Buying my first home in San Antonio but stumped on which area to settle in. (Houston: real estate, apartment)

[jadedstoic]

I apologize in advance for bringing up a question/topic that I know is posted a lot here, but based on my situation and the latest construction and whatnot, the info I've found searching is either dated or not as relevant.

I moved here a few years back from Philadelphia and due to some solid career opportunities it appears now is the time to plant some roots and use my Texas Vet home loan on a place I enjoy living that will also be a wise investment.

I've rented downtown Pearl area, Bulverde/1604 area, Shavano area, Medical Center area, and this latest time down in Southtown. My intention was after this lease to go for one of the newer industrial type of builds in Southtown, but after living here a year and seeing prices rise beyond what I personally value the area, I've started looking elsewhere.

I'm single early thirties with a 70lb pup. Work is downtown. I'd like to live near a decent size park to fetch/run with the dog. Looking to spend 200-300K on a single story around 1500-2k sqft.

Been mostly looking at 78232 neighborhoods and 50/50 on if I should get a pool or not. Though I worry the values there may stagnate as more areas are developed. I've also considered something up 281 toward Bulverde to be near Guadalupe River and am assuming home values up that way will rise once 281 construction is finished. Today I drove up to Timberwood Park for the first time to view a home and really liked the atmosphere but know very little about that area.

Considering the growth of the city and investment factors, I'm also tempted to target the older homes on larger lots (.5 acre+) around 410, areas like Castle Hills.

Curious to see if anyone here has some input or guidance on my situation.

[ashbeeigh]

You sound a lot like me, even though I'm in Austin. I think 78232 is a great option. If you can find something off of the Salado Creek greenbelt and walk/bike/run to Hardberger that would be amazing. That would be my dream if I were to move back down that way. The larger lots in Castle Hills would also put you nearby Hardberger. When I lived off 410/Jackson Keller I was at Hardberger 3 plus times a week.

I love the southtown/pearl idea but you have gotten the same vibe I have, it's fun and nice, but pricey. With being in your 30s and single I would strongly suggest being closer into town if settling down is what you want. It's going to be a LOT of families and retired folks.

I also would check out the Medical Center in 78240 and 78229. When I left SA I lived off Wurzbach and Callaghan and saw lots of houses coming up since many of them were fixer uppers with a single owner who passed away (lived close to doctors and hospitals) and now the kids are selling the homes. What did you think of the area when you were there?

If you love the military, cookie cutter vibes then far west SA may work too, but that sounds like hell to me, personally.

[jadedstoic]

How do you like Austin compared to SA? I debated quite a bit between here and there and eventually went with San Antonio due to a job opportunity at USAA. I have family here as well as up in Leander. Being former military I have some advantage with the DoD career opportunities here but don't necessarily like being surrounded by military types.

I thought the medical center was alright when I lived there but have always kind of found myself in the 281/1604 area for most purposes. When living in Castle Hills Forest just south of Shavano I had access in the back of the neighborhood to Salado Creek greenbelt and often went to Hardberger park. Great area. My only gripe was the NW military/Wurzbach intersection traffic and it taking a bit longer to get around due to being 10-15min from either I-10 or 281. That and what you get for the price there isn't the best due to how wealthy the area code is and general demand. Also seemed to be an older crowd in the neighborhoods.

I do wonder if the housing market is in a bit of a bubble and taking a little downturn. Hard to say with so many people relocating here and such a healthy economy.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by jadedstoic

How do you like Austin compared to SA? I debated quite a bit between here and there and eventually went with San Antonio due to a job opportunity at USAA. I have family here as well as up in Leander. Being former military I have some advantage with the DoD career opportunities here but don't necessarily like being surrounded by military types.

I thought the medical center was alright when I lived there but have always kind of found myself in the 281/1604 area for most purposes. When living in Castle Hills Forest just south of Shavano I had access in the back of the neighborhood to Salado Creek greenbelt and often went to Hardberger park. Great area. My only gripe was the NW military/Wurzbach intersection traffic and it taking a bit longer to get around due to being 10-15min from either I-10 or 281. That and what you get for the price there isn't the best due to how wealthy the area code is and general demand. Also seemed to be an older crowd in the neighborhoods.

I do wonder if the housing market is in a bit of a bubble and taking a little downturn. Hard to say with so many people relocating here and such a healthy economy.

There is not a big difference, from my perspective, between Austin and San Antonio for someone in their mid 20s and early 30s. If you're a hipster who likes live music, spaghetti in a jar, scooters and being carless it's the place for you. If you want to get away from the humdrum life of San Antonio (that's how I was seeing it) Austin is a good place for you. The cost of living is higher. I'm paying about $1200 for a newer apartment just on the outskirts of town. I'm trying to find something a bit more central (because that's where all my things are) but finding anything that isn't a rundown mess is turning out to be very hard. I do miss Salado Creek and Valero for my running. I love Austin because I have lots of open areas for my dog to run around, whereas in SA I basically bound to Hardberger or McAllister, both of which are a trek from any of the places I lived. I did not have a dog when I was in SA, though. FWIW, I have some friends that are a young couple who just moved to East Austin from 78232 when one was offered a job at a start up and another for facebook. They seem to be living it up in the hip gentrifed area of Austin. Feel free to message me about the differences. Check zillow or other realty websites to see what the price range for something you're looking at here versus Austin would be. It's probably about double.

[TexasRedneck]

Just my thoughts - Austin has historically been the place to "be seen" and "hip". San Antonio is more for those who were more concerned with family life and traditional values, as well as independence. You'll find Austin has a regulation for just about anything - even down to what you can/can't do with trees on your own property. Regulatory issues in Austin can be a nightmare maze of red tape and added layers of cost unless you've got someone dedicated to keeping up with it all.

Austin's recent "embracing" of the homeless sounds great - unless you're one of the residents affected by them camping out in the vacant lot next door, or in the right-of-way along the route to your child's school, or your wife's favorite jogging trail. And if you go downtown, be ready for an assault on your senses by the enclaves of homeless that now roam freely.

I worked for a company that just HAD to have an office in Austin city limits. Against my advice, they bought a property to build on. Three years and over $100,000 later, they had yet to turn a shovel and when they got the final construction bids discovered that the various regulatory/compliance costs had doubled what the building would have cost otherwise and finally pulled the plug on the idea. We bought property just outside of Hutto instead, and had the 10,000 sq ft building built and operating in under a year at less than half what it would have cost at the old location, with property taxes about 1/3 of what they would have been. Many other companies have found the same - and have gone the same route.

[tennis32801]

Originally Posted by jadedstoic

but after living here a year and seeing prices rise beyond what I personally value the area, I've started looking elsewhere.

That’s a perfect statement. Having rented near the pearl my first year in SA and now in Alamo Heights near Basse/Broadway, I prefer looking for houses down this corridor. But dang how can some of these ugly “houses” asking for $300k. And it’s not like these neighborhoods are pretty. If my job wasn’t a Sam Houston base, I would rather live near hill country, at least the geography is so much prettier there. I do hope there a market correction.

[Azure110]

While Austin may have a big number of homeless population, it seems most of it is concentrated in the downtown area. In San Antonio, the homeless seem to be more spread out throughout the city. At the end of the day, every city has homeless population and there is no escaping that issue.

I am not seeing skid row or San Francisco levels of homeless issues (yet) though. We may get there though as the population keeps growing and prices keep rising. Of course some here think it is a great thing to have population growth and rising real estate costs.

[ged_782]

Originally Posted by tennis32801

That’s a perfect statement. Having rented near the pearl my first year in SA and now in Alamo Heights near Basse/Broadway, I prefer looking for houses down this corridor. But dang how can some of these ugly “houses” asking for $300k. And it’s not like these neighborhoods are pretty. If my job wasn’t a Sam Houston base, I would rather live near hill country, at least the geography is so much prettier there. I do hope there a market correction.

Of course, Broadway/Basse is in AHISD, so you pay a premium whether you are renting or buying, regardless of whether or not you have children who would be attending those schools.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Azure110

While Austin may have a big number of homeless population, it seems most of it is concentrated in the downtown area. In San Antonio, the homeless seem to be more spread out throughout the city. At the end of the day, every city has homeless population and there is no escaping that issue.

I am not seeing skid row or San Francisco levels of homeless issues (yet) though. We may get there though as the population keeps growing and prices keep rising. Of course some here think it is a great thing to have population growth and rising real estate costs.

Ehhhh. Come hang with me in far south Austin a bit or I'd be happy to take you to 183/Rundberg.

[TXcamSS]

Originally Posted by jadedstoic

I moved here a few years back from Philadelphia

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