(78725) Hornsby Bend / Far East Austin Apartment Listings & Reviews

Two apartment communities on FM 969. Both priced below almost anything west of 183.

Far East Austin / Hornsby Bend · Car dependent, real river and trail access · One bedrooms from $984 · 2 communities built 2019 and 2023 · 590 total units

I’ve toured apartment communities across the 78725 ZIP code. This is as far east as Austin’s apartment inventory goes. Two communities on FM 969, surrounded by subdivisions, the Colorado River, and one of the best birding sites in Texas. Not the ZIP you picture when someone says “Austin apartments.” But the pricing here is hard to argue with.

Every community in this ZIP code has a full review below. Each one covers what listing sites leave out: actual screening criteria, real fee breakdowns, net effective rent math, and honest resident feedback compared to what I saw on my own tours.

A few things worth knowing about 78725 before you dig in.

This ZIP has exactly two apartment communities, and they’re nothing alike. The Beckett is a 302-unit property on FM 969 built in 2019. NRP Group manages it, it accepts Section 8 vouchers, and prices start at $984. Citizen House MLK is a 288-unit Greystar build from 2023 with market rate rents starting at $1,560 for a one bedroom. One is income restricted. The other is new construction market rate. Between them you’ve got roughly 590 units on the same FM 969 corridor, and that’s it for apartment inventory in 78725. Everything else out here is houses and detached condos.

Both communities are running specials right now. The Beckett is offering up to a month free on select units. On a $984 one bedroom with one month free on a 13-month lease, your net effective rent drops to about $908 a month. That’s a one bedroom inside Austin city limits for under $910. Citizen House MLK has been running look and lease incentives. Specials change week to week. The reviews below show the current offer at each community with the net effective rent math, so you see the real monthly cost, not the headline number.

The Beckett accepts Section 8 housing choice vouchers. Citizen House MLK does not. That’s a big deal if you have a voucher, because not many apartment communities east of 183 take vouchers. The Beckett also has four bedroom floor plans, which is unusual. Most Austin apartment communities stop at three bedrooms. If you need four bedrooms and you’re working with a voucher, this is one of the only options in the city. Each review below covers the full screening criteria: credit minimums, income requirements, criminal background lookback periods, and whether they work with renters who have an eviction on their record or a broken lease. If you’ve been denied somewhere else or you’re not sure what your record looks like to a leasing office, text us at 512-865-4672. We’ll tell you where you stand before you pay another application fee.

The rest of this ZIP is single-family rental territory. Austin’s Colony is the biggest subdivision out here. Built in phases starting in the late ’90s, community pool, park with Colorado River access, homes renting in the $1,650 to $2,400 range for 3 to 4 bedrooms. Chaparral Crossing is a detached condo community built between 2007 and 2017 around Charlie Dobbins Park. Two and three bedroom units with dog park, basketball court, and HOA-maintained yards. And Elm Park is brand new Starlight Homes construction going up right now, starting in the low $290s to buy. If you’re renting in this ZIP and don’t need an apartment complex specifically, houses and condos are your other option. There’s no shortage of them.

You need a car for everything. No HEB in this ZIP. No real grocery store at all. Your closest full grocery run is about 15 minutes west. FM 969 has small spots: Donn’s BBQ and 969 BBQ for smoked meat, Lao’d Bar and SXSE Food for something different, Dragon Express, Fresh Donuts, and a handful of taco trucks and taquerias. But groceries, a pharmacy, a Target? You’re driving. That’s what cheap rent costs you out here.

The outdoor access is the part nobody talks about. Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory is 1,200 acres along 3.5 miles of the Colorado River. Over 350 bird species recorded. It’s the No. 1 birding hot spot in Travis County on eBird, free, open dawn to dusk, seven days a week. Monthly bird surveys on the second Saturday. Travis Audubon field trips on the third Saturday. Even if you don’t care about birds, the river trails out here are some of the most untouched outdoor space left in Austin. Austin’s Colony Colorado River Park has direct river access on the other side of the ZIP.

Commute depends entirely on where you work. Downtown is 20 to 25 minutes on a good traffic day via 290 or 71. SH-130 is right here for commutes north to the tech corridor or south to the airport. Tesla Gigafactory is about 15 minutes south. FM 969 is still two lanes and backs up during rush hour. The city has plans to widen it, but that’s years away. Remote workers and east side commuters won’t mind. If your office is in far northwest Austin, you’re looking at 40 minutes.

If two communities feels limiting, 78724 is right next door with 17 more options. One bedrooms over there start at $851 and most of those buildings are brand new. Check the full 78724 breakdown here. And if you’re looking south toward the airport corridor, 78617 (Del Valle) has newer construction along Ross Road with communities like Colorado Creek and The Prado starting in the low $1,200s.

Del Valle ISD serves this ZIP. Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary, Dailey Middle, and Del Valle High School.

Pick a community below to read the full review, or send me your details on the upcoming move if you want me to narrow it down based on your budget, timeline, and screening situation.