Moving to Texas - Hill Country? (Houston, San Antonio: homes, buy, schools)

[PAtoTX]

Hi All,

In the process of planning our move to Texas. Currently live in PA, but work frequently in Texas. Here are my requirements.

1 to 1.5 hours to airport. Under 4 hours to the major cities. I travel for work and have a home office, so we have tremendous flexibility in where we live. Would like to have a minimum of 10 acres, but prefer 50 or more if I can afford it. We are avid outdoors family so the more room to spread out the better.

Looking to build or buy and will have a pool.

Not committed to hill country, it is just an area that we like. Open to ideas, thoughts suggestions, recommendations and even realtors. We are going to spend a week looking around in early December.

Oh and I have up to 18 months to make the move.

[winkosmosis]

Live somewhere west of Austin. Look up Dripping Springs, Marble Falls, and Lakeway.

[ChristieP]

What's your budget?

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

What's your budget?

Yes, what is your budget? &....

- are kids an issue, are schools of import?

- what do you like to do (activities)?

- what do you like about the "hill country"?

- Ideally, what type of town do you want to be closest to?

Vague questions often get few responses.

[hound 109]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Live somewhere west of Austin. Look up Dripping Springs, Marble Falls, and Lakeway.

Why? Have you priced 10-50 acre tracts near DS or Lakeway (or Marble Falls)?

[madrone2k]

I live in Houston, but might wind up living in Austin when I retire. The area west of Austin is also attractive to me, but if I had to travel to/from the airport there (which is on the east side), I'd want to be sure I wouldn't have to be fighting an unacceptable amount of traffic going through the city. However, there are also some nice areas east of Austin (e.g., Bastrop, despite the recent fire devastation of the "lost pines" area).

Alternatively, the DFW and IAH airports offer flights to more places than AUS. I can't give much useful info for the former, but the area north of IAH is very green; it's in the so-called piney woods and rather hilly in places. A very different feel from Austin, though.

[CptnRn]

Blanco, TX, 44 minutes North of the San Antonio Airport. One hour to the Austin airport. Look for something along the Blanco or Guadalupe River. It is upstream of Canyon Lake and a little further West then the more expensive parts of the hill country, Wimberley, etc.

[PAtoTX]

To answer a few questions.

-Commute times and dealing with traffic, I can avoid as I make and plan my own schedule. We live in the country now, but are 30-60 minutes from anything we could want or need (would like to have the same in TX)
-We like the hill country just as the hills are similar to where we live in PA. Hard to put a finger on it but we have been very attracted to the area. Its also fairly central to where my travels are.
-Daughter is graduating from college, son is homeschooled, so schools are no impact
-Avid outdoors type of living - fishing, hunting, hiking, etc. Anything outdoors we do as a family
-Budget - 500-750K total

We have been looking from Boerne to Marble Falls. Heading down in a few weeks to look around some of the areas.

[Westerntraveler]

Llano is the deer hunting capital of Texas....I hunt in the Hill Country and that part of the state has good deer but there small in llano.

[die Eichkatze]

Agree with CaptnRn. Blanco County would work well for you. Your search range from Boerne to Marble Falls is also good. West of Wimberley, Fischer area, and around Kendalia too.