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My husband and I are considering a move to Austin next year. He's from Houston and we have lived in Dallas together for a few years. We're currently living in WI and miss the Texan life. I'll be flying down in Dec with our 12 yr old daughter (trying to involve her in the process to help with adjusting to a move!) and will be looking at some areas. I did a search on Realtor to see what kind of new construction options there are, and this is what I've narrowed down so far:
CalAtlantic Homes @ Greyrock Ridge
Gelhan Homes @ Carmel (Pfluegerville)
Meritage Homes @ Northfields- The Preserve (Round Rock
KB Home @ Forest Grove- Hallmark or Legend Collection (Round Rock)
I really do not want to spend more than $450K. We like to spend our money on travel and not the house! We do want new construction, though. Any input on those neighborhoods/builders?
At either of these locations, how is the commute going into Austin? My husband owns his own business and works from our home, but I'm planning for if I get a job in Austin or around the near city. I did google map and it doesn't look bad but of course that's on a Sun and I know how Dallas traffic was during rush hour.
I'm just basically looking for input on those areas or any suggestions on areas to look at. We mainly moved from Dallas b/c I didn't like the pretentiousness of the area. We do well for ourselves, but I want to be around people who are laid-back, more liberal than conservative (I'm in the social work field, so you can call me a "snowflake" ), and I wouldn't mind our children being in a more diverse area. I want the school district (most concerned with the high school) to be above average (like a 7 or higher). I want the community to have a lot of activities for kids (my kids are 7, 10, 12 yrs). Parks/paths would be nice.
My husband and I are considering a move to Austin next year. He's from Houston and we have lived in Dallas together for a few years. We're currently living in WI and miss the Texan life. I'll be flying down in Dec with our 12 yr old daughter (trying to involve her in the process to help with adjusting to a move!) and will be looking at some areas. I did a search on Realtor to see what kind of new construction options there are, and this is what I've narrowed down so far:
CalAtlantic Homes @ Greyrock Ridge
Gelhan Homes @ Carmel (Pfluegerville)
Meritage Homes @ Northfields- The Preserve (Round Rock
KB Home @ Forest Grove- Hallmark or Legend Collection (Round Rock)
I really do not want to spend more than $450K. We like to spend our money on travel and not the house! We do want new construction, though. Any input on those neighborhoods/builders?
At either of these locations, how is the commute going into Austin? My husband owns his own business and works from our home, but I'm planning for if I get a job in Austin or around the near city. I did google map and it doesn't look bad but of course that's on a Sun and I know how Dallas traffic was during rush hour.
I'm just basically looking for input on those areas or any suggestions on areas to look at. We mainly moved from Dallas b/c I didn't like the pretentiousness of the area. We do well for ourselves, but I want to be around people who are laid-back, more liberal than conservative (I'm in the social work field, so you can call me a "snowflake" ), and I wouldn't mind our children being in a more diverse area. I want the school district (most concerned with the high school) to be above average (like a 7 or higher). I want the community to have a lot of activities for kids (my kids are 7, 10, 12 yrs). Parks/paths would be nice.
Hi there. Not sure about Greyrock Ridge.
Carmel - nice area of PFLUGERVILLE ( ) near shopping and amenities. Gehan is a solid builder.
Meritage @ Northfield - Not really a fan of the area, it's across the street from low income housing. Just a random subdivision plopped somewhere. Little to no green space. That area is best suited for industrial. It is across the street from a high school, take that as you will.
KB @ Forest Grove - KB has a reputation. I personally found our former KB Home to be ok, the neighborhood though was "meh". In this case, these KB homes are their better move up offerings in a superior area. This area - Forest Grove - is pretty nice, surrounded by other nice neighborhoods. You really want to move to a place that's surrounded by more established, nice areas. It's just a shame that they mowed down trees to put those houses up. The area was largely wooded and is now cleared and bare courtesy of that subdivision. There are trails in the neighborhood and in the surrounding area.
Of the those, I'd choose Forest Grove. But personally for $450k, I'd choose an older home in a well established area that has withstood the test of time vs. the cookie cutter new construction, but that's just me. Forest Grove is in a family-centric area, near lots of amenities both north and south of the subdivision. Political leanings are mixed. I live not far from Forest Grove and my neighborhood is probably 80% conservative.
Yes, you would do so much better buying resale than new! Please reconsider. With your budget, I'd look at SW Austin: Circle C, Villages of Western Oaks, etc. Good schools, diverse, plenty of things for kids to do, trails, pools, etc.
Austin Home Search is the public face of the MLS and the best place to get accurate information about homes on the market.
Your husband owns a business, so commute isn't an issue for him. But what about you? What type of work are you doing? Have you started to look for a job? Or is that something of an issue/are you a SAHM? Many people will suggest having a job before moving here, yes, for the job security and income, but also for the commute reasons. There is a recent thread about this and if you do any searching of the forum, you'll see this theme repeat itself. What other things are important? Do you want suburban? Urban? Rural?Small home or big home? For a smaller home you could buy in some of the areas in town. There are many tear down/new builds in some spots of the city. Shopping? Etc etc, etc. Also, you lived in Dallas, but have you been to Austin? I understand the drawbacks of Dallas, but just to be in Texas and Austin because Austin sounds nice is silly. You have quite some time to plan your trip so you've got lots of time to think of these things.
Yes, you would do so much better buying resale than new! Please reconsider. With your budget, I'd look at SW Austin: Circle C, Villages of Western Oaks, etc. Good schools, diverse, plenty of things for kids to do, trails, pools, etc.
Austin Home Search is the public face of the MLS and the best place to get accurate information about homes on the market.
I think she's listing northern suburbs for a reason.
Hi there. Not sure about Greyrock Ridge.
Carmel - nice area of PFLUGERVILLE ( ) near shopping and amenities. Gehan is a solid builder.
Meritage @ Northfield - Not really a fan of the area, it's across the street from low income housing. Just a random subdivision plopped somewhere. Little to no green space. That area is best suited for industrial. It is across the street from a high school, take that as you will.
KB @ Forest Grove - KB has a reputation. I personally found our former KB Home to be ok, the neighborhood though was "meh". In this case, these KB homes are their better move up offerings in a superior area. This area - Forest Grove - is pretty nice, surrounded by other nice neighborhoods. You really want to move to a place that's surrounded by more established, nice areas. It's just a shame that they mowed down trees to put those houses up. The area was largely wooded and is now cleared and bare courtesy of that subdivision. There are trails in the neighborhood and in the surrounding area.
Of the those, I'd choose Forest Grove. But personally for $450k, I'd choose an older home in a well established area that has withstood the test of time vs. the cookie cutter new construction, but that's just me. Forest Grove is in a family-centric area, near lots of amenities both north and south of the subdivision. Political leanings are mixed. I live not far from Forest Grove and my neighborhood is probably 80% conservative.
Thank you for all that info!
Quote:
Originally Posted by centralaustinite
Austin Home Search is the public face of the MLS and the best place to get accurate information about homes on the market.
Thank you for mentioning this! I will check it out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ashbeeigh
Your husband owns a business, so commute isn't an issue for him. But what about you? What type of work are you doing? Have you started to look for a job? Or is that something of an issue/are you a SAHM? Many people will suggest having a job before moving here, yes, for the job security and income, but also for the commute reasons. There is a recent thread about this and if you do any searching of the forum, you'll see this theme repeat itself. What other things are important? Do you want suburban? Urban? Rural?Small home or big home? For a smaller home you could buy in some of the areas in town. There are many tear down/new builds in some spots of the city. Shopping? Etc etc, etc. Also, you lived in Dallas, but have you been to Austin? I understand the drawbacks of Dallas, but just to be in Texas and Austin because Austin sounds nice is silly. You have quite some time to plan your trip so you've got lots of time to think of these things.
Honestly, no I haven't been to Austin (not sure how we never went there but went to other areas of TX, when we lived in TX). That's why my daughter and I will be flying down in Dec for about a week to check out the area. I may end up hating the area but I doubt it. I've heard how wonderful it is and with what I like in an area, many people (including my husband who's from Houston) have suggested I would like there. Matter of fact, before we moved from Dallas to WI, my husband tried to get me to consider looking at Austin, but I was so intent on moving back to here (I grew up here and wanted to be around family and friends- people I knew well and was comfortable with and my husband worked for a corporation that was HQ here and he worked for HQ while living in Dallas) that I wouldn't consider it. My husband knows austin and is on board with the choice.
We are a family of 5 and my husband needs an office. I looked at homes on realtor.com and zeroed down the location to only show available homes that were in a 6-10 rated school district for high school. With my price range and need of 5 rooms, there wasn't much available. That's why we were thinking of a new build. We'll definitely look at any available established homes when the time comes, but it seems like there's not a lot out there for the price range of $450K or less.
For my job, I work in social services. I will have just graduated w/ my Masters in Social Work, so it's not really important for where I'll be working b/c after I've worked for 2-3 yrs, I will be applying for licensure which then will change where I work once I'm an LCSW. The types of jobs I can see in my future are at hospitals, organizations, mental health, etc. If I had to think about specific types of work, I guess I would think about where the hospitals are located. So we are open to any area around Austin that will give me a commute of no more than 45 min. I may also have a private practice (therapy) so for that, commute wouldn't matter. My husband is in the IT field (smart buildings), so I suppose if he decided he didn't want to do his business anymore one day, it may be a smart idea to try to live where there's a mass amount of work for IT.
I cannot say if I want urban or suburban. I work in urban and have always lived in suburban and I see the appeal for both. What I do know is that when we lived in Dallas, we were in a suburb next to Mckinney and only 15 min or so drive to vast amount of resources (medical, shopping, opportunities for our kids for activities, etc). Here, we are 45-60 min from the medical, shopping, etc resources. Very frustrating. I don't want that. Do I want to live in a busy city, like a downtown area? No. But I'm not happy here w/ the small town feel. At this point, we want the quality of life we had in Dallas but I don't like the vibe there (not everyone was like that, of course, but I felt it was a common vibe). I don't want the "church on every corner"/"church is the thing to do and if you don't, bless your heart" with majority of people and people flashing their pretend money ().
Thank you for mentioning this! I will check it out.
For my job, I work in social services. I will have just graduated w/ my Masters in Social Work, so it's not really important for where I'll be working b/c after I've worked for 2-3 yrs, I will be applying for licensure which then will change where I work once I'm an LCSW. The types of jobs I can see in my future are at hospitals, organizations, mental health, etc. If I had to think about specific types of work, I guess I would think about where the hospitals are located. So we are open to any area around Austin that will give me a commute of no more than 45 min. I may also have a private practice (therapy) so for that, commute wouldn't matter. My husband is in the IT field (smart buildings), so I suppose if he decided he didn't want to do his business anymore one day, it may be a smart idea to try to live where there's a mass amount of work for IT.
I'm a bit confused now, are you planning on relocating in 2-3 year or are you planning on relocating next summer? Are you planning on working those 2-3 years in WI before coming down here to get your hours? What type of internships have you had? So are you planning to relocate after you get your LCSW hours or get them here? LCSW hours take a long time. Or would you be working solely on getting your hours and then get a job? I'm an LMSW so I'm a bit confused about that part. Hospitals are located all over the Austin area and even the surrounding areas. Message me when you get closer to your relocation time and I can help you navigate the social work world.
Thank you for mentioning this! I will check it out.
Honestly, no I haven't been to Austin (not sure how we never went there but went to other areas of TX, when we lived in TX). That's why my daughter and I will be flying down in Dec for about a week to check out the area. I may end up hating the area but I doubt it. I've heard how wonderful it is and with what I like in an area, many people (including my husband who's from Houston) have suggested I would like there. Matter of fact, before we moved from Dallas to WI, my husband tried to get me to consider looking at Austin, but I was so intent on moving back to here (I grew up here and wanted to be around family and friends- people I knew well and was comfortable with and my husband worked for a corporation that was HQ here and he worked for HQ while living in Dallas) that I wouldn't consider it. My husband knows austin and is on board with the choice.
We are a family of 5 and my husband needs an office. I looked at homes on realtor.com and zeroed down the location to only show available homes that were in a 6-10 rated school district for high school. With my price range and need of 5 rooms, there wasn't much available. That's why we were thinking of a new build. We'll definitely look at any available established homes when the time comes, but it seems like there's not a lot out there for the price range of $450K or less.
For my job, I work in social services. I will have just graduated w/ my Masters in Social Work, so it's not really important for where I'll be working b/c after I've worked for 2-3 yrs, I will be applying for licensure which then will change where I work once I'm an LCSW. The types of jobs I can see in my future are at hospitals, organizations, mental health, etc. If I had to think about specific types of work, I guess I would think about where the hospitals are located. So we are open to any area around Austin that will give me a commute of no more than 45 min. I may also have a private practice (therapy) so for that, commute wouldn't matter. My husband is in the IT field (smart buildings), so I suppose if he decided he didn't want to do his business anymore one day, it may be a smart idea to try to live where there's a mass amount of work for IT.
I cannot say if I want urban or suburban. I work in urban and have always lived in suburban and I see the appeal for both. What I do know is that when we lived in Dallas, we were in a suburb next to Mckinney and only 15 min or so drive to vast amount of resources (medical, shopping, opportunities for our kids for activities, etc). Here, we are 45-60 min from the medical, shopping, etc resources. Very frustrating. I don't want that. Do I want to live in a busy city, like a downtown area? No. But I'm not happy here w/ the small town feel. At this point, we want the quality of life we had in Dallas but I don't like the vibe there (not everyone was like that, of course, but I felt it was a common vibe). I don't want the "church on every corner"/"church is the thing to do and if you don't, bless your heart" with majority of people and people flashing their pretend money ().
This is helpful, I personally think you will get more bang for your buck in southwest austin. How many square feet are you looking for for 450K? You can pay that in every area, but it would be a smaller house.
When you say 5 rooms do you mean 5 total rooms or 5 bedrooms? You will struggle to find a 5br house as 4 is pretty much the sweet spot. If you open yourself up to 4 bedrooms (plus office) then you will have a lot more selection.
We are in 2700 sq ft and two of our kids have slept in the same room for years, essentially leaving one room unused.
If schools are your top priority then there is one place on hidden caves way 2700 sq ft 4/2.5 for 449K. It avoids the mess at 620/2222 and feeds into vandegrift
If you dont mind the mess at 620/2222 steiner has quite a few under 450K. I would also say that steiner values will probably take a hit because the traffic is so bad.
Last edited by Austin97; 03-16-2018 at 02:21 PM..
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), and I wouldn't mind our children being in a more diverse area. I want the school district (most concerned with the high school) to be above average (like a 7 or higher). I want the community to have a lot of activities for kids (my kids are 7, 10, 12 yrs). Parks/paths would be nice.
) near shopping and amenities. Gehan is a solid builder. 
My husband knows austin and is on board with the choice. 
).
