Maple Run: The Hidden First-Time Buyer Gem of Southwest Austin
I bought my first house in Maple Run in 2013. At the time, homes were hovering right around $200,000.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
I know. That sentence feels illegal now.
Back then, Maple Run was exactly what it was designed to be: affordable. Most of the homes were built in the 80s, many as entry-level builds. The construction wasn’t fancy. The layouts were simple. Some of them had design choices that only make sense if you remember that Miami Vice was still on TV.
The Golden Handcuffs of Austin Real Estate
If you bought or refinanced between 2020 and 2022, there’s a good chance you’re wearing what we lovingly call the golden handcuffs. That sub-3% interest rate feels incredible on paper, but it also makes the idea of moving feel borderline irresponsible. Those historically low rates are what sent home prices soaring. Cheap money allowed buyers to afford more, which drove values up. Appraisals followed, and with them came higher property taxes and insurance premiums. Suddenly, people weren’t just paying for a house. They were paying for the value of a 2022 house. The only reason the numbers still work is because the rate is so low.
That’s the trap. Even when a home no longer fits your life, your family, or your sanity, the math says “stay put.”
A Guide to Surviving a South Austin Freeze
(Or: Why Your House Is Tough, But Not “Arctic Tundra” Tough)
Homes in Austin are not built for cold weather. They can handle a short freeze just fine, but when temperatures stay below freezing for extended periods, your house starts feeling stress in places it didn’t even know it had. If a plumber were writing this blog, here’s what they’d tell you.
First, they’d laugh gently and say, “Y’all build houses for heat, not for Minnesota.” Then they’d get serious. Because extended cold is not just uncomfortable. It’s expensive.
78749: My Favorite Zip Code in South Austin
I live in 78749. I’ve lived here since I moved to Austin. And I’m not leaving.
If 78748 is a Kia, 78749 is a Lexus. Not flashy. Not loud. Just incredibly reliable. The kind of place you can drive for the rest of your life and never feel like you need to “upgrade.”
It’s comfortable. It’s practical. It’s quietly elite.
Why 78748 Might Be the Most Underrated Zip Code in South Austin
If zip codes had personalities, 78748 would be the quietly confident one in the room. Not flashy. Not loud. Just sitting there being wildly practical while everyone else fights over bragging rights.
78748 is a big zip code. Like, “you could live in it for years and still be discovering new pockets” big.
It stretches north to Davis Lane (which turns into Dittmar), south past Slaughter all the way to 1626 and even includes Estancia down by the I-35 corridor. It runs east to I-35 and west toward Brodie and Mopac. Translation: it covers a lot of South Austin real estate personality.
Lowest Tax Rates in South
When people talk about affordability in South Austin, most of the focus goes to home prices and interest rates. Both matter. But the silent assassin of your monthly payment is something way less exciting.
Property taxes.
In South Austin, the average tax rate hovers right around 2%. That might not sound dramatic until you realize that a small difference in tax rate can mean thousands of dollars a year. And unlike interest rates, you don’t get to refinance your tax rate.
Legend Oaks… More Legend or More Oaks?
Legend Oaks is one of those South Austin neighborhoods that quietly wins without needing to brag about it. It doesn’t scream for attention. It just sits there being incredibly practical, well built, tree covered, and reasonably priced while everyone else argues about whether Circle C is worth it.