Move or not? If I were to move, show me the ideal place to live! (Austin: rental car, for sale)

[migrate_austin]

* I work from home and can work anywhere in the US.
* My husband has his own business (work from home) and Texas is a very business tax friendly state
* My son is in elementary school - good at and enjoys sports and academics as well
* I hate the snow/cold weather but love hot weather
* I live now in the Bay Area California
* non - religious, forward thinking family, enjoy diversity and being outdoors

* I researched a lot of places. I was going to shortlist 3 cities and pick one out of them but ONLY Austin fit all my criteria, no other cities did

My options are

OPTION1
Live in CA, continue to live in my current house with bad schools (worth 700K, fully paid off), spend 300k cash and add the square footage I need.
Continue to send my son to his current private school (good school)
Bite the bullet & Pay the taxes and enjoy life in California
Lots of job opportunities for me if I decide to change jobs
Dont have to worry about bad hair days

OPTION2
Move to Austin
Buy new home, go to public schools
Save on state tax
Enjoy the relaxed lifestyle


I am in Austin now (Returning tomorrow night)
The last few days looking at various neighborhoods and schools has left me very stressed/overwhelmed/frustrated

If I decide to go with OPTION2 - For short term, I will rent/private schools for the first few months until I buy a house.(I have finalized schools/rentals, so please dont reopen this topic)

My issue is I really cant find one neighborhood in Austin where I would like to buy a home long term....
What I am looking for
- New home, 5 bed 4 bath (big house as I need 2 home offices, parents/inlaws visit and stay for 6 months and sometimes both at the same time)
- .25 acre lot - as I love to garden/fruit trees
- I would like to raise my kid in a nice middle class neighborhood with lots of kids to play (not in a place where you cant even see who your neighbor is)
- Dont like hilly neighborhoods
- Walk to parks, trails, family oriented
- I prefer not to raise my son in an elite/rich neighborhood
- I dont want to live in a community that is in the middle of nowhere - I am very social and like to be around a lot of people and easy access to shopping/restaurants
- I want to be within 20-30 minutes of a whole foods or organic grocer. I go there twice a week

I did not like eanes isd, lake travis isd, lakeway,
I liked some parts of round rock isd

I have one last day in Austin before I decide. Can you point me to places to live in Austin that will convince me to stay?

Whatever I decide - stay or not - big thank you to everyone on this forum for providing insights on this thread and other 2 threads I posted as well!!!

THANK YOU

[SFOtoAustin]

Pearson Place or Ranch at Brushy Creek

If you feel budget is high in these areas, you can try other communities in east of Parmer ln/Ronald Reagan blvd in Leander or Cedar Park which falls under LISD. Some communities includes Reserve at brushy Creek, Sendero Springs, Caballo Ranch, Pecan Creek, Sarita Valley, May Field Ranch, Trials at shady Oaks.

[Moonlady]

OK, here's your problem - the NW part of Austin that feeds into RRISD and Westwood HS meets all your criteria. But you won't find a 5 BR new construction house within its boundaries. You could possibly find an older house to renovate and enlarge. You see this area was built up between 1975 and the late 80's. Also, large lots are not common as you've probably seen. If you want newer then you're going to be a little further out and the neighborhoods above would be worth looking at.

Finding the ideal neighborhood in one trip seems unrealistic to me. If you found a rental and school you're happy with, you can take your time to explore the area and find out what make sense long term. We can't tell you what to do -only you can make that decision.

[cariadbach]

there are 2 houses for sale on Centennial Trail which meet your requirements but they were built in 1999,that's about as new as you're going to get around here..I'm still subscribed to the emails for MLS database.
Spicewood Springs Elementary/Canyon Vista Middle/Westwood High. All excellent schools but see my other post about Westwood and credits.

[centralaustinite]

Yes, Moonlady gets it right! There are large homes on fairly large .25 to .30 acres that feed into excellent schools (Westwood in RRISD or Anderson in AISD)

BUT

The homes are not new built AND it is a hilly area.

You can't get what you want if you insist on new built. Closest would probably a larger, newer home in the back of Steiner Ranch but that is not one of your preferred ISDs, not sure how it fits into your other criteria

Maybe stay in San Jose?

[Idlewile]

You have to realize that 1) only you can decide what to do considering how specific your situation is and 2) you will only receive very subjective answers here only based on personal preference and experience.

That said, as someone who is from San Jose, grew up there, and spent many many years in the Bay Area, based on what you include, your listed priorities and comparing both areas in the most objective way I know how (including cost of living differences), I would stay put for sure.

[tom331]

Check Spicewood at Bull Creek. It is very nice neighborhood. There is a single story new built with tilt roof at Tree Bend & Chester. Lot size is about 0.4 acre. All the lots in newer section fo Spicewood at Bull Creek are in the range of 0.3 acre to 0.5 acre.

[mark311]

Originally Posted by migrate_austin

OPTION2
Move to Austin
Buy new home, go to public schools
Save on state tax
Enjoy the relaxed lifestyle

I don't think that these reasons are enough to relocate 1700 miles across the country when you can afford and really like the place where you currently live. The Austin area doesn't really have a "relaxed lifestyle" anymore. Technology, traffic, and rising costs of housing have changed that. Visits back to the Bay Area to visit friends and other extended family members (ie. siblings, Aunts, Uncles) could easily nullify any state tax savings that you might enjoy by living here if visits back there are important to you. We always end up spending between $2000-$3000 per trip for our family of four to visit CA by the time that we pay for airfare, rental car, hotel, food, entertainment, etc. Do that twice per year, and there goes about $6000.

If you couldn't afford to live in San Jose anymore, then a move is understandable, but I don't see enough reasons listed above to make such a huge move especially if you're originally from CA.

[Austin97]

There is a guy that owns about 2.5 acres off dk-ranch. He is in the process of subdividing his lot. The neighbors are protesting, but I dont think they will win. Maybe contact him to express your interest and the desire for .25 acres

Here is the tcad entry for it
http://propaccess.traviscad.org/Map/.../1/164500/2014

https://www.google.com/maps/place/D-...e13308aa8a98f3

These will obviously be all new homes. the land there is very flat but is on the edge of hills and greenbelts for hiking. The final price range of houses in the area is around 600-650k so probably is fine for you. Lots are typically in the 150K range and should be 1/4 acre +

The people are is mostly middle class, but feeds into a school with a high high-tech asian percentage (laurel mountain is about 60% asian which includes indians). There are lots of small business owners as well. Many people got in when the houses were 300K in 2000 (now 600K).

Personally if I were you I would stay in the bay area. If you are interested I would be happy to swap houses with you .

[COCUE]

We just moved from the bay area to Avery Ranch and this area seems to meet what you listed as your requirements. In fact we live in a very similar home right now though a few years old and not brand new but pretty new for us.