Good neighborhoods near Austin Waldorf School? (West, Cove: new home, buyers, school district)

[jesslauren310]

Hello! I posted last week about moving to Austin, and everyone was so helpful.

We are considering sending our kids to the Austin Waldorf School or one of the Montessori schools right in that area. We were originally working with a housing budget of 500k, but hoping to go no higher than 475k, and looking at Circle C because of the public schools and proximity to downtown.

Since we are considering private school, I'm wondering if there are sections you'd recommend that meet the following criteria:

-30 min or less commute to downtown Austin
-4 bedroom, 2500+ square foot house at 400k or below. We can go a little higher but would prefer not to since we would also be paying for private school
-Safe, clean, family friendly
-School district won't matter if we are sending to private

Also, I'm a SAHM so I don't mind a little bit of a drive to take the kids to school but would like us to be within 20-30 min max of the school area, it just doesn't have to be right next to it. The more important part is proximity to downtown because of my husband's commute.

Thanks so much, I would appreciate your insight!

[riaelise]

if you're looking at circle c due to the schools, then why are you sending your kid to private schools?

[blakely]

Travis Country would be another good option to consider (not Travis County- the name of the neighborhood is Travis Country). It's right off of Southwest Parkway near Mopac

Circle C is probably worth keeping in the mix.

[scm53]

Covered Bridge would work well for you. Hits all your buttons, and is VERY close to Austin Waldorf.

Might have to go to $425K, but you would get a fantastic, ready-to-move in house for that.

Good luck.

[Aquitaine]

I'd check out Highpointe as well. 15 minutes from Waldorf, and (I think) a bit closer to your budget.

[Ariel_Austin]

Communities to consider include:

Belterra (off 290)
Highpointe (off 290)
Covered Bridge (off 71)

Occasionally you can find something in Travis Country (including Travis Country West) off Southwest Parkway but they will push your budget above $400,000.

Another community that will definitely keep you under your budget is Ledgestone off 290.

If you're okay with an older home that you may put some work into you could also take a look at Convict Hill area.

Best of luck in your search.

[ATX Wahine]

Covered Bridge is a great newer neighborhood within a five minute drive to Waldorf. I live across 290 from Waldorf and there are several fantastic neighborhoods right here, but most of the houses are older (70's - early 80's) and on larger lots, which seem to be a big turn-off for many families who crave maintenance-free yards and more than 2000 - 2500 square feet of living space.

[austin-steve]

I had kids in Waldorf from 2000-2011, and lived in the area from 1999-2010 and still know many of the families.

Where they live is very diverse, including way North (Dad works at Dell), but at some point, those who are in it for the long haul want to get someplace closer because of the frequency of commutes and ever worsening Austin traffic.

I would suggest working with a Realtor involved in the community because there are a lot of "don't know what you don't know" factors involved that they will make you aware of but that a regular Realtor won't even know about.

For example, car pooling groups and where they live. Our final year at AWS we carpooled from Westlake with 2 other families. That made what would have been a daily grind totally doable because we only drove 2-4 shifts per week (divided further between me and my wife). So, knowing where others are clustered and the carpool opportunities may open up areas that you'd otherwise eliminate if just looking at a map. Don't forget there are tons of after school activities/events, especially in the middle years, so it's not uncommon to have to go to and from the school twice in one day.

But many/most families do live in SW Austin and Dripping. I no longer work with buyers but if you PM me I can put you in touch with a another Waldorf parent who is also a Realtor and knows all the ins and outs, plus whether there are off-market homes that you won't find any other way except through the Waldorf grapevine.

Steve

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by Nor Cal Wahine

Covered Bridge is a great newer neighborhood within a five minute drive to Waldorf. I live across 290 from Waldorf and there are several fantastic neighborhoods right here, but most of the houses are older (70's - early 80's) and on larger lots, which seem to be a big turn-off for many families who crave maintenance-free yards and more than 2000 - 2500 square feet of living space.

lol, it's funny that you say that. That explains the building trend of small lot and large house. Personally, we're one of those families who wanted a larger lot and an older house. Sure it's more lawn to mow, but I really do love the space and the fact that it's not neighbor on top of neighbor.

[ATX Wahine]

Originally Posted by riaelise

lol, it's funny that you say that. That explains the building trend of small lot and large house. Personally, we're one of those families who wanted a larger lot and an older house. Sure it's more lawn to mow, but I really do love the space and the fact that it's not neighbor on top of neighbor.

We wanted the same exact thing - smaller house, larger lot. We ended up with a '78 built house that I think doubled at one time as the set for That 70's Show .... lol. But it had great bones, 1900 square feet, was four-sides natural stone, and had a 1.20 acre lot with a creek. At a ridiculously low price. We sucked up our desire for nice appointments and features and have spent seven years bringing it into the 21st century and despite some moaning on my part over old broken house issues, NOTHING beats the peace and quiet of not having neighbors all packed in around me (I'm originally from SF and had enough of that!) and beautiful light-pollution free nights. I have a huge garden and chickens and absolutely love it here. I occasionally sigh at the beautiful new homes around me, but this old house is the bomb for me.