Ed Neuhaus 
Not Every Great Bee Cave Neighborhood Makes the Headlines
When buyers ask me about Bee Cave neighborhoods, I always start with the usual suspects: Spanish Oaks for luxury, Falconhead for family golf living, Provence for new construction, Lake Pointe and Sweetwater for family value. Those communities get most of the attention because they’re well-marketed and easy to categorize. But there are two neighborhoods in the Bee Cave area that consistently fly under the radar, and they offer something that none of the bigger-name communities can match: space, privacy, and a genuine sense of being in the Hill Country rather than next to it.
The Homestead and Signal Hills are Bee Cave’s hidden gem neighborhoods, and they deserve a closer look from buyers who value acreage over amenity centers and mature trees over new construction finishes.
The Homestead Bee Cave: Room to Breathe
The Homestead is an established equestrian-friendly community situated in the Bee Cave area with lots ranging from 1 to 9+ acres. That’s not a marketing embellishment. There are genuinely properties in The Homestead where your neighbor’s house is barely visible through the trees. If you’re coming from a standard suburban subdivision and you drive into The Homestead for the first time, the scale shift is startling. This is Hill Country living the way it existed before the master-planned communities arrived.
The community was established in the 1970s, which means the landscaping is mature, the lots are settled, and the oaks have had decades to develop the kind of canopy that new plantings can’t replicate. Homes in The Homestead range from about 1,700 to 6,000+ square feet, with styles running from original ranch houses to extensively renovated custom homes. Price points currently span from the high $600s for smaller homes on smaller lots to over $2 million for estate properties on premium acreage.
What makes The Homestead unique is the combination of things it doesn’t have. There are minimal HOA restrictions (compared to master-planned communities where the covenants run 40+ pages). There are no sidewalks, which sounds like a negative but actually reflects the rural character that residents specifically want. And there are horses. Lots of horses. The Homestead is one of the few communities this close to Austin where you can keep horses on your property, and equestrian buyers specifically target this area for that reason.
The tradeoff is that The Homestead doesn’t have a community pool, a fitness center, a clubhouse, or organized HOA events. If you want amenity-rich suburban living, this isn’t it. But if you want to sit on your back porch in the morning with coffee, look out over your own acreage, and hear nothing but birds and maybe a horse in the next pasture, The Homestead delivers in a way that a gated community with a 15-foot setback simply cannot.
Signal Hills: Smaller but Well-Positioned
Signal Hills is a smaller, less widely known community in the Bee Cave area that offers a similar appeal to The Homestead but on a more compact scale. The neighborhood features established homes on generous lots, with mature landscaping and the kind of Hill Country topography (gentle slopes, oak-studded terrain, seasonal creek views) that gives properties a sense of place.
Homes in Signal Hills typically range from the mid-$600s to around $1.5 million, with lot sizes that are smaller than The Homestead but significantly larger than what you’d find in Lake Pointe or Sweetwater. Floor plans range from 2,000 to 4,500+ square feet, and the architectural styles lean toward traditional Texas Hill Country and ranch designs.
The community is positioned well for access to the Bee Cave commercial corridor. The Hill Country Galleria is a short drive, and the restaurants, shops, and services along Highway 71 and RR 620 are all easily accessible. Signal Hills residents get the quieter, more private lifestyle of a smaller community while still being minutes from everything Bee Cave offers.
Schools feed into Lake Travis ISD, with assignments to Bee Cave Elementary or Serene Hills Elementary (depending on exact location), Hudson Bend Middle School, and Lake Travis High School. Same excellent district, same strong outcomes.
Who Buys in These Neighborhoods?
The buyer profiles for The Homestead and Signal Hills tend to cluster around a few categories.
Equestrian buyers who need property that allows horses and livestock. In The Homestead, this is a defining feature. Finding horse-friendly property within 20 minutes of downtown Austin is genuinely difficult, and The Homestead is one of the few places where it’s possible without compromising on school quality or proximity to commercial services.
Privacy seekers who want acreage between them and their neighbors. These are buyers who have lived in traditional subdivisions and decided that shared fences and zero-lot-line setbacks aren’t for them. They’re willing to give up amenity centers and community pools in exchange for the ability to step outside without being in someone else’s sightline.
Builders and renovators who want to purchase an established lot with mature landscaping and build or extensively renovate a custom home. The larger lots in The Homestead and Signal Hills make them attractive for buyers who want to create something specific without the architectural restrictions of a gated community.
Value seekers who recognize that price per acre in these neighborhoods is often lower than what you’d pay in the more marketed Bee Cave communities. When you factor in Bee Cave’s ultra-low city tax rate and the same Lake Travis ISD school access, the value proposition is compelling.
How They Compare to Other Bee Cave Neighborhoods
Here’s how I position The Homestead and Signal Hills relative to the other Bee Cave neighborhoods I work with.
vs Spanish Oaks: Spanish Oaks is luxury with club amenities and a guard gate. The Homestead is privacy with acreage and no gate. Completely different lifestyles at overlapping price points.
vs Falconhead: Falconhead offers golf course views and family community. The Homestead offers pasture views and independence. If you want a structured community with organized activities, Falconhead wins. If you want land and freedom, The Homestead wins.
vs Provence: Provence is brand-new master-planned living with resort amenities. The Homestead is established Hill Country living with no planned amenities. The age, style, and philosophy of these communities are almost opposites.
vs Lake Pointe/Sweetwater: These are the family neighborhoods with pools, playgrounds, and conventional suburban lot sizes. Signal Hills offers a middle ground: larger lots than Lake Pointe/Sweetwater but without the full acreage commitment of The Homestead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Things to Consider Before Buying
A few practical considerations for buyers looking at these neighborhoods.
Well and septic vs municipal utilities: Some properties in The Homestead and Signal Hills are on well water and septic systems rather than municipal utilities. This isn’t unusual for acreage properties in the Hill Country, but if you’ve never owned a home with well and septic, it’s worth understanding the maintenance requirements and costs.
Road conditions: Some roads in The Homestead are county-maintained rather than city-maintained, which can affect snow and ice response (on the rare occasions that matters in Central Texas) and overall road surface quality. Drive the roads before you commit.
Building restrictions (or lack thereof): The minimal HOA restrictions in The Homestead are a double-edged sword. You have more freedom to build, renovate, and use your property as you wish. But your neighbor has that same freedom. For most people, this is a non-issue. But if you’re coming from a community with strict architectural controls, set your expectations accordingly.
Insurance considerations: Larger acreage properties, particularly those with livestock, may require different insurance coverage than standard residential policies. Talk to your insurance agent about farm and ranch policies if you’re considering The Homestead.
For the full overview of all Bee Cave neighborhoods and how they fit together, see our ultimate guide to living in Bee Cave or browse the best neighborhoods in Bee Cave. Ready to explore? Search Bee Cave homes or contact me and I’ll show you what’s out there.
