California Family Looking to Relocate needs Advice! (Houston, Dallas: apartment, lease)

[Phisch]

MamaE, you might appreciate knowing that the laws on homeschooling in TX are among the most favorable towards homeschoolers in the US.

It's not hard, either, to find nature to play in. Also, it's very green through summer here vs. So Calif *but* it's hot. You have to be prepared to deal with much warmer weather in the summer and much cooler winters than back there. Compared to So Cal, we have a much more evident change of seasons here.

I understand how you feel about CA, we left for many of the same reasons. A big one is cost of living which is hard to get until you're really there. Friends here in ATX lived in San Diego for an 8-week job and they couldn't believe how much it cost. Home ownership can be a wash, though because of the cost of property tax.

And, yes, you'll find lots of folks here who are crunchy on the outside, too. Lots of options to buy locally grown food and there's a strong emphasis on growing that food naturally.

However, my advice would be to come visit if your husband gets the job. That will give you a good idea of where in Austin you'd want to live and also if you want to move here in the first place.

[TheyCallMeDerek]

Originally Posted by MamaE

Yes, but homes are cheaper than here.

I've had past clients from Cali and they like the housing prices here in Texas for sure. But the property taxes definitely throw them for a loop. There's no rhyme or reason other than the better the schools and more sought after the neighborhood the higher the tax rate.

If you do move here there should be plenty of
rentals in your price range, but you'll have to look into 3-4 brms for more choice. 5brms are almost non existant in that price range. Probably holds true for SA as well. Good luck!

[eepstein]

As a former California resident, I would BEG you to reconsider your decision of leaving the state. California is having it's share of issues right now, but WHY WHY WHY would you wanna give up everything and move to Austin???? I can virtually guarentee that Austin would never live up to the flase expectations the media gives out. Just stay in California another year or so and see what happens. If you MUST leave California, AVOID Texas and try Colorado or Arizona. If you MUST move to Texas, try Dallas instead. It is lightyears ahead of Austin is nearly every respect.

Originally Posted by MamaE

Hi!

We're a small family of 5 (hehe) looking to relocate to Austin from Southern California. We have 3 daughters ages 4, 2, and 3mos. My husband is currently looking for work in the Austin area.

We own a home here in Ca but will be renting it out until the market (hopefully) picks back up someday... So, for now we will be renting.

I have zero ideas as to what areas are good family areas. I thought this might be a good place to look.


I would like to be with in reasonable driving distance to a Roman Catholic parish with traditional/orthodox values and traditions.

Living near a place where I can expose my children to various forms of nature and natural play is a must. I'd like this to be something like woods, hiking, creeks, etc. It really can be as someplace like our own yard, given the right home with a yard. I saw a few homes on craigslist that backed up to greenbelts and/or woods (even some subdivisions).

The job my husband will be interviewing for will be blocks away from UT. I don't think he would like a terribly long commute so it would be nice to keep it under 40-60mins. We don't know yet how much this particular job pays but we're looking to stay under 1300/mo in rent.

So, if you have any suggestions or ideas I'd love to hear them!

TIA!

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by MamaE

Yes, but homes are cheaper than here.

Yes, homes might seem "cheaper" here on paper, but as was said, the property taxes are VERY high since property taxes are and will probably forever be a ready money trove for the government(s). If you are paying $600 per month in property taxes, for example, couple that with a $1500 mortgage and you are paying over 2K per month -- about the same as if you purchased a 400K home in a lower property tax state. That being said, I do not like income taxes and I'll just pay the property tax and inwardly grumble every year.

You're renting, so that might not be as much of an issue for you as buying. You should find some nice options in various parts of Austin and the suburbs.

[mark311]

It sounds like your best bets would be suburbs like Leander, Round Rock, Cedar Park, or Kyle. Leander probably reminds me the most of Winchester because it's in that same initial growth state. I'm from San Diego and have a couple friends that have homes in Winchester so I'm familiar with the area. Cedar Park or Round Rock could be loosely compared to Temecula. Kyle is the similar suburb south of Austin that I don't know much about. Georgetown might be a fit as well. San Gabriel park in Georgetown has a lot of nature to explore.

You could make an easy transition to any of the above suburbs from Winchester. You're already familiar with the heat in Winchester. Just add some humidity and warmer nights here in the Austin area. The commute should be under an hour from all the above areas to UT unless there is an accident or something major going on.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

Be aware that, although Texas has no income tax, property taxes are exceedingly high.

Texas doesn't even have the highest property tax RATES in the US. They belong to New Jersey.

Actual cash expense for property taxes in most areas of Texas are only slightly higher than national averages because of lower home prices.

I suggest that actual $$ spent every year matters much more than tax rates.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by eepstein

As a former California resident, I would BEG you to reconsider your decision of leaving the state. California is having it's share of issues right now, but WHY WHY WHY would you wanna give up everything and move to Austin???? I can virtually guarentee that Austin would never live up to the flase expectations the media gives out. Just stay in California another year or so and see what happens. If you MUST leave California, AVOID Texas and try Colorado or Arizona. If you MUST move to Texas, try Dallas instead. It is lightyears ahead of Austin is nearly every respect.

California will not turn itself around in one year. It will not matter whether Jerry Brown or Meg Whitman is governor.

The legislature will still be screwed up, the 2/3 rule for a budget will be in place, the unions will still be too powerful, Prop 13 is still in place, the prisons are still a mess, etc.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by JayBrown80

Well, make sure to post in the SA forums as well. SA is a heavily Catholic town, so you should find a lot of advice on your home-schooling and church question. Perhaps some people there are even familiar with services like that here in Austin.

As far as the neighborhood question, I will leave that to one of our many realtors. They are much better versed than I.

I sort of wonder why people think Texas is more conservative than California. Is California really that liberal? I have never been there myself, but I wonder if "liberal California" is just a mirage. Sort of the way people think everyone in Texas is a cowboy and rides a horse to work. I mean, didn't Cali pass prop 8? Oh well, best of luck to you.

The fundamental issue with California is that it is addicted to government. I can understand why some think Texas does too little for people. But California's pendulum swings the other way.

[Jacqueline Richert]

My husband and I moved to Austin from northern CA 6 years ago, mainly because of the cost of living...
We have 2 girls, ages 8 and 6, and we LOVE this area. You are right that TX has not felt the economic blow like most other states, and the job market has remained pretty steady. There are a few companies actually moving their headquarters here very soon. One is called HostGator.com
I'm not sure what they do, but your husband may want to explore that. I believe they will be hiring 300 employees. We have so many tech companies here, so chances are he will find something
Have you considered any surrounding cities like Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander? These are all within 45 minute commute to UT (except maybe during rush hour!) Dell is headquartered in RR.
And we do have amazing hiking, creeks, lakes, etc. Part of Austin actually remind me so much of northern CA. I really love this area, and can't think of a better place to raise a family

[TexasHorseLady]

I would say that with that commute to the UT area, depending on your budget, you'd want to consider perhaps either the Driftwood/Dripping Springs area (I know lots of homeschoolers in that area so you'd have a support system readily in place, though, really, homeschooling is pretty common throughout the area and there's a lot of support for it), Cedar Park/Leander (good access to the lakes), Georgetown would be at the outside of your commute but doable and has very nice parks, or you could live in the Lake Travis area.

Closer in, Barton Hills would provide a very short commute to UT and ready access to the Barton Creek Greenbelt and Zilker Park and Lady Bird Lake, plus amenities that would be helpful in homeschooling, from the Austin Nature Center to the Dougherty Arts Center programs to museums and so on.

I've had several clients move here from California and love it. Do, as said, when you're purchasing, keep the property taxes in mind, but you'll have time to examine that and evaluate where you want to buy from that perspective while you're living here, since you'll be renting.