Relo from DC to Austin with Family (Sweetwater, Lakeway: sales, real estate)

[lanutria]

My family is interested in relocating from Washington, DC to Austin. We have small children and want to find a neighborhood with great public schools, other families, parks and similar amenities. We are visiting the city soon to scope it out and would love some advice of neighborhoods to check out. Tell me whatch'ya got!

[TexasHorseLady]

Tell us what you want!

Seriously, where would you be working? That would be a start so that we could recommend places with a reasonable commute (so you can spend more time with the little ones).

[lanutria]

Ahh, that is a wise question. We don't know where we'll be working. I'm a Government type and would be looking for state, county or city employment. If Austin is like DC, the offices are spread out. So I don't know if that helps. My husband is a tech guy -- does web design. So he'd be looking for employment in that sector. We are more committed to our kids' education than a reduced commute, so we want to make excellent primary schools our number one priority in our search. We are used to commutes -- it takes me 45 minutes to go 5 miles in DC, so I can't imagine it is worse in Austin. I hope this helps and look forward to some insight.

I've read some other threads and there are so many recommendations that I'm lost.

[TexasHorseLady]

Price range you're looking in? I can think of several areas that might suit.

[lanutria]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Price range you're looking in? I can think of several areas that might suit.

Our ceiling is probably $800-$900K. We would, however, love to buy for $600K or less. Also, we're really into green and modern. How's that for a curveball?

[hts]

we live in sterling (i'm in it sales and she's an oracle dba who wants to stay home with our 2 boys) and are looking at sw austin (steiner, river place, lakeway, etc.). be sure to research taxes. while $900k is typical for nova, i don't think i want the tax bill on $900k in austin, and it also helps to see that we can prolly find something we like (4200 sq ft built within the last 2-3 years) in a good school district (not eanes) for $700k or so. Even those taxes ($21k/year) aren't pretty, and with her giving up her job (and the no state taxes that goes along with it), it could put a hurting on our lifestyle.

[HarmonyMarotz]

Lakeway, with-out hesitation! My husband and I live out here with our children 5 & 6. We put my step daughter through all levels of schools elementary, middle, and high. We are Real Estate agents and have the privilege to see a lot of areas and by far truly love our home.

Lakeway used to be a resort west of Austin on the south shores of Lake Travis, has become a mix of affluent young families and retirees. It has a small town community feel with excellent schools (Lake Travis ISD).
Lakeway is close enough to Austin, so you can enjoy the live music and regional events, but far enough away to separate you and your family from the fast-paced eclectic Austin scene.
Lakeway has a city park (45 acres?) on the shores of Lake Travis (free to residents) where the kids can chase the ducks into the lake, play on the new and well maintained playscapes, or even watch a movie (Movies in the Park) on a Friday. There are several parks through-out the city (even a skate park), along with dedicated improved greenbelts for hiking, strolling, or biking.

Lake Travis is the cleanest lake in Texas, and draws the most recreation. Whether it is sailing, skiing, or just a leisurely tour, Lake Travis has ample room (67 miles long).

If golf is your bag, you will feel at home. There are four golf courses in the city of Lakeway, and 6 more with in a 5 mile radius. "The Hills Country Club" is home to the PGA Kinko's Classic right around the corner.

I could go on and on but that’s me 2 cents. I have included a webstie for you to compare the different schools.

Harmony Marotz


Research & Compare Schools

[hal512]

We are doing the same thing as you but we relocated from South Austin to Lakeway for the schools and our children. Check out LTISD all but one elem. school ranks as exemplary and two of our schools are listed on the top 10 list for Texas. For the $800 - $900 range Flintrock Falls, Rough Hollow (don't know if you boat or not we have our boat at the marina and the amenties are 5 star), The Uplands (more established), The Hills (more established), The Vistas of Lakepointe, Vineyard Bay (larger more $ and waterfront) and Belvedere. For the $600 range Lakepointe, Falconhead, Rough Hollow, Sweetwater and the Hills. We love Lakeway with the new Galleria and we are getting a new hospital. I might suggest renting a home for a year while you get the feel and see the new developments. We went under contract with a builder in 2/07 and there has been enormous growth since that time.
Good Luck and Welcome.

[TexasHorseLady]

Our ceiling is probably $800-$900K. We would, however, love to buy for $600K or less. Also, we're really into green and modern. How's that for a curveball?

Oh, green and modern isn't as much of a curveball in Austin as you'd think! Especially in your price range.

Austin was green when green wasn't cool. We've got rebates for all sorts of things from Austin Energy and Texas Gas, just had the Austin Green Living and Home Products Expo yesterday from which I brought back an amazing amount of materials for sorting and reference (I'm an EcoBroker so I have to try to stay on top of these things), and there are even green neighborhoods popping up. (New urban design in some of them, other green features in others.) It shouldn't be terribly hard for you to find something, though the MLS isn't quite set up right for it yet (takes a bit of thinking to come up with the proper buzz words for a search ).