Star Ranch - Perry Homes (Austin, Round Rock: appointed, renting, mobile home)

[Slane37]

Hi Everyone

I am looking for some input on Star Ranch and Perry Homes. We are looking to move to Austin in the summer and have liked what we have seen so far but would like honest opinions.

We are looking to spend up to $275,000 on a house, we have 2 children, 1 in Elementary and the other in Middle. What are the schools like for this area?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[jwb123]

Star Ranch is the development behind mine. I don't have any personal experience, other than driving through it. It's really nice - and conveniently located in between Hutto, and Round Rock - while right next to the new toll roads.

I *think* Star Ranch might be in RRISD (Round Rock Independant School District) - if not, it's in Hutto. Hutto is good, but it's growing so fast - I am not sure how it's handling the growth. RRISD is very good.

I really like the look of the homes there.

You will see high water bills though. I believe it's situated in a Hutto ETJ (unincorporated Williamson County - not within city limits of either Hutto or Round Rock. Your water bills will likely be triple what other near by areas pay.

If you like the area - you might also want to look in Sonoma and Forest Creek. Your property taxes will also be less if you stay within city limits - by about $1200 a year.

[jwb123]

I was wrong about the district - it's Pflugerville ISD!

http://www.pflugervilleisd.net/

[austin_or_sd]

I also visited their model house. The whole development only has one developer, Perry Homes. More developers will come in the area later.

[jennyb315]

I don't know anything about Star Ranch but we are moving into our house built by Perry on Friday. We have both built and fixed up several homes here in Vancouver Washington and so, while I'm not an expert, I do know quite abit about construction and quality and what a well-built home is.

After looking at all of the major builders that we in our price range (which when I did a house hunting trip in February was about $220 - $250K), Perry Homes was the only builder that I was happy with..... all of the others were just way too chintzy---- I was actually getting very disappointed that I wasn't finding the quality that we are used to for the price..... and then I went to the Perry model home in Kyle and finally found what I was looking for -- a well built home in our budget.

When my husband went down to Austin in February, he looked at a few other model homes and agreed with me that Perry was the best in our budget. We ended up spending about about 270K and we move in on Friday (in Crystal Falls)--- we can't wait

[love roses]

It's Pflugerville if you live in the Travis County side and Hutto if you live on the Williamson County Side. I was at a city council meeting one night, and the representatives for Star were there and they were trying to get more things approved. It'll be growing better here pretty soon. I think they even said they wanted to put in their own elementary school at some point, and they had an area mapped out for it. I'm in Hutto, and they are doing alright handling the growth and there are more schools scheduled to open for next year. They're fighting to keep up, but doing good. Most people I've talked to that have kids in school here say their kids love it, and they do to. My daughter is only 4, so I don't have any personal experience with it yet.

[Slane37]

Thank you so much for the information so far.
JenBar why would the water be higher? What is an ETJ? Thank you for your input.
Jenny - Thank you for your input on Perry Homes and its good to know that others like them to!
Loveroses - Thank you for the input on schools as you can imagine that is a major part of our decision.

[Trainwreck20]

ETJ is Extra Territorial Jurisdication. I don't remember the specifics of what it does exactly; however, it is the area outside the city limits but within a certain distance to the city limits (1/2 mile?) in which the city has certain authority but does not provide full services.

[jwb123]

I am trying to find out what it all means too - I am renting in an area that is a Hutto ETJ while our home is built in Forest Creek. Trainwreck is right, I think - and it also means that we are in a MUD for water - and there are extra fees for transfer, or something.

Hutto's water itself is higher than elsewhere because they were forced via contract to buy more water than it needed based on their projected growth. They are trying to ammend those contracts - but I haven't heard any update since Feb if they actually have or not. Basically, they are operating in a deficit right now because of the water excess. So, they charge more to offset the deficit. I posted a Statesmen article about it, around here somewhere...

So, Hutto's water is high, anyway - and then going into an ETJ and MUD - you add even more fees to it.

My neighbor - who's been here longer than I have - said that in the height of summer when she's watering the most - she's had water bills over $300+.

I can't wait to move into city limits!!

[Trainwreck20]

Here is a brief explanation of ETJ, although it is not a legal definition - I just found it in a FAQ section of a neighborhood newsletter.

The Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, or ETJ, of a city is the unincorporated area that is adjacent to its city limits. State law establishes the distance a municipality’s ETJ extends based on its population. ETJ boundaries range from 1/2 mile for the smallest cities to 5 miles for cities exceeding 100,000 in population.

The ETJ changes when property is annexed. To provide for safe, orderly and healthy growth, cities are allowed some jurisdiction over development in the ETJ. The City’s regulations for the subdivision of property (platting) apply in the ETJ, mobile home parks must comply with the City’s mobile home park standards, off-premise signs must comply with the city’s sign ordinance, and drainage and erosion control (site development permits) are required in the ETJ.

Ah, here is a better one....

The ETJ enables the City to extend regulations to adjacent land where development can affect quality of life within the city. ETJ regulations also help to ensure that subdivisions that may be annexed by Austin in the future meet minimum standards for road access, lot size, and other factors.

In the ETJ, the City regulates land subdivision or platting and has limited authority over the creation and expansion of special districts, such as municipal utility districts. No City taxes are collected in the area, and no services are provided other than land development review. Services such as public safety, road maintenance, and parks are provided by the County. Residents in Austin’s ETJ may vote on City referenda which impact ETJ residents.

Land subdivision in the ETJ in Travis County is regulated jointly by the City of Austin and Travis County in accordance with Title 30 of the Austin City Code. Land subdivision in the ETJ in Hays and Williamson Counties is regulated exclusively by the City of Austin.