depends on the child as far as thier experience. Caraway, Laurel Mountain and Spicewood all path to Canyon Vista Middle School (the best rated RRISD middle) and then on to Westwood. I would be happy to have my child at any of the three (we are at Spicewood) and we have friends with children at all three and they all love their school.

Another neighborhood option for you that is RRISD Westwood (but different elem and middle) but more house for your money is Canyon Creek -- it's farther though... work for us is at Duval and Mopac and there are a lot of co-workers living in Canyon Creek so it must not be too bad. Very popular area and you would be able to find something for 325K or less but the homes go just as fast as where we are. They have a great top-rated elem school IN the neighborhood --it is smaller than the other three I mentioned. A tiny portion of the neighborhood is also zoned to LISD which could also be a good option for you but their elem school is elsewhere.

100% agree with all the opinions here. The CC/Grisham/WWHS feeder is virtually identical academically (except for the bottom 25% at Grisham) to the pickoneES/CanyonVista/WWHS feeder. (my kid is buddies to over 2 dozen tennis playing 8th/9th/10 graders in both feeders, & i've been picking their brains since 5th grade).

As you mention, (IMO)...the biggest problem with CC is that it's an extra 20-25 min. each way over & above (say) Barrington Oaks or Balcones Woods. But, it IS just as close (or closer) than areas that feed into VRHS or CPHS. So unless one was opposed to the academic rigor of WW, at 300-325K, Canyon Creek should be on one's radar if they're also considering a CPHS or VRHS path (& commute).

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by janineg

I was thinking that the areas around Anderson might be more expensive, so I haven't looked at them closely. But it does look closer! Hubby says 30 minutes is fine, but of course less is better. I wanted to ask this question about commute times because it does seem to me that a lot of these areas I've mentioned are close (Avery Ranch, Buttercup Creek), but I know that looking at how many miles away they are doesn't translate exactly into how long the commute will be. Right now we live 25 miles away from work and it takes 30 minutes for him. It's freeway all the way and he's not driving at peak times, so it works out. His work is in a very expensive area, so we had to live far from it. It would be great to bring it down to 20 minutes in Austin.

Not "around Anderson HS".....but areas that FEED into Anderson (& McNeil) & are near hubby's work. I only stated this because you mentioned you are considering CP & avoiding WWHS track. I would suggest a Mcneil/Anderson track would be as good as a CP/VR track (& a LOT closer).

But if you're considering WWHS track, it's a whole nuther topic.