Westlake Drive
Westlake Drive is Austin's Lake Austin trophy corridor — deep lots, private docks and grandfathered boathouses along the Eanes ISD shoreline, where record-setting sales now happen. Most of the best homes here trade quietly.
Westlake Drive is Austin's Lake Austin trophy corridor — deep lots, private docks and grandfathered boathouses along the Eanes ISD shoreline, where record-setting sales now happen. Most of the best homes here trade quietly.
Key Takeaways
Westlake Drive is where Austin's quiet sales happen. Owners of waterfront estates here often don't want public listings, photos or open houses, and the right buyer usually comes from a private introduction. I track the corridor and use Johnny's Off Market Private Luxury Listings, three private venues for high-end pocket listings plus direct relationships with the agents who handle these estates. If you want to know what's really available on Westlake Drive, let's talk.
Johnny Ronca · (512) 797-0965 · [email protected]
Pocket Listings — Not on Zillow
The best Westlake Drive homes often trade before they ever hit Zillow, Realtor.com or the public MLS.
Some of the most important Lake Austin sales never show a price in public — even a potential record like 1901 Westlake Drive was listed as price upon request. At this level, being in the right conversation early matters more than any portal alert. Call me before you search anywhere else — the good ones move fast and won't wait for an open house.
There's no trustworthy Westlake Drive median. Waterfront sales here are few, and many close with prices kept private. The figures above come from Forbes (May 2026) and public Lake Austin market guides for 2026, and they describe Lake Austin broadly, not Westlake Drive alone. Treat them as a guide, and I'll build a private comp set for any specific home.
I've been selling Austin luxury real estate for 20 years, and Westlake Drive is one of those addresses where, when someone tells me they live there, I immediately know three things about them: they wanted real Lake Austin frontage without giving up a short drive to downtown, they cared about dock rights and water depth as much as the house, and they value privacy enough to buy quietly.
Westlake Drive is a winding road along the western bank of Lake Austin in 78746, running through the hills toward Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway) near the Pennybacker Bridge. Along the lake side sit some of Austin's most valuable waterfront estates, many on deep lots with private docks, boathouses and long frontage in private coves. The inland side holds hillside view homes and the neighborhoods behind them.
The homes vary a lot: mid-century and 1970s originals on big waterfront lots, estates from the 1980s and 1990s, and a growing number of new modern homes with walls of glass facing the water. 1901 Westlake Drive shows the top of the market: a recently built two-story modern home with nearly 1,000 feet of shoreline on a private cove, 15 serviced boat slips and a grandfathered three-bedroom boathouse. Forbes wrote in May 2026 that it was marketed as a potential record for Austin's highest publicly recorded residential sale.
Lake Austin is a constant-level lake, which is a big reason buyers choose it over Lake Travis: docks stay usable year-round instead of sitting on dry lakebed in a drought. Waterfront rules matter here. Docks, boathouses and shoreline work need permits, older structures may be grandfathered, and Forbes notes that city overlay rules limit development within 1,000 feet of the lake. A grandfathered boathouse or a permitted multi-slip dock can be worth a lot, so I verify what exists and what's permitted before a buyer commits.
City limits and taxing units change along the corridor, so confirm them for every address with Travis CAD. What stays the same is Eanes ISD — recent listings show Bridge Point Elementary, Hill Country Middle and Westlake High. Nearby are Austin Country Club, Davenport Village and the Lake Austin marinas.
For the full cost picture, including docks, insurance and taxes, read my guide on what it really costs to buy on Lake Austin in 2026.
These tiers come from 2026 Lake Austin market guides and Forbes, and cover Lake Austin waterfront broadly. Westlake Drive's best estates usually trade in the upper tiers. Ask me for private comps.
Westlake Drive is served by Eanes ISD. Recent Westlake Drive waterfront listings show Bridge Point Elementary, Hill Country Middle School and Westlake High School. Current Eanes ISD campuses are Barton Creek, Bridge Point, Cedar Creek, Eanes and Forest Trail elementaries; Hill Country and West Ridge middle schools; and Westlake High School. Older listings sometimes show a campus that has since closed or consolidated, so always check the current Eanes ISD attendance zones. (Confirm assigned campuses for any specific home.)
The trophy buyer — Wants frontage, a multi-slip dock and a modern home, and can wait for the right estate.
The relocating executive — Wants Lake Austin living, Eanes ISD and a short drive downtown, with privacy built in.
The rebuilder — Buys an original waterfront home for the lot, dock rights and frontage, then builds new.
Davenport Village on Loop 360 is the closest spot for dinner and errands, and the Westlake corridor along Bee Caves Road covers groceries and the rest. Downtown's restaurants are about 15 minutes away outside rush hour.
Life here really happens on the water: morning wakesurf runs, evening cruises, and lake days that start at your own dock. Austin Country Club is nearby for golf. For how waterfront buying works, from dock permits to water depth, read my Lake Austin waterfront buyer's guide.
If you want a smaller waterfront enclave, Rivercrest. If you want to be on the central Austin side of the lake, the Island at Mount Bonnell Shores. If you want the biggest frontage, the most dock potential and Eanes ISD, Westlake Drive is the corridor. I'm happy to tour all three with you in one afternoon.
No two Westlake Drive properties are alike. Frontage, water depth, the permitted dock, a grandfathered boathouse, setbacks and the view up or down the lake can each swing the value by millions. Sorting through those details and keeping the deal private is exactly the work I love doing for my clients at this level.
Westlake Drive winds along the western bank of Lake Austin in 78746, running toward Loop 360 near the Pennybacker Bridge. The lake side holds waterfront estates, and the inland side holds hillside homes.
Eanes ISD. Recent waterfront listings show Bridge Point Elementary, Hill Country Middle and Westlake High. Confirm assigned campuses for any specific home with Eanes ISD.
There's no reliable median. Lake Austin waterfront tiers for 2026 run from about $2.5M–$4M at entry to $12M+ at the ultra-luxury level, and dock-front estates generally start around $5M–$8M. Westlake Drive's best estates are at the upper end.
A modern waterfront estate with nearly 1,000 feet of Lake Austin shoreline on a private cove, 15 boat slips and a grandfathered boathouse. Forbes reported in May 2026 that it was marketed as a potential Austin record sale. The price wasn't disclosed.
Forbes reported that last year's top Austin residential sale was $16.9M on Lake Austin, and that 4 of Austin's top 10 sales were lakefront.
Very little. Lake Austin is a constant-level lake, so docks stay usable year-round, unlike Lake Travis, which can swing dramatically.
Docks, boathouses and shoreline work need permits, and rules limit development near the lake. Existing grandfathered structures can be very valuable. Verify what's permitted for any property before you buy.
It depends on the stretch. City limits and taxing units vary along the corridor, so confirm them for each address with Travis Central Appraisal District.
Prices are very high, true comps are few, docks and shoreline work bring permit and upkeep costs, the road is narrow and winding, and Loop 360 traffic at rush hour is real.
Still have a question about Westlake Drive? Call or text me at (512) 797-0965 or book a quick call.
Lake Austin Real Estate · Rivercrest Real Estate · Westlake Highlands Real Estate · Rob Roy Real Estate · Island at Mount Bonnell Shores Real Estate · Davenport Ranch Real Estate · West Lake Hills Real Estate
If you want Lake Austin frontage in Eanes ISD, let's have a private conversation about what's really available on Westlake Drive, listed or not. If you own here, I'll help you reach the small group of buyers who can pay for what you have, quietly and on your terms. Johnny Ronca · (512) 797-0965 · [email protected] — or book a quick call: calendar.app.google/Mmtr3L3D16VRD7fQ9
Johnny Ronca
SERHANT. Luxury Associate Broker · 20+ Years · 300+ Transactions · $250M+ Sales
📞 (512) 797-0965 | ✉️ [email protected] | 📅 Book a call
The Westlake Drive corridor is part of the Lake Austin waterfront market, which is one of the thinnest and most expensive markets in Texas. Here is what closed, from Unlock MLS, over the 24 months ending September 22, 2026.
Waterfront closings, Lake Austin corridor (24 months) | 27 |
Waterfront closings, trailing 12 months | 13 |
Median closed price (24 months) | $5,050,000 |
Median price per square foot (24 months) | $1,194 |
Median price per square foot (last 12 months) | $1,418 |
Median days on market | 145 |
Median % of original list price | 87% |
Lake Travis waterfront for comparison | $1,155,000 median at $405 per sq ft |
Source: Unlock MLS (ACTRIS) closed sales, pulled September 22, 2026. Waterfront closings flagged waterfront in the MLS across ZIP codes 78703, 78730, 78732, 78733 and 78746.
Thirteen waterfront sales in a year is the entire market. That is why so much of it trades privately, and why the 145-day median market time and 87% of original list matter: this is a market where pricing mistakes are expensive and patience is rewarded on both sides. Full two-lake comparison in Lake Austin vs Lake Travis waterfront.
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