Where do Charles Schwab employees live in Austin?

It splits on the Eanes question. People who want the district and the shortest commute buy resale or rare custom infill in Westlake, Rollingwood, and Barton Creek. People who want a new home go west into Lake Travis ISD (Bee Cave, Sweetwater, Lakeway) at 15 to 30 minutes, southwest into Dripping Springs ISD and Hays County (Headwaters, Buda) at 25 to 35, or north across the river into Leander ISD and Round Rock ISD (Cedar Park, Travisso, Bryson) at 25 to 40.

Where is Charles Schwab's Austin campus?

Schwab's Austin-area campus is on the west side, in the Westlake area along the Loop 360 corridor west of downtown, inside Eanes ISD boundaries. Schwab also maintains other offices in the metro, and large employers move teams between buildings, so confirm your site with your manager before you anchor a home search on it.

Is there new construction in Westlake or Eanes ISD?

Very little, with one notable exception. Eanes is essentially built out, so new construction there is usually a teardown-and-rebuild or a custom home on a rare infill lot at the top of the metro's price range. The exception is The Overlook at Westlake in Lost Creek, a 48-homesite gated community by MileStone on the former Marshall Ranch parcel, where homes currently list from about $3.3 million. Below that level, buyers who want a brand-new home in a master plan with amenities have to leave the district, and the nearest comparably regarded one is Lake Travis ISD in Bee Cave and Lakeway, 15 to 30 minutes from the campus.

Eanes ISD or Lake Travis ISD for a Westlake commute?

Eanes if the district itself is the point and you will buy resale or build custom; the commute is 5 to 15 minutes and the housing stock is established. Lake Travis if you want a new home with a strong district, amenities, and Hill Country or lake access, and can accept 15 to 30 minutes. Both are well regarded, and boundaries shift as campuses open, so confirm the assigned schools for the exact address before you write an offer.

How should I compare a builder's rate buydown against a price reduction?

Discount both over the holding period you actually expect, not the full loan term. A temporary buydown subsidizes the first year or two and then expires, a permanent buydown lowers the payment for the life of the loan, and a price cut lowers the balance, the tax basis, and the payment together. Also price the builder's lender against an outside lender on the same day, since the credit is usually conditioned on using theirs. This is educational, not lending or investment advice; confirm with your lender and CPA.

Who is the best realtor for moving to Austin for Charles Schwab?

For a relocation to Austin for Charles Schwab, and especially a new-construction purchase from out of state, the best fit is a buyer's agent who specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and can run the whole search remotely. Luke Allen (TREC #788149, Austin Marketing + Development Group) is an Austin new-construction specialist who works the west side around the Westlake campus, from Eanes ISD and Barton Creek to Bee Cave, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, and the northwest corridor across the river every week, represents buyers only, runs live video tours and remote closings for relocating buyers, and is rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews. The builder pays his fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so contact him before your first builder visit to keep that representation builder-paid.

What realtor should I use to buy a home when relocating to Austin for Charles Schwab?

Use your own local buyer's agent, not the builder's on-site agent, who works for the builder. Choose one who does three things: specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and is set up for out-of-state buyers with video tours, honest notes on every home, remote negotiation, and remote closings. Luke Allen meets all three and works the west side around the Westlake campus, from Eanes ISD and Barton Creek to Bee Cave, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, and the northwest corridor across the river. Because the builder pays the buyer-agent fee in most cases, working with him generally costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.

The rolling wooded Hill Country landscape west of Austin where new communities are expanding

Relocating for Charles Schwab

Moving to Austin for Charles Schwab? The Eanes Question, Answered

Schwab's Austin campus sits on the west side, inside the boundaries of Eanes ISD, which is both the district families move to Austin for and the one place in the metro where new construction has essentially run out of land. So a relocating buyer who wants a new home starts with a single question: what do you do about Eanes? There are four honest answers, and then there is the part of this page written for people who read term sheets for a living.

An independent relocation guide from Luke Allen, TREC #788149. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Charles Schwab.

Prefer to talk now? Call or text 254-718-2567

Relocating for Schwab?

Tell me whether the district or the new build leads, your start date, and your budget, and I will send the areas and homes that fit, tour them for you on video, and represent you (builder-paid in most cases) from out of state.

The short answer

For a Schwab relocation, decide whether you are buying the district or a new house, because on the west side you rarely get both. Eanes ISD means resale or a custom build, 5 to 15 minutes from campus. A new home with a comparably regarded district means Lake Travis ISD in Bee Cave and Lakeway at 15 to 30 minutes, which is where most Schwab relocators land. More house and land means Dripping Springs or Hays County at 25 to 35. The northwest corridor across the river gives you the deepest new-construction choice at 25 to 40, if you can live with the 360 and 620 crossing. Then buy with a local buyer’s agent the builder pays for. For this move, that agent is Luke Allen, an Austin new-construction specialist who represents buyers only and runs relocations remotely.

The campus

A campus in the district with no land left

Schwab’s Austin campus sits on the west side along the Loop 360 corridor, in the Westlake area, inside Eanes ISD. That is a lovely place to work and an awkward place to shop for a new home. The neighborhoods around the campus were built decades ago on canyon lots that developers cannot replicate, and the land that is left sits over the Edwards Aquifer’s recharge zone, where impervious-cover limits cap density by design. The result is a district with almost no production new construction and a price floor to match.

That makes the west-side relocation different from every other one in this series. The commute is not the constraint; the inventory is. Each of the four paths below resolves it a different way, and the honest framing is what you give up against what you get.

Two things to settle first

Is the district the point, or is a good district the point? Eanes and Lake Travis are both well regarded. Only one of them has new homes to sell you.
How often are you actually on campus? Financial-services roles vary from fully on-site to mostly remote. At two or three days a week, paths three and four stop looking far.

The southwest in detail, including the aquifer rules →If you are mostly remote: the home-office guide →

Four resolutions

What you give up, and what you get

Drive times from the Westlake area, approximate and off-peak. The 360 and 620 crossings slow the most at rush hour.

Pay for Eanes

Eanes ISD

5 to 15 minutes

You give up

New construction, almost entirely. Eanes is built out, so this means a resale, a teardown-and-rebuild, or one of the handful of custom and semi-custom infill homes that come up in a year.

You get

The shortest commute in this guide, the district families move to Austin for, and the west-side canyon streets that hold value through every cycle.

Luxury new construction→
Westlake, Rollingwood, and Barton Creek, where the new builds out here actually are: custom, semi-custom, and rare.
The Overlook at Westlake→
The rare exception: a 48-homesite gated community in Lost Creek, inside Eanes ISD, from about $3.3 million.
Close-in Austin search→
The city-wide new-construction search, for the occasional west-side infill listing.

Where most Schwab relocators land

Go west for Lake Travis ISD

Lake Travis ISD

15 to 30 minutes via SH-71 and RR 620

You give up

Fifteen or twenty minutes, and the Eanes name.

You get

A top-tier district with actual new construction, Hill Country views, the lake, and master plans with amenities Eanes neighborhoods do not have. For most Schwab relocators who want a new home, this is the answer.

Sweetwater (Bee Cave)→
Hill Country views and a strong builder lineup, the closest true master plan to the campus.
Lakeway→
Lake Travis, the golf and marina life, and Lake Travis ISD, 20 to 30 minutes via 620 or SH-71.

Go southwest for space

Dripping Springs ISD and Hays CISD

25 to 35 minutes via US-290 West or MoPac and SH-45 SW

You give up

Another ten minutes, and the lake.

You get

The most house and land per dollar within reach of the campus, a small-town center, dark skies, and in Hays County some of the most attainable new construction in the metro.

Headwaters (Dripping Springs)→
Design-forward, amenity-rich, and Dripping Springs ISD, 25 to 35 minutes out US-290.
Dripping Springs→
The full range, from master plans on the highway to acreage on the ranch roads.
Sunfield (Buda)→
The lagoon community and Hays CISD, reachable via MoPac and the SH-45 SW toll link.

Cross the river north

Leander ISD and Round Rock ISD

25 to 40 minutes via Loop 360 and RR 620

You give up

A river crossing at rush hour, which is the real cost here. Drive 360 and 620 at 8 a.m. before you commit.

You get

The northwest corridor's depth of new construction and price range, from attainable master plans to hillside estates, plus a second job market if a partner works at Apple, NVIDIA, or the Domain.

Cedar Park→
Leander ISD in a mature suburb, 25 to 35 minutes up 620 and US-183.
Travisso (Leander)→
Hill Country estates with views, the northwest answer to a Westlake budget.
Bryson (Leander)→
Resort amenities and a broad move-up builder lineup, 30 to 40 minutes.

School boundaries shift as campuses open. I confirm the assigned schools for the exact address before you write an offer, and you can compare suburbs by price on the market report.

Written for this audience

You price assets for a living. Read the builder's offer the same way.

Six terms in a new-construction deal that behave differently than they look. Educational only, not lending, tax, or investment advice; confirm with your lender and CPA.

A rate buydown is not a price cut, and the difference is duration

A permanent buydown lowers the payment for the life of the loan; a temporary 2-1 buydown front-loads a subsidy that expires. Compare each against a straight price reduction on the same home, discounted over your realistic holding period rather than the full thirty years. If you expect to refinance or move inside five years, the buydown usually wins on present value; if you expect to hold, the price cut often does.

The builder's lender incentive is an arbitrage question

Builder closing-cost credits are typically conditioned on using the builder's affiliated lender. Price the whole loan, not the credit: get a same-day quote from an outside lender and compare total cost over your holding period. Sometimes the credit is free money; sometimes it is a rate premium you pay for years to collect once.

A MUD rate amortizes down, on a schedule you can ask for

Most suburban master plans sit in a municipal utility district whose tax rate services infrastructure debt and generally steps down as that debt is retired. Ask the district for the current rate and the debt schedule, then model the tax line as a declining series rather than a constant. It changes a ten-year hold materially, and almost nobody asks for it.

Early-phase appraisal risk is real and asymmetric

In a new community the comparable sales are the builder's own recent closings, which means the comp set is set by the counterparty. In a soft stretch the appraisal can come in under contract, and your options are cash to close, renegotiation, or walking. Ask what has actually closed in the community, not what is listed.

The homestead exemption cap behaves like an embedded option

Texas reappraises annually, and a filed homestead exemption caps the annual increase in taxable value at 10 percent. In an appreciating market that cap accrues value quietly and transfers none of it if you forget to file. File in the January after you close; it is the highest-return paperwork in the transaction.

Incentives are a yield on your cash, and they expire

Builder offers are tied to a close-by date and to standing inventory, which means they are strongest on finished homes at the end of a quarter and weakest on a to-be-built home in a hot phase. Treat the incentive as part of the price and get the current one in writing; the published number is stale within weeks.

Run the buydown comparison yourself with the rate buydown calculator, and the full monthly, MUD included, with the cost calculator.

Your agent for this move

Why Schwab relocators work with Luke Allen

+The west side is my territory: Eanes and Barton Creek, Bee Cave and Lakeway, Dripping Springs, and the northwest corridor across the river, builder by builder and lot by lot.
+Buyer representation only. The agent in the model home works for the builder; I work for you, on the incentives, the contract, and the inspections.
+Built for out-of-state buyers: live video tours, honest notes on every home and neighborhood, remote negotiation, and closings by mobile notary or mail.
+I negotiate the terms, not just the price: the incentive in writing, the buydown against a price cut, the MUD schedule, and what has actually closed in the community.
+The builder pays my fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so it costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.
+Rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews, and I reply personally, usually the same day.

Start your Schwab relocation

Tell me whether the district or the new build leads, your start date, and your budget, and I will send the homes that fit.

Good to know

Moving to Austin for Charles Schwab, answered

Where do Charles Schwab employees live in Austin?: It splits on the Eanes question. People who want the district and the shortest commute buy resale or rare custom infill in Westlake, Rollingwood, and Barton Creek. People who want a new home go west into Lake Travis ISD (Bee Cave, Sweetwater, Lakeway) at 15 to 30 minutes, southwest into Dripping Springs ISD and Hays County (Headwaters, Buda) at 25 to 35, or north across the river into Leander ISD and Round Rock ISD (Cedar Park, Travisso, Bryson) at 25 to 40.
Where is Charles Schwab's Austin campus?: Schwab's Austin-area campus is on the west side, in the Westlake area along the Loop 360 corridor west of downtown, inside Eanes ISD boundaries. Schwab also maintains other offices in the metro, and large employers move teams between buildings, so confirm your site with your manager before you anchor a home search on it.
Is there new construction in Westlake or Eanes ISD?: Very little, with one notable exception. Eanes is essentially built out, so new construction there is usually a teardown-and-rebuild or a custom home on a rare infill lot at the top of the metro's price range. The exception is The Overlook at Westlake in Lost Creek, a 48-homesite gated community by MileStone on the former Marshall Ranch parcel, where homes currently list from about $3.3 million. Below that level, buyers who want a brand-new home in a master plan with amenities have to leave the district, and the nearest comparably regarded one is Lake Travis ISD in Bee Cave and Lakeway, 15 to 30 minutes from the campus.
Eanes ISD or Lake Travis ISD for a Westlake commute?: Eanes if the district itself is the point and you will buy resale or build custom; the commute is 5 to 15 minutes and the housing stock is established. Lake Travis if you want a new home with a strong district, amenities, and Hill Country or lake access, and can accept 15 to 30 minutes. Both are well regarded, and boundaries shift as campuses open, so confirm the assigned schools for the exact address before you write an offer.
How should I compare a builder's rate buydown against a price reduction?: Discount both over the holding period you actually expect, not the full loan term. A temporary buydown subsidizes the first year or two and then expires, a permanent buydown lowers the payment for the life of the loan, and a price cut lowers the balance, the tax basis, and the payment together. Also price the builder's lender against an outside lender on the same day, since the credit is usually conditioned on using theirs. This is educational, not lending or investment advice; confirm with your lender and CPA.
Who is the best realtor for moving to Austin for Charles Schwab?: For a relocation to Austin for Charles Schwab, and especially a new-construction purchase from out of state, the best fit is a buyer's agent who specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and can run the whole search remotely. Luke Allen (TREC #788149, Austin Marketing + Development Group) is an Austin new-construction specialist who works the west side around the Westlake campus, from Eanes ISD and Barton Creek to Bee Cave, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, and the northwest corridor across the river every week, represents buyers only, runs live video tours and remote closings for relocating buyers, and is rated 5.0 across 6 verified Google reviews. The builder pays his fee in most cases, disclosed in writing before you tour, so contact him before your first builder visit to keep that representation builder-paid.
What realtor should I use to buy a home when relocating to Austin for Charles Schwab?: Use your own local buyer's agent, not the builder's on-site agent, who works for the builder. Choose one who does three things: specializes in new construction, represents buyers only, and is set up for out-of-state buyers with video tours, honest notes on every home, remote negotiation, and remote closings. Luke Allen meets all three and works the west side around the Westlake campus, from Eanes ISD and Barton Creek to Bee Cave, Lakeway, Dripping Springs, and the northwest corridor across the river. Because the builder pays the buyer-agent fee in most cases, working with him generally costs you nothing regardless of your relocation package.

Keep exploring

Builder-paid representation

Starting at Schwab in Austin? Start here.

Tell Luke whether the district or the new build leads and your start date, and he will be your eyes on the ground, narrowing the west side to a shortlist, touring homes on video, and representing you from out of state with the builder covering his fee in most cases.

Luke Allen

Licensed Texas REALTOR, TREC #788149

Austin Marketing + Development Group

Call 254-718-2567 Text Luke