Patrick - another way to approach this is to use your pre-approval/comfort zone home price as a guide. I like to show buyers many options (including new homes) and take time to get familiar with different areas of town in which they can buy. One or two areas usually stand out as feeling more like "home" than others and this determination is unique to each buyer-there is no zip code or area that is best for everyone. Don't fret, you will have choices and one may stand out as just the right home for you. Austin's a great place to live, give it time and you'll feel right at home, too.

Thu Jul 24 2008, 11:07

I am sorry but this data is totally inaccurate...78753 has not the highest crime in the city at all...I don't know where you checked this information but in none source I consulted it says that. For personal crime is 0.98 (so 0.02 below to the national average) and around the same in property crime. In 78704 where I was living before it was almost the double.

Tue Jul 22 2008, 21:28

$150,000 will still buy you a nice home in the Austin area. Just contact a good buyer's agent when you are coming to town for a 'look-see' visit and I think you'll like what you see. In the meantime, you can be receiving emails with available homes as they come on the market. I have a few areas ot town/a few great homes in mind for you. You do have plenty of choices.

Wed Jul 16 2008, 19:37

welcome to austin! i'm a "core" fan -- the center of town moving due north up through hyde park, brentwood/crestview, and pretty much ending south of 183 -- for the next 5 yrs, this area will continue to thrive because of the access to downtown, it's "big lot" charm, and mild mannered attitude. think of mopac and 35/the river and 183 as a rectangle -- of course, the per square footage price is going to be larger near downtown but many good values are available north of anderson lane -- another option further out along 183 is anderson mill--terrific schools, great access, houses are gonna run about $100/sqft -- lemme know if i can help

Tue Jul 8 2008, 14:43

Try Sendero Hills at 183/MLK. Great Area, solid appreciation and Manor schools. 7 minute ride to downtown but 20 minutes back as you hit every red light coming home and green lights going downtown.

Wed Jul 2 2008, 22:32

We won't be having kids, so at least that is not an issue. I do realize the schools do influence the resale value though.

I'll be working from home, so the commute won't matter for me. Not sure where my wife will be working though. At least it will only be one commute.

We have dogs, so a condo/townhome is not much of an option.

Thanks for the feedback on the soil stability. We did look at some homes in 78753 and found that some did show signs of shifting.

We saw a cute home in 78758 yesterday too.

I'll check out 78749!

Wed Jul 2 2008, 06:43

Dear Patrick,
You have some options. You can try a little further south. There are some newer homes in Austin & Manchacka that can be had for $130-160K. Have you thought about condos or garden homes? There are some very hip condos in 78745. Also you may be able to find something in Maple Run, its far west of I-35 and barely east of MOPAC and you see homes from $140-$190K. The Maple Run zip is 78749.

You did not mention if you would be driving to downtown for your job. If you can live anywhere I would say try a neighborhood just outside of Austin as your dollar may go further.

What wever you do , please buy smart, schools do make a difference . While you may not have children now, you may later. Even of you never have children, the person considering buying your home might. I have clients that will only accept specific school districts and sometimes specific schools. You may want to go tohttp:// www.SchoolMatters.com to check out the schools in the area you decide to move into.

I wish you the best of luck in finding your next home. If I can be of assistance please give me a call. Have a great summer!
Betina
512-771-6318

Tue Jul 1 2008, 22:47

Patrick,

While you indicated you don't have any children, in fact, schools do matter. Schools are one of the primary determining factors to property appreciation, regardless of whether or not you have school age children. Most of the other statistics that you indicated you do care about, are inversely proportionate to the quality of the schools.

Before you jump at a particular location, there is some information about your commute that we are missing. With gas prices the way they are, commute time and distance is becoming an important overall factor in budget considerations for where you buy.

The data shows that home values appreciate strongest in the Southwest, and in general overall, West of IH35. This is driven by the quality of the schools, the desire for many people to live in or near the "hill country", and the stability of the neighborhoods.

I have 2 clients that recently purchased in the Quail Valley area and they like it a lot. There are some very good parts and some not so good parts, so tread carefully. That area can have some soil stability issues, so watch for foundation issues as well.

Good luck,

Jeffrey

Tue Jul 1 2008, 10:40

Yes indeed. Do I get a best answer for that? Let me know what you guys find, if anything.

Cheers,
Paul

Tue Jul 1 2008, 09:58

thanks for the feedback. esp Paul, who lives in the neighborhood. we are going today to look at home there. btw, 78758 is lower as far as crime rate, but not drastically lower. i am just trying to see if i am getting in on something on the upswing or downswing. from some other research i found that the median prices in that zip code are up 15%, so that is encouraging too.

Tue Jul 1 2008, 09:20

I think that is a great place to buy. Historical returns in Austin are past history now. Very difficult to buy for appreciation on what has happened as we are now in a very different situation. I personally think East Austin will be the next big hit. Closer to I35 is better, but probably anywhere between I35 and the airport. You're right about crime. The thing to do is get in there and do something about it. Organize the neighbors. Get the police to help you. The CRO will probably provide you lots of ways you can help. Austin is a great place to turn neighborhoods around, but it might take work. Make a presentation to a UT class to help you. Get community groups involved like the boy scouts to help fix the broken ones in your neighbohood. They can landscape and paint. Get investors like homefixers to buy the junkers and fix them up. They'll appreciate your leads. Go for it.

Tue Jul 1 2008, 08:13

How's it going Patrick. From your description it sounds like you are talking about the Quail Valley area. This is where we just purchased and love it! It is what I like to call a "pocket" neighborhood. I am very familiar with this area as I have lived here for some time! Unfortunately I can not comment on the various crime statistics that you threw up there, but I can say I feel safe in my neighborhood. Many of the homeowners here are original home owners. Some of the homes, like ours, have been renovated for modern living. In fact there is a great home right around the corner from us going for $149K! 3 bed, 2 bath, recent updates. I tell you that you can't beat the location or price, and with gas prices steadily rising I can assure you the rest of Austin will soon follow suit. Check the crime stats on 78758 and tell me how things are. If you are still interested in this area, let me know! Cheers, Paul. P.S. "Heart of Crimeland" and "No reported crime in last 1.5 years" Yells "Changing Neighborhood" at least in my book.

Tue Jul 1 2008, 08:11

A client of mine, coming in from CA, is currently looking in 78758 in the Gracywoods subdivision for about the same price range that you are looking.

You can search MLS through my website. If I can be of assistance, please let me know.

Connie Herron, REALTOR, GRI, ABR
Keller Williams Realty
www.ConnieHerron.com

Tue Jul 1 2008, 07:37