Best affordable newer family areas (Austin, Spring: low crime, how much, house)

[Angelfan760]

COVID sucks! My wife and I have taken a beating with our 3 kids. With home schooling and full-time jobs, we are realizing how much we need the resource of family close by since we don't currently have it. We are in Denver and have considered Austin for years to be closer to family and we have finally reached the breaking point....

If you were moving to Austin and the commute was not a factor ( I am in tech and work remote) where would you look? I have 3 elementary aged kids, so top notch schools are a must. I would prefer the hill country and a newer home with a $650k max budget ( but would rather be around $500k). preferably 4-5 bedrooms, very family oriented community with Pools/playground and easy to assimilate with lots of neighborhood events (once that becomes normal again).

We have family in San Marcos, Bastrop, near the domain, so north, south, west, etc.. are all on the table. If it has lots of trails, hills, its definitely a plus since we love to be outdoors, but ultimately we are looking for that family neighborhood on steroids that is the best bang for the buck (i.e concerts in the park/community center with the snow cone truck every weekend and all kinds of kids based activities, nice, newer, very low crime).

Thank you for your help!

[riaelise]

Steiner Ranch comes to mind since it seems like you're wanting master planned communities...it has older and newer housing stock. There are the newer communities in Leander (Crystal Falls, Travisso) that may be similar, I'm not sure. the schools however may not be "top notch" enough for you though Greatschools numbers don't necessarily correlate with being a "good school". All of those however are not close to San Marcos or Bastrop. In that case, maybe some of the newer communities in the SW are for you. Or, if you don't mind older, Circle C.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Steiner Ranch comes to mind since it seems like you're wanting master planned communities...it has older and newer housing stock. There are the newer communities in Leander (Crystal Falls, Travisso) that may be similar, I'm not sure. the schools however may not be "top notch" enough for you though Greatschools numbers don't necessarily correlate with being a "good school". All of those however are not close to San Marcos or Bastrop. In that case, maybe some of the newer communities in the SW are for you. Or, if you don't mind older, Circle C.

Yeah I despise the steiner traffic, but if you are coming for family and not for the things austin specifically offers, then steiner could be a good fit.


If you want to come into austin or think you might have a tech job in austin, I would try to live closer in than steiner. Riverplace doesnt have much inventory, but Im seeing 4 br pendings for 599 (not enough baths but...).

Canyon creek requires you to go down anderson mill rd to get into town but has decent access to tech companies in far north austin. Some parts of canyon creek feed into westwood, others into vandegrift.

the area around the balcones country club is older, but it feeds into westwood and is a decent location for getting into town. It is also close to the domain.

Along 620 the traffic isnt great for getting into austin, but there are a lot of neighborhoods in your price range.


There are a few homes in lakewood (along 360/2222) which feed into AISD's anderson high. Not as good as westwood and vandegrift, but respectable.

I personally would pick lakewood because I prioritize living as close to central austin as possible.

[CarnivalGal]

I live in Steiner Ranch and it has everything you described. 18 miles (I think?) of hike and bike trails, 3 community centers with pools, lake club, 20+ playgrounds, annual concert in the park, food truck events, Easter egg hunts, trunk or treats, camping on the Ranch, and about 100 other different family / kid activities. Schools are amazing - 3 elementary schools in the neighborhood, all great; middle school in the neighborhood, also great; feeds into Vandegrift High School, one of the best in the state.

With that said, traffic here SUCKS. Like really sucks. And I don't see it getting better anytime soon. With that said, if you don't have to go anywhere during peak hours, it's tolerable.

Zip code is 78732 if you want to see what's available on AustinHomeSearch.com or Realtor.com

[Angelfan760]

Thanks Carnival, Steiner is definitely on the list of place we will be looking at. Only concern is based off what I can see online it will put us right at the top of our budget. If there are similar neighborhoods that might be more affordable with a slightly less convenient location, I would be receptive.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Angelfan760

Thanks Carnival, Steiner is definitely on the list of place we will be looking at. Only concern is based off what I can see online it will put us right at the top of our budget. If there are similar neighborhoods that might be more affordable with a slightly less convenient location, I would be receptive.

You can easily find a house for $500K - $600K here. There's not a lot of inventory right now, and things that do go on the market usually sell in a day or two, so you just need to be prepared to jump on a property as soon as you see it. And it won't be new construction, but it will probably be very updated.

There is some new construction going up at the entrance to Steiner right now in your price range (the only new construction in Steiner). Stay far, far away from those homes. Absurdly small lots and the location is horrible. As a bonus, there will be no left turns allowed out of the development, so you will have to deal with 620 every time you leave the house, even if you are taking your kids to the school a mile away.

[blakely]

Avery Ranch might be worth considering.

Also look at Travis Country in SW Austin (the neighborhood, not Travis County). Lots of families and 2 neighborhood pools there, and good access reasonably close-in.

The commute from Steiner to go almost anywhere in town is enough to keep us from buying there. It's a nice community but the traffic can definitely affect your quality of life.

[Angelfan760]

I am starting to feel like we are narrowing it down. We like:

Belterra off of 290 between Dripping Springs and Austin
Crystall Falls, Bryson, and Travisso in Leander

There is still some interested Steiner and Lakeway but price points are a concern.

Just curious does anyone have knowledge of the Leander schools district? I have heard people rave about it but the ratings are pretty poor (i.e most Elementary's are 4/5 out of 10, High School is 3/10...)

Thanks!

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Angelfan760

I am starting to feel like we are narrowing it down. We like:

Belterra off of 290 between Dripping Springs and Austin
Crystall Falls, Bryson, and Travisso in Leander

There is still some interested Steiner and Lakeway but price points are a concern.

Just curious does anyone have knowledge of the Leander schools district? I have heard people rave about it but the ratings are pretty poor (i.e most Elementary's are 4/5 out of 10, High School is 3/10...)

Thanks!

I'm in Steiner, which is Leander ISD. It's one of the geographically largest school districts in the state, so it varies A LOT from school to school. You really need to focus on specific schools rather than the district as a whole.

My oldest is in high school now and Vandegrift and went through elementary and middle in the district. We have been very pleased we all of the schools our kids have gone to.

Check niche for good information on schools Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

[Dynamoo]

Buy the cheapest house you can in Cuernavaca.

Right now around 500-600K.

Don't live in Steiner Ranch unless you want to sit in 40 minutes of traffic to go to the HEB.