Buying a Second Home in Austin: A Guide for Part-Time Residents Who Want to Lock the Door and Go
A second home should make your life bigger, not busier. The best ones feel like a place that is ready for you on the day you land and calm about the days you are away. I'm Felix, a Texas Realtor, and I live in Cedar Park. I am also experienced in the home construction process, and on this page I will show you why that matters when the house is going to spend a lot of its time without you.
Before the bottom of this page, I'll give you three things. First, the question that decides most of your search. Second, the three parts of leaving a home that people forget to plan. Third, a short list of facts from official sources that most second-home buyers ask about, and what I do and do not tell you about them. Stay with me, because the third one is where I stay in my lane on purpose.
Start with how you will use it
Here is the first thing I promised. How many weeks a year will you really be in the house, and who will be with you? A home for four weeks a year and a home for four months are not the same search. Someone who comes for football weekends, someone who comes for winter and someone who comes to host clients all want different things from the same address.
I ask that question first, because the answer tells me how much land you want to look after, how much exterior you want to own and how quickly you want to be at the airport. After that, we talk about places.
Lock-and-leave is a spectrum
Lock-and-leave means you can close the door and travel without a long list of upkeep behind you. It is a spectrum, and the communities describe it in different ways:
- Barton Creek's neighborhood descriptions call WatersMark a gated enclave known for a lock-and-leave lifestyle and Governors Hill a gated enclave of 44 freestanding homes with low-maintenance living. See my Barton Creek page.
- The developer's public filing describes Amarra Villas as 20 homes marketed as lock and leave, with golf course access and cart garages. See my Amarra page, and my Escala page for the gated estates perched above Fazio Canyons.
- The community site describes The Point in Rough Hollow as a low-maintenance, lock-and-leave detached condo regime. See my guide to Rough Hollow.
- On the Bee Cave side, see my Spanish Oaks page, my Bee Cave homes page and my Westlake page.
- For lake living, see my Lake Travis waterfront page and my page on The Hills.
Those are the communities' words, and I read the documents before I call any home easy to leave. A larger lot, a bigger exterior or a lake-facing dock all add to what you leave behind.
Three parts of leaving a home
Here is the second thing. When you leave a home, three things need a plan: the house, the grounds and the paperwork that keeps it covered.
Most part-time owners arrange for someone to check the home while they are away, either a trusted person or a service that does property checks on a schedule. I do not name or recommend a company on this page, and I do not pretend one arrangement fits every home. What I do is help you think it through: who holds a key or a code, how often the home is checked, what they look at, and who they call first if something is off.
The Texas Department of Insurance says most companies stop coverage if a house is vacant for 60 days or more, though they usually do not stop liability coverage. It tells owners who will be away for an extended time to talk to their company. TDI also says most policies will not pay for damage or injuries during short-term rentals, so ask your agent before you rent, and that a monitored burglar or fire alarm can earn a discount with some companies. I do not sell insurance and I do not pick a company for you. I just make sure you hear the question before the house sits empty.
A few facts, and where I stop
Here is the third thing. Second-home buyers often ask about taxes. I am a Realtor, not a tax advisor, so I point you to the sources and to your own professional. The Texas Comptroller says property tax in Texas is locally assessed, and that the general residence homestead exemption requires that you use the property as your principal residence and state that you do not claim an exemption on another residence homestead in or outside Texas. The Texas Constitution says the legislature may not impose a tax on the net incomes of individuals. What any of that means for you depends on your situation, so ask your own tax professional.
If you ever think about renting the home while you are away, the City of Austin says short-term rentals, meaning residences rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days, are regulated by ordinance and licensed by the city. Associations have their own rules, so check before you assume. I do not coach on renting, and I do not promise that any one home can be rented.
Getting in and out
The airport's own site says Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) offers nonstop flights to domestic and international destinations, reported its busiest year on record in 2023 with more than 22 million passengers, and is in the middle of a multi-year expansion. It also says every airline has used the main Barbara Jordan Terminal since April 1, 2026. I do not quote drive times, because they change with the hour and the day. When we tour, I run the route to the airport at the time of day you would really travel, and you judge it.
I also ask where your flights come from and when. Early flights, late arrivals and checked bags all change what feels easy.
The Hill Country, once you land
The Hill Country is a big part of why people buy here. Texas Parks and Wildlife says Pedernales Falls State Park is about 30 miles west of Austin and often reaches capacity, so it suggests reservations. Hill Country Galleria, at Bee Cave Road and Highways 620 and 71, describes itself as a 1.3-million-square-foot lifestyle center with 50 acres of green space. I will ask what a good visit looks like for you, then plan the search around it.
Turnkey, or a project for the right spot
Some second-home buyers want to turn the key and be done. Others will take a project if the spot is right. Both are good answers, and they need different questions.
Experienced in the home construction process. That is how I look at any home that has to wait for you. I walk the home with you, and together we talk with the builder about what's on the table. Your licensed inspector and your other advisors are always your call. On a turnkey home, that conversation is about how it was built and kept. On a project, it is about what the home could become on that lot and what questions need answers before you decide.
The straight talk
- There is no one right second home. A villa, an acreage estate and a lake house ask different things of you.
- Descriptions come from the communities. I verify what I can on each home and tell you when I cannot.
- I do not quote prices or values on this page. I pull sold homes for the exact streets you care about and put them beside each home.
- I am not your tax advisor, insurance agent or attorney. I point you to the official sources and your own professionals.
Who I am a fit for
I'm a fit if you want a Realtor who plans for the days you are away, who will walk each property with you and who tells you plainly what I notice. I am less of a fit if you want a long list of homes quickly with no conversation. Both answers are fine.
I can't see where rates or prices go next, and neither can anyone else who is being honest. What I can do is help you get ready, so that when the right home shows up I am already working from your list.
How it works with me
- You start your file. Tell me about your timeline and where you are in the process. I text you and send my agreement the same day.
- We talk it through. Your must-haves, your commute, what you want around you and what you want in your budget.
- I send you homes that fit that list, with what is around each one, so you are not scrolling through noise.
- We tour together. I walk each home with you and tell you what I notice. I am experienced in the home construction process, and a licensed inspector is always your call.
- You choose. Every lender, insurer and warranty company is your decision.
- Closing. I attend every closing, and I am there at the table with you.
My services are fiduciary in nature, so I can only work for clients. When you start a file, I am on your side of the table.
What does lock-and-leave mean?
It means a home you can close up and travel from without a long list of upkeep behind you. It comes from choices like how much land, how much exterior, what an association handles and who checks the home while you are away. I do not call a home lock-and-leave until I have looked at what it takes.
Will my insurance cover a home that sits empty?
Ask your insurance agent. The Texas Department of Insurance says most companies stop coverage if a house is vacant for 60 days or more, though they usually do not stop liability coverage, and it tells owners who will be away for an extended time to talk to their company.
Can a second home get the Texas residence homestead exemption?
The Texas Comptroller says the general residence homestead exemption requires that you use the property as your principal residence and that you state you do not claim an exemption on another residence homestead. I am not a tax advisor, so ask your own professional what it means for you.
Can I rent my Austin second home while I am away?
The City of Austin says short-term rentals, residences rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days, are regulated by ordinance and licensed by the city, and associations have their own rules. I do not coach on renting, and I do not promise that any one home can be rented.
How far is the airport?
I do not quote drive times, because they change with the hour and the day. When we tour, I run the route to the airport at the time of day you would really travel, and you judge it. The airport's own site says Austin-Bergstrom International Airport offers nonstop flights to domestic and international destinations.
Who watches the house while I am away?
That is your arrangement, and I do not name or recommend a company. I help you think through who holds a key or code, how often the home is checked and who gets the first call if something is off. The Texas Department of Insurance also says most companies stop coverage if a house is vacant for 60 days or more, so ask your insurance agent about extended absences.
What does experienced in the home construction process mean?
I walk the home with you, and together we talk with the builder about what's on the table. Your licensed inspector and your other advisors are always your call.
Do I need to be in Austin to get started?
No. Start your file, tell me where you are in your plan, and I will tell you what is best done in person. Then we plan your visit around a short list of homes that fit.
Who do you work for, and will you be at my closing?
My services are fiduciary in nature, so I can only work for clients. When you start a file, I am on your side of the table. Yes, I attend every closing, and I am there at the table with you.
Ready? Open your file and I will text you today. No pressure, just a clear list built around your life.
Important: I'm a Texas Realtor, not an attorney, tax advisor, lender, appraiser or inspector. The figures on this page come from the Texas Department of Insurance, the Texas Comptroller, the Texas Constitution, the City of Austin, the Austin airport, Barton Creek's neighborhood descriptions, the developer's public filing, the Rough Hollow community site, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Travis County, were pulled on Nov 2, 2026, and can be revised or change. Nothing here is tax, legal, lending or appraisal advice, a price opinion for any home, or a recommendation of any company. Property tax and income tax outcomes depend on your situation and the address, so check with your own tax professional. I list places by what is there and by commute, and I do not rank or describe neighborhoods by who lives in them.
Related: Barton Creek · Amarra · Escala · Spanish Oaks · Lake Travis waterfront · Rough Hollow · The Hills · Bee Cave homes · Westlake
Texas Realtor · TREC 667130 · All City Real Estate
Equal Housing Opportunity.