Moving to San Antonio and can't find a neighborhood (Dallas: house, safe neighborhood)

[Jordyntex]

I recently just moved to San Antonio from the Dallas fortworth area. I'm used to living in fairly decent suburbs there. Since moving here I haven't found many surrounding towns or suburbs that just wowed me which leads me to believe I'm not looking in the right places. I'm pretty optimistic and open minded that I will find some where comparable though. What area could I afford with a budget of 550,000 for a house in San Antonio or surrounding areas. Ideally somewhere safe and or gated in a newer subdivision. I was told that in order to be in a good area I would need a budget of 750,000 which if that's the case new braunfels and bulverde make much more sense if I have to spend that. Id prefer to stick with my original budget and stay in San Antonio. Recommendations any one ?

[Me007gold]

With a budget of $550,000 you can live pretty much any where you want in the city.

[rynetwo]

Stone Oak, Alamo Ranch, Cibolo Canyons, Leon Springs.

[Azure110]

Originally Posted by Jordyntex

I recently just moved to San Antonio from the Dallas fortworth area. I'm used to living in fairly decent suburbs there. Since moving here I haven't found many surrounding towns or suburbs that just wowed me which leads me to believe I'm not looking in the right places. I'm pretty optimistic and open minded that I will find some where comparable though. What area could I afford with a budget of 550,000 for a house in San Antonio or surrounding areas. Ideally somewhere safe and or gated in a newer subdivision. I was told that in order to be in a good area I would need a budget of 750,000 which if that's the case new braunfels and bulverde make much more sense if I have to spend that. Id prefer to stick with my original budget and stay in San Antonio. Recommendations any one ?

Maybe you should lower your expectations on what you can get for $550,000 here in San Antonio although that amount of money will get you in some pretty nice areas (IN SAN ANTONIO) that are safe and gated.

[TXEX06]

Shavano Park and Garden Ridge

[sapphire]

For comparison, where did you live in the DFW area?

[Jordyntex]

Originally Posted by sapphire

For comparison, where did you live in the DFW area?

I lived in flower mound in Denton county and Frisco in Collin county

[rynetwo]

I would also add Deerfield.

[mrtwostep]

I second Deerfield as it's a nice community relative to many others in this town. I was in a similar situation to you when I first moved here and settled in Stone Oak initially. I ended up moving since I didn't like living outside 1604. Shavano / Alamo Heights are your other best bets given the price range you're looking for. I still struggle with finding decent neighborhoods to live in here in town as they are all a bit underwhelming in some respect....although the people are nice.

[TexasRedneck]

I lived in some of the poorer neighborhoods in the SA area over the years, and only had one issue - theft of a truck. That's over a 28 year span. MOST of the crime, IMO, comes from not being alert/aware and has less to do with where you live. So many seem to think that gated areas make them safer. I've been in and out of enough to know that it's not really true - if an area develops a reputation for being an "easy mark", the lowlifes WILL find a way to come.

Most of the area knew I was armed, and would be very inconsistent in my schedule - and that usually made it harder to guess when it was "safe" to attempt something. To be sure - luck played a large part in it, but I always ensured that my windows and doors were as visible from the street as humanly possible, keeping shrubs, etc. trimmed back. I also found that things like rose bushes, etc - almost any vegetation with the ability to stick or poke someone - around windows, etc. to be a good deterrent.

Bottom line - there IS no "safe neighborhood" - just safe practices.