Suburban Living
Burgeoning Austin suburb named one of the best places to move in 2021
Fueled by the growing trend of remote working and their overall affordability, suburbs are having a moment right now. And if you're considering a move from the big city to the 'burbs, you don't have to look far from Austin to find a top choice.
A new study from Homes.com ranks the Austin suburb of Leander one of the top 10 in the nation.
To determine the best suburbs to move to in 2021, the website looked at nine factors. All-important real estate metrics like list price, square footage, homes for sale per capita, the ratio of housing price to income, and yard size were considered, as were crime index, school district score, work-from-home score, and racial and ethnic diversity.
Leander, the burgeoning 'burb just outside of Cedar Park, ranks fifth on the list. With a median list price of $271,500, it's far more affordable than the city of Austin, which just last month hit an all-time high median sale price of $515,000, and its work-from-home score of 1.4 — one of the highest in the study — means it's one of the best for remote workers.
And this might be the right time to invest in Leander, as the booming 'burb is poised for massive new additions, like the new downtown district Northline and a $1 billion mixed-use development complete with a crystal lagoon.
Two Dallas suburbs join Leander in the top 10, "proving that suburbs outside of Dallas and Austin are hot tickets in the world of residential real estate," Homes.com says.
Forney and Little Elm rank Nos. 2 and 7, respectively. No other Texas city makes the cut.
"At 2.29, Forney, [Texas] (outside of Dallas), has the third-best housing price-to-income ratio in our ranking and is the second-best suburb in terms of the number of homes for sale per 100,000 people," Homes.com says. "Lastly, its average yard size is just shy of 0.25 acres (the fifth highest in our ranking)." Forney also boasts a median list price of an affordable $235,100, and its school district makes the grade with an A rating.
Little Elm clocks in with a stellar work-from-home score of 1.4 and a housing price-to-income ratio of 2.77. Homes in Little Elm are more expensive than Forney, with the median landing at $273,600, but it ranks as the safest city in the top 10, with a crime index of 73 (100 being the safest).