California to Austin Just returned (Round Rock, Georgetown: rental car, apartment complex, rental)

[Jarmmy]

We have been looking to "cash out" of Southern CA for about 6 months now and have done quite a bit of internet searching for the right place. Austin won hands down in all aspects of our criteria. Weather, community, value, people, golf, lake, employment.

After contacting a realtor we scheduled a Thurs-Sun long weekend trip this past weekend. What a whirlwind amazing trip it was. Austin was everything and more than we expected. First off, the people are sooo nice! We almost confused the niceness with wanting a tip.. we were wrong, they are just plain ole nice. Everyone was soo helpful and went out of their way to offer advice and hospitality.

Our realtor took us to many different neighborhoods based on our desires. Our 2 all time favorite areas were narrowed down to LAKEWAY and GEORGETOWN don't get me wrong, almost every home in almost every neighborhood I saw my saying was "oh, this is my favorite" it was getting old and quite humorous for both my hubby and my realtor. I literally had to bite my tongue along the way, so not to proclaim that this too was my favorite.

LAKEWAY I found to be very similar, however BETTER,to where we currently live (in Ventura County, CA), only the beach has been substituted with a lake and everything seems to be newer and more hip. Love the fact that you
are so close to the lakes and the golf.

GEORGETOWN I found to be a little more slow paced, but lovely. Love the open one-story plans of a tract we found with acre+ lots and all the oak trees.

I definitely recommend getting a navigation system in your rental car when you visit and a trip to the OASIS where the food's not incredibly great, but the views and ambiance make up for that ten fold. We stayed at the OMNI hotel downtown and had a great time at night visting the warehouse district (walking) and the 6th street area. We were amazed at how clean Austin is and inviting. We loved the SPEAK EASY bar where you climb roof top and have a drink in comfy open air couches. Every restauarant we chose was amazing. The downtown WHOLE FOODS was amazing. Best Whole Foods I have ever seen.

So far we are leaning towards a new home in Lakeway a Toll Brothers house The Ridge at Alta Vista Estates. The same exact home plan 1 mile from our home in CA is 2.1 million and in Lakeway the same plan is approx. $600K. If anyone has any input into a $500-600K home with at least 1/2-1 acre lot, help us out please.

We also found an investment property to rent out in Round Rock for $163K it's a 5 bedroom 2.5 bath 3000 sq. ft. Is rent in RR easy to get approx. $1200-$1300??

Sorry for the long post... but we are excited and LOVE AUSTIN PEOPLE!

Michele in Camarillo, CA

[TheHarvester]

Welcome! My nanny (from 40 years ago) has recently retired in Lakeway after the death of her husband. She loves it out there too. I'm a south-central Austin fan, love the funky side of things and don't like suburbs, but I'm glad to know you're happy and I can easily say Lakeway beats Camarillo hands-down!

Of course you've been warned about our summers, right? They're, ummm, rather intense and relentless, and you can't just drive to the beach for relief. The closest "drive" to outdoor relief that doesn't involve swimming is to go to the southern New Mexico mountains. There was a summer a few years ago when I was going absolutely crazy and I just wanted to be outdoors and feel what the air would be like without heat and humidity. I spent 2 days driving to Cloudcroft with my dogs, and when we got up to about 6,000 ft. elevation I distinctly recall my car thermometer dropping all the way down to the low 70s. I pulled over at a small trail, got out with my dogs, and the 3 of us celebrated the feeling of sweet, "cool" air! So.... good luck with that adjustment. Otherwise, everything about this place rocks. Errr... except for the traffic and rapid growth...

I spent my first 20 years of life in Santa Barbara, so I know Camarillo well and I recall when it was a tiny town along the road to LA. Ventura County has at least 8 times as many people now as it did when I was a young child. And aren't you happy to be liberated from the never-ending sight of faux-Spanish architecture? It's like the Land Of The Clones in So-Cal. South of Ventura there's a sameness to things that's rather Orwellian. Blech. But I still love LA, I will ALWAYS love LA, I'm incapable of not loving a place that's so easy to hate!

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by Jarmmy

We also found an investment property to rent out in Round Rock for $163K it's a 5 bedroom 2.5 bath 3000 sq. ft. Is rent in RR easy to get approx. $1200-$1300?

Are you saying you are going to buy this property and be "landlords?" If so, really make sure you know if the area has high investor activity. We rented a brand new house in RR, and it had sat for six months before we did a 6 month lease while our house was being build in Steiner.

We do know based on talking to our old "neighbor" that it was still not rented, and we kept in touch for about 8 months after moving out, so we know in a 20 month period, the investor was getting only $1250 a month for six months total. That must have hurt!

Anyways, it would be nice if you clarify, and if you are thinking of buying an investment, and renting it out, a seperate thread for the real experts to chime in could be more than helpful.

[Jarmmy]

Originally Posted by FromCalitoSteinerRanch

Are you saying you are going to buy this property and be "landlords?" If so, really make sure you know if the area has high investor activity. We rented a brand new house in RR, and it had sat for six months before we did a 6 month lease while our house was being build in Steiner.

We do know based on talking to our old "neighbor" that it was still not rented, and we kept in touch for about 8 months after moving out, so we know in a 20 month period, the investor was getting only $1250 a month for six months total. That must have hurt!

Anyways, it would be nice if you clarify, and if you are thinking of buying an investment, and renting it out, a seperate thread for the real experts to chime in could be more than helpful.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, we are going to be landlords. I am new at this posting stuff. So, do I start a separate thread in a different area? Or just start a new post? Is there a professional area to post separately to so the real experts can chime in? The home is in RR in the MEADOW LAKE subdivision.

Thanks again for your help!
Michele

[Jarmmy]

Originally Posted by TheHarvester

Welcome! My nanny (from 40 years ago) has recently retired in Lakeway after the death of her husband. She loves it out there too. I'm a south-central Austin fan, love the funky side of things and don't like suburbs, but I'm glad to know you're happy and I can easily say Lakeway beats Camarillo hands-down!

Of course you've been warned about our summers, right? They're, ummm, rather intense and relentless, and you can't just drive to the beach for relief. The closest "drive" to outdoor relief that doesn't involve swimming is to go to the southern New Mexico mountains. There was a summer a few years ago when I was going absolutely crazy and I just wanted to be outdoors and feel what the air would be like without heat and humidity. I spent 2 days driving to Cloudcroft with my dogs, and when we got up to about 6,000 ft. elevation I distinctly recall my car thermometer dropping all the way down to the low 70s. I pulled over at a small trail, got out with my dogs, and the 3 of us celebrated the feeling of sweet, "cool" air! So.... good luck with that adjustment. Otherwise, everything about this place rocks. Errr... except for the traffic and rapid growth...

I spent my first 20 years of life in Santa Barbara, so I know Camarillo well and I recall when it was a tiny town along the road to LA. Ventura County has at least 8 times as many people now as it did when I was a young child. And aren't you happy to be liberated from the never-ending sight of faux-Spanish architecture? It's like the Land Of The Clones in So-Cal. South of Ventura there's a sameness to things that's rather Orwellian. Blech. But I still love LA, I will ALWAYS love LA, I'm incapable of not loving a place that's so easy to hate!

Thanks for the great insight. Yeah, I have a feeling I am going to have a big adjustment with the weather. We do have the all time PERFECT weather. Yes, I can't wait to get away from all the cookie-cutter houses. The unique funky ones are all untouchable. What area do you live in when you say "south central Austin?"

Thanks!!! Michele

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by Jarmmy

What area do you live in when you say "south central Austin?"

I'm paying $540 a month for a 400 square foot efficiency off of South Lamar, near Kerbey Lane Cafe and The Broken Spoke. I love my apartment complex, it's small, funky, forested, very pet-friendly, and I'm friends with all my neighbors. I think that's what makes Austin special is the ways in which things are allowed to happen spontaneously --- like letting plants grow wild, letting people put weird art in their yards, nurturing creativity and interaction between people... and I'm a 5 minute walk from the Barton Creek Greenbelt where I can go swim and hike.

I would buy this place and have already asked the manager about the possibility that these will convert to condos, but unfortunately there's so much big money coming into the area that any change here would probably involve tearing down the funky old buildings and putting up fancy new ones that cost 5 times as much to buy. Austin is being destroyed by its own popularity, happens to all the great places.

Clearly you need a house and probably wanted some space, not just a tiny bungalow, in which case that prices you out of most of central Austin... so, I understand your choice.