Moving to Texas - Hill Country? (Austin, Bastrop: sale, lease, house)

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by PAtoTX

To answer a few questions.

-Commute times and dealing with traffic, I can avoid as I make and plan my own schedule. We live in the country now, but are 30-60 minutes from anything we could want or need (would like to have the same in TX)
-We like the hill country just as the hills are similar to where we live in PA. Hard to put a finger on it but we have been very attracted to the area. Its also fairly central to where my travels are.
-Daughter is graduating from college, son is homeschooled, so schools are no impact
-Avid outdoors type of living - fishing, hunting, hiking, etc. Anything outdoors we do as a family
-Budget - 500-750K total

We have been looking from Boerne to Marble Falls. Heading down in a few weeks to look around some of the areas.

You might want to drive through Lufkin and Nacogdoches. There is a little ridge between Nacogdoches and Center that gives the area a little height. The area is on the wet side of the dry line so it has trees and grass.

I drive to Houston every month and can make Houston Intercontinental in three hours. Dallas is closer to four hours. There is no commute traffic.

There is one problem you will face in east Texas and maybe in the hill country as well, internet access. You need to make sure that you can get terrestrial internet access where ever you go.

A quick search of realtor.com shows some with the land you are looking for at a price you are willing to pay. Be aware that I made a search for farms and the results include chicken farms so you have to exclude them from the metrics as they have the cost of a significant business built into them. For example a 140 farm with a nice house may sell for 600,000 dollars, but a chicken farm with modern equipment may only have 40 acres and sell for over a million dollars.

Nacogdoches Farms and Ranches for Sale-Nacogdoches, TX Farm/Ranch Real Estate - realtor.com®

Remember there is a little elevation to the North East of Nacogdoches and the land starts getting flatter the further south you go.

Cheers
Qazulight

[Chimuelojones]

Originally Posted by PAtoTX

Hi All,

In the process of planning our move to Texas. Currently live in PA, but work frequently in Texas. Here are my requirements.

1 to 1.5 hours to airport. Under 4 hours to the major cities. I travel for work and have a home office, so we have tremendous flexibility in where we live. Would like to have a minimum of 10 acres, but prefer 50 or more if I can afford it. We are avid outdoors family so the more room to spread out the better.

Looking to build or buy and will have a pool.

Not committed to hill country, it is just an area that we like. Open to ideas, thoughts suggestions, recommendations and even realtors. We are going to spend a week looking around in early December.

Oh and I have up to 18 months to make the move.

san antonio real estate - by owner classifieds "hill country" - craigslist

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/sea...pe=12&hasPic=1

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by PAtoTX

Hi All,

In the process of planning our move to Texas. Currently live in PA, but work frequently in Texas. Here are my requirements.

1 to 1.5 hours to airport. Under 4 hours to the major cities. I travel for work and have a home office, so we have tremendous flexibility in where we live. Would like to have a minimum of 10 acres, but prefer 50 or more if I can afford it. We are avid outdoors family so the more room to spread out the better.

Looking to build or buy and will have a pool.

Not committed to hill country, it is just an area that we like. Open to ideas, thoughts suggestions, recommendations and even realtors. We are going to spend a week looking around in early December.

Oh and I have up to 18 months to make the move.

"1 to 1.5 hours to airport. "

What kind of airport?

Longview and Tyler have scheduled puddle jumper service, but if you are going to get to your destination when you think you are, then you need to be near an airport at San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas and may be El Paso or Midland. There also may be good service out of Abilene.

However, if you have a private plane, then there are airports at almost every podunk town in Texas. San Augustine Pop 2500, has a nice paved strip. Pineland, unincorporated, has a nice paved strip, Nacogdoches, Pop 32000 has a nice airport with an FBO and a mechanic, Lufkin, POP 32??? has a very nice airport, but I do not believe it has scheduled service.

Good Luck
Cheers
Qazulight

[PAtoTX]

Originally Posted by Qazulight

"1 to 1.5 hours to airport. "

What kind of airport?

Longview and Tyler have scheduled puddle jumper service, but if you are going to get to your destination when you think you are, then you need to be near an airport at San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas and may be El Paso or Midland. There also may be good service out of Abilene.

However, if you have a private plane, then there are airports at almost every podunk town in Texas. San Augustine Pop 2500, has a nice paved strip. Pineland, unincorporated, has a nice paved strip, Nacogdoches, Pop 32000 has a nice airport with an FBO and a mechanic, Lufkin, POP 32??? has a very nice airport, but I do not believe it has scheduled service.

Good Luck
Cheers
Qazulight

Major airport for me for commercial air service. DFW, SAT, AUS, IAH

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by PAtoTX

Major airport for me for commercial air service. DFW, SAT, AUS, IAH

It will be pricy, but I think you are looking at the area between San Antonio and Austin.

Good luck

Qazulight

[PAtoTX]

Appreciate all the responses. We are flying into DFW in December and will spend 7 days touring the hill country and other areas that look promising.

I'd also say that we changed our thoughts a little on land in that our biggest want is TREES! I'm not looking for pastures, grasses or grazing fields. I'd rather have a 15 acre timbered property than a 100 acre field, we honed in on the hill country since it has both trees and hills. We also will consider stretching the distance to an airport if we find the "right" property. I've got a 2 hour commute to the airport now here in PA, flying somewhere every other week and I don't have a problem with it.

As they say, Location, Location, Location!

[Johnhw2]

I prefer the Hill Country area west of San Antonio. Boerne is closer in than your requirements but move north along highway 46 to near Bergheim. I like Cordillera ranch very much but it is expensive with smaller lot size than you seek but near it might be great. Cordillera is an 8000 acre development for 2000 homes with Jack Nicklaus golf and other clubs such as a river club along the Guadalupe River which runs through it.

I also like the area our near Comfort Tx along I10.

I lived in Western Pa and considering retiring to Hill Country but some issues with the live oaks concerned me and family was closer to Dallas area so I am in Plano.


Good luck and fire away questions if any.

[Qazulight]

Originally Posted by PAtoTX

Appreciate all the responses. We are flying into DFW in December and will spend 7 days touring the hill country and other areas that look promising.

I'd also say that we changed our thoughts a little on land in that our biggest want is TREES! I'm not looking for pastures, grasses or grazing fields. I'd rather have a 15 acre timbered property than a 100 acre field, we honed in on the hill country since it has both trees and hills. We also will consider stretching the distance to an airport if we find the "right" property. I've got a 2 hour commute to the airport now here in PA, flying somewhere every other week and I don't have a problem with it.

As they say, Location, Location, Location!

Lufkin gets you to IAH in two hours. Trees abound. Land is cheap.

Cheers
Qazulight

[LordyLordy]

One thing: you mentioned that you are an avid outdoors type. I am not sure what you mean by that but you should know that TX is 96% private land. The only two large areas with public lands are Big Bend (the national park with about 800,000 acres and the State Ranch park with about 300,000 acres) and the few forests in the east part of the state. For me "outdoors" is a place where I can go and not see anyone for a while, places like Idaho, WY, MT, NM etc. If by outdoors type you mean trampling in a tiny little park with hundreds of others zooming on bikes next to you or running or hiking then yes, you should be fine. Otherwise it is all fences everywhere and be prepared to spend money leasing land or owning lots of your own. For example, people get wet about the Hill Country SNA but in reality it is only 5,000 acres. We camped there with our horses in the middle of the Texa summer (when you don't expect many visitors) and we were all by ourselves in the camping area but the trails even then we ran into people bicycling, horseback riding etc. Not easy to get away...

Big Bend on the other hand, if I had a phat bank account, that's where I would live. You can go off a few miles from the state or national park entrance and not see a soul all day....

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by PAtoTX

Appreciate all the responses. We are flying into DFW in December and will spend 7 days touring the hill country and other areas that look promising.

I'd also say that we changed our thoughts a little on land in that our biggest want is TREES! I'm not looking for pastures, grasses or grazing fields. I'd rather have a 15 acre timbered property than a 100 acre field, we honed in on the hill country since it has both trees and hills. We also will consider stretching the distance to an airport if we find the "right" property. I've got a 2 hour commute to the airport now here in PA, flying somewhere every other week and I don't have a problem with it.

As they say, Location, Location, Location!

If you want TREES & hills, AND less expensive than the "hill country", I'd be looking at areas 60-90 miles north of IAH (heavily forested & hilly)....which resembles many areas of the Southeast. Huntsville, Madisonville, Cleveland, Livingston, Trinity, Corrigan, Groveton, Lufkin, Crocket & areas surrounding & in between.

And areas 30-60 miles east of Austin Bergstrom (lightly forested & hilly) which was settled by the Germans & Czechs & is more Central Texas. (Bastrop, La Grange, Giddings, Smithville, Flatonia & areas surrounding & in between)

Both areas have Pros & Cons but definitely have what you're looking for.