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Possibly relocating to Austin, need some help from you gals!

DH is interviewing again in Austin so moving there may be a possibility of us moving there.  We are in the initial phases of exploring if it would be a good move for us.  I am trying to get a handle on which communities we would consider living in and the cost of living.  We are moving from metro Detroit which is pretty high cost of living for the mid-west.

We are looking for a house in the top school district.  DH would be working near Round Rock.  From what I have read so far the top HS's in that area are Westlake, Westwood and Vandergrift.  Am I finding out accurate information on this?  What other school districts are top notch?  

As far as house budget...I have no idea what my money gets there compared to here but we have decided to buy less expensive than what we have here.  I will be quitting my job when if we move there because DH will need to travel more so we just prefer less of a mortgage.  What does $200K-300K get there?   Is that possible in those school districts?  Right now we have over $400K house but don't want to do that again.  Our current house is 2600SF, 4BR, 3.5 BA with extra living space and BR in the finished basement.  We are willing to downsize....we don't need all this room.  We are in top schools and have lots of good community things - pools, parks, community center, shopping, etc....  We have a 4 year old and will be moving away from our family for this job if it happens so I also want to be in a neighborhood where people are social...our current neighborhood is very unfriendly and people keep to themselves....no kids for DS to play with.  Since we won't have family there we want to be somewhere easier to meet people and build a new life quickly as we are giving all of that up to move. 

Can anyone offer insight?  Suggestions?  We are currently considering 3 other cities in the US and overseas...trying to figure out what makes the most sense when we move.  From what I have read Austin looks like a nice place to live....

TIA for any help!! 

Re: Possibly relocating to Austin, need some help from you gals!

  • imagemgfit1:

    DH is interviewing again in Austin so moving there may be a possibility of us moving there.  We are in the initial phases of exploring if it would be a good move for us.  I am trying to get a handle on which communities we would consider living in and the cost of living.  We are moving from metro Detroit which is pretty high cost of living for the mid-west.

    ** if it works out... austin is a great place to live!  Hopefully you'll love it! 

    We are looking for a house in the top school district.  DH would be working near Round Rock.  From what I have read so far the top HS's in that area are Westlake, Westwood and Vandergrift.  Am I finding out accurate information on this?  What other school districts are top notch?  

    **Vandergift is a brand new school (second year open).  I know it's exemplary... but to me... it hasn't been been around long enough for me to get a great feel of the longterm rankings.  Westlake is a great school district.  It's very small because cost of housing/taxes in that area is very very high compared to the rest of austin.  There is not a lot of diversity, imo.  I didn't love the set up and wasn't 'sold' on Westlake.  Westwood is a great school too.  Just be careful with re-zoning in that area. 

     

    As far as house budget...I have no idea what my money gets there compared to here but we have decided to buy less expensive than what we have here.  I will be quitting my job when if we move there because DH will need to travel more so we just prefer less of a mortgage.  What does $200K-300K get there?   Is that possible in those school districts?  Right now we have over $400K house but don't want to do that again.  Our current house is 2600SF, 4BR, 3.5 BA with extra living space and BR in the finished basement.  We are willing to downsize....we don't need all this room. 

    **Depends on if you want to be in Westlake ISD.  WISD will make it much more difficult to find something comparable in the 200-300k budget.  In other areas in those districts, 250kish you could find a 3-4 bedroom, with 2-3 bathrooms, with a playroom or game room, 2000-2500sf and nicely upgraded.   Again, it will just depend on where you're buying.  

    We are in top schools and have lots of good community things - pools, parks, community center, shopping, etc....  We have a 4 year old and will be moving away from our family for this job if it happens so I also want to be in a neighborhood where people are social...our current neighborhood is very unfriendly and people keep to themselves....no kids for DS to play with.  Since we won't have family there we want to be somewhere easier to meet people and build a new life quickly as we are giving all of that up to move. 

     **Look into Avery Ranch or River Place or Steiner Ranch.  They're more west than Round Rock - but they're master planned communities with lots of young families and you could probably find something within your budget in those neighborhoods.  

    Can anyone offer insight?  Suggestions?  We are currently considering 3 other cities in the US and overseas...trying to figure out what makes the most sense when we move.  From what I have read Austin looks like a nice place to live....

    ** Austin is a great place to live!  There is lots to do and the city is very 'outdoor' minded which is very fun.  Don't forget how hot July, August and September can be... but we have very very mild winters.

    Let us know if you have any questions... and good luck to your DH on his job possibilities!

     

    TIA for any help!! 

  • 1. Round Rock is a great district.  Pflugerville is also good, but out of Pflugerville, Henderickson is the best high school, so you'd want to live over there.  Be careful around Westwood.  It was ranked as one of the best high schools in the nation, and the prices have since sky rocketed it seems. 

    2. Most homes in this area (Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander) are about $100/sq ft for a newer home.  Although of course that can go up depending on how nice it is, usually $150/sq ft is oober nice.  $300k will get you a very nice house.  We bought used and only paid $80/sq ft, but in a great neighborhood and cusomtized the house with renovations.  Our house is about 2300 sq ft and we got it for less than $200k

    3. Since your DH will be working in Round Rock, I suggest living near there.  Pflugerville, Leander, Cedar Park, and Georgetown are all pretty close depending on where in Round Rock.  You'll hate driving from Austin into Round Rock for work. 

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • imageangelaggie:

    1. Round Rock is a great district.  Pflugerville is also good, but out of Pflugerville, Henderickson is the best high school, so you'd want to live over there.  Be careful around Westwood.  It was ranked as one of the best high schools in the nation, and the prices have since sky rocketed it seems. 

    2. Most homes in this area (Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander) are about $100/sq ft for a newer home.  Although of course that can go up depending on how nice it is, usually $150/sq ft is oober nice.  $300k will get you a very nice house.  We bought used and only paid $80/sq ft, but in a great neighborhood and cusomtized the house with renovations.  Our house is about 2300 sq ft and we got it for less than $200k

    3. Since your DH will be working in Round Rock, I suggest living near there.  Pflugerville, Leander, Cedar Park, and Georgetown are all pretty close depending on where in Round Rock.  You'll hate driving from Austin into Round Rock for work. 

    ditto this. you'll want to look up north closer to round rock - good schools and better house prices. the drive from austin up there will suck, and you don't get as much bang for your buck in austin proper. 

  • mgfit1mgfit1 member
    Tenth Anniversary
    Thanks ladies.  This helps a lot.  Hopefully we will hear something next week.....we don't know where we will end up.  From what I can see your property taxes there are significantly less than what we pay here so that also helps a lot.  Our current property taxes seem like a mortgage on it's own......I will keep you posted.  If things move forward I will definately have more questions!!!! 
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