Hutto (Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown: house, employment, neighborhood)

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

I realized I keep trying to justify our decision and I don't need to. We didn't purchase in either of the subdivisions that were in the article you quoted. Perhaps that doesn't matter and maybe the house will fall down all around us anyway because of bad soil. You know what? It doesn't matter...so it does. I'm fighting a losing battle here on the forums and it truly is a waste of energy. So people think living SW or S, or Central or wherever in Austin would have been a better choice. I respect your opinion. However, it isn't our opinion. Steve has gone out of his way to show me how cost isn't a factor either. I do so appreciate all the energy and time some of you put into being right. It's admirable.

And just to let you know we're not complete morons we most certainly considered all factors. We chose where we did because it was our decision based on factors not one of you has access to. And this whole line about investing and values, and blah, blah. Tell me about it. We have a house here that won't sell and has lost value in past years, (and not to disrepair). The home as an investment? Maybe if you have so much money you can buy up the town but not so much now for the common home owner. We live where we can afford to live. I'm sick of hearing how we could afford to live in or around Austin and get the same house there. It's laughable. Even though some of you keep preaching it I still don't believe you. You're dreaming or looking at some fixer upper that's a dump to begin with but is labeled with the words potential.


I'll let Billy Joel say it: QUOTE: I never said you had to offer me a second chance (I never said you had to) I never said I was a victim of circumstance (Of circumstance) I still belong, don't get me wrong And you can speak your mind But not on my time I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life Go ahead with your own life, and leave me alone (Keep it to yourself, it's my life.) (Keep it to yourself, it's my life.) (Keep it to yourself, it's my life.) (Keep it to yourself, it's my life.) END QUOTE



All I know is I'm going to have a dishwasher AND a two car garage. That's awesome to me, I'm lovin it!

[austin-steve]

Steve has gone out of his way to show me how cost isn't a factor either. I do so appreciate all the energy and time some of you put into being right. It's admirable.

I wasn't addressing you or your decision. I don't even know where you live. I was just offering some general insight that I know many people fail to consider, which is that commuting costs should be factored into the total cost of home ownership when buying a home, and that most people who chase "cheap prices" out into the outskirts are in fact not saving anything at all. It's simply a fact I was sharing, and it can be proven with some simple math. Take it or leave it.

Steve

[verybadgnome]

So is ZillowdotCOM a good source for home values over time?

If it is looking at the 5 year trend and it looks like homes in Hutto were worth slightly more in 2004 than they are today. Even with the tax deductions the 6% cost of a home sale would put you in the red meaning that it is probably better to rent in Hutto than to buy if these trends carry forward.

[cabolissa]

I find living 20 miles from downtown (homeless, drugs, traffic/air pollution) a benefit - a personal preference, as Austin-Steve put it... The fact that the homes are $50K less, is just a benefit. And I carpool to work, so my commuting costs are 1/2 what you'd expect ($40/mo in gas, and $60/mo in tolls).

[TexasHorseLady]

One thing to consider is that many of the places some of you consider "too far" will be "close in" in not as long as you think.

For example, in my memory, the area that is now 2222/Mopac was literally "out in the boonies". (That would be before your time in Austin, Austin-Steve.) It was the countryside, halfway to the lake, and Mopac was a railroad, not a road. People said pretty much what those of you who are talking about how far Hutto or Manor are saying to folks who moved "all the way out there". Mount Bonnell was way out there, too, and there were no houses anywhere around it. (I gritted my teeth when people started building their houses right up to it - heathens! Why do some people always want to build right on top of beautiful places in some vain quest to "own" them and spoil them for themselves and everyone else with whom they seem to not want to share? It seems to be an all-too-common human failing.)

But I digress - my point was, it won't be that long, at the current pace (and the economy WILL recover and we probably won't learn anything from this), it won't be all that long - 10 years? 15 at most?) before Hutto and Manor will be overtaken by the Austin Monster (much as I love it, I have to call it that sometimes, and to a certain extent both communities have been already because they really aren't that far - I have a listing in Manor that is 11-1/2 miles from 6th and Congress and 15 minutes from the front door of the airport). Hyde Park was way out in the country when it was built (but that was long before I came to Austin - by the time I got here, it was in the heart of the city).

Maybe you just have to live somewhere that long (or live that long at all) and watch this kind of thing happening again and again to get some perspective on it.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

So is ZillowdotCOM a good source for home values over time?

If it is looking at the 5 year trend and it looks like homes in Hutto were worth slightly more in 2004 than they are today. Even with the tax deductions the 6% cost of a home sale would put you in the red meaning that it is probably better to rent in Hutto than to buy if these trends carry forward.

Maybe I'm just plain stupid gnome but I'm not banking on the stats of the last 8 years, let alone the last 5. Trends are nothing more than that...trends. My prediction is the rural areas are going to grow and become more sought after and the prices are not going to come down. On the contrary. Hutto will be part of Austin. Sweet eh? Oh, and let's go with your theory. It would all depend of what someone actually PAID for the house wouldn't it? We are not going to lose money on that house, that much I'm confident in. But let's say we do...here is our response: SO WHAT? Being free is what it's all about I say.

[austin62006]

I know im changing the subject but anyone know what they are building on 685 next to riverwalk sub and the highschool. Whatever it is...it doesn't look too big but can't figure it out.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

So is ZillowdotCOM a good source for home values over time?

If it is looking at the 5 year trend and it looks like homes in Hutto were worth slightly more in 2004 than they are today. Even with the tax deductions the 6% cost of a home sale would put you in the red meaning that it is probably better to rent in Hutto than to buy if these trends carry forward.

Just FYI: Zillow is a horrible source for home values in Texas! Texas is a non-disclosure state so zillow for texas is a terrible mix of tax appraisal values, listing prices, and an occasional actual market price. Do not rely on it for anything.

[cabolissa]

Hutto Economic Development Corporation. Fastest growing city in Central Texas. - HuttoEdc.com

[Trainwreck20]

That is based on 2007 data, though, it appears .