Maybe moving back to TX...have questions! (San Antonio, Austin: 2013, rental market)

[JustKeepMoving]

My husband and I are Texans. He was born and raised in the Lubbock area and I was born and raised in San Antonio. We lived in San Antonio until 2011 when we moved for his work to the Birmingham, Alabama area. Then in 2013 we moved for his work again to the Hartford, Connecticut area. We have missed Texas considerably and now have the opportunity to move back, but to the Austin area which neither of us are terribly familiar with. Besides having no family or existing friends here in New England, the cost of living is excruciatingly high. We spent about 5000 dollars heating our house last winter, and that was keeping the thermostats set at about 60 degrees! Anyhow, in doing our research it seems the cost of living is higher in the Austin area than it was in San Antonio. His job would place us in North Austin towards the Pflugerville area and he would be earning a salary of 100K. I am also a Texas certified teacher (Special Education & ESL) and would probably seek a position next school year and earn in the neighborhood of 45K a year if I am able to find a position.

We are a family of 7 and would be looking in the areas of Pflugerville, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, and maybe Hutto. We would be renting for the first year or possibly 2 to get a good take on things.

Our initial renting budget would be between 2000-2500 a month and we require a large house. Is this budget possible in the suburbs? What would utility bills run for a large house in the area?

Also, we have 5 children in grades 2, 3, 4, 6, & 7. Our three oldest children are tested highly gifted, the youngest have not been tested as no gifted and talented program exists in our district in Connecticut. We would like some recommendations on particular elementary schools and middle schools (specific schools not just districts in general) that have strong academic programs including instructional differentiation. Also, schools with strong arts and music programs if they exist, and early introduction to foreign languages as all of our children are receiving Spanish classes in school here (our 2nd grader loves it and is picking it up so easily we would hate for him to have to quit).

We have a few weeks to decide if this position is right for him or if we should stay put for a while longer, but coming back to TX is the ultimate long term. Any and all information is welcome and appreciated!

[Rynldsbr]

Our family (of 7) just moved to Texas from WI and had many of the same questions and concerns. We ended up in Hutto after considering the exact same list of communities you named. Initial evaluation of the Hutto district is very good, although in the HS there seems to be an unbelievable focus on the football team above all else. If we could have based the decision solely on schools, I think the Pflugerville district was our preference, but all things considered we are quite satisfied with Hutto being our new home.

Williamson County is growing faster than any other county in the state. The rental market is a little crazy right now and I think the rent versus own question is something you may want to consider again. Equity continues to build here at a rapid pace, with most of these northern burbs gaining faster than Austin itself in many cases. In either scenario, your budget appears to be adequate to rent a nice 4-5 bdr home or purchase an even nicer one if you so choose. Sorry, I'm too new to speak to utility bills.

On a personal note, if Texas is where your heart is, and the opportunity is a good one for the career path, take it. I am still working on making Texas home in my heart, but had to jump on a career opportunity that was never going to be matched in the upper Midwest. If professional and personal goals match up, I'd say its time to start packing.

[JustKeepMoving]

Thanks very much for your input! All information is welcome as we do not have family or friends in Austin to call upon during thus decision making process.

[balor123]

Cost of living in the urban core will greatly exceed what you are familiar with from San Antonio. Outside that, though, it should be comparable. Nicer developments in suburbs cost a bit more but really it comes down to cost of construction and both are developer friendly.

Hutto and Georgetown are nice if you're into that rural feel. Personally, I'd aim for Pflugerville among that list, just because it's closest to downtown and schools are good I hear. Those neighborhoods remind me of what you'd find in San Antonio as well. Speaking of which, lot size and style Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Steiner Ranch will resemble what you'll find in San Antonio. But city planning otherwise is very different between the two and you don't notice the difference until you've been here for a few months. That's why I'd aim for closer to downtown.

Round Rock has the best schools on the list. You might find it surprising but parts of Great Hills go to RRISD as well and that's not a bad commute to Pfleugerville. You can find some large relatively affordable really nice homes there. That would be my first preference.

[sua2017]

How big of a home are you looking for? Someone suggested Great Hills which you could afford but you would have a small house that wouldn't fit your entire family on your budget.

[JustKeepMoving]

Thanks again to any and all for the input. Maybe I should specify that I am not looking to move to the Austin area and have it feel like San Antonio! While I did spend the majority of my life there and would go back if my husband got moved back, it is not really where either of us wish to go. The last 5 yeas we were there we spent in the suburb of Cibolo which is/was growing rapidly, but was still rural. Our neighborhood backed up to a large ranch and w e could hear the cows and sometimes donkeys in the evenings. Currently we live in a neighborhood that has acre + sized lots and we could walk around the corner to an apple orchard or the other way to a horse farm. So, we like rural. However, what we want is the best elementary, middle, and high school that we can find in an area we can afford whether it is rural or not, as long as there is green space and parks near by. Our kids spend most of their time participating in organized activities anyways (baseball, basketball, softball, soccer, martial arts, archery, swimming). Thank you again!

[cBach]

Originally Posted by JustKeepMoving

My husband and I are Texans. He was born and raised in the Lubbock area and I was born and raised in San Antonio. We lived in San Antonio until 2011 when we moved for his work to the Birmingham, Alabama area. Then in 2013 we moved for his work again to the Hartford, Connecticut area. We have missed Texas considerably and now have the opportunity to move back, but to the Austin area which neither of us are terribly familiar with. Besides having no family or existing friends here in New England, the cost of living is excruciatingly high. We spent about 5000 dollars heating our house last winter, and that was keeping the thermostats set at about 60 degrees! Anyhow, in doing our research it seems the cost of living is higher in the Austin area than it was in San Antonio. His job would place us in North Austin towards the Pflugerville area and he would be earning a salary of 100K. I am also a Texas certified teacher (Special Education & ESL) and would probably seek a position next school year and earn in the neighborhood of 45K a year if I am able to find a position.

We are a family of 7 and would be looking in the areas of Pflugerville, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, and maybe Hutto. We would be renting for the first year or possibly 2 to get a good take on things.

Our initial renting budget would be between 2000-2500 a month and we require a large house. Is this budget possible in the suburbs? What would utility bills run for a large house in the area?

Also, we have 5 children in grades 2, 3, 4, 6, & 7. Our three oldest children are tested highly gifted, the youngest have not been tested as no gifted and talented program exists in our district in Connecticut. We would like some recommendations on particular elementary schools and middle schools (specific schools not just districts in general) that have strong academic programs including instructional differentiation. Also, schools with strong arts and music programs if they exist, and early introduction to foreign languages as all of our children are receiving Spanish classes in school here (our 2nd grader loves it and is picking it up so easily we would hate for him to have to quit).

We have a few weeks to decide if this position is right for him or if we should stay put for a while longer, but coming back to TX is the ultimate long term. Any and all information is welcome and appreciated!

How big is your current home? Is it really old? Just wondering how it's so expensive for heating even keeping the temp that low.

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by cBach

How big is your current home? Is it really old? Just wondering how it's so expensive for heating even keeping the temp that low.

They likely were on oil based on the cost. The average oil furnace home 2 years ago was forecasted to spend $2558 that winter. Gas or Oil Heat: Which Is Better? - Bob Vila
And that does NOT factor in CT prices or homes over a certain size.

[JustKeepMoving]

Oil heat is correct. We didn't know much about oil before we moved to New England. It stays pretty close to gas prices, but did reach almost 4 dollars a gallon for several months of our super cold super long winter. Our 325 gallon oil tank needed to be filled almost twice a month for 4 months and just over once a month for an additional 2 or 3 months. Top this off with electric bills in the 400 dollar range during the winter mostly to power on the oil boilers and we were struggling to pay our other bills and buy groceries. We simply are not sure if we can make it through another severe winter without going completely broke. There unfortunately are not alot of areas with natural gas here in Connecticut.

[sua2017]

How large of a house are you looking for? A family of 7 is a large family IMO and want to make sure the number of bedrooms and sq/ft are taken into account when considering where you should live.

since you mentioned rural I would look mostly in LISD, particularly Vista Ridge and Leander High School areas.