Plum Creek Texas....there's no place like home

Someone asked me recently what I liked about living in Plum Creek. Even after they left I thought about it a bit more.

I decided that part of what I like about living in Plum Creek is that it reminds me of a simpler time. Sometimes driving into the neighborhood, I'll smile to myself as I see the picket fences and the blooming crepe myrtles, the "gazing balls" in some landscaping, wind chimes that twinkle on some of the porches and other items that are a throw back to my grandmother's house growing up. I don't always stop to think about the feeling, I just know I relax a bit as I drive down the street. Maybe everyone feels that in their neighborhoods, I don't know. But the other night I was flipping channels and came across the movie "The Wizard of Oz". The movie was almost over and for some reason I was in a nostalgic mood and put the remote down and watched it. Within seconds memories of my childhood flooded back.

When I was a child (we won't say how long ago that was), The Wizard of OZ movie was played on the TV once a year. There was always a lot of commercials leading up to it. So the night it came on it was a real event at our house. There were 7 kids and one television in the house (and one bathroom but that's a whole 'nother story). There we'd be, ready for bed, with several big bowls of popcorn, all gathered around what now would be considered a unbelievably small TV, watching a movie that we had seen who knows how many times before.

So why bring this up in relation to Plum Creek? Well I guess when Dorothy decides that "There's no place like home", I have to agree. Plum Creek is home to me. I live in Plum Creek, my daughters live in Plum Creek, my ex-husband and his family lives in Plum Creek...you get the picture. We can run over and borrow a ladder from each other anytime we like. And I like it.

I like the quaint nature of the community. I like the fact that the trees are growing bigger and fuller and the neighborhood is looking more and more like the neighborhoods of 'old'. I like the back alleys, and the flags that get put out at the mailboxes each fourth of July (even though it's another realtor putting them out...but that's okay too).

It's funny but the very thing that many of us love about Plum Creek, some other people dislike about it. I have brought many a client through the neighborhood over the last several years, showing the homes and I can get some really strong reactions. Unlike many neighborhoods around Austin (and believe me I've shown them all), with Plum Creek you get a more split reaction. With Plum Creek many of my clients either love it or they hate it.

I remember years ago when I was new to Real Estate, I was driving a client through the neighborhood the weekend of fourth of July (yes I do work weekends....a lot). I drove in the main entrance on Witte. When I first saw the flags had been put out, I thought the picture it made was so patriotic and quaint. My client's reaction...well let's just say quaint wasn't the word he chose to use.

But that's okay. Call it "Leave it to Beaverville", "Stepfordville", "Pleasantville", it doesn't matter. Plum Creek isn't a neighborhood for everyone. No neighborhood is, or can hope to be. And that's what makes our country great. My challenge as a Realtor, is to get to know a bit about my clients' personalities, their likes and their dislikes and then using that information coupled with their price range, find neighborhoods and homes that work for them.

When asked about the Pros and the Cons in living in Plum Creek: I'd say the biggest pro for me is the sense of community...now I will admit I am always on the go and I don't see my neighbors as often as I'd like/should. But even then I always wave and I know if I have a problem I could give a yell and I'm sure they'd be willing to help as I would be willing to help them as well.

I also like the cuteness of the neighborhood. It has a distinct personality that many neighborhoods of this price point are missing. To me it's different. I like the bungalow look and front porches of many of the homes. I like the fact there is an elementary school in the neighborhood even if my kids are too old to go there. I like that there are pools, parks and activities like "movie in the park" for the kids. I love the holidays with all the decorations that come out near Thanksgiving time. I love the trick or treaters coming by on Halloween. I like seeing young families taking a walk in the evening with their kids passing by the retirees who are also out enjoying the break from the hot Texas afternoons.

Yes there are Cons to living in Plum Creek as well. I have to be honest with my clients about them. I warn anyone looking at homes in our neighborhood, if they don't plan on keeping up their yards or homes, if they get angry when someone else tells them that they need to mow, or paint their home, then Plum Creek is not the neighborhood for them. And while I personally have received a few cards from the HOA saying my yard needed mowing or my beds were looking tacky (honestly they must have come the day before I was having it done), I'm glad the HOA 'police' are keeping on top of my neighborhoods so I don't have to. I can tell you from a Realtor's perspective, if you don't have a strong HOA, if someone isn't making sure that the restrictions are being adhered to, then the neighborhood can begin to really look run down...surprisingly...fast.

Another obvious Con relates to yard size and lack of privacy. Neither are issues for me, but for buyers that want big back yards and privacy fences this isn't likely to happen in Plum Creek. Yes there are a few homes that are built on the golf course and a few cul de sac lots that are larger than the norm, but by and large, let's face it, our lots are pretty darn small, especially when you consider that many have a detached garage taking up a chunk of it. And as for privacy...our little white picket fences, the only ones the restrictions allow by the way, well they don't allow you to have privacy.

For me small yards and lack of privacy isn't a big deal. Geez, I'm well past the "lying out in the sun" days and there is nothing I'd be doing in the backyard that I am not willing to have my neighbors see. And when it comes to missing a big back yard ...let me tell you, I've been there and done that with the big yards and have learned it costs money to mow and water (even more now a days). Besides, with our nice parks and pools, the kids can go to the near by park to play.

We aren't going to see any change happening to the lot size and privacy issues mentioned above, but we are seeing another Con that my potential buyers had about Plum Creek. For several years my clients felt that Plum Creek was too far from things. You had to drive 20 minutes to go to the grocery store or drugstore. But this is no longer an issue now that HEB Plus and CVS and opened their doors. And it's only going to get better. Soon we'll have a hospital (which hopefully I won't need but it's nice to know it will be there), a movie theater and some other shopping within five minutes from our neighborhood, making it what it was always supposed to be, a neighborhood that allowed people to work and play close to home.

So I for one am a happy camper here in Plum Creek. Click your heels together and keep repeating..."There's no place like home." "There's no place like home." And whoosh, you're there.

Oh...in case you're wondering...Real Estate Prices in Plum Creek for a single family home starts about $150,000 and go to the high $200s. There are a few townhomes and cottages that would be less. If you would like to check out all of the active homes for sale in Plum Creek, go to Austin Home Search or you can click her eto search homes for lease in Plum Creek.