Before You Move to Central Texas

Why people fall for Central Texas

If you're coming from New York, California, or really anywhere, the first thing that hits you is the space and the ease — more house, more yard, more sky, and a pace that leaves room to actually enjoy it. Then you notice the rest: sunshine most of the year, water and Hill Country in every direction, live music somewhere every night, and some of the best food in the country coming out of gas stations and trailers. And yes — no state income tax.

Get out and explore: a starter list

Print this, hand it to the kids, or just start working down it. It's how transplants fall in love with the place.

On the water

• Barton Springs Pool — a spring-fed pool that stays ~68°F year-round, in the middle of Zilker Park
• Lady Bird Lake & the Butler Trail — 10 miles of hike-and-bike loop with the downtown skyline; rent a kayak or paddleboard
• Lake Travis & Lake Austin — boating, waterfront dining, and Hill Country sunsets west of town
• Float the San Marcos or Comal River — crystal-clear tubing in San Marcos and New Braunfels all summer
• Hamilton Pool & Jacob's Well — iconic swimming holes in the Hill Country (reservations required)

Hill Country & day trips

• Dripping Springs — the “wedding and distillery capital of Texas” — wineries, breweries, and Hamilton Pool nearby
• Wimberley — a artsy small town with swimming holes and a famous market day
• Fredericksburg — German heritage, Texas wine country, and Enchanted Rock — a perfect day trip
• San Antonio — the River Walk and the Alamo, about 80 minutes south

The city & the icons

• South Congress (SoCo) — shops, patios, live music, and the classic “i love you so much” wall
• Zilker Park & the Botanical Garden — the city's backyard, and home to ACL Festival each fall
• Mount Bonnell — the best easy sunset view over the hills and Lake Austin
• Catch a game or a show — Austin FC at Q2 Stadium, UT Longhorns, F1 at Circuit of the Americas

How Central Texas eats

Ask any transplant what surprised them most and food comes up first. This is barbecue's heartland, the breakfast-taco capital of the world, and a trailer-to-fine-dining scene that punches way above the city's size. Here's a starter map locals actually name — not a ranking, just where to begin.

Central Texas by season

One of the best things about living here is that there's always something on. A quick read on what each season feels like — and the events people build whole trips around — so you can time a scouting visit or a move around the good stuff.

Choosing where to live

Here's the secret every smooth relocation shares: start with how you want your daily life to feel — not with a price. Pick the life, and the right area (and the right home) tend to follow. Central Texas isn't one place; it's Austin plus a ring of distinct communities, each with its own character, commute, and price point. This is about fit, not rankings — the "best" area is the one that matches your life.

★ Where Pete's expertise runs deepest — plus new construction anywhere in the metro Covered across the rest of Central Texas with the team & trusted referral partners

Schematic — not to scale, and not a ranking. Areas are grouped for orientation by direction and commute only. The right area is the one that fits your life; we'll figure that out together. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Austin's most-coveted addresses

If you're relocating at the higher end — an executive move, a waterfront dream, a Hill Country estate — Central Texas delivers, and the best of it rarely looks like anywhere else. A quick, honest orientation to the areas people ask about most:

Start with the order

Most people relocating here start by browsing homes. That's backwards. The home is the last decision — it falls out of four earlier ones. Get these right and everything after gets easier.

1

TimelineWhen you need to be here — and what has to happen first (a lease ending, a job start, the school year, selling your current home).

2

Work & commuteWhere you (or your partner) report — or whether you're remote — and the drive you'll actually tolerate on a Tuesday, not just on a good day.

3

Budget — all-inNot the sticker price. What it truly costs to own here each month, taxes and fees included.

4

LifestyleWhat your weekends look like, and what you want within 15 minutes of home.

★

Then areas → then homesOnly now do listings make sense. The home is the last decision, not the first.

The home is the last decision, not the first. Decide the other four before you fall in love with a listing.

Budget beyond the mortgage

The number that matters isn't the price — it's the monthly all-in. Out-of-state buyers are most often surprised here, so build your budget on the full picture:

Principal & interestProperty taxesHomeowners insuranceHOA / MUD / PIDUtilities & upkeep

• Principal & interest — the part everyone plans for
• Property taxes — often higher in Texas — varies by county, city & school district
• Homeowners insurance — get a real quote early
• HOA / MUD / PID — common in newer communities
• Utilities & upkeep — the ongoing costs, not just move-in

The Texas trade-off: no state income tax — but the trade-off usually shows up in property taxes, which tend to run higher than in many states. Compare your current cost of living to the Central Texas all-in monthly, not the price tag.

Illustrative only — not a quote. Proportions are for orientation; your actual numbers depend on the specific home, district, and lender. Ask me to run real figures on any address you're weighing.

• Principal & interest — the part everyone plans for
• Property taxes — often higher in Texas; they vary by county, city, and school district. Ask for the actual rate on a specific home, not a metro average
• Homeowners insurance — get a real quote early
• HOA / MUD / PID fees — common in newer communities; ask what they cover

Rent first, or buy now?

This is the question almost every relocating family actually has — and most guides dodge it. Here's the honest version. There's no universally right answer; there's a right answer for your situation.

Do you know the area you want and expect to stay 3+ years?

Not sure yet

Still deciding between areas, or job/plans could shift within a year or two?

Leaning rent first. A short lease near where you think you'll land lets you test commutes and neighborhoods before committing hundreds of thousands of dollars. There's no prize for rushing.

Yes, fairly sure

Do you have a down payment plan and a stable income here?

Buying can make sense. If you'll stay long enough to absorb the cost of buying and selling, and the all-in monthly fits comfortably, owning may beat renting — especially in newer communities with builder incentives.

Either answer is fine — the wrong move is guessing. Tell me your timeline and I'll walk the real numbers for renting vs. buying your scenario, no pressure either way.

Builder vs. resale

For relocating buyers on a timeline, this is a bigger fork here than in most markets. Neither is "better" — it depends on your situation.

Bring your own advocate to a new-home community — before your first model-home visit, not after you've signed.

Your relocation timeline

A simple sequence — work backward from your move date.

Handy links to bookmark

A few genuinely useful, official resources for settling in. (These are the real deals — save them.)

• Visit Austin — things to do, events, and neighborhood guides
• City of Austin — services, permits, and city info
• Austin Energy — set up your electricity before move-in
• Texas DMV — vehicle registration and titling for new residents
• Texas DPS — your Texas driver's license
• Texas Comptroller — property-tax and homestead-exemption basics
• Travis County Appraisal District — look up the actual tax picture for an address (Austin)
• Hays County Appraisal District — for Buda, Kyle, San Marcos and Hays County
• Williamson County Appraisal District — for Round Rock, Georgetown, Leander and Williamson County
• CapMetro — buses, MetroRail, and getting around