Moving to Houston

[surferdave2000]

need advice on buying house & schools

Since there's quite a few Houston area members so I thought I turn to you guys for help.
I just accept a job offer in Houston and will be moving there by this summer.

I'm trying to get some ideas as to what area to live/buy a house in terms of:
1. school - top priority for my two little ones
2. housing - what area has stable housing market

I appreciate any advice/recommendation and/or any web sites you can point me towards.
I will be working near Beltway 8 and Westheimer so far I've hear good thing about Katy & Sugarland.
But Katy & Sugarland is such huge areas by itself that I could use some help narrowing down.
Thanks to all in advance.

Regards,

Dave

[taylormadefan]

Here's a good thread to help you get started:

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?sh...&hl=Houston

 

I will say one thing, Sugar Land's still a good place to live, but it isn't what it once was. Schools have gone way downhill in the past couple of years (not one Fort Bend ISD school was rated exemplary in the past two years). House pricing is inflated in the nice areas and way down in others as some of the older houses have aged and lost value.

 

If I were in your position, I would look at living somewhere inside the Beltway such as West University, better access to better schools and you'll be going against traffic both in the morning and at night.

 

Champions area is another good one to look at although I'm not sure of how the schools are.

[xplyboy]

One thing you have to clear up is how much are you looking to spend on a house. 'Taylormade' mentioned inner loop but and West U. but those houses are much more expensive than Sugarland &Katy. Personally, I would stay away from Katy cause the traffic on I-10 is horrendous and not any better any time soon. While 59 to Sugarland isn't a free shot, it's much better than going to Katy. But again, specify your budget on a house so we can narrow it down.

[surferdave2000]

I just looked up West U. area and it's 'just a bit' out of my price range :rolleyes:

my price range is 250k - 300k

 

I've already 'encountered' the traffic nightmare of I-10.

If I live in Katy I'd just take Westheimer all the way to Beltway 8.

So far my wife is leaning towards Sugarland.

But I've heard mixed reviews/opinions about Sugarland (including Taylormade's)

Why isn't Sugarland as good as it used to be?

Is the property value on the decline?

[xplyboy]

If you lived in Katy, you do not want to westheimer all the way down cause you will hit a million lights. Take the Westpark toll road to Beltway 8. But again, it would cost you a few tolls a day. There goes golf money.

 

As far as Sugarland, no, the house prices are not going down. The only diferrence in Sugarland today as oppose before is that it is getting really diverse. Not a bad thing imo but alot of Asians/Indians have decided that's their preference of choice for living. But again, these families are pretty decently well off to be able to afford living in Sugarland so I don't see it as a problem. Some, not me, falls in the thinking that the more minorities coming in, the worse it gets. Not sure if that's the reason people are having mixed emotions on Sugarland but that's what I've heard and nothing else. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

[webmstrk9]

I'll add what I can, given I'm a life long Houstonian. I live in the area youll be working in. If you dont mind the commute, avg 30-45 mins depending on traffic and location, Katy and Sugarland are good neighborhoods.

 

I'm unsure as to what your have in mind in the cost for your home, if you decide you want to work close to home, the Memorial area is a good and constant neighborhood. The crime in the Memorial, Town and Country, Westchase area is low compared to others. *knock on wood*

 

I have lived in this part of town because of the accessibility to the major freeways and tollways. My sister has a home in the westminster area(memorial drive and beltway8) which is in the Spring Branch ISD which Memorial HS is one of the better performing schools around Houston.

 

As mentioned the accessibility is a major plus, there are approx 4-6 golf shops in the 5 mile area from where i live, 10 miles, it easily doubles. Courses, it would be an average of about 30-45 mins to a lot of the courses from the BW8/westheimer area.

[Hoover98]

:lol: A good friend of mine is a realtor. PM me if you would like his contact info. If Sugar Land is an option, there is a new master planned community underway called Telfair that is going to be very nice (and its HUGE). Its off of 59 near Hwy 6. Only problem I see is that there is a small airport close by. Also, up and down Grand Parkway (aka Hwy 99) there are communities popping up all over. In Katy, Seven Meadows is a newer neighborhood with Meadowbrook Farms GC nearby (Greg Norman design). Good luck.

[Techsan96]

We will actually be relocating from Pearland to Katy this summer (Seven Meadows to be exact) for the very reason Kiran pointed out; Katy ISD is rated in the top 17% of school districts in the USA! They also enjoy a 90% college graduation rate. I work at I-10 and Beltway 8, the Westpark Tollway is good and once I-10 is completed it should be as good if not better than 59 is now. Fort Bend ISD is just too much of a crap shoot.

[Hoover98]

Har.com is a very comprehensive site for homes in the area.

[surferdave2000]

I just want to say a big thank you for everyone's input.

This is great information to help me decide.

Other than the humidity I'm really looking forward to Houston.

[rareguitar]

Hey Dave,

 

Good to see you over here. If you need any help or advise in your move feel free to shoot me a PM and I will help.

 

RG

[Double Rods]

I am biased but Cypress has it going on. Great for raising kids. FYI, my wife's commute to BW8 and Clay from 290/Barker Cypress is 30-40 minutes in the morning.

[CooGAR]

I've lived in Houston for 30+ years and am in the real estate investment business.

 

Best school district in the city is the Spring Branch ISD on the west side of the city. Areas of town this covers is the Memorial Area, Town and Country area, out to the Energy Corridor. Basically from Voss to Dairy Ashford along I-10 West. Houses in this area were built in the 50's to early 70's and a built VERY well. They are Traditional, brick veener homes, large Colonials, New Orleans French, with a few Spanish-flare houses tossed in for good measure. They range from 2000-10,000 sqft. They hold their values, sell very quickly, and almost always for a profit. This area (Beltway 8 and I-10 West) will be the epicenter of Houston by the year 2020. I live in this area and my home has risen almost 50% in value in 5 years.

 

Houses built in Sugarland and Katy (IMO) are cookie-cutter, 90-day projects from the "worst of times" building eras Houston has had. Homes there do not hold their value.....but there are acceptions. Sugarland and Katy are great suburbs of Houston with good schools, but the 1 to 1.5 hour commutes are not worth it.

 

BTW - the Sunday edition of the Houston Chronicle (April 15th) has a huge section on the housing market here in town and prices of homes in each area. If you can get you hands on copy - it' will be very helpful.

[webmstrk9]

Not sure if this will help, here is the link to the Houston Chronicle online newspaper... www.chron.com I'm unsure what CooGar had stated regarding the publishing of the housing market is in the online version.

[Techsan96]

I am glad CooGAR made his post...I was thinking about it yesterday and felt remiss that I had not pointed out the Memorial area. The schools in the Memorial area (South of I-10 east of the Beltway) are exceptional and you would almost be able to walk to work, however; I don't think that Spring Branch ISD on a whole is comparable to some of the other school districts such as Cy-Fair or Katy.

[CooGAR]

I agree Techsan - personally, it's hard for me to count Northbrook and Spring Woods high schools as SBISD! They are good schools, just a different economic/social dynamic. I'm thinking that if surferdave looked int he Memorial/SBISD area, he would be looking south of I-10 West. :lol:

 

BTW - I'm sure if contact the Chronicle, they will send you a copy of the Sunday Business Section with the housing market info......or maybe someone here will mail it to you!!

[surferdave2000]

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to provide the great info!

 

My wife and I will be in Houston to look at houses/neighborhoods in couple weeks.

Looking to stay at a hotel in the Galleria area.

Since this will be the first trip in a long time without the kids I want to take my wife out to a nice dinner.

Could you guys recommend some nice restaurants around that area? (nice but not overly fancy/stuffy)

[illinikyle]

Trulucks is one of my favorites in that area. McCormick & Schmick's or Grand Lux Cafe are also good. When you bring your clubs to town let me know and we'll go tee it up. :lol:

[CooGAR]

Right across the street from the Galleria is a place called The Grand Luxe. Wonderful food and a very cool atmosphere that the whole family will love. The menu has everything! Seafood, pasta, burgers, oreintal, steaks, chicken, salads, sandwiches- you name it! Most entrees can be split between two people as they are GIANT. INCREDIBLE DESSERTS! I highly recommend the banana cream pie. Just order one for the whole family.

 

For seafood - one of the best places in Houston (IMO) is on Post Oak Blvd. just up from the Galleria called Willie G's Seafood and Steaks. On Thurs-Sat, get there before 6:30.....the "beautiful people" start showing up about 7pm!

 

Italian in the Galleria - either Maggiano's or Arcodoro. Both very close. Arcodoro is in the same center the The Grand Luxe is in. Maggiano's is on Post Oak.

 

Chinese - The Hunan Inn on Post Oak Blvd. - always considered one of Houston's best Chinese restaurants. The chef is one of Geo. Bush Sr.'s favs.

 

NY Deli - Kenny and Ziggy's on Post Oak Blvd. AWESOME! A chocolate eclair is a MUST!

 

Steaks - Morton's is in the same center the The Grand Luxe is in. Sullivan's in on Westheimer just inside of Loop 610 on your left (heading east).

 

Hambugers - head west just a little bit to Pappa's Bros. Burgers on Westheimer (on your left) or ask someone to point you towards the closest Whataburger!

 

Hotdogs - James Coney Island. One on Post Oak and one on Westheimer, both close to Galleria. James Coney Island is a Houston institution that have been around since 1930's. Great dogs!

"3 chili-cheese coneys all the way and a small Frito pie!"

 

More info on ALL these places can be found at: http://houston.citysearch.com/ ......or ask anyone where these places are. All are within 5 minutes of the Galleria.

[DougnDallas]

.....and as all Texans know; the best thing to come out of Houston is I-45 North! :rolleyes:

 

Great to see Texans showing hospitality! This is a great read! I am always interested to see why people choose to live where they do.

 

Anyways, Welcome to Texas! :lol:

[TM golf guy]

Welcome to H-Town. Have fun playing in traffic. There is some good golf here, and lots of good people.

[Hoover98]

Since this will be the first trip in a long time without the kids I want to take my wife out to a nice dinner.

Could you guys recommend some nice restaurants around that area? (nice but not overly fancy/stuffy)

 

Backstreet Cafe. Went on a recommendation one year for our anniversary and liked it a lot. It used to be an old house that has been made into a restaurant.

[Hoover98]

.....and as all Texans know; the best thing to come out of Houston is I-45 North! :lol:

 

Yup, we made it easy for all our visitors from your neck o' the woods to get the hell out of our city... :rolleyes:

[CooGAR]

OOOPS!!! Just saw you stated this is a trip WITHOUT the kids - thought it was with the kids, that's why I listed some of the places I did! LOL!!!

 

A nice places to take the wife in the Galleria area - Americas (South American fare), Maggiano's, Arcodoro, Mortons, Sullivan's, Ouisie's, DaMarco's (#1 Italian in Houston), The Brownstone......

 

Backstreet Cafe is good too - as mentioned.

 

Info on all above can be found on Houston CitySearch. Check out Americas. Very cool restaurant!

[xplyboy]

Second the 'maggiano's' suggestion.

[MOJO14]

A great site for finding houses for sale across the US is www.zillow.com. It shows house value, houses for sale and those that have recently sold. Also you can "zoom in" on a specific area and get satellite images of the house/neighborhood.

[Double Rods]

OOOPS!!! Just saw you stated this is a trip WITHOUT the kids - thought it was with the kids, that's why I listed some of the places I did! LOL!!!

 

A nice places to take the wife in the Galleria area - Americas (South American fare), Maggiano's, Arcodoro, Mortons, Sullivan's, Ouisie's, DaMarco's (#1 Italian in Houston), The Brownstone......

 

Backstreet Cafe is good too - as mentioned.

 

Info on all above can be found on Houston CitySearch. Check out Americas. Very cool restaurant!

 

Americas is fantastic. It's been a favorite of ours for almost 10 years now.

[TM golf guy]

Second the 'maggiano's' suggestion.

 

Third here.

[maroonandwhite]

Wow-- what an excellent and timely thread! I am also relocating to the Houston area with my family in a little over a month (from Atlanta). I will be working in Sugar Land (in the HWY 59/HWY 6 area), and we would really like to live on a golf course. From what I can tell from searching on the web, Sienna Plantation in Missouri City and the neighborhoods around Sweetwater CC seem to offer the best combination of nice homes, good schools, and nice-looking courses. However, I'm well aware that internet searches can be misleading. Can anybody give me any feedback on the two courses I mentioned (Sienna Plantation and Sweetwater)? Am I missing any other golf course communities that would be convenient to the area (and I'm' pretty sure the Houstonian is out of my price range!)?

 

Thanks for the input, Houstonians-- I look forward to joining you very soon!

[surferdave2000]

Thanks to everyone for taking your time to share your thoughts.

I really appreciate the 'Texan' hospitality thus far.

and YES, I've been acquainted with the Texas sized traffic (on 10).

(I was actually 25 minutes late for my interview) :russian_roulette:

After I get settled in I look forward to meeting you guys on the links.