Edgewick

Incredible location and value for living just two miles from downtown Austin. The neighborhood is safe and quiet.

Wanted to buy at Edgewick but they have possibly the worst HOA /​Property Management team I have ever had to deal with. You would think you would treat a prospective buyer (who happens to be renting there) with some amount of respect. Hell, just treat anyone you deal with with some amount of respect.
I have called property management no less than 10 times and left messages for Lauren and then to someone who may or may not have been her supervisor. Also sent a couple of emails. Not a single call back or text message or email. Zero response. ZERO.
This was after my car was broken into (and several others). All I wanted was a new gate key, a new mailbox key and a new pool key and maybe a bit of peace of mind that I could get on the police report that was filed. ZERO response. No, «sorry about your tremendous loss, Ken, what can we do to help you?» ZERO response.
All this and I had indicated interest in buying one of the new homes. ZERO customer service. ZERO response.
BTW, I call BS on anyone who says the electric bills are low. I keep my AC at 78 (always, no changes). My two last bills are $ 300 each. I have to think the AC unit installed in my building is undersized for the space.
Anyone thinking about buying at Edgewick, don’t do it!!!

We’ve lived here a year now and have been happy for the following: modern look of the home we designed, our neighbors (great people live here) and the social interactions we get while our playing/​walking our dog.
We absolutely cannot stand the following while living here: the HOA management, landscaping, dog park quality, flooding and lack of landscape efficiency, communication from the builder and Real Manage
The advertising for our community lists the following, I’d like to give realistic info
«With Edgewick you get Austin living close to downtown at value prices:»
— Detached condominiums in a gated community: TRUE
— Eight stunning floor plans ranging from 822 sq feet to 1847 sq feet: TRUE
— Striking contemporary design with one to three bedrooms: TRUE (be prepared to rush through the design process with vendors and double check paperwork after move in to ensure what you ordered was installed)
— Beautiful landscaping maintained by the HOA — no mowing!: FALSE — So much so! The landscaping is only kept up in public areas mostly near the sales office, go figure. My husband and I would rather skip the $ 190 mo HOA fee and landscape and maintain our own property, it would look SO MUCH BETTER
— Gorgeous pool, sun deck and barbecue area: SOMEWHAT — the pool was rarely cleaned last summer and the bottom/​water looked gross to swim in
— Garage parking with every home: TRUE but detached — unless you want a few under your home (might be noisy)
— Private parks for both pets and people!: FALSE, where are the parks for people? Aside from the pool and an occasional grassy corner here and there, nothing! The dog park is a train wreck. The pups get thorns and burrs in their paws every time as this park has rarely been maintained, thorns/​weeds are never tended to. The gate was broken and didn’t even close for close to 6 months — finally fixed that in the most cheap looking way (most likely will break again soon). No trees or shade areas for the dogs. No benches or seating for owners. It’s a mud pit close to an irrigation ditch that is a last resort for exercising pets close to home. UGH
We really have tried to work with the builders on getting warranty fixes done, even though those working at Wes Peoples (mainly Michael) are efficient, their reputation is compromised as they over promise and under deliver on behalf of the numerous vendors you work with to get fixes done (Floor King is the worst). And the HOA has been tossed between 2 management companies in the last year, and both have proven to be frustrating to work with. Let’s hope this gets better for the $ 190/​mo fees we all pay.
If you’re anti-​HOA communities to begin with — take a second look prior to buying here

The HOA is still not run by the actual homeowners. We have just changed over to a new HOA company and pay almost $ 200 a month for HOA fees in the Edgewick community. It adds a significant amount to the monthly mortgage for not much added value. As apart of these fees, landscaping is supposed to be maintained. This means that someone is supposed to come to mow the lawn once a week, but during the cold months when the grass goes dormant, this happens less often, if at all. I have lived here for close to five years and the yard care has never gone beyond this. My yard is currently a mish mosh of plants that really do not even go together as far as landscape design and they severely need maintaining, trimming, pruning and clearing out, especially after the winter freezes. If I dont do this myself, nobody else does, certainly not the «landscaping» crew. They replace mulch once a year in the Spring and I guess we are lucky that they do that. For the amount that we pay each month, the yards should be much better maintained. I do not consider the occasional weekly mow to be sufficient for what we told to expect from our landscape services. Really disappointed with the HOA’s attention to the exterior of our homes. In my five years here, I have had many plants die and have had to clear them out myself and replace them at my own expense. This is really unacceptable. The landscape service team should be proactive in their planning for the community and the upkeep of the existing homeowners. After all, that is what we are paying you for.

The homes themselves look great. But the neighborhood this development is in looks like a war zone. The ‘original’ houses surrounding this place look like they’re going to get busted by APD anytime in a sting operation. I think that the company selling these brand new houses should have bought up the entire area if it had wanted to make a nice development.
There are no full scale grocery stores immediately nearby. You would have to take the bus/​drive to the walmart for your groceries/​prescriptions. And you’d also have to take the bus to get to the local bank… etc. A library is not immediately nearby and neither are clothing stores, retail (including resale.
This currently is not even a neighborhood which I would feel safe walking around in, especially after dark. I’m impressed (amazed??) that some people bought homes here, but I don’t feel like being that ‘sharing’ with my stuff.

Mark at Edgewick is amazing. He was there 100% of of the way. I highly recommended Edgewick Community

I signed the contract to build a home in January 2012 and moved in at the end of July. The breakdown of my Edgewick experience is:
5 stars for the community & my home
3 stars for the purchasing/​building experience
The Community:
Great people, well maintained, and beautiful. Most residents are young adults, many with dogs. The homes are close in proximity but they’re not connected so noise is not much of an issue. The HOA maintains all home exteriors (including sprinkler systems) so you never need to worry about mowing, weeding, or plant care. The only cable provider is Time Warner, but you can get approval to install a dish (lots of homes have one).
I’m very pleased with the quality of my home. The homes in the current phase have spray foam insulation and tankless water heaters so my energy costs are low. The floor plans are just the right size to be able entertain family and friends comfortably while not feeling too big or under-​utilized on a day-​to-​day basis. My only issues were that:
1.) A thermostat was installed directly in the center of my wall so I needed to have it moved.
2.) The closet for the washer/​dryer is an awkward size. It’s too small for 90% of full washer/​dryer stack combos and too big for the compact size. I had to really do some digging to find a washer/​dryer combo that would fit.
My house is off of Carlson Dr. so it’s sort of half inside the gated area and half outside. Benchmark (the HOA) is trying very hard to get the City to allow the gates on Carlson Dr. to be installed and enclose the whole neighborhood but it’s turning out to be a pretty big challenge. If you’re considering Edgewick, definitely don’t bet with the expectation that they’ll be there. Just know the HOA is working very hard to get them.
The Buying/​Building Experience:
Up until the last 3 months, everything went pretty smoothly. I was able to choose my floor plan, lot, upgrades, meet with the builder, construction was moving along and everything seemed to be going well. The only part that I found odd was that my only contacts were 1 sales representative from Benchmark and the builder.
Come mid June I started getting calls from the sales representative that my closing would be pushed back. The closing was pushed back 3 times — each within 1 week’s notice. The last time I received a call on Friday that my closing scheduled the following Monday would be pushed back another week. The sales representative kept externalizing blame saying that it was the City’s fault for not issuing the certificate of occupancy, but when I went to go look at the house the scheduled day for my original close there wasn’t even carpet. After the closing was pushed back twice, he wouldn’t return my phone calls. I had very little trust in him and I didn’t have any other contacts at Benchmark or Wes Peoples. For a time I was stuck having to continue a home buying experience with someone I didn’t feel comfortable doing business with. One of my new neighbors who just moved in had a very similar experience and the future owner of the house next to mine is sharing the same frustrations.
To seller’s defense, they took care of a lot of my expenses that came with the delays (my mover’s late cancellation fees, a room at an extended stay for 2 weeks, etc).
UPDATE: As of 11÷19÷12, the HOA informed residents that the gates on Carlson Dr. will *not* be added. Shire Court (developer) was unable to get permission from the City.

Update: I was the 2^nd person to contract to build in Edgewick in July 2007 back when it was just a concept on paper – only a trailer and no model homes or homes of any kind existed. I moved in the 1^st quarter of 2008 and so I am part of the group who has lived in Edgewick the longest.
Edgewick’s lots of lands and concepts are owned by Benchmark/​Momark. They are the developers. They are very well known in Austin and have developed many award-​winning communities (example: the Austonian downtown is their project) which is a good thing if you have any worries about Edgewick making it. I feel confident this community will build out eventually though the economic downturn has made things move slower than the original 3 year build out plan.
Wes Peoples is the new builder. You can see that the new homes under construction are modern design so it does look a little funny next to the original homes that are not modern. Having said that from looking at the quality of work the homes are actually improved. Once the community is built out it will hardly be noticeable.
From here I will break down a Pro and Con List. Let’s start with
Cons:
–You are living in SE Austin in an area that has not yet gone through gentrification. There is crime in the area though not enough to stress about. There have been very random, minor break-​ins with vehicles mostly in Edgewick in the past 4 ½ years though I personally have not been affected. This happens all across Austin especially as the city grows. If this bothers you I suggest you might want to move to Hutto or somewhere out in the country away from people.
–The HOA has been very dominant over the past 4 years. Luckily they have just recently started to form a «safety committee» so that we the people have more voice. On the one hand as a good thing the fact that they run such a tight ship means the community is kept in tip top shape. Just be aware that they are always «On» so don’t leave shoes scattered, put your trash can away immediately, ect.
–Carlson Drive was built by Edgewick and is still maintained by Edgewick. It was supposed to be a private drive meaning the gates you see now were supposed to close Carlson off on the back end of Edgewick. You can see lots of lots ready for houses to be built circling Carlson. However the city as of now is refusing to allow Edgewick to make Carlson private. This means the dog park is technically located outside the gates of the community and is being used by the public. Though I myself don’t personally mind sharing the issue at hand is when stuff gets broken or stolen. This is costing Edgewick money and therefore us the homeowners money.
–The pool can really get overrun with college students in the summer. This is because some of the units in the community were purchased by parents for their kids. The HOA has recently really cracked down on monitoring the pool and the number of people allowed in. Larger parties now have to get pre-​approved permission.
PROS
–You absolutely cannot beat the location. You have 2 major highways at your disposal (Ben White and IH-​35). Because we are south of downtown you don’t have as bad of a traffic mess like other parts of Austin. Zipping across Woodward or Oltorf to South Congress and downtown is a breeze.
–You don’t share walls with your neighbor (though the units are built close together) and each unit gets a garage.
–The pool now has wifi. The pool itself is really great and the commercial grill is awesome for cook-​outs.
–Our community is very quiet. Sometimes there gets to be activity on Parker but those units being built and sold now are away from Parker so they won’t notice as much. When I’m home I work from home and love it.
–In regards to long term value you need to know that the city of Austin is dedicating a lot of $$$ to revitalizing East Riverside Drive which is just north of Edgewick beyond Oltorf. The live music scene is already moving East. This means in the future the area around Edgewick will also improve bringing the value of Edgewick up. It also means lots of cool stuff coming close.
–The #7 bus route has 2 stops outside the gates of Edgewick on Parker. This bus goes straight downtown and drops off on Congress ave! I live on this bus during SXSW. It only takes about 20 minutes to get downtown on the #7 from Edgewick once on board.
–It is easy to bike ride from Edgewick as we are just across the highway from everything cool. If you want to bike on the East side you can go down Parker road, and cross Riverside where there is a bridge. Lady Bird Lake is so close to Edgewick too.
–My floorplan is now called the Penn. I added an extra bathroom so I have 2 full baths. I know I’m biased but I think this is the best floor plan as everything you need is on one floor save for your washer and dryer. This also makes it safe.
If you have questions about our community feel free to PM me.

I have lived in Edgewick for just over a year. As a realtor that specializes in condos, I really looked at all my options. The price, location, quality & developer reputation were huge deals to me, and the reason we bought at Edgewick.
The developer, who also built the Austonian, Gabardine, Chestnut Commons & Sanctuary Lofts has a strong and reputable name in Austin. That is a big deal. That means when/​if something goes wrong, they will make it right. So many other projects sound good but are built by a fly by night developer who takes off, goes under or you never hear from again, believe me, it happens.
I also have a background in commercial construction & residential appraisal. I really look at construction & was impressed by the quality of Edgewick. I would mention that I bought after Momark Development & Wes Peoples took over last summer.
The project has a ½ acre fenced dog park, super sexy pool & is gated. Coming from a HUGE development with sprawling yards & massive 5 bedroom homes, this was a HUGE adjustment for us. Yes the homes are about 10′ apart! I have NEVER had any noise issues of sound transferring from home to home. On occasion there is a barking dog that barks a little too long but it’s a 90% dog owner community, can happen anywhere.
I will say the community is a little bit of Wisteria lane but in a good way. The kinda neighbors that notice if they see something weird or out of place. The kind of neighbors you want to have when you are out of town.
The Location — 2 min from SOCO & 5 min from downtown. We NEVER get stuck in traffic or drive down IH-​35 for that matter. We take Parker to Riverside to Congress & even in rush hour, it only takes about 15 min max. Also good to note, my husband used to work in Westlake & you just hop on 71 & you’re there in about 10 min. We also have great access to the Airport, IH-​35 & the toll roads! Can’t say enough, GREAT location. I call it East Travis Heights.
Schools– not going to lie, the schools are not great. My kids 2 & 4, now 3 & 5 both go to private schools downtown. During morning rush, I can ride the IH-​35 access road & still get there in about 15 min. My 5 year old will now be attending EANES ISD! Yup that’s right, even though I live in the East side, you can apply for a transfer to other schools within Austin & Eanes ISD. She will be attending an exemplary school this Fall.
Since purchasing our 3 bedroom, 3 bath home, we have had average electric bills of $ 50.00. YES I said $ 50.00. This past month was a doozy, over 100 degrees every day & I work from home so it was cranked down to 72 degrees all day, every day. My bill was $ 90! Compared to what I heard my friends had, I’d take $ 90 any day! My water bill is usually around $ 11.00 Yup $ 11.00. My biggest bill is my trash can, so I’m working on recycling more.
Yards– Most of the second phase has a fenced back yard. No it’s not huge but ours is big enough for our small dog. For bigger dogs, it will do in a pinch & you have the ½ acre dog park just down the street. We pay $ 180/​mo for hoa & we literally have someone mowing & weeding every few days. Amazing landscaping service. We gave our weed eater & lawnmower away. It’s been amazing.
We have a great neighborhood with a wide range of ages, a few more kids now too.
Kids living in a condo? This has been the best thing for my family. Downsizing to 1600 sqft has caused us to spend more time out as a family. We have had the opportunity of spending more time playing at Zilker Park, splash pads, going to festivals & great restaurants. My kids are avid foodies. Cleaning the house is a breeze, seriously easy.
I wish more people would check out Edgewick. I’d love to have even more cool neighbors.

I love my home! Edgewick is a great little neighborhood, the homes are well built, and the location is awesome. Neighbors tend to be young professionals and lots of us have dogs. I am proud that the community is being built «green.» The only negative is that the surrounding neighborhoods have a lot of crime, but our community is gated and I haven’t heard of anything bad happening in Edgewick. I feel very safe and believe that Edgewick is the beginning of some redevelopment and improvements to the larger neighborhood area. I highly recommend considering Edgewick for your new home!

I have lived in Edgewick since July 2008 and love it. I purchased my home after a few years of coming to Austin from Houston for business and finally relocating here. I work downtown, and knew that Austin traffic can be brutal… so I wanted to be within a 5 mile radius of downtown. I looked in all of the usual areas first (South Congress, South Lamar, Downtown, etc.), but realized pretty quickly that $ 250,000 for a 500 square foot loft was not the best value. Then, I discovered Edgewick. For the price of a one bedroom loft or studio elsewhere… at Edgewick you get an actual free standing home with a garage. The community also has a pool, grill, fire pit and some green space. I am less than a few miles from South Congress, and my morning commute to work downtown is less than 4 miles.
Come check it out — — - the people in the sales office (especially Jennifer) are incredibly helpful. I am very happy with my decision to make Edgewick my home in Austin.