Neighborhoods built between 50s - 70s with great schools, close to city? (Austin: rent, custom home)

[christian&amy]

We're planning to move to Austin this summer from Utah, and would love some suggestions based on the following criteria:

1) We'd love to be no further than 20-30 minutes from the city (Downtown). We really enjoy exploring the city, dining, etc.
2) We have children in elementary school, and it's a top priority to get them in a great school.
3) We love the architectural styling of the 50s and 60s (some 70s). Ramblers are a plus, around 2500 sf is great (or larger). We'll likely rent at first so we can find the perfect area and home to settle into, but we'll probably end up buying at around $300,000 max.

Can you recommend some areas that may interest us? We've never visited Austin yet (plan to in June), and have lived in Utah for 4 years after leaving San Diego, CA. We really love Southern California, but don't want to go back because of it's crumbling economy and it's getting ever more crowded.

Everything we hear about Austin seems to fit us great. We really don't care much for the cold here in Utah and we dislike the monocultural society here - so Austin, here we come!

[TexasHorseLady]

The 2500 sq. ft. or larger is going to be an issue that close in. However, you might want to check out Sunset Valley. Cedar Park might have what you want, but it would be at the outside range of your travel requirement. Round Rock is another possibility.

As for great schools, that's a very subjective requirement. I say this because the school that was great for my son would have been a disaster for my daughter and vice versa. (We had the luxury of being able to choose from private or public schools.) Given that this was in the same family, it's easy to see how a public school that would be great for the kids from one family would not suit another at all. Ratings on the test are only the beginning, and you really need to look further than that to find what suits your own child best.

[centralaustinite]

Allandale! 1950s to 1970s ranch houses, in the city, exemplary Gullet elementary school.

As well as Highland Hills (exemplary Highland Park elementary) and Northwest Hills (Doss elementary).

Oops! Just saw that you said 300K max, you can do that in Allandale, the others, not so much.

[TexasHorseLady]

The trick is the 2500 or larger. In Allandale, right now on the MLS, the price is right, the age is right, the largest is 2,010 sq. ft. and the next largest is 1,855 sq. ft. Mostly they're in the 1500-1600 sq. ft. range.

I'm checking out the various neighborhoods like that very close in and nothing's popping up so far in that size and price range.

[centralaustinite]

Yes, the size will be tricky. Especially since homes in the 1950s and 1960s were much smaller. Only in the last few years has the average home size gotten close to 2400 sq ft.

OP might chose style and proximity over size, or go the other way! But it will be very hard to find the whole package, particularly at that price range.

[TexasHorseLady]

I did a search of the entire MLS excluding price, and a lot came up, in the $500,000 up to over a million range, with all those criteria. Leave in the price ($300,000) and take out the size requirement and a lot came up that had everything but size. But none with both.

[doctorjef]

Frankly, when I think of Austin - the Austin Indpendent School District to be exact - I don't really think of great schools. Austin HS might be an exception, though I'm sure it's a very mixed bag. Eanes ISD (i.e. Independent School District, for those unused to the TX nomenclature) is surely the best Travis County school district. I actually think one might find a 1970's vintage house that's the desired size and price range within the Bee Cave Rd corridor and Eanes school district. There's a surprising number of properties back in those neighborhoods that aren't grand (the houses I mean) and that could do with some updating. If you don't like a monocultural environment I strongly urge against moving out to Cedar Park, Leander or pretty much anywhere in the Williamson County suburbs of North Austin.

[TexasHorseLady]

Like I said, I checked the entire MLS (which includes Eanes). I just did a specific search of the Eanes School District and no house fitting this criteria is currently on the market or sold in the last 24 months. There were four that were on the market in that price range fitting that criteria between 1998 and 2003 that were withdrawn, between 1998 and 2003.

By the way, Cedar Park and Leander are no more a "monocultural environment" than Eanes is.

[centralaustinite]

All high schools are a mixed bag! Truly, and that includes Westlake and Westwood! In AISD, Austin, Anderson, and Bowie High match up well with any school in the area. AISD has MANY exemplary elementary schools, I would not paint the district with such a broad bush!

[austin-steve]

We have children in elementary school, and it's a top priority to get them in a great school.

I assume your kids and school trump everything else, so I'd simply remove the 1950s-1970s "rambler" as a "must have" and change it to a "would be nice" ,thus opening up your candidate pool of possible homes and parts of Austin substantially.

I'd also shave a little off of the sqft requirement (make it 2200) and add a bit to the price range ($325K - interest rates are so low you can afford the extra price range at present, though maybe not next year if you rent first).

Doing so yields 3 hits in Eanes, all out in the Austin Lake Estates area west of Westlake. It's a really cool, funky neighborhood with a great lake front park. Lot's of 1980s homes and older, but also nice newer custom home sprinkled in. That will put you 20-30 minutes from downtown.

Or you can keep your original 2500 sqft/$300K criteria and find great schools in SW Austin. In MLS area SWW, (ignoring the year built), I get 19 hits on your search. You really have plenty of options once you let go of the rambler, of which there are few in the 2500+ sqft range to begin with.

Welcome to Austin.
Steve