When you think of luxury real estate, what comes to mind - Austin, Texas? Probably not. But guess what? It exists. Better yet, there are some stunningly amazing luxury real estate and luxury homes in the Austin area.

There are several reasons that Austin has a luxury real estate market. Unlike the image many people have of Texas in general, Austin is incredibly different. When you get into the part of Austin that is in the Central Texas Hill Country you get the feeling that you are in California or even Italy, not Texas.

See what I mean? This photo looks out over luxury homes on Lake Austin from atop Mt. Bonnell. This is a great place see some of the dramataic Hill Country right inside of Austin itself.

So what else drives the luxury real estate market in Austin? Several employers come to mind. Dell is one. With its headquarters being located in Round Rock, just north of Austin, Dell has executives with money to spend. Other such employers in the Austin area with highly paid execs include Advanced Micro Devices, IBM, Motorloa, National Instruments, Cisco, Trilogy, Samsung The list goes on and on.

Luxury means different things to different people, but most people do equate luxury real estate with a relatively high dollar figure. When I think of luxury real estate in Austin, I think of homes priced at over $1 million. I think of estate sized lots with large homes with excellent finish-out,three or moregarage spaces,gated communities, large back yards with lavish pools and outdoor living areas. One thing I am starting to think of in terms of Austin luxury real estate is high-rise condominiums. More on that later

What most would think of as luxury homes in Austin will be in the hills or on the lakes. In the Austin area we have Town Lake, Lake Austin and Lake Travis. The first two are long and narrow portions of the Colorado River as it flows from one dam to the next through Austin. Homes on these lakes tend to get very expensive due to their proximity to the downtown area. Lake Travis is a bit farther out, but there are many newer, large luxury homes on Lake Travis.

As far as communities and subdivisions go, there are many to talk about. They include the city of West Lake Hills, which is close to downtown Austin and has many dramatic views of downtown Austin. There are the subdivisions of Barton Creek and Davenport Ranch, which are also fairly close to the downtown Austin area. Rob Roy, Seven Oaks and and Spanish Oaks are just a bit farther out. Out on or near Lake Travis are the exclusive gated communities of Vineyard Bay, Arbolago, Costa Bella and Flintrock Falls. The south shore of Lake Travis from Lakeway to the west is a wonderful place to own luxury waterfront real estate.South shore Lake Travis communities includeLakeway, Angel Bay, the Coves on Lake Travis, Lakecliff and Barton Creek Lakeside. Each of these neighborhoods has something different to offer. Of course there are more areas to talk about, but these are very representative of the Austin luxury real estate market.

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