Visiting and scoping out area for possible move: suggestions? (San Antonio: how much, house)

[kota45]

My wife and I are planning on visiting the area north of Austin for about nine days in April. We want to check out the area as a possible place to move to within the next year and a half. We are in our low 40's, no kids at home, and favor a semi rural lifestyle (read: we'd like an acre of land or more but don't want to be in the middle of nowhere) over cookie cutter suburbia. We are far from retirement, so we will need to be within a reasonable driving distance of jobs which may be in Austin, although certainly don't need to be. My wife is an executive assistant and I am a public school teacher (realize that Texas teachers are being laid off - willing to do something else). My questions:

1. What cities would you suggest we check out while we're there? We were thinking Round Rock, Pflugerville, Georgetown, and Leander.
2. Can a modest home be had for around $200,000?
3. Is a commute from Georgetown into Austin unheard of?

[love roses]

A pretty good sized house can be had for 200k in any of the towns you mention.

Any of the towns you name could also fit the semi rural requirement depending on where you look. For Round Rock I'd look West of 35 as it's less developed than East of 35 and probably same for Georgetown.

Georgetown to Austin commutes aren't unheard of. People commute as far as San Antonio and Temple as well.

[h886]

Georgetown to Austin commute is reasonable, but I would aim for jobs on the north side of Austin if that was the case. Also keep in mind that it really depends how much you hate driving. It's a pretty long drive depending on where you work. I have one friend who's done it for years and it doesn't phase her. Another went crazy and quit her job after only 6 months... she just couldn't take the drive.

The chances of finding a teaching job are slim to none. Not only are current teachers being laid off, but UT and Texas State graduate thousands of new teachers every year, all of whom want to stay in Austin and have connections in the area. Having experience doesn't always help when districts are trying to trim budgets, as you're more expensive to hire, and there may not be jobs anyway. With all the layoffs that are expected in government and teaching jobs, just keep in mind that you may have a lot of competition for career changes too. Make sure one of you has a job before you come, or substantial savings.