Young Family Moving to Austin; Steiner Ranch commute to Arboretum? (Spring: HOA fees, buying a home)

[atlantamomof3]

My husband is considering a job in Austin and we are trying to decide if a move would be a good thing for our family of 5 (kids 5, 3 and 2). His job would be near Arboredum/research park so we are considering neighborhoods on the North/Northwest side of Austin. I am a stay at home mom and am looking for a very active, family oriented community. We want to spend between 500-600K. Steiner Ranch continues to come up in our searches and I think it would be a perfect fit for our family.

My big worry is the commute. We are moving from Atlanta, so we are used to a lot of traffic, but we would prefer to not spend hours in the car each day. I have heard about traffic problems getting in and out of Steiner. Are there any plans to help alleviate the traffic? How long would the commute be from Steiner to Arboredum?

Also, one more question that is going to sound crazy, but I have to ask. I am petrified of snakes, and this is one of the only negative things for me about moving to Texas. Am I going to see snakes in our yard, or are they only in wooded areas?

Thanks for your insight!!

[h886]

Steiner would be a lovely place to live. Just so you know, there are also some very nice areas right around the Arboretum as well if you don't want to worry about the commute. A friend lives in the neighborhood off Rain Creek Parkway and just loves it.

Snakes... it depends on the neighborhood and how close to wooded/undeveloped areas it is. In the neighborhoods that back up to wooded areas, it would not be highly remarkable to see a snake, but nor is the ground just crawling with them. I maybe come across one a year. My friend who lives 30 minutes outside of town in the country talks about running across one every few months. If it makes you feel better, I have never felt in danger of being bitten by a snake. You learn to watch where you step if you're in tall grass and never stick your hand somewhere you can't see. The snake doesn't want to run into you either.

[RowdysMom]

my yard backs up to an undeveloped area and I've never seen a snake in my yard. Interestingly I used to live in north Austin where the lots are postage stamp size and I had houses on all sides of me for blocks and I would occasionally see a grass snake in my yard. I've lived here 25 years and never felt threatened by snakes.

Personally I would not want to fight the traffic in and out of Steiner nor, up and down 620 or 2222, if I didn't have to. I'd live around the Arboretum, there are some great additions there. I'd look off 360 just west of the Arboretum, it's a lovely area.

[Idlewile]

Agree with previous posters -- if I had your price range and work location consternation I would easily choose Great Hills and surrounding areas, hands downs. Beautiful surroundings, close to some of the best shopping in all of Austin, not to mention great highway access. The icing on the cake is terrific schools weather you choose RRISD (all of these area schools elem-high school are exemplary) or AISD, as those particular schools in that area are very, very good.

[10scoachrick]

Ex Sandy Springs tennis pro here...Might as well put in a plug for Avery Ranch. You could save $100K and get a really nice house on the golf course or nearby(Champions, Brookside, Creekside or Parkside neighborhoods). The commute down 183 would not be too bad--occasional snafus can tie up traffic as you approach the Great Hills exit, but plenty of days would be rather smooth sailing by Atlanta standards . Getting to the ArboreTum area from here is ~20 minutes unless something goes screwy on 183('screwy' here in north-north Austin is NOTHING like traffic 'screwy' in Atlanta).

Schools up here a pretty darned good; RRISD or Leander ISD, depending on the location within the 'Ranch'. NO country club but a very nice golf course and FIVE pools/amenity centers. HOA fees are a drop in the bucket.

As you may know, you'll pay NO state income tax but the property tax on your home will be a shocker(another reason to save that $100K on the price of the home). After you initially register your vehicles, there's no ad valorum tax like the ~1% of the vehicle value we paid in Sandy Springs.(saving us $900/year just on that tax).

We don't have the hills and vistas of Steiner; but we don't have to drive far to find them, if we want to.

Good luck with your decision and, if you don't mind, could you bring some rain if you decide to visit?

[CarnivalGal]

I live in Steiner, and we love it here. The commute to the Arboretum would not be too bad - probably 45 minutes during rush hour. I would also recommend buying a home towards the front of Steiner Ranch. We have lived here for 6 years, and I have never once had an issue getting in and out of the development. I think those that do live much farther back than we do.

As far as snakes go, well, yes we do have them. And we do see them. A lot. We see a rat snake in the yard probably once every 2 weeks during the summer (they are not venomous). We had a 4 1/2 foot rattlesnake removed from the yard a couple months ago. Three of our neighbors have had their dogs bitten by rattlesnakes. We have seen 2 coral snakes in the time we've been here. And a friend in a different part of Steiner recently called for the snake removal number because she had a coral snake in her yard. We also have a 1/3 acre greenbelt lot, which probably doesn't help much.

[10scoachrick]

Forgot to mention the snakes. I reckon we have that 'once a year' snake sighting as mentioned by another poster. Roughly the same as the snake sightings back in our Sandy Springs home on a creek. Our Avery Ranch home is on a 'greenbelt' with a pond nearby.

[atlantamomof3]

Thank you so much for all of the responses! We really appreciate it.

Is Avery Ranch a similar neighborhood to Steiner? We had only heard about Circle C and Steiner when checking out the large master planned neighborhoods. Are there good schools and a lot of family events there because those are our main priorities. We also like newer homes and amenities for the kids. Does Great Hills have amenities within the neighborhood, or is there a nearby Country Club for swim/tennis/golf.

Also 10scoachrick, is there a lot of tennis in Austin? My husband and I both play in many ALTA and USTA leagues several days a week, and I'm afraid Austin won't be as tennis crazy as Atlanta is. Are there active leagues in Avery Ranch? We live in East Cobb, so we're right by Sandy Springs.

Thanks again for the responses!

[blakely]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

Agree with previous posters -- if I had your price range and work location consternation I would easily choose Great Hills and surrounding areas, hands downs. Beautiful surroundings, close to some of the best shopping in all of Austin, not to mention great highway access. The icing on the cake is terrific schools weather you choose RRISD (all of these area schools elem-high school are exemplary) or AISD, as those particular schools in that area are very, very good.

Another vote to consider Great Hills. That's where I'd look if I were in your position.

You could also look at neighborhoods off 2222 that are much closer than Steiner, such as Long Canyon or Westminster Glen.

[neddy]

No problem getting a house in the price range in Steiner but remember property taxes! Lots of folks that move here do not take those into consideration when buying...they sort of glaze over seeing that they can get "this much house" for so "little". Good Luck. I like River Place in that area better than Steiner.