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possible relocation help
DH & I are planning a week vacation to the Austin & San Antonio areas this spring/summer. It is a scouting trip for possible new relocation, too! My parents have a timeshare we'll be staying at (Silverleaf Hill Country Resort in Canyon Lake, TX), which is supposedly in between San Antonio & Austin. We hope to scout out some suburbs that we could consider in the next two years. I think Austin area sounds more like us.
What we're looking for:
1. We will rent to get acquainted with the area before we buy. We'd like to rent a 2-bed apartment in Austin's city where we can walk to restaurants & shops. We will (hopefully) have an infant by then. Someplace safe. Can you recommend neighborhoods? What are rent prices like there?
2. want we want in a home: ranch, 3 bed, 2 bath minimum. 2,000 sq ft min. About $125k or $150k tops. We would prefer a newer home if possible; where are those newly developing towns around Austin? In a few years it might be developed enough for us by then. We don't want to do a lot of work to a house. Also, we don't expect stainless & granite either. Just a good neighborhood & comfortable surroundings. I know that's different for everyone. Cute neighborhood with other young families. We like the regular outings - movies, dining outdoors, music, fests, fishing, just walking around a 'boardwalk' or such. (We're from Chicago so there's plenty of walking & people watching here). Price is #1 concern so cheaper the better. We have no problem driving 30 minutes to get to the city for outings. DH can work from home anywhere, so neither of us are concerned about finding jobs nearby.
I don't know where to begin in our search. Thanks!
Re: possible relocation help
For your 1st question, it's tough to recommend a spot without knowing your rent budget and what the current rent is on a 2 bedroom. An apt. locating site would be good for that. It would be great to live near Zilker Park and Lady Bird Lake, for example, but a decent 2 b.r. there might cost more than what you want to pay.
For question #2, I think you'll figure that out by exploring while you're renting. A website I like where you can put in your price and square footage to house hunt is EscapeSomewhere.com It is also nice because it easily shows you the year built and several hits on the map all at once. Round Rock, Pflugerville, & Leander are popular, still-developing bordering towns to the north where you might be able to find something in that price range, and Buda & Kyle are south of Austin. Good luck and enjoy your vacation!
1. As PP said, this one is a little tough without knowing your budgetary restrictions. Most apartments downtown or in "happening" areas will be pricey. There are some new highrises downtown and some nice properties near hotspots, but you pay for it!
2. You're looking at a suburb for a 2000sqft home in that price range in a nice area. I don't know a whole lot of specifics as far as what's available in the suburbs, but I hear Round Rock, Pflugerville, & Cedar Park mentioned frequently and I think they're relatively young communities so check those out.
In the Chicago area, we are used to paying a lot in rent. For us, however, we would like to rent under $1000. I have no idea how it'd compare in the Austin area, though.
Downtown will be >$1000/mo for a 2bdrm. If you look just a little further out though, either north central or south central (not downtown, but still within the boundaries of Hwy 183 to the north or Hwy 290/71 to the south) I'm sure you could find something in that price range and that would still meet the walking criteria. And even further out than that, you can get a very nice apartment but I doubt you will find something in walking proximity of shops & restaurants.