What would be a good neighborhood to look for houses, if my job is in (Austin: for rent)

[nk90]

Considering a job offer in south Austin. Located near Mopac Expressway and US Hwy 290 .. We were going to look for houses in North near Leander/Round Rock but after reading other threads, it seems like the commute will be quite hard.

What are the neighborhoods/nearby towns around here with great schools? Ideally commute will be less than 30min! I am probably looking to rent a 3BedRoom townhome/SFH, the schools and commute time being important.

Any suggestions?

[ClaraC]

Originally Posted by nk90

Considering a job offer in south Austin. Located near Mopac Expressway and US Hwy 290 .. We were going to look for houses in North near Leander/Round Rock but after reading other threads, it seems like the commute will be quite hard.

What are the neighborhoods/nearby towns around here with great schools? Ideally commute will be less than 30min! I am probably looking to rent a 3BedRoom townhome/SFH, the schools and commute time being important.

Any suggestions?

Yes, the drive from Leander/Round Rock will be very hard to South Austin, unless you intend to arrive at work at 6 am and leave at 3. You might want to look for housing in communities south of Austin, like Kyle and Buda.

[ashbeeigh]

What is your budget? Oak hill comes to mind immediately. You’re right that RR and Leander would be a rough commute.

[Dynamoo]

Barton Hills, Zilker, Westlake, Rollingwood, Sunset Valley, Oak Hill, Circle C, Barton Creek, Lost Creek, Bee Cave.

Additionally there’s a gem of a neighborhood that no one knows about called Search.

[nk90]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

What is your budget? Oak hill comes to mind immediately. You’re right that RR and Leander would be a rough commute.

For rent, somewhere 1800-2000pm and if we were to buy, around 400k. Key being the schools and commute.. I looked at Oak Hills, but schools per zillow are not that great.
Do families generally prefer schools south in areas like Buda or west like Bee Cave / Lakeway?

I also see some new constructions in and around 78738 , but no school information yet. Wonder whats the traffic situation on 71.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by nk90

For rent, somewhere 1800-2000pm and if we were to buy, around 400k. Key being the schools and commute.. I looked at Oak Hills, but schools per zillow are not that great.
Do families generally prefer schools south in areas like Buda or west like Bee Cave / Lakeway?

I also see some new constructions in and around 78738 , but no school information yet. Wonder whats the traffic situation on 71.

bee cave/lakeway for sure. Just keep in mind that while your immediate commute might be ok, it will make it tough to switch jobs to anywhere else in the city. I would recommend living as close in as you can afford. The plus side is that closer in homes will appreciate faster so if you decide to move further out, you will likely be able to buy something better than if you just bought far out in the first place.

For 290/mopac I would look at the area around circle C. Very solid schools and easy commute to downtown and moderate commute to the central core if you switch jobs.