Austin dreams

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

Eh, just stay east of 3009.

You might getting this asshole and his lovely wife west of 281 off TX 46. between Bulverde and Blanco Rd. We might be pulling the trigger on some land with the intention the build within three years. Visited a number of properties yesterday and man I love it out there. Having Guadalupe St Park just a few minutes from my front door will be a blast.

[tx 3 putt 78916]

With enough rain, the park will come to you 

[F250 29240]

1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

You might getting this asshole and his lovely wife west of 281 off TX 46. between Bulverde and Blanco Rd. We might be pulling the trigger on some land with the intention the build within three years. Visited a number of properties yesterday and man I love it out there. Having Guadalupe St Park just a few minutes from my front door will be a blast.

That's a pretty good spot. I have a few friends in that area, one of my son's played baseball for a team that held practices on their property right off Ammann road, you got to love property with it's own baseball diamond. I'm over on the other side of 281, about 10 minutes from Canyon Lake.

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Hey Dago, where will you be working?

Just kidding, I read it the three different times you mentioned it but people refused to read it.

Seems like y'all assholes have this covered, but I figured I would throw in my anecdotal experience.  I lived in Austin from 95-99, 2002-2006, and finally 2012 to 2013.  That last stint was after looking to the old site for job help, and it worked for both myself and my wife, so we moved to Austin.  Unfortunately, it didn't work out and we moved back after 15 months.  Some of the reasons were personal (lost pregnancy, career stagnation), but other reasons were Austin had changed and I wasn't really ready for that change.  Part of me still expected at least the Austin of the early millennium, but even that Austin was dead 4-5 times over.

However, having lived in Houston the majority of my life (followed by Austin, then DC and Brazil), I find the traffic argument pretty overblown.  Yeah, it can suck at times, but it is not worse than any other place I have lived.  My commute in Austin was from the "Y" to just north of Wells Branch.  Since i go to work early, morning commutes are rarely a problem.  The afternoon commute was about the same as it was in Houston, both distance and time.

I know this doesn't mean a shit to you Dago, but maybe it will for other people thinking about making the move.

Honestly, there are a lot of times I wish I had not moved back to Houston in 2013.  If someone offered me a job there that paid just as much as I make in Houston (as well as for my wife), then we would heavily consider it.  Problem is, I just can't afford to live in the places I used to rent in in Austin.  I loved living in Westcreek.  Easy Access to MOPAC, plenty of restaurants and grocery stores in the area.  But I can't afford a house there now, and while I am not Surly 1%, I think $200,000/year household income is fairly respectable.  If we did go back, it would need to be something like Dripping or out towards Cedar Park or something.

I am going to echo a few other poster's sentiments about northern burbs of San Antonio.  I would loved to live out in Bulverde or Spring Branch.  However, I have yet to convince my wife.  Although just today she was asking me to show her those areas this fall.

Like you, I am burnt out on Houston.  I have always had a love/hate thing with this city.  The only reason I am here is because all my family is here. 

[Updawg 2398]

I've been commuting up and down mopac for 20+ years. The afternoon trip going south has become exponentially worse in the last 5 years

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I've been commuting up and down mopac for 20+ years. The afternoon trip going south has become exponentially worse in the last 5 years

You can’t blame me. I already left by then.

[jimmyjazz 47401]

31 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I am going to echo a few other poster's sentiments about northern burbs of San Antonio.  I would loved to live out in Bulverde or Spring Branch.

My kid had a soccer tournament in Bulverde this spring, and in a long delay between matches I drove around the area, mostly SW towards Helotes.  I checked out a couple of houses that seemed pretty nice, and honestly, I was a bit surprised at the prices.  They didn't seem like the bargains I expected.  I can't recall exactly, but for sure I saw some in the $600K range that were pretty typical 2-story houses, maybe 3,000 sf, although I guess they were on slightly larger parcels (an acre?) than one sees in Austin.  Maybe I found the secret hideout of upper mid-level insurance managers or something.  Nice area, though.

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

14 hours ago, F250 said:

That's a pretty good spot. I have a few friends in that area, one of my son's played baseball for a team that held practices on their property right off Ammann road, you got to love property with it's own baseball diamond. I'm over on the other side of 281, about 10 minutes from Canyon Lake.

 

Over the last two weekends,  we covered a lot of square miles in the  area and it's all wonderful landscapes.   Funny thing is I've been all over the Hill Country since I was a kid, but never paid a visit once to Canyon Lake until now.  Why I've avoid it this long I don't know?   Can't wait to find some buds up there with a boat and have some fun on the water.  LOL 

We started off first wanting to something east of 281, closer to New Braunfels or off 281 going up towards Blanco.   We spent the balance of last Saturday west of 281 on  46 and found what we wanted.  For now there is a little less traffic out there although that probably won't last too much longer.  But from what I gather talking to some of the builders, it might take a little longer for it to explode with development  vs what has occurred east of 281 on 46.   

 

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

11 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

My kid had a soccer tournament in Bulverde this spring, and in a long delay between matches I drove around the area, mostly SW towards Helotes.  I checked out a couple of houses that seemed pretty nice, and honestly, I was a bit surprised at the prices.  They didn't seem like the bargains I expected.  I can't recall exactly, but for sure I saw some in the $600K range that were pretty typical 2-story houses, maybe 3,000 sf, although I guess they were on slightly larger parcels (an acre?) than one sees in Austin.  Maybe I found the secret hideout of upper mid-level insurance managers or something.  Nice area, though.

The prices on existing or new construction homes in some of these developments gave us a little sticker shock.  But you are correct, many of these homes in the prices range you noted are built on an acre plus of land which in Austin and even down here in Corpus unless you live on fringes of the city going out west and north , is hard to find in a development like setting. There are plenty of homes in some of these master planned communities in the 300K to 400k range, but you will be living almost on top of your neighbor as they build on the 40' to 60' lots and if you want the square footage, you have no choice but to build up.   Most of these developments   are closer to  city limits or just right inside Boerne or  New Braunfels, vs the ones which have the acre plus lots which you probably saw. I think what possibly adds to the cost is the amenities that are being put in these newer developments and they are capturing the cost up front vs having to charge and arm and a leg for HOA fees to recoup some of the investment. 

The development we looked at it is in the building stages right now and they don't even have the roads fully built.   When all is said and done with the land purchase and eventual build, we will probably spend in the 500K range.  That would be for an acre and some change in land, plus a single story home in the neighborhood of 2800 to 3000 sf.  That's if we go with this particular parcel of land as we still haven't made a final decision.      

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

12 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

 

I am going to echo a few other poster's sentiments about northern burbs of San Antonio.  I would loved to live out in Bulverde or Spring Branch.  However, I have yet to convince my wife.  Although just today she was asking me to show her those areas this fall.

 

I'll give you the same advice which I gave Texasdago .   Make a full three day weekend out of it and show  your wife the entire area from Boerne to New Braunfels hugging Tx 46.   If your wife must be close to places to shop, she will see they are relatively close to any point you pick in this area.   And that goes from your HEB Plus like stores , Target's etc to having the malls like North Star and La Cantera in SA   within a 30 min drive  and the San Marcos outlets within the same distance.   You are close to Boerne and New Braunfels so you can take advantage of some of the cool things they have there like places to eat and hang out.   If she likes the outdoors like you do, then it's almost a slam dunk and if she finds something wrong with that aspect, I don't know what to tell you?  LOL.    

My wife is a small town girl who then went to living in the typical suburban like environment   and likes having neighbors where I'd be happy living out in the sticks like in Leakey or Utopia.  For all the time we spent in the Hill Country and talking about making a move, she always envisioned moving into one of these small towns into an established neighborhood or new development with cookie cutter style homes.  It took me showing her this area and the more open spaces one could have and still be in a neighborhood like setting for her to change her mind.  

[texasdago 7775]

14 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Hey Dago, where will you be working?

Just kidding, I read it the three different times you mentioned it but people refused to read it.

Seems like y'all assholes have this covered, but I figured I would throw in my anecdotal experience.  I lived in Austin from 95-99, 2002-2006, and finally 2012 to 2013.  That last stint was after looking to the old site for job help, and it worked for both myself and my wife, so we moved to Austin.  Unfortunately, it didn't work out and we moved back after 15 months.  Some of the reasons were personal (lost pregnancy, career stagnation), but other reasons were Austin had changed and I wasn't really ready for that change.  Part of me still expected at least the Austin of the early millennium, but even that Austin was dead 4-5 times over.

However, having lived in Houston the majority of my life (followed by Austin, then DC and Brazil), I find the traffic argument pretty overblown.  Yeah, it can suck at times, but it is not worse than any other place I have lived.  My commute in Austin was from the "Y" to just north of Wells Branch.  Since i go to work early, morning commutes are rarely a problem.  The afternoon commute was about the same as it was in Houston, both distance and time.

I know this doesn't mean a shit to you Dago, but maybe it will for other people thinking about making the move.

Honestly, there are a lot of times I wish I had not moved back to Houston in 2013.  If someone offered me a job there that paid just as much as I make in Houston (as well as for my wife), then we would heavily consider it.  Problem is, I just can't afford to live in the places I used to rent in in Austin.  I loved living in Westcreek.  Easy Access to MOPAC, plenty of restaurants and grocery stores in the area.  But I can't afford a house there now, and while I am not Surly 1%, I think $200,000/year household income is fairly respectable.  If we did go back, it would need to be something like Dripping or out towards Cedar Park or something.

I am going to echo a few other poster's sentiments about northern burbs of San Antonio.  I would loved to live out in Bulverde or Spring Branch.  However, I have yet to convince my wife.  Although just today she was asking me to show her those areas this fall.

Like you, I am burnt out on Houston.  I have always had a love/hate thing with this city.  The only reason I am here is because all my family is here. 

Good insight.  Knowing my wife, the burbs like Bulverde or Spring Branch (drove through there about 6 months ago... wasn't thrilled with what I saw but was just passing through)  and I don't she would go for them.  Maybe something like Steiner Ranch since I'm told by friends that it offers a lot.  We're both from the city.  In reality, country living is not for us but we want it to be accessible and by accessible I don't mean a bunch of aggies in Brenham.

Yeah, done with Houston.  Done seeing possible storms brewing in the Gulf.  My problem is like yours - family here.  The kids obviously don't want to move but if I can manage moving from one country to another, they can move from one Texas city to another.  

[crash_davis 23470]

i skimmed most of the responses.  as covered, austin and surrounding areas offer a ton of options.  do you want hill country like dripping springs, driftwood.  do you want lake travis area and live close to and play on the lake?  do you want the city like crestview or barton hills?  do you want the best of both worlds of city/hill country like northwest hills?  there are other options but i am focusing on the where you live for 600k.

how old are your kids?  an easy sell for them to move here is access to lake travis.  get a boat and spend the weekends on a boat on lake travis.  your kids will love it.  it's an absolutely beautiful lake, great scenery and wonderful blue water.  if you can work from home and commute is not an issue, then look at north shore homes in cedar park, jonestown, and maybe even lago vista.

if you want in town, then i suggest north and north central austin.  south of the river has more of the congestion and tourist bullshit.  i love crestview area.  close enough to downtown and town lake but don't get any of the tourist and as much traffic bullshit.  bryker woods area is ideal but not sure you can get in there for 600k.  far west is great area, or northwest hills a little further north.

we have a boat at the lago vista marina (in-laws live in lago).  all summer almost every weekend, we are on lake travis.  it's a 50 min drive from our house to the marina, but it's an easy scenic drive.  driving 50 mins in houston is an ugly affair.  if we don't want to do lake travis, we throw paddle boards on top of my tahoe and head to town lake.  it's only 7 miles from my house to the launch site next to austin high.  we also routinely walk/run the hike&bike trail around town lake.  we are a water and outdoors family so austin really works for us.

i would decide on what you want and where do you want to be close to.

re schools, most aisd schools are the same.  austin high and bowie are enormous by austin standards.  anderson is a good option.  mccallum is meh.  don't know anything about akins or crockett.  LASA is probably the "best" academic option if your kids can get in.

 

[crash_davis 23470]

might want to hurry up that move to austin.

 

[texasdago 7775]

9 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

might want to hurry up that move to austin.

 

Yeah - I'm tired of reading that garbage.

What about Balcones Hills?

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Good insight.  Knowing my wife, the burbs like Bulverde or Spring Branch (drove through there about 6 months ago... wasn't thrilled with what I saw but was just passing through)  and I don't she would go for them.  Maybe something like Steiner Ranch since I'm told by friends that it offers a lot.  We're both from the city.  In reality, country living is not for us but we want it to be accessible and by accessible I don't mean a bunch of aggies in Brenham.
Yeah, done with Houston.  Done seeing possible storms brewing in the Gulf.  My problem is like yours - family here.  The kids obviously don't want to move but if I can manage moving from one country to another, they can move from one Texas city to another.  

Yeah, that area around Bulverde is more my dream than my wife’s. She is from a small town and prefers to live in the city or suburbs of a large city. She just isn’t sold on SA. She likes it, but not sure about living. In reality, it would need to be closer in like the Stone Oak area.

But if we both had jobs and could afford to live where we were in Austin in 2013, we would give it very, very hard consideration.

It is funny that I just saw this thread yesterday as my wife started her bi-annual talk about moving back to Austin. It’s mostly fantasy talk.

[crash_davis 23470]

31 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Yeah - I'm tired of reading that garbage.

What about Balcones Hills?

I forgot about Balcones.  Another great area.  Hill country terrain and only 10-15 mins from downtown Austin.  That area is mostly zoned to Anderson but some are zoned to McCallum.

[GreenspointTexas 10016]

Houston traffic is pretty great for a city with over 6 million people in the greater area

[F250 29240]

5 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

Over the last two weekends,  we covered a lot of square miles in the  area and it's all wonderful landscapes.   Funny thing is I've been all over the Hill Country since I was a kid, but never paid a visit once to Canyon Lake until now.  Why I've avoid it this long I don't know?   Can't wait to find some buds up there with a boat and have some fun on the water.  LOL 

We started off first wanting to something east of 281, closer to New Braunfels or off 281 going up towards Blanco.   We spent the balance of last Saturday west of 281 on  46 and found what we wanted.  For now there is a little less traffic out there although that probably won't last too much longer.  But from what I gather talking to some of the builders, it might take a little longer for it to explode with development  vs what has occurred east of 281 on 46.   

 

There is still a lot of agriculture in that area, it will be awhile before development takes over. We've been in Spring Branch for about 17 years and the growth was pretty slow up until the past 5 years.

For the most part the zoning restrictions have been pretty good about keeping development under control. The area you are looking at used to have a minimum of 13 acres per lot, I'm not sure if that's still the case. Even the more crowded areas off of 281 had a minimum requirement of 1 acre which prevented the growth of overcrowded tract housing.

[Jack Straw 2955]

On 7/3/2019 at 1:30 PM, texasdago said:

And I'm coming to eat all the gelato at Dolce Neve.

 

Gemelli >> Dolce Neve 

just sayin

[GreenspointTexas 10016]

There is a Dolce Neve in Houston

[texasdago 7775]

1 hour ago, GreenspointTexas said:

There is a Dolce Neve in Houston

Yes, there is... been to the location a few times once I heard they were opening locally.  Italians I know in Austin also give a thumbs up to Dolce Bacio.  

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

2 hours ago, F250 said:

There is still a lot of agriculture in that area, it will be awhile before development takes over. We've been in Spring Branch for about 17 years and the growth was pretty slow up until the past 5 years.

For the most part the zoning restrictions have been pretty good about keeping development under control. The area you are looking at used to have a minimum of 13 acres per lot, I'm not sure if that's still the case. Even the more crowded areas off of 281 had a minimum requirement of 1 acre which prevented the growth of overcrowded tract housing.

We are looking at an area  off  Blanco Rd which has 1 to 3 acre tracts and minimum home square footage of 2400 living space which means when you throw in the garage and patio/porch areas, it's give or take on either side of 3000 sq ft.   

And yea I can see how Bulverde has drawn the city limit boundaries , they are trying real hard to keep SA from moving north of 1863.   On Google maps, the city limits looks like a gerrymandered congressional or legislative district.  LOL.   Camp Bullis prevents  SA from trying to go up around Bulverde's west side to snatch land going northward.     

Edited July 8, 2019 by Nueces River Rat

[F250 29240]

8 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

We are looking at an area  off  Blanco Rd which has 1 to 3 acre tracts and minimum home square footage of 2400 living space which means when you throw in the garage and patio/porch areas, it's give or take on either side of 3000 sq ft.   

And yea I can see how Bulverde has drawn the city limit boundaries , they are trying real hard to keep SA from moving north of 1863.   On Google maps, the city limits looks like a gerrymandered congressional or legislative district.  LOL.   Camp Bullis prevents  SA from trying to go up around Bulverde's west side to snatch land going northward.     

I don't see San Antonio crossing the county line into Comal. Bulverde already has most of the area on lockdown. Besides, San Antonio isn't even going to be able to annex the rest of Bexar county on 281 anytime soon. Timberwood Park has been successfully fighting off annexation for 15 years and the last time San Antonio backed down they stated that the matter would be revisited again in the mid 2030's and as you mentioned Camp Bullis is sitting across the street from Timberwood Park and that's military land.

 

 

[Nueces River Rat 5817]

On 7/8/2019 at 10:44 PM, F250 said:

I don't see San Antonio crossing the county line into Comal. Bulverde already has most of the area on lockdown. Besides, San Antonio isn't even going to be able to annex the rest of Bexar county on 281 anytime soon. Timberwood Park has been successfully fighting off annexation for 15 years and the last time San Antonio backed down they stated that the matter would be revisited again in the mid 2030's and as you mentioned Camp Bullis is sitting across the street from Timberwood Park and that's military land.

 

 

It's very apparent the way Bulverde drew their city limits boundaries, their intent was to insure San Antonio stays away.  Looking at Google maps, it looks like  they drew the boundaries just enough to cover some of the roads and some land on either side  and not taking in the huge parcels behind those roads which is very smart in the sense Bulverde doesn't have to provide services to those areas which is probably fine with most who have or will be buying out there.   I'll be happy with that as it will save me a few thousand off my tax bill for not having to pay city taxes to any municipality.   Having to maintain  a septic tank  is no big deal nor having to pay for private garbage pick up.    Probably will still come out ahead vs paying city taxes in SA or Corpus for that matter.  

 

[texasdago 7775]

I've gotten some good insight from 3-4 friends in Austin on areas, the experience, etc.  I'm feeling good about the idea and we're going to do more serious investigating.  I will need to know if HEB is open, though, and where the hornfans tailgate is located.

[texasdago 7775]

Back to Austin this past weekend.  Three things were clear to me...

1. Found some neighborhoods/areas that we liked with good options in our price range or a little bit higher

2. Steiner Ranch is most decidedly not for us.  Same with River Place or Four Points or anything over there.  Nope.

3. The problems of Austin are the problems of a growing city that is just on the cusp.  Better to be in Austin than a dying city like Detroit.  Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[texasdago 7775]

I'm going to assume that living out in the Lakeway area means you better plan on spending most of your time there.  What say y'all?  

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

As frustration with my job mount and looming end of my contract nears, I have applied to every relevant job in Houston. I have now circled back around to Austin and applied to a couple there. I wouldn’t say Austin dreaming, but more like a what if scenario. Goddamn houses are retarded expensive there.

[HenryJames 67615]

13 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I'm going to assume that living out in the Lakeway area means you better plan on spending most of your time there.  What say y'all?  

No, you can also go to Spicewood!

[Guest Lobo]

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

I'm going to assume that living out in the Lakeway area means you better plan on spending most of your time there.  What say y'all?  

I’ve been working out of an office in Lakeway for five months now.  I live just south of downtown so my commute is contra flow, but the people going the other way look intensely more depressed than the average Austin commuter.  And for those that live and work out here, it’s got to be a beat down to drive into austin for anything in the evening unless it’s after 7:30p.  Good news though is it’s easy to get into town on a Saturday for UT games. 

[Neonmoon 38130]

I live within 5 minutes commute of my office. 15 minutes in rush hour after work. I am a unicorn. 

I know this won’t last forever. I will eventually be priced out of my neighborhood or my company will move its office. But I’m going to enjoy the shit out of it while it lasts. 

[SydneyCarton 49540]

Buy a boat and commute to downtown that way. 

[texasdago 7775]

Part of me likes some of the houses I find in Lakeway but also part of me wonders if the population is a bit too "uniform"?   Its not like Austin is a cultural melting pot like Houston but Lakeway seems to take it to a completely different level.

[hornian 5299]

6 hours ago, texasdago said:

Part of me likes some of the houses I find in Lakeway but also part of me wonders if the population is a bit too "uniform"?   Its not like Austin is a cultural melting pot like Houston but Lakeway seems to take it to a completely different level.

I own a house out in Hudson Bend. I like it because it’s not as homogenous. And by that I mean there are million dollar houses next to literal shacks. Also, you don’t pay city  taxes (to either Austin or Lakeway). 

With that said, the only reason I still own it is because my wife refused to move there after we had bought and remodeled the house. We tried to sell it, and then a friend convinced me to use it for an AirBnB since it can be used that way (wouldn’t work in either Lakeway or Austin as its not our primary residence).

I still maintain a fantasy of living out there one day; but for now I simply visit when it’s not being rented out.  The weekend commute isn’t bad, but I think the weekday will be killer until they complete the 2222/360 bypass in Four Points. 

[Anastasis 23728]

2 hours ago, hornian said:

I own a house out in Hudson Bend. I like it because it’s not as homogenous. And by that I mean there are million dollar houses next to literal shacks. Also, you don’t pay city  taxes (to either Austin or Lakeway). 

With that said, the only reason I still own it is because my wife refused to move there after we had bought and remodeled the house. We tried to sell it, and then a friend convinced me to use it for an AirBnB since it can be used that way (wouldn’t work in either Lakeway or Austin as its not our primary residence).

I still maintain a fantasy of living out there one day; but for now I simply visit when it’s not being rented out.  The weekend commute isn’t bad, but I think the weekday will be killer until they complete the 2222/360 bypass in Four Points. 

From that spot you are pretty much committed to going down 2222 which means you get the mess with the nonsense at Steiner and the 2222 intersection.  If you were towards the Bee Caves side, 2244 is fairly easy to make it in to down town. 

[Anastasis 23728]

10 hours ago, texasdago said:

Part of me likes some of the houses I find in Lakeway but also part of me wonders if the population is a bit too "uniform"?   Its not like Austin is a cultural melting pot like Houston but Lakeway seems to take it to a completely different level.

The area definitely lacks socioeconomic diversity. As far as ethnic diversity, there are more brown people on my street out here than there were in central austin by a multiple. But that is not saying much. Austin is one of the most ethnically divided cities in teh United States. 

[texasdago 7775]

2 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

The area definitely lacks socioeconomic diversity. As far as ethnic diversity, there are more brown people on my street out here than there were in central austin by a multiple. But that is not saying much. Austin is one of the most ethnically divided cities in teh United States. 

I think we need to get out there and take a good look around.  You can definitely get more for your money out there and yet be near lots of recreational activites and the hill country.  Have to see if its for us. We'll do that soon enough.  

[Anastasis 23728]

1 minute ago, texasdago said:

I think we need to get out there and take a good look around.  You can definitely get more for your money out there and yet be near lots of recreational activites and the hill country.  Have to see if its for us. We'll do that soon enough.  

Schools, value (relative in Austin), and lake proximity were big drivers for us. QOL is nice, but I don't have to fuck with a commute. 10 minutes to on the water, 20-30 minutes to downtown depending on timing. Limited with some of the dining options out here, but that is all a short hop downtown if we can land a sitter. If I was single, or married with no kids, I would probably hate it out here.  

[texasdago 7775]

4 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

Schools, value (relative in Austin), and lake proximity were big drivers for us. QOL is nice, but I don't have to fuck with a commute. 10 minutes to on the water, 20-30 minutes to downtown depending on timing. Limited with some of the dining options out here, but that is all a short hop downtown if we can land a sitter. If I was single, or married with no kids, I would probably hate it out here.  

That's good perspective and that's comparable to us so I appreciate that take.  What part of Lakeway?  Part of me likes some older homes in what I think is called "Old Lakeway" but that's admittedly farther away.  Seen some cool modern homes in Apache Shores but I've heard pros and cons of that area.  A mix of nice homes and mobile homes.

[Anastasis 23728]

4 minutes ago, texasdago said:

That's good perspective and that's comparable to us so I appreciate that take.  What part of Lakeway?  Part of me likes some older homes in what I think is called "Old Lakeway" but that's admittedly farther away.  Seen some cool modern homes in Apache Shores but I've heard pros and cons of that area.  A mix of nice homes and mobile homes.

I like some of those older houses as well, adds a bit to the commute once you start winding into the older areas. And heaven forbid you go 5 miles over. LWPD has a police palace they have to justify. If I was buying again (and may be soon), I would be looking at some of the new build stuff out 71 or one of the newer "infill" builds in lakeway. 

[Guest Lobo]

I don't know that we could ever live out there, but since I've spent about 2/3rds of my work hours in Lakeway (office between Lakeway Blvd. & the Dam) the last few months...I've really been digging it and certainly see a great deal of the appeal.  Helps that we are just a 10 minute walk down to the boat slip.  That said, whoever above said it was 20 minutes to downtown is absolutely full of shit.  It's 30 minutes in the dead of night with a tailwind and a police escort.  

Edited August 13, 2019 by Lobo

[Chopper 17470]

What do y'all think of the Scofield Ranch area for livability/future appreciation?

Edited August 13, 2019 by Chopper

[CooterBrown 18294]

21 hours ago, texasdago said:

Part of me likes some of the houses I find in Lakeway but also part of me wonders if the population is a bit too "uniform"?   Its not like Austin is a cultural melting pot like Houston but Lakeway seems to take it to a completely different level.

I live central but judging by the clientele at SoccerZone on Lakeline, it's 70% Indian, 20% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 5% Caucasian. Maybe the northern suburbs have more diversity. 

[HenryJames 67615]

21 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

I live central but judging by the clientele at SoccerZone on Lakeline, it's 70% Indian, 20% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 5% Caucasian. Maybe the northern suburbs have more diversity. 

There's a 95% chance future Austin soccer teams will suck.

[texasdago 7775]

4 hours ago, HenryJames said:

There's a 95% chance future Austin soccer teams will suck.

 

4 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

I live central but judging by the clientele at SoccerZone on Lakeline, it's 70% Indian, 20% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 5% Caucasian. Maybe the northern suburbs have more diversity. 

Sounds like my kid will make the Academy team for the new MLS team

[texasdago 7775]

On 8/12/2019 at 10:24 PM, Lobo said:

I don't know that we could ever live out there, but since I've spent about 2/3rds of my work hours in Lakeway (office between Lakeway Blvd. & the Dam) the last few months...I've really been digging it and certainly see a great deal of the appeal.  Helps that we are just a 10 minute walk down to the boat slip.  That said, whoever above said it was 20 minutes to downtown is absolutely full of shit.  It's 30 minutes in the dead of night with a tailwind and a police escort.  

So, spent more time looking at "Old Lakeway".  Really liked the area and the houses.  Definitely much to like about it and there is plenty out in LW if you just realize, "I live in Lakeway, not Austin".  Visited a friend in Rough Hollow and can see the advantage there, too.  Very different than Old Lakeway and definitively further out.

 

Spotted a house or two that we liked off of Cuernavaca.  Westlake zoning is a plus but, admittedly, you're a little on the isolated side although you have Lake Austin access.  

Did more driving through Great Hills and up towards Spicewood Springs.  Some areas we liked, others not as much.  Changed from block to block.

[MAROON 447]

we have friends that live in the Southwest Parkway/William Cannon  (Terravista) area.  Sure seems to be convenient to a lot that Austin has to offer, and the homes prices seem reasonable.

[4th&Five 42071]

We've been on Terravista for almost 12 years and love it.  Finally getting bars and restaurants we can walk to as well.

[texasdago 7775]

I see this one in your hood... actually bigger than we want but I can see how that is a very convenient location to Austin. That seems like a haul to Austin High, though.

 

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7921-Menler-Dr-Austin-TX-78735/70356737_zpid/

[4th&Five 42071]

Yeah, we’re right at the southern tip for AHS. Across 290 is Bowie.