Best Austin Neighborhoods for First Time Home Buyers

Whether you’re moving to Austin from out of the area, or have lived here all your life and are looking for the best neighborhoods for first time home buyers, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve scoured all of Austin’s neighborhoods – from top to bottom – and come up with our top 5 neighborhoods for first time home buyers. First, we’ll give you a map of these neighborhoods, then we’ll explain why each of them made the list and finally allow you to get more info or search for homes.

Best Neighborhoods for First Time Home Buyers Map

Here is a map overview of the neighborhoods we’ve named to our “Best Austin Neighborhoods for First Time Home Buyers” list. Use the interactive map to explore the area or scroll down to read about these neighborhoods and why they made the list.

Best Neighborhoods for First Time Home Buyers Avery Ranch

Avery Ranch is the northernmost first time home buyer neighborhood we’ve put on our list. Though within the city limits of Austin, Avery Ranch is just west of Round Rock and is in Williamson County. Avery Ranch is a popular spot for first time home buyers because of value, top rated Round Rock ISD schools and amenities. There are 5 community centers, one of which has an outdoor amphitheater for local events, an 8.5 mile trail for hikers and a public golf course that is one of Austin’s highest rated courses.

Building in Avery Ranch started in 2001 and continues today. Spanning 1,800 acres, Avery Ranch can be split into several smaller neighborhoods. If you want to pick your own finishes, there are still several builders who have new homes in Avery Ranch. For faster move-ins, try one of the resale homes.

For more information about Avery Ranch and to search homes for sale, visit our Avery Ranch Neighborhood Guide.

Avery Ranch Neighborhood Map

Avery Ranch Homes for Sale

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Best Neighborhoods for First Time Home Buyers Anderson Mill

Anderson Mill is another popular Northwest Austin neighborhood for first time home buyers. As with Avery Ranch, Anderson Mill is within the city limits of Austin, but is located in Williamson County. Located just off 183 and 620, Anderson Mill provides a good location for those residents commuting. Anderson Mill has endless amenities – 2 full size swimming pools, kiddie pool, water park, hike and bike trails, tennis, sport fields, sport courts and parks – and is perfect for those who like to stay active and get involved in their community.

Homes in Anderson Mill were built in the 1970s and 1980s, so you won’t find any brand new construction like you will in Avery Ranch. But, Anderson Mill is closer in and is a bit cheaper. Anderson Mill is also in the Round Rock ISD with Recognized Schools, making it an exceptional value.

For more info about Anderson Mill and to search homes for sale, visit Anderson Mill Neighborhood Guide.

Anderson Mill Neighborhood Map

Anderson Mill Homes for Sale

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Best Neighborhoods for First Time Home Buyers Highland

Moving a little further south, we head to Travis County in Central Austin’s Highland neighborhood. Highland is the perfect neighborhood for a first time home buyer craving that Central Austin location but not the prices. Recently we’ve seen a lot of investors remodeling older homes and improving the neighborhood. With an active HOA, you can see residents care about their neighborhood and want to keep improving it. Located between N Lamar and IH-35 just 7 miles north of Downtown, Highland residents can get Downtown or north/south Austin easily.

Highland homes were built in the 1950s and 1960s and many of them have been remodeled to meet the standards of today’s buyers. Homes are on the smaller side, around 1,000 – 1,200 sq ft but residents are willing to sacrifice the extra space to be close to Downtown.

For more info about Highland and to search homes for sale, visit Highland Neighborhood Guide.

Highland Neighborhood Map

Highland Homes for Sale

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Best Neighborhoods for First Time Home Buyers Dawson

Dawson is one of 78704’s most affordable neighborhoods. A lot of first time home buyers think 78704 is automatically out of their price range because they see the high prices in Travis Heights or Zilker. But, if you are willing to live south of Oltorf St, some possibilities may open up to you. More info for first time buyers about 78704 at Best 78704 Neighborhoods for 1st Time Buyers.

Dawson is a popular choice for first time home buyers because of its active neighborhood association, proximity to SoCo, value and affordability. Dawson’s Neighborhood Association was instrumental to revitalizing SoCo and making it the night time hot spot it is today. If you live on the northern end of Dawson, SoCo is well within walking distance, making this section the more desirable area.

For more info about Dawson and to search homes for sale, visit Dawson Neighborhood Guide.

Dawson Neighborhood Map

Dawson Homes for Sale

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Best Neighborhoods for First Time Home Buyers Shady Hollow

The southernmost neighborhood on our list is Shady Hollow. First time home buyers choose Shady Hollow because of its top rated schools, closeness of the community and value for their dollar. You’ll find many Shady Hollow residents that have moved from a Shady Hollow home to another Shady Hollow home when their family size changed because they love the neighborhood and don’t want to leave.

Shady Hollow was built from the 1970s to early 2000’s, making a wide range of homes and amenities. The older homes are more affordable, while the newer homes and neighborhoods come with a higher price tag.

For more info about Shady Hollow and to search homes for sale, visit Shady Hollow Neighborhood Guide.

Shady Hollow Neighborhood Map

Shady Hollow Homes for Sale

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Criteria Used

To make this list, we looked at all of the neighborhoods in Austin and took a deeper look at these specific criteria:

Affordability
Value
Proximity to Nearby Activities
Neighborhood Amenities
Ease of Commute
Quality of Schools

We looked at these criteria as a whole, putting more weight on things like affordability which is usually important for first time home buyers. With schools, we put more weight on Elementary Schools as most first time home buyers will usually want to move up before their oldest is out of Elementary School.

Not Quite Sure if These Neighborhoods Suit Your Lifestyle?

In making these lists, we make quite a few assumptions and we realize that these neighborhoods may not be appealing to every first time home buyer looking for their “best neighborhood” to live in Austin. If none of these sound appealing to you, or if you want to send us what you’re looking for in a neighborhood, we can suggest some neighborhoods that may be more suited to your lifestyle. Simply fill out our Austin Neighborhood Finder with what you’re looking for and we’ll send you a list of neighborhoods that more closely align with your vision. Easy as that!

Looking for Your First Home in Austin?

We are experienced buyer’s agents with 55+ years of combined experience representing home buyers. We know the market and know how to save you time and money, even in Austin’s strong sellers market. For more info about who we are and how we work, check out our Austin Buyer Representation Program. Then, call us at (512) 827-8323 or email us at info@11OaksRealty.com to schedule a no obligation consultation to see how we may be able to help you in your search.