I've been working recently on my Neighborhood Guide so that the West Elm Properties website can help people get to know the neighborhoods in Austin a little better as they try to decide which neighborhood feels 'right' to them.  Many factors go into that thought process, including schools, area amenities, geographic considerations, pricing, home styles, tax rates and utilities, among other things so this is what I have attempted to capture on each neighborhood page in a clear, concise manner.  The first MLS area I undertook was area 1N, which, geographically runs between 2222, 360, Parmer and McNeil/Spicewood Springs (basically).  Within this MLS area I found 30 distinct neighborhoods.  Many of these neighborhoods are typically grouped in with the larger neighborhood - say, Sierra Vista with Great Hills or Walnut Crossing with Milwood - but I found that there are enough distinct differences that each deserved its own page, so that buyers can really hone in on what specific neighborhoods they really prefer.

It's quite been quite the undertaking working up the statistics and information for these pages, and I still have to add some 'representative home' photos for several of the neighborhoods, but it has actually been a good exercise in understanding as well.  My hope is that you, as buyers and sellers and homeowners in the Austin area, will find them very useful.  If you live in one of these neighborhoods and would like to add any information, or you see something that is no longer accurate, please feel free to email me and I would be happy to make the change.

My next venture with the Neighborhood section will be to write-up some of the larger neighborhoods in other MLS areas.  If there is a neighborhood you would like to see more information regarding please feel free to contact me on that as well and I would be happy to work up that information.  I'm guessing that if someone emails me asking me for information on a neighborhood, there are probably 10 others who are interested who didn't email, so it helps me meet my mission statement goals.  Eventually I this site will have a cross reference ability where if you want to see what neighborhoods feed to a certain elementary school you can click on the school link.  For example, when the Laurel Mountain Elementary page is there you will be able to see that Barrington Oaks, Canyon Mesa, The Dominion at Great Hills, Great Hills, Spicewood Hills, Westhill Estates and Yaupon Terrace feed to Laurel Mountain Elementary in MLS area 1N (Additionally you would see that The Bend and sections of Spicewood Estates go to Laurel Mountain Elementary as well).

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make this site more useful for you.  My goal is to serve you and make this website a great reference for your home buying, selling and owning needs.

Have a great weekend!

jb