Buying house in SW Austin? (West, Bailey: buying a house, good schools, live)

[aggieataustin]

We are young couple with a newborn baby. Lived in Austin for four years and start thinking about buying a house. We are looking at the SW Austin 78749 area and our budget is about 250k. Can we find a nice house in this area. I know Circle C is may be too expensive for us. Does 78749 area has good schools? How about the appreciation of house in this area? Thanks!

[Raskolnikov]

Yes is the answer to all your questions. Circle C might be a little too expensive, but you can find some great deals there in the area off Bartsow, and the area south of Slaughter on Lacrosse (the streets to the left and right). (i.e. just south of the pool). You might be able to get something for that price there but it would be on the small side. The schools in those area are Mills on the north side and Kiker on the south, both are considered excellent.

You can definitely afford a house in Villages of Western Oaks. Go down William Cannon and turn left on Beckett or Escarpment (either one).. Basically the stretch of homes between Beckett and Escarpment all the way down south to Davis, are affordable. Many of these homes were built in the 1980s and they have huge oak trees. Anyway you could get a good house in there for between 220-270K. These houses feed into either Mills, or Patton Elementary. Patton is considered very good.

The Jr. High situation is Small for the north side and Bailey for the south. Both are considered really good. I have actually heard Small is one of the best Jr. High's in Austin (some teachers in the AISD told me that.)

Anyway I'd definitely start looking in Villages of Western Oaks or those two areas of Circle C I mentioned.