Nice, safe place to rent a small house with yard in Austin? (Cedar Park: apartments, rental)

[thecac755]

Hi. My wife and I are moving to Austin from CT around mid-August so I can finish up my degree at UT. I'm 29 and she's 25. We have two dogs, one is about 100lb and the other is 8. Both are very nice and aren't on dangerous breed lists or anything like that. We're looking for a small 2-3 bedroom house with a fenced in yard. We are looking to stay in the range of around 1000-1100 a month. I've read a few other threads about where the desirable areas are, but most are for condo's or apartments. We are hoping to stay close to areas within walking distance of shopping and restaurants, but if we have to be a further away I would like to not have to drive more than 20-25 minutes to get to the University. I am going to be flying out on June 12 for orientation on the 14th and was hoping to meet up with an agent to show me around on that Sat or Sun. Thanks

[bmw88rider]

That may be tough on that budget. Most houses for rent run in the area of $1400-$1800 a month. Austin is a driving city in all honesty with very few areas that are walkable. There is some walking areas downtown and near SOCO and S. 1st but that's it.

20-25 minutes from UT means you are within the main part of the city. That is also the most expensive part of the city. You may check out the Crestview area. That is east of burnet and south of 183 on the northern side of the city. You may be able to get a little closer to your budget there. It's been a bit since I shopped for a rental so there may be some other spots I'm missing on the south side of town.

[TexasHorseLady]

A quick look at the MLS shows possibilities south of the river (78704), and some north. Brentwood, Violet Crown, and a few other areas have houses within your range (mostly 2 bedroom). Try zip code 78752 at AustinHomeSearch.com (or get an agent to pull them up for you). Some of those are convenient to the Metrorail, as well. There are a couple north of Hyde Park (which is north of campus).

That's just what's on the MLS right now. It's May - some more will be coming on as people move, with school letting out, most likely.

[thecac755]

I know I said that we wanted to be in Austin, but neither of us have ever been to the area, so if we need to get out a little to find what we want that's OK. We can go a higher than 1100, but thats the ballpark we're trying to stay in. We really just want a place where we can have a small yard for the dogs and be nice enough to go for walks and bike rides. What do people think of the surrounding areas like Cedar Park and Pflugerville?

[homeinatx]

Originally Posted by thecac755

I know I said that we wanted to be in Austin, but neither of us have ever been to the area, so if we need to get out a little to find what we want that's OK. We can go a higher than 1100, but thats the ballpark we're trying to stay in. We really just want a place where we can have a small yard for the dogs and be nice enough to go for walks and bike rides. What do people think of the surrounding areas like Cedar Park and Pflugerville?

Commutes during rush hour can be brutal - on a bad day up to an hour from parts of Cedar Park to campus - parking on campus is also nightmarish. My advice would be to look in the 78722 zip code, particularly the area known as French Place - you would be a ten minute bike ride to campus, walking distance to the coffee-shops, restaurants etc on Manor Road, and in a part of Austin with designated bike lanes. A 2 bedroom house for $1100 would be at the lower end, but findable. You would be what for some people is the wrong side of the highway, but it is a perfectly safe neighborhood of mostly small 1930-40s houses with big trees. Parts of 78723 could also work, but then parts would not. Good luck!

[CptnRn]

I recently calculated the total cost of owning and operating a car driving 19 miles a day round trip to work and back, //www.city-data.com/forum/14066620-post21.html and came up with $3,363 per year ($280/month) for an average vehicle. Now you would not save all of that cost if you own a car anyway, but you could certainly apply some of that towards higher rent if you lived closer to work or school.

[TexasHorseLady]

You'll be working on your degree at UT, so presumably won't be commuting during rush hour. What about your wife? Will she be working and, if so, is it likely to be downtown rather than near UT or in one of the numerous other parts of town? That can factor in to where you want to live, as well - there's a lot of employers who are not in downtown Austin.

[thecac755]

That poses another good question, I (the wife am a Nutritionist, I have a B.S from University of Rhode Island. I have no preference of working in city or other central/local locations. Do you have any good ideas of where to look for job postings? I mainly have been looking on the TX Health and Human Services website, but have no clue where to look for other possibilities besides state jobs...

[bmw88rider]

You may look at whole foods. Their headquarters are here in Austin and I'm sure they may have something. Another place would either St. David's or Seton hospitals. The city and schools are not hiring much if any right now.

[Campeador]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

Commutes during rush hour can be brutal - on a bad day up to an hour from parts of Cedar Park to campus - parking on campus is also nightmarish. My advice would be to look in the 78722 zip code, particularly the area known as French Place - you would be a ten minute bike ride to campus, walking distance to the coffee-shops, restaurants etc on Manor Road, and in a part of Austin with designated bike lanes. A 2 bedroom house for $1100 would be at the lower end, but findable. You would be what for some people is the wrong side of the highway, but it is a perfectly safe neighborhood of mostly small 1930-40s houses with big trees. Parts of 78723 could also work, but then parts would not. Good luck!

This is good advice.