If you’re looking for Austin’s most expensive homes, it’s no secret that you have to follow the Colorado River west of downtown into the rolling Hill Country landscape.
It’s out there that you’ll find the four priciest zip codes in Austin, according to new data analysis by Forbes.
Texas has 16 zip codes that ranked in the top 500. The top two Texas zip codes were in Houston (77024) and Dallas (75205). Austin’s 78735, which includes Barton Creek, topped the list for the Austin area.
But even with the sprawling and luxurious custom homes in that area, Austin’s most expensive area still ranks only 183rd nationally.
Now, before exploring those areas, a brief look at how Forbes put this area code real estate price ranking together.
The figures reflect the median asking price of homes that were on the market this past spring and summer. The numbers have also been adjusted on a rolling average to help account for exceptionally expensive properties that would drive up the averages and areas densely populated with condos. (For more detail, go here.)
Now, on to those high-end zip codes and neighborhoods within them.
78735: Barton Creek, Governors Hill, Regents and more
Nestled between the Barton Creek Greenbelt west of Loop 360 and north of 290 East, the 78735 area has a mostly relaxed and spacious Hill Country vibe while being just a few minutes from downtown. It’s a lush area, thanks to the greenbelt and the Barton Creek Habitat Reserve. The median home price in the area code is $1.45 million, and it includes 21 houses currently listed on Austin’s MLS at more than $2 million.
You can check out some of those homes by searching Maxavenue listings by zip code. Or, you can look specifically at neighborhoods, such as Barton Creek.
78746: West Lake Hills, Rollingwood and more
If you’ve looked west from the MoPac bridge over Lady Bird Lake or kayaked west of the bridge, you may have noticed the mansions perched high above the water. They’re some of Austin’s most prized estates, and a scroll through the listings shows why. Thirteen of the properties listed now are more than $5 million. But the median still makes it affordable compared to the nearly 200 area codes throughout the nation higher on the list. Its median is $1.4 million.
78703: Tarrytown, West Downtown and more
Even closer to downtown is the 78703 area code, which ranked as the 489th most expensive nationally. It includes west downtown, essentially everything west of Lamar, north of the river and south of 35th Street. Here, the median price is $904,445, and the most expensive current listing is $3.75 million. The neighborhoods are slightly older and include many historic properties, as well as scores of newly build estates.
78733: Crystal Mountain, Commons Ford and more
The 78733 area is spread out between Barton Creek and the Colorado River, and it includes about a dozen small neighborhoods on either side of Bee Caves Road, a couple miles west of Loop 360. It has miles of open space, including Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park. Seven of the homes currently listed are priced at more than $3 million, and several are waterfront properties on the Colorado River.