I've lived and worked in south Austin/Buda for 11 years but I've recently got an offer for a job in far NE Austin. I haven't really spent any time in that area other than going to the Wings N More on Howard a few times. Any recommendations on neighborhoods to look at or avoid? I'll be working off of Parmer on the east side of 35. Looking at houses for sale in my price range it appears I can live very close by in some smaller subdivisions or I can live out towards Lake Pflugerville. The idea of living by the lake sounds nice but I'm worried that the 20 minute commute could become an hour given how much open land there is out there and how fast the area is growing. I would rent for a year to learn the area but I'm not sure I could afford houses in the area after another year of skyrocketing real estate.

Shoot me an email. Happy to help david@voorheesteam.com

I used to work there and understand your commute worries. Your budget will determine a lot. North pville is generally better than south. The area right around there has some rough spots but if you buy now and wait it out you could see some appreciation. The new stuff going in is much nicer than the old stuff. If it was up to me, I would buy in scofield and have a 5 minute commute.

I haven't looked in that area but I had an ex girlfriend that lived in the Scofield area years ago and I'm 99.9% sure I wouldn't be able to afford a shed in that area. I'm a single dude on an engineer's salary so I'm not broke but I am looking at cheaper homes than what most of Austin has available which was why I was looking into Pflugerville. I'll have some money for a down payment when I sell my house. This literally all just came up yesterday so I haven't taken the time to run the numbers but I'm going to try to stay in the 250k range. Having an affordable home is the only thing that has kept me sane after being unemployed for the last 9 months with a mortgage and car payment so I don't want to overreach.

There are still affordable houses in between mopac and 35 on parmer. They aren't mansions by any means but could see good appreciation.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/12906-Turkey-Run_Austin_TX_78727_M81017-35771#photo11

Just keep your payment at 25% or less of your take home pay.
-Dave R.

I'm mortgage so if you have questions feel free to PM me. Dave posted is a good AG and realtor. I've worked with him in the past.

Rule of thumb in the price range your looking at is:

Sales price minus down payment equals 750 per 100K borrowed. That is PITI. So 200k borrowed is 1500 per month.

Also anywhere north of Palmer using 35 to take a left that intersection is a nightmare.

I graduated in 2013 and got into a house with some Aggie roommates and we live in Pioneer Crossing West, which is a new development right behind Samsung. We are in-between Braker and Parmer off of Dessau. I must say, I was hesitant moving out this way since I grew up in SW (Circle C) but I have enjoyed the neighborhood community and everyone always has an eye out for one another. They just built a whole new section that is ready for selling/leasing I imagine. I'm not a Real Estate guy but it looks like a good area that would be a short commute to your office. I recommend taking a look into it, it should meet your figures.

Thanks! That was one of the areas I was interested in especially since it also has access to a back way into the parking lot if I don't want to even get on Parmer. I just wasn't sure about the neighborhood since it is a little farther south. It's looking like I'm going to try to get a short term apartment for month or two while I sell my house and look for another one up there.