Home Builder Austin

What is a cool and inexpensive area to live in Austin?

My husband and I are planning on moving there soon so I can attend grad school at UT. We want to buy a house there but I don't know anything about hte neighborhoods. I would like to live reasonably close to the college. It seems like the real estate is really high there so where would be a good place to look that is priced decently. I'd really like to live in an ecclectic neigborhood that has a lot of character.

Public Comments

1. You'll have a hard time finding an inexpensive area of Austin. As for cool, my aunt and uncle live in Round Rock and they love it. It's just a short drive into town but it's far enough away so they don't feel like they live in a huge city.
2. I live in South Austin (78704) and I also work in the real estate business. If you are looking to buy a house with the prospect of selling within the next 3-5 years you would be better off renting. The real estate is at a high and it should decline within 2 years meaning if you rent for now and buy later you'd receive a better return on your investment. As for an area close to UT I would look into East Austin. In the past there has been a crime problem in East Austin, but the past couple of years has seen a complete makeover in certain neighborhoods which have a charm and unique feel. Oh and East Austin is just past I-35 and UT is located just barely to the west of I-35. That's very close and the traffic will be very, very light to UT coming from East Austin. If you're in Round Rock be prepared for at least an hour commute to campus (it's pretty far north). Another place to look would be North Austin by 183/I-35. Traffic is usually congested but hey welcome to Austin. This area, like East Austin, is affordable and booming. It doesn't have the charm of East but it is arguably safer. Good Luck and if you have any questions feel free to email me.
3. I just moved from Austin and we rented a place in Hyde Park and loved it. I was a student at UT so we couldn't afford to buy anything around there. We actually lived in Round Rock the first year and would definitely advise against it unless you are a very patient person. The traffic getting to UT and back was just horrible and made me anal every night! There are a couple of decent places on the east side of I-35, but most of them are scary so would advise to keep your search on the west side. The location of the Hyde Park neighborhood and UT is perfect - there are even a ton of shuttle stops so you dont have to worry about trying to park on campus. Its going to be hard to find anything less than 300,000 close to campus if you are really wanting to buy. Tarrytown is another neighborhood close to campus that is really nice, but again, will be expensive to buy. We were lucky and only had to pay $900 for a 3/2 and it was a nice house, but all of friends that rented in the area were paying anywhere from $1200- $1500. If you have alot of money to put down then would help get the payments down! Im a grad student in Tampa now so understand your pain! It sucks being broke now but it will be worth it when we are done! Hyde Park is definitely your place to be with your preference of an ecclectic hood.
4. South Congress! My husband and I moved here (we are mid 20's)...and bought a great condo here...we LOVE walking to restaurants, bars, etc. It's so fun!
5. It depends on what you consider affordable. If you are looking in the under $200,000 range, East Austin is probably your best bet, since it's probably the only area that fits your criteria (close and not too expensive) if you are looking to buy a house, not a condo. Central-East Austin is what South Congress area used to be before it got really expensive (that is, it's got the hipsters, the punks, the artists, etc), and it's got the highest minority population. It's a very nuanced market though, and there are some good pockets, and some bad ones, or good houses on bad streets and vice versa, so you'd need a good real estate agent.