Spicewood Estates & Balcones · Relocation
Relocating to the Area in Spicewood Estates & Balcones
The right part of Austin for your job, your commute and your schools, from someone who has lived here since 1976.
Relocating to the Area in Spicewood Estates & Balcones: what's different here
Moving to Spicewood Estates & Balcones for a job usually comes with a start date, a few trips to look, and a long list of neighborhoods you've read about. For a household moving in, Spicewood Estates trades a ten-minute-plus drive to MoPac for larger lots and the Westwood pathway, with 183 as the daily road.
The right fit depends on what the move is for: the commute, the schools, or more land around you.
Talk about Spicewood Estates & Balcones
Why Spicewood Estates & Balcones buyers work with me
I grew up in Northwest Austin, have lived here since 1976 and have lived on the Mountain in the Spicewood Estates area since 2004. I grew up in the school pipeline many relocating families ask about, from Spicewood Elementary to Canyon Vista and Westwood, and I've watched these neighborhoods grow. Buyers come here for land and trees close in, the Spicewood Elementary or Laurel Mountain Elementary path into Canyon Vista and Westwood, and a quieter setting than Great Hills.
How I handle it in Spicewood Estates & Balcones
- A consultation about your job, commute, schools and timeline before we look at a single listing. Getting ready.
- Video calls and listing videos to narrow the list before you fly in.
- An early decision on buying first or selling first, with your lender, if your down payment is tied up in another state. Selling and buying at once.
- Notes on each home, including the trade-offs a listing won't mention.
More about Spicewood Estates & Balcones
For the full picture of the neighborhood, see living in Spicewood Estates & Balcones. Questions about relocating to the area here? Call me at (512) 698-3525.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the commute like from Spicewood Estates & Balcones?
The main road is 183: the neighborhoods sit west of it, between Spicewood Springs Road and Anderson Mill Road. MoPac is a good ten minutes or more away. Most work and errands don't need I-35. Balcones Village sits closer to the 620 side.
Can I narrow the search before I visit?
Yes. Most buyers narrow the list by video and then make one focused trip.
Spicewood Estates & Balcones
What relocation looks like in Spicewood Estates & Balcones
Wooded hills west of 183 between Spicewood Springs Road and Anderson Mill Road, with larger lots and Balcones Country Club at the center.
- The homes
- Spicewood Estates sits in wooded hills west of 183, with larger lots (many a quarter-acre or more) and a mix of original and updated homes. Locals count the pockets around it, like The Park at Spicewood Springs and the Mountain, as part of the same area. Balcones Village grew up around Balcones Country Club starting in the 1970s; golf-frontage and view lots carry a real premium over interior streets. The Spicewood golf course is closed, so Balcones Village now has two very different kinds of golf-frontage homes, and club membership is separate from buying a home.
- Schools people ask about
- Round Rock ISD. Much of the area feeds Spicewood Elementary, then Canyon Vista Middle School and Westwood High School; part of it, including The Park at Spicewood Springs and the Mountain, feeds Laurel Mountain Elementary instead. Confirm by address.
- Getting around
- The main road is 183: the neighborhoods sit west of it, between Spicewood Springs Road and Anderson Mill Road. MoPac is a good ten minutes or more away. Most work and errands don't need I-35. Balcones Village sits closer to the 620 side.
- Nearby
- The upper Bull Creek canyonlands, part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, back the neighborhood. A trail runs from Spicewood Springs Road through St. Edward's Park and into a bird sanctuary, coming out near the top of Jester Estates. Bull Creek, St. Edward's Park, and Balcones Country Club (private, separate membership). City of Austin tennis courts and park nearby, and a city pool off Spicewood Springs Road that city residents can use.
- The trade-off
- Less day-to-day shopping close by than Great Hills. Some streets have slopes, but most are not steep. Homes vary a lot in condition and updates, street by street.
The method
How we do it in Spicewood Estates & Balcones
Relocation: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with James Brinkman?