Good Neighborhoods in Austin for easy commute to Downtown (Dallas: rent, homeowners association)

[G Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by bayareatoaustin

We were hoping to see homes between 3600 and 4200 sq.ft. This is our dream home coming from Bay Area where nice home like these is an utopian dream.

Nowhere is utopia. This is a large sized house for a family of 4, even with one person working at home. Remember that property taxes and homeowners insurance are very high in Austin. We pay more in property tax here than we did in CA, and our house is worth about 1/3 the price of the house we had there. In addition, it will be costly to air condition a house of that size, and we have lots of months that require 24/7 air conditioning. Think carefully about the things you will have to give up (ie: time at home because of your commute, $$$, etc.) to find a large home, especially someplace as far out as Meridian. I moved here from the Bay Area almost 5 years ago (Marin County.) I understand that the high cost of real estate there forces lots of people into small homes, and they dream of lots of space. But consider carefully the problems that accompany a large home, especially here in Austin.

[riaelise]

I'm not encouraging anyone to purchase a large home, but we've owned a large home for a decade and are in the process of looking for a smaller (yet still large) home. I will not lie, yes there are increased costs and I (not my husband) have a farther commute, but we value space more. The thought of us living in a home less than 2,500 would make us feel cramped and claustrophobic. My husband has flatly stated that he is not interested in downsizing by more than 1,500 sq ft. We both grew up in smaller dwellings (him - house, me - apartment) where there were many people to one bathroom and you felt cramped and that just doesn't interest us. Actually, we prefer at least four bathrooms or at the very least a jack and jill for the kids, one for the guest and one for us, plus a powder room. I want there to be bedrooms for the kids plus a guest bedroom. Sure, I commute..but when i step into my home, it's all worth it. We've adjusted over the years to all of the expense.

Again, not saying that the OP should buy a large house and there are definite drawbacks. Just wanted to give another viewpoint when it comes to larger homes. For some, lack of space is a big deal.

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

Nowhere is utopia. This is a large sized house for a family of 4, even with one person working at home. Remember that property taxes and homeowners insurance are very high in Austin. We pay more in property tax here than we did in CA, and our house is worth about 1/3 the price of the house we had there. In addition, it will be costly to air condition a house of that size, and we have lots of months that require 24/7 air conditioning. Think carefully about the things you will have to give up (ie: time at home because of your commute, $$$, etc.) to find a large home, especially someplace as far out as Meridian. I moved here from the Bay Area almost 5 years ago (Marin County.) I understand that the high cost of real estate there forces lots of people into small homes, and they dream of lots of space. But consider carefully the problems that accompany a large home, especially here in Austin.

Property taxes are pretty high here, but there is no state income tax. We live in a 2200sf Standard Pacific home, and it runs about $4900/year in taxes, so it comes out to about 3% of our income. It's whole a lot better than paying 10-12% income tax in CA along with a 1-2% property tax.

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

Property taxes are pretty high here, but there is no state income tax. We live in a 2200sf Standard Pacific home, and it runs about $4900/year in taxes, so it comes out to about 3% of our income. It's whole a lot better than paying 10-12% income tax in CA along with a 1-2% property tax.

Depends on where you live here.

Our house is 2300 sq ft -- 100 sq ft more than yours -- and we pay $8200 in prop taxes.

My heating and cooling bills were substantially lower in CA as well. And no quarterly pest control.

(And in CA there's the gift of prop 13.)

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

Depends on where you live here.

Our house is 2300 sq ft -- 100 sq ft more than yours -- and we pay $8200 in prop taxes.

That is the beauty of the property tax, it's a choice. The Libertarian dream in practice.

[bayareatoaustin]

Thank you all for your perspectives.

One of the main reasons I am moving from CA, where I have so many family and friends is for good schools and good spacious home. I have 2 kids, my mother in law will mostly be staying with us. Hope you understand that I need space
My husband would like a media room and an office, as he works from home. If we can have 4 bedrooms and these amentities in a smaller square footage, we will probably take it. From what I saw, these come in this brackets 3600+.

BTW what is the property tax in Circle C and Meridian?

[scm53]

One of the pleasant surprises you will have here in Texas is when you register your cars for $50 vice hundreds in Cali. As far as tax rates in Circle C or Meridian - same as any place inside the city of Austin that is also in the Austin school district - just under 3%. When you shop for your home, ask who is the electricity provider. Some of Circle C and all of Meridian are on Pedernales Electric Cooperative - which has MUCH lower rates than Austin Energy, especially as you cool that big a house.

Finally, the idea that Meridian - or Circle C West - are "that far out" is pretty laughable. They both have a 65 MPH, almost traffic free freeway at their entrance. You wil have the same traffic as all of Circle C until you get to Slaughter and Mopac. Once you get there, 65 to almost your front door step.

[lzydogrnch]

Welcome to Texas! Circle C is an area I work a lot and with your budget is definitely doable. There is also Travis Country which is nice because of Southwest Parkway makes an easy commute into town. Further out is Belterra, etc in Dripping Springs. Excellent schools, but further commute. Honestly the schools in SW Austin are good too. (I'm a former teacher). Bee caves is sort of a cluster right now as far as traffic and construction. Would you prefer a newer home?
My sister lives in SF in a 3 story town home, no yard, no parking- but a great view. So if you want a home with a nice yard and all the bells and whistles- hey throw in pool too- go for it!

[TJLH]

Rosedale and Hyde Park would be an easy 20-30 minute commute. Rosedale is super family friendly, yet completely walkable with Central Market (a large specialty grocery) and many restaurants to chose from. It mirrors Hyde Park, but is closer to Mopac. Hyde Park is full of charm as well and more historically protected. It has a little hub of restaurants and stores within the neighborhood. Fresh Plus Grocery is wonderful, Antonelli's Cheese Shop is the finest in town. Both neighborhoods have small to medium size homes, every once in awhile you will see something larger that was added onto or a new build- albeit rare. There are only a few neighborhoods with cottages/bungalows and they are becoming more and more desirable for that reason as people downsize and prefer more walkable communities. The elementary schools are top notch. Allandale and Brentwood are also excellent choices.

Now, if you want a larger home with more property, I completely suggest Northwest Hills or Barton Hills. It is the best burb close to downtown IMO. Schools are excellent, as are the shopping and restaurant options. At the moment, it is still easier to travel South to downtown than North on Mopac through or to downtown. With Circle C and many other subdivisions built in South Austin, and many larger companies in North Austin such as Apple, traffic is heavier. Bee Caves is beautiful and you can still get great deals. The Galleria Mall is nearby, but there are still very limited dining options. There are more box stores than anything else. Bee Caves (aka the Hill Country) is beautiful, but expect a long commute (atleast an hour) if you have to travel during normal work hours. If you have your heart set on South Austin, look into Travis Country or Sunset Valley.

[sojourner77]

Originally Posted by scm53

Some of Circle C and all of Meridian are on Pedernales Electric Cooperative - which has MUCH lower rates than Austin Energy, especially as you cool that big a house.

Pedernales Co-op is preferable if you have a larger house. The upper pricing tiers are not punitive as Austin Energy would be (1000kw and above). The upside is the solar rebates offered by AE that Pedernales does not offer. We installed a 6.8kv array for $3500 on our house a few years back thanks to AE - retail value $28000. The ROI was about 18 months, and now we only pay about $200/year in electricity even with a swimming pool pump running 6 hours/day. If you want to go solar - and add (tax exempt) value to your property, you're better off with AE.