Moving to Austin: Which Neighborhoods and Areas Are Right for Me?

If you are moving to the Austin, Texas area and don’t know much about the area, you may wonder which neighborhoods are right for you. Out of all the Austin Texas homes for sale you may feel lost. Do you want a downtown condo, close to the exciting Austin night life? Do you like Austin’s trendiest and most popular neighborhoods? Do you want a luxury home neighborhood? Do you want a neighborhood with a particular architectural style such as Mediterranean or Tuscan, Craftsman, Victorian or Modern? Do you want to live in an Active Adult community? Do you want a home for your family where you will feel safe and there are good schools, parks and swimming pools nearby? Do you want to live near great Trail Systems and greenbelts where you can bike, run, walk or wheel? Do you want a green home neighborhood where the HOA encourages “solar clothes drying”? Do you want to live near Farmer’s Markets? Do you need an Equestrian Neighborhood where you can keep your horses at home? What is most important to you? Let me know and I will help you find it!

How to Find Safe Neighborhoods in the Austin, Texas Area

As REALTORs we cannot say any neighborhood is 100% safe. We can however give you information to look up crime statistics for neighborhoods and cities in and around Austin, Texas as well as tips for finding the best suited neighborhood for your individual needs and desires. One of the things I have recommended to my clients over the years is to visit the neighborhood at various times of the day and night. In the morning or mid-afternoon, a neighborhood may look fine, but go there at 8:00pm, 12 midnight or 2:00am and you may or may not like what you see. Another tip I offer is to knock on doors in the neighborhood and see what your neighbors are like and what they have to say about living there. While visiting with people in the neighborhood ask them about noise, schools and commuting to and from the area too. You may meet new friends and get all kinds of tips about living there or you may decide that neighborhood is not for you.

How to Find a Neighborhood with Great Travel Time to Work or Play

Austin, Texas is a great city and certainly does not have the traffic issues of Los Angeles, California but we do have am and pm rush hour traffic. The areas around Downtown Austin also get congested at times when major events are going on like South By Southwest or other large music festivals or UT Football games. This is a reason to drive to and from your new place of work to your prospective neighborhood at various times of the day as well as on weekends and weekdays. All the new Toll Road Expressways such as 45, 130 and 183 A are great BUT they do cost money or tolls to drive on.

How to Find a Home at a Great Purchase Price in Austin Texas

Price per square foot is not the only way to compare homes. A savvy home buyer must also look at what property taxes are, energy bills are, as well as the cost of commuting to work and back. Is the home out in the county where you have no city taxes to pay? What are the tax rates for the area? How much is electricity? Is the home energy efficient so my bills will be low? How close is the nearest city since annexation may happen at some point in the future? Is the property situated where I can park at or bike to the Park and Ride and commute by bus or train to work and back? Or do I have to drive my car to work everyday? The cost of owning a car as well as paying for gas figures into your home purchase. Can I find a neighborhood where I do not even have to own a car? Just how much does your commute cost? If you are considering a home or condo with an HOA which most new neighborhoods have, exactly what do the HOA fees cover? Is the HOA strict or lax? Talk to passers by or knock on doors  and see if they are happy with the HOA and what ll they have to say about it. 

How to Find a Walkable Neighborhood in Austin Texas

Many neighborhoods are high on the popular walkability ratings score. This is a rating system designed to say that stores, restaurants and services are nearby, close enough to walk or bike to without having to get in your car and drive to them. I like to say these neighborhoods are walkable or wheelable since some community members may be wheelchair bound or otherwise mobility impaired and in need of ADA improvements. Austin’s Walkable neighborhoods are usually centered around mass transit as well where you can ride the train or bus to get where you are going. Great walkable neighborhoods are centered around the pedestrian rather than the automobile. Leander, Texas has a Transit Oriented Development in the works, where once built out, residents can take the train or bus into Austin and walk or wheel to shops, restaurants and services. Visit the Austin Capital Metro website to learn more about mass transit in the Austin, Texas Area.

For Help in Finding the Right Austin Neighborhood

Work with a REALTOR who’s family has been in Austin since the 1870’s, Betty Saenz. Betty will work hard to get you in the right neighborhood or area for YOU in the Austin, Texas area! Contact Betty Saenz Real Estate agent for the Austin area at (512) 785-5050 or contact Betty Saenz by e-mail

Austin Texas Map