"60-something" and may relo to Austin- Looking for tight-knit community to meet our needs. Suggestions? (Lakeway: rent, HOA)

[pascalebert]

Husband and I are in early 60's and would like to retire in Austin. (He was born there and has always wanted to return... even with all of the changes). Given our needs and wishes, what communities would you suggest for us?

1. Us: We are very active, healthy, and very young at heart. We want to live in an area, probably a subdivision, that has a good mix of young and more "mature", like us. (We do NOT want a retirement community.) We love being around young people, but will need to be around lots of others in our age group, so we can form some lasting friendships. We are looking for an active and FUN community where, as youngish retirees, we would blend in. Politically, we are moderate, with liberal leanings.

2. Interests: Him: Tennis, Petanque, and bridge (very serious about the bridge, plays duplicate and will need to find a club or two). Me: Reading Groups, Meet-ups, Culture, and strong interest in linguistics. Love being around people and getting involved in community activities.

3. House: 450K or less, and not a fixer. One story would be best, small (1200 sq feet) is fine. Don't need a lot of land, but wouldn't mind a small yard with a tree or two. Like sidewalks. Might also consider a modern condo or villa if HOA or condo fees weren't out of sight. Wouldn't mind being with walking distance to some shops (but not a must), but not too close to strip malls, etc... Love shopping areas and coffee shops with charm and character. Need to be not too far (20 minutes) from downtown where we are likely to find the meet-ups and clubs that match our interests. Obviously schools don't matter, but do want house that will appreciate in value (thus making quality of schools somewhat of a factor).

4. Our research so far: These boards have provided us with such a wealth of information. We are thinking south or southwest. Have our eyes on Senna Hills, but not sure about the age breakdown there (or anywhere), and also not sure if we could find a house there in our price range. On the east side, Mueller looks appealing, but not sure if we could afford living there, either. Like the idea of 78704, but have a feeling we might be a bit older than most in that zip code, and am wondering if this might be more "urban" and thus have less of a community feel to it? Not sure.

We have been to Austin several times in the past few years, and plan to return for some longer visits, so we can explore and get a real "feel". If you would be willing to steer us in a few directions, to get us started, we would appreciate it very much. Thank You.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by pascalebert

Husband and I are in early 60's and would like to retire in Austin. (He was born there and has always wanted to return... even with all of the changes). Given our needs and wishes, what communities would you suggest for us?

1. Us: We are very active, healthy, and very young at heart. We want to live in an area, probably a subdivision, that has a good mix of young and more "mature", like us. (We do NOT want a retirement community.) We love being around young people, but will need to be around lots of others in our age group, so we can form some lasting friendships. We are looking for an active and FUN community where, as youngish retirees, we would blend in. Politically, we are moderate, with liberal leanings.

2. Interests: Him: Tennis, Petanque, and bridge (very serious about the bridge, plays duplicate and will need to find a club or two). Me: Reading Groups, Meet-ups, Culture, and strong interest in linguistics. Love being around people and getting involved in community activities.

3. House: 450K or less, and not a fixer. One story would be best, small (1200 sq feet) is fine. Don't need a lot of land, but wouldn't mind a small yard with a tree or two. Like sidewalks. Might also consider a modern condo or villa if HOA or condo fees weren't out of sight. Wouldn't mind being with walking distance to some shops (but not a must), but not too close to strip malls, etc... Love shopping areas and coffee shops with charm and character. Need to be not too far (20 minutes) from downtown where we are likely to find the meet-ups and clubs that match our interests. Obviously schools don't matter, but do want house that will appreciate in value (thus making quality of schools somewhat of a factor).

4. Our research so far: These boards have provided us with such a wealth of information. We are thinking south or southwest. Have our eyes on Senna Hills, but not sure about the age breakdown there (or anywhere), and also not sure if we could find a house there in our price range. On the east side, Mueller looks appealing, but not sure if we could afford living there, either. Like the idea of 78704, but have a feeling we might be a bit older than most in that zip code, and am wondering if this might be more "urban" and thus have less of a community feel to it? Not sure.

We have been to Austin several times in the past few years, and plan to return for some longer visits, so we can explore and get a real "feel". If you would be willing to steer us in a few directions, to get us started, we would appreciate it very much. Thank You.

Austin is about the last place anyone should come to retire. Retirement age people are fleeing in droves because of the unchecked upward spiral of property taxes. Your $450K will not go very far in the city -- especially as a "non-fixer upper." And you'll be paying close to $12,000 per year to the government for the honor of living there.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by A-Tex

Austin is about the last place anyone should come to retire. Retirement age people are fleeing in droves because of the unchecked upward spiral of property taxes. Your $450K will not go very far in the city -- especially as a "non-fixer upper." And you'll be paying close to $12,000 per year to the government for the honor of living there.

Did you see the part about how the husband has always wanted to return? That means Austin is NOT the last place they should retire. OP, check out Travis Country. Very nice area and 15 min. to downtown. The prices tend to be more reasonable than some other options.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by Topaz

Did you see the part about how the husband has always wanted to return? That means Austin is NOT the last place they should retire. OP, check out Travis Country. Very nice area and 15 min. to downtown. The prices tend to be more reasonable than some other options.

No I did not miss it. "Always wanting to return" and understanding the expensive realities, particularly where budget is mentioned, are two different things. The property tax issue is a HUGE issue for retirees that many are unaware of.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by A-Tex

No I did not miss it. "Always wanting to return" and understanding the expensive realities, particularly where budget is mentioned, are two different things. The property tax issue is a HUGE issue for retirees that many are unaware of.

It is fine to help educate about something important like property taxes but that's just one factor among many.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by Topaz

It is fine to help educate about something important like property taxes but that's just one factor among many.

Actually, it's a major factor when one retires and doesn't have a work income to draw on. Those in states with state income taxes have no comprehension how oppressive the property taxes are here when one retires since those are designed to take the place of state income tax. Trouble is, state income taxes go away when you stop having income. Property taxes do not.

And I haven't even touched upon the population stats that skew dramatically to the under 30 age group and hence, many activities and establishments here skew that way as well. It's a social and cultural phenomenon not seen in a lot of places, making Austin an odd place to deliberately move to for retirement.

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by Topaz

Did you see the part about how the husband has always wanted to return? That means Austin is NOT the last place they should retire. OP, check out Travis Country. Very nice area and 15 min. to downtown. The prices tend to be more reasonable than some other options.

I too saw the portion about the husband has always wanted to return and I STILL support the sentiment below. There's no way I'd MOVE here for retirement because of it and would hope those who are considering this place for retirement have their numbers straight before making an informed decision.

Originally Posted by A-Tex

Austin is about the last place anyone should come to retire. Retirement age people are fleeing in droves because of the unchecked upward spiral of property taxes. Your $450K will not go very far in the city -- especially as a "non-fixer upper." And you'll be paying close to $12,000 per year to the government for the honor of living there.

[HappyTexan]

I suggest you rent for a year to see if this is still the same Austin from the past.
The median age in Austin is 31. The city is getting "younger" as more move here.

When I retired I left the Austin area due to the high COL and high property taxes but I did stay in Texas.
The COL in Austin is about 135%.

Austin is a fine place to retire if you have a high retirement income that increases each year.

[Aquitaine]

There are numerous financial considerations about retirement and even with property taxes, Texas still ranks fairly high on most lists. Estate taxes come into play as does cost of living. It is absolutely worth throwing up a red flag before buying a $450k house and then having to pay $9k+ a year on it in taxes alone - but if that is OK with the OP, that's the biggest financial barrier.

$450k will definitely get you into Mueller if you only need 1200 square feet. You can probably get 1500 square feet on a 4-6 year old resale, or new construction on a town house or row house in one of the newer sections. Your dollar won't go as far there as it will in SW Austin or the County area but if you plan on spending more time in downtown or the hipster-y East Austin area, it's pretty different from the other places you are looking at.

It also does have a fairly significant older population between Wildflower Terrace and the demographics - folks don't move there for the schools usually (they're mediocre to decent) so you get DINKs and retired folks who want to live more 'in town' than, say, Lakeway.

[centralaustinite]

Meuller is also close to the Bridge Center of Austin

Bridge Center of Austin, Austin, Texas, USA