Cynthia Mattiza Associate Broker · Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty
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Guide

The Austin tech relocation field guide: Westlake, Bee Cave, Lakeway and Lake Travis

I’m Cynthia Mattiza, an Associate Broker with Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty in Bee Cave. If you are moving to Austin for tech, choose the community by testing your workplace commute, your school district, your money and your home office, in that order. This field guide links every tool and checklist I use to do that.

By Cynthia Mattiza, Associate Broker Last updated

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Educational, not tax, legal or lending advice — confirm with your CPA and lender.

Who is this field guide for?

People moving to Austin for work, often from Seattle or California, who are weighing West Austin: Westlake, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Lake Travis communities such as Rough Hollow, and Spicewood. I work in those communities every day, so this guide stays with them. It is not a guide to all of Austin, and it does not pretend West Austin is the right answer for every job.

It complements, and does not repeat, my neighborhood guides on cynthiamattiza.com. Here the starting point is your workplace and your decision process, backed by tools and sources.

Is West Austin close to the big tech employers?

Not to all of them, and I would rather tell you now. Downtown offices are close to Westlake; Tesla’s Gigafactory is in the southeast, Samsung’s Taylor fab is northeast of the city, and Apple’s campus is in North Austin. West Austin is a long drive to those.

For scale, in free-flow routing with no traffic (OSRM, measured 2026-10-22), the drive from Westlake to Google’s 500 W 2nd St office is 9.4 minutes, from Bee Cave it is 23.5 minutes, and from Lakeway 31.5 minutes. To Tesla it is 28.6 minutes from Westlake and 45.7 minutes from Lakeway (free-flow, no traffic, OSRM, measured 2026-10-22). Those are floors, not commute times.

If your workplace is in Northwest Austin or Round Rock, those areas are honest alternatives to compare against West Austin. I do not market representation there; I will tell you when the geography points that way. The full table is in the commute worksheet.

How do I choose a community when work is the starting point?

Winding road through the Hill Country at golden hour

Follow five steps, in this order. Each links to the tool or guide that does the work.

  1. Test the commute at your departure window. Start with the commute worksheet and, if you have two workplaces, the two-workplace tool.
  2. Confirm the school district for each address. Lake Travis ISD and Eanes ISD both direct you to their boundary tools; the district follows the exact address.
  3. Put numbers on the home. Use the monthly-costs worksheet, and if equity compensation funds your purchase, read buying a home with RSUs.
  4. Verify the home office. Use the home-office checklist at the address.
  5. Visit on purpose. The two-day scouting plan and the rent, buy or sell-first guide turn a shortlist into a decision.

Which community tends to fit which situation?

Think in trade-offs, not rankings. In free-flow routing, Westlake has the shortest drive to every destination in my table, which is a real advantage if you will be in the office most days (free-flow, no traffic, OSRM, measured 2026-10-22). Bee Cave and Lakeway trade distance for space, lake access, community amenities and, for many families, a Lake Travis ISD address. Among Bee Cave, Lakeway and Rough Hollow, Lakeway has the shortest free-flow drive to NVIDIA’s Lakeline office (30.6 minutes, versus 33.2 minutes from Bee Cave) and to the Apple North Austin campus site (33.1 minutes, versus 34.7 minutes from Bee Cave).

Each community can also fail a requirement: school district, lake access, a quiet office, a budget. The community comparison for tech names those failure points on purpose. For neighborhood background, see my Bee Cave vs. Westlake vs. Lakeway guide.

What about money, equity compensation and taxes?

Shaded cafe corner on an Austin neighborhood street

Texas has no state income tax, per the Texas Comptroller, and property taxes are set locally, so the cost of a home is driven by the property, not just the price. If your down payment or income includes RSUs or vested stock, lenders follow specific rules (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac) that are different from what many people assume. I cover both in detail in buying a home with RSUs and West Austin monthly housing costs.

Educational, not tax, legal or lending advice — confirm with your CPA and lender.

What do real relocations look like?

Three published ones: a family relocating from Seattle for a tech job transfer who chose Lake Pointe in Bee Cave and closed in June 2026; a two-state move from Virginia coordinated with a Sotheby’s advisor there; and a corporate-relocation couple who chose Costa Bella, near Lakeway, over the shortest commute.

Where is everything in this guide?

House plans and a coffee cup on a dining table

How do I start?

Two easy ways. Ask for a community shortlist and I will read your answers myself, or download the printable field guide and fill it in on your own. You can also call or text me at 512.940.5293.

Get my West Austin community shortlist

Official sources

More on cynthiamattiza.com

Client stories

Relocating family (one child), referred by a family member · Lake Pointe, Bee Cave

Seattle to Lake Pointe: a remote relocation that closed on the job-transfer timeline

The situation
A family moving from Seattle for a tech job transfer had a fixed start date, little time to visit, and a city they had not lived in. They wanted to be close to family in a neighborhood that felt like a community, where their son could ride his bike and make friends quickly.
The approach
Cynthia ran the search remotely and matched the family to a community before showing homes, comparing Lake Travis-area neighborhoods against what they said mattered: a welcoming community and everyday convenience. Lake Pointe came out on top. She also personally knew three of the family’s direct neighbors.
The outcome
The family closed in June 2026 on the timeline the job transfer required, about one month from first call to contract.
First call to contract
About one month
Closed
June 2026
Search
Run remotely from Seattle

Relocating buyers and out-of-state sellers, introduced by a past client and a college friend · Austin

Virginia to Austin: a two-state move that closed over the holidays

The situation
Buyers were selling a home in Virginia while buying in Austin. They met Cynthia for a relocation consultation in March and chose to wait for the right market window rather than rush.
The approach
Cynthia connected them with a Sotheby’s advisor in Virginia to handle the sale of their current home, monitored inventory and pricing, and moved decisively when the timing was right. On their house-hunting trip they toured nearly a dozen homes. She stayed in touch through voice notes and late-night calls across the holidays.
The outcome
The first home they saw was the one. They were under contract a few days later and closed during the holiday season.
Homes toured on the trip
Nearly a dozen
Contract
A few days after the first showing

Corporate-relocation buyers, referred by another Sotheby’s International Realty agent · Costa Bella, near Lakeway (78734)

A corporate relocation that chose lifestyle over the shortest commute

The situation
The buyers needed to commute to downtown Austin but did not want the commute to define the search. They wanted a gated, private neighborhood with Lake Travis or Hill Country views, resort-style amenities and access to boating and the outdoors.
The approach
Cynthia compared communities across the Lake Travis area against how the buyers wanted to live, then walked them through the trade-off: a longer, traffic-dependent commute in exchange for privacy, scenery and the feeling of coming home to a destination.
The outcome
They chose Costa Bella, a private gated waterfront community near Lakeway.

Frequently asked questions

Is West Austin a good place to live if I work in tech?

It can be, depending on where you work. Westlake is the closest of the five communities to downtown offices in free-flow routing, while Tesla, Samsung and Apple sit far from West Austin. Test your own commute at your real departure window before deciding.

Which West Austin community has the shortest drive to tech offices?

In free-flow, no-traffic routing (OSRM, measured 2026-10-22), Westlake had the shortest drive to every destination in Cynthia’s table. Real commutes at your departure window will be longer, so treat those figures as a floor and test your own.

Does Cynthia Mattiza work in Round Rock or Northwest Austin?

No. Cynthia works in West Austin and the Lake Travis communities. If your workplace points to Northwest Austin or Round Rock, she will say so and you can compare those areas with a local agent there.

Which school districts serve Westlake, Bee Cave and Lakeway?

Eanes ISD serves West Lake Hills; Lake Travis ISD serves Bee Cave and Lakeway campuses. Zoning follows the exact address, so use each district’s own boundary tools for every home you consider.

Can I buy a house in Austin before I move?

Yes. A family relocating from Seattle for a tech job transfer went from first call to contract in about one month and closed in June 2026, with the search run remotely. Whether it suits you depends on your start date and priorities.

Keep going

Cynthia Mattiza

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