Retired, Homeschooling liberal mom looking for a place to buy (Houston: for sale, real estate)

[puppyduks]

I currently live in a tiny town in North Central TX, near Wichita Falls. I have been here for two years and I feel strangled by the culture here (VERY conservative to put it nicely). I moved here for family and it's just not "me". Someone suggested that Austin would be a better fit. I am looking anywhere in the eastern half of Texas. I came from Oregon, near Portland, where the motto was Keep Portland Wierd. I loved it.

I'm a young retiree (military disability and disability retired from a federal job). I have a teenager that is homeschooled. I want to raise my kid to be a broad thinker, experiencing many different cultures, arts, foods etc. We are a Buddhist white family if that matters. We love festivals, farmers markets, music, outdoors and nature, friendly accepting people.

My budget for housing is 325K at the highest. I prefer to live in town but suburbs and rural living are ok too. Where would you live if you were me?

[Need4Camaro]

Depends on what you are willing to accept. Home Schooling broadens your options a bit as you won't have to care about schools. You may be able to find a smaller condo unit between 500 - 800sqft near UT area, or a slightly larger older home that needs rehab work in E.Austin in the price range if you are looking to stay close to the city. Both would put you pretty close to the happening areas of the city.

Moving out to the suburbs actually does not make things much easier like it used to either, except that you'll be contending for newer inventory as the suburbs are not as affordable as they used to be. Even Liberty Hill is averaging $600k home values currently. Georgetown has a few developments going up that may be in your price range, but thats a hard commute into the city, and it isn't very liberal either.

Buda / Kyle may also come close to fitting your budget but once again, difficult commute, although probably slightly more blue than Georgetown.

If I were you, and I didn't care about sqft and you just want to be in the scene, I'd buy a smaller condo near UT, then rent it out to UT students when I can afford to move up the ladder.

Be wary though, your housing costs will not just end @ $325k. Make sure you have enough in reserve for repairs or emergency maintenance items.

If you can swing it, perhaps rent here first for a year before committing to purchase and just make sure that this will work for you. Austin is a fun city, but it is quickly transitioning from a quirky weird city to a tech mecca.. and is probably on par with the CoL of Portland, maybe even more expensive when considering property taxes...think of it more along the lines if Portland Oregon were to transform into Seattle WA in about 3 decades.. ..we're probably right in the middle of that right now.

[karpo1]

Austin Voters Approve Reinstating Bans On Camping, Resting And Panhandling. Maybe Austin is getting too conservative.

[ashbeeigh]

There’s a condo across from my apartment complex that is 591 sq ft for 354k right now. I’m not going to say much more because I’ll get snarky and rude, but doing a broad search in the Austin area in your budget may help you understand that high cost of real estate here. Or maybe rent first.

[puppyduks]

Ok, so it looks like even New Braunsfel will be hard to find housing. I can live anywhere in the eastern part of Texas, so I am wide open to suggestions. Thank you for replies and honesty. It's so hard to rely on Zillow, the houses shown for sale are numerous on there in my price range.

[blakely]

$325 will be hard right "in town" but I've seen condos for that not far from town.

Such as this one in SW Austin, pending for $325 now, about 15 min to central Austin. Over 1,000 SF. Lots of trails nearby:
https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/.../pid_51104895/

You can also try Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Buda, Bastrop. Those are farther from the center of town but while it might take some effort, there are condos in your budget. Or SFH if you live much farther from town.

[LocalPlanner]

If you're willing to look anywhere in the eastern half of the state, for your budget, honestly you're better off looking in the Houston area, which will also accommodate your cultural-political tastes. Just be careful about flood risk.

[DCtoTejas]

Originally Posted by puppyduks

My budget for housing is 325K at the highest. I prefer to live in town but suburbs and rural living are ok too. Where would you live if you were me?

At that price you will not get a detached house in Austin anywhere except areas where your family's personal safety will be in question. Austin is still pretty safe for a large American city, but it has crime problems, and they are getting worse. If you are ok with a small(er) town vibe as long as it is more liberal, and want to be in the Austin metro, I would checkout Lockhart and San Marcos. Lockhart is developing into a bit of a priced-out-of-Austin artist / hipster / hippie town and San Marcos is very liberal due to the presence of the University. Of the two San Marcos is larger, more crowded and higher energy because of the University, the river and being on the freeway and I'd say is generally the more appealing choice for most people. People have already also mentioned Kyle and Buda in this thread, if you're ok with anywhere, USA style suburbia you may be able to find something decent still in your price range but it's getting harder and harder. Of the two, Buda is a little more quaint, closer to Austin, and more expensive. I won't comment on the northern part of Austin as I've never lived up that way and am not familiar with it.

[DashRiprock]

Originally Posted by puppyduks

Ok, so it looks like even New Braunsfel will be hard to find housing. I can live anywhere in the eastern part of Texas, so I am wide open to suggestions. Thank you for replies and honesty. It's so hard to rely on Zillow, the houses shown for sale are numerous on there in my price range.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "the eastern part of Texas" but you're very unlikely to find anything close to a liberal vibe in any of the small towns in what I typically consider east Texas.

Also, I know it's usually pronounced "New Braunsfel" but it's spelled "New Braunfels".

[DashRiprock]

Originally Posted by karpo1

Austin Voters Approve Reinstating Bans On Camping, Resting And Panhandling. Maybe Austin is getting too conservative.

Ha, the City Council will never enforce that so no worries there.