Where to live - Commuting to Greenway Plaza (Houston, Sugar Land: apartment, to rent)

[jenks88]

Hi,

My employer wants to relocate me to the Houston area at the end of this year, and I am trying to figure out where I would live if I take the offer. I've been browsing har.com, and am visiting Houston to meet with a realtor next month, but I would like to narrow things down a bit now.

I would be working at Greenway Plaza and am a single 30-ish male with no kids. Here's what I would like to find:

-Single family detached house.
-Commute of 40 minutes or less. Work hours are roughly 7:30am to at least 4:30pm, sometimes as late as 6:00pm.
-House price under $200,000, preferably under $175,000.
-I want a small house, under 2,000 square feet, ideally under 1,700.
-House built after 1985 or so. New construction OK.
-Neighborhood diversity unimportant, however I don't want to be the only white guy around.
-Schools unimportant, but not so awful that they would hurt resale of the house.
-Would like to avoid Westpark Tollway if possible, but not a dealbreaker.
-Would like to be within a couple miles of restaurants, shops etc.; not out in the middle of nowhere.
-Relatively crime free/low crime level.


Katy and Cinco Ranch just seem to be too far out. I like what I see in Sugar Land, but there aren't many newer small houses. There seems to be a lot of little newer houses in my price range to the west of Mission Bend in the vicinity between Grand Parkway and Grand Mission Blvd., but I have read this area might be "questionable?" I was looking at a new development called Mission Sierra, but would probably involve a commute on Westpark.

All of the houses that appear to be within 15-20 minutes of Greenway Plaza that aren't in a run down area are way out of my price range (300-400k+) unless I am overlooking something.

Any suggestions for an area? Thanks!

[HookTheBrotherUp]

You could not find a city with more options in your price range as Houston. Housing is fairly cheap compared to most cities, even within Texas.

Depending on your hours, you can get from Katy to GW Plaza in under 40 minutes. I commute from way out in Katy, west of Katy Mills Mall to GW Plaza and it takes me 30-35 minutes...., but I do leave very early, about 05:30. I also get back to Katy in the same amount of time leaving at 15:00 without the use of tollways.

Like I said, you have many neighborhoods to choose from. Katy is the definition of suburbia, but then you don't have to leave Katy for too much for the most part, it still lacks cultural attractions, sporting venues, etc. however.

If you've not lived here, you will find that Houston has a stunning array of restaurants, and probably has more restaurants than any city of the same size per capita. Shops, the same.

Katy is 12 miles further out than Sugarland from GW Plaza, but depending on the time of day, it could take you much longer to get home in Sugarland than Katy because of traffic.

[researchiskey]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

You could not find a city with more options in your price range as Houston. Housing is fairly cheap compared to most cities, even within Texas.

Depending on your hours, you can get from Katy to GW Plaza in under 40 minutes. I commute from way out in Katy, west of Katy Mills Mall to GW Plaza and it takes me 30-35 minutes...., but I do leave very early, about 05:30. I also get back to Katy in the same amount of time leaving at 15:00 without the use of tollways.

Like I said, you have many neighborhoods to choose from. Katy is the definition of suburbia, but then you don't have to leave Katy for too much for the most part, it still lacks cultural attractions, sporting venues, etc. however.

If you've not lived here, you will find that Houston has a stunning array of restaurants, and probably has more restaurants than any city of the same size per capita. Shops, the same.

Katy is 12 miles further out than Sugarland from GW Plaza, but depending on the time of day, it could take you much longer to get home in Sugarland than Katy because of traffic.

30 minutes from GW to Katy in 5 pm traffic? No way.

[HoustonRonnie]

Pearland is an option.

[houstonfan]

Originally Posted by researchiskey

30 minutes from GW to Katy in 5 pm traffic? No way.

He meant 5:50 AM. Yeah, you can fly anywhere to anywhere in houston at that hour . But I wouldn't recommend Katy for OP's work hours.

[houstonfan]

OP: Wow, for once a poster has done their homework and given us all the info we need instead of a one-liner "Help, where should I move to?" question.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I can think of any place WITH CERTAINTY that meets ALL of your criteria. I think you may need to compromise on one thing: ie, get a townhome, going up to $250k, get an older home but in good condition, longer commute, etc.
You might want to check Summerwood/Fallcreek in the NE corner of Beltway 8 (commute may be long during rush); Shadowlake in 77082, somewhere in 77055 (safety varies pending neighborhoods).
As for townhomes, you can probably find something slightly old in better neighborhoods 77024, 77063, 77056, 77057 areas, or inside the loop. There are some newer houses just outside 610 on the south side in 77045, 77025, but I don't know about safety and schools. I have a friend who works in med ctr that lives in one of those new subdivs and hasn't had any problems, lots of med ctr professionals live there.
Are you so opposed to renting? Here, the property tax is high so for 200k house, expect to pay around 6k in taxes. Many young, single and fabulous people choose to rent inside the city. I know tonnes of singles making >100k but plans on renting until they get married. They also like the idea of not having to mow the lawn or maintain anything. You can rent for a while and work with the realtor once you've moved to Houston to find the right house rather than rushing things?

[jenks88]

Thanks for the info.

I would prefer to buy for a few reasons:
1. Employer pays all closing costs/loan fees if I buy a house within 6 months of moving. Otherwise I'm on my own.
2. I have 2 cars, one of which I will not keep outside or in a public parking garage.
3. I prefer a single detached house because I play guitar/listen to loud music inside and dont want to disturb wall-mates in a townhouse, apartment, etc.

I have noticed the high taxes. I am coming from an area in Ohio with a low cost of living overall, and am not getting a raise to move to Houston. I have not investigated the cost yet, but homeowners insurance worries me due to storms, etc. like what people in south Florida have to pay.

If I compromise on anything, I would probably go with an older home.

I don't really want to move (the Houston heat freaks me out) but I have a niche job, and Houston is where the future in it is.

Originally Posted by houstonfan

OP: Wow, for once a poster has done their homework and given us all the info we need instead of a one-liner "Help, where should I move to?" question.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I can think of any place WITH CERTAINTY that meets ALL of your criteria. I think you may need to compromise on one thing: ie, get a townhome, going up to $250k, get an older home but in good condition, longer commute, etc.
You might want to check Summerwood/Fallcreek in the NE corner of Beltway 8 (commute may be long during rush); Shadowlake in 77082, somewhere in 77055 (safety varies pending neighborhoods).
As for townhomes, you can probably find something slightly old in better neighborhoods 77024, 77063, 77056, 77057 areas, or inside the loop. There are some newer houses just outside 610 on the south side in 77045, 77025, but I don't know about safety and schools. I have a friend who works in med ctr that lives in one of those new subdivs and hasn't had any problems, lots of med ctr professionals live there.
Are you so opposed to renting? Here, the property tax is high so for 200k house, expect to pay around 6k in taxes. Many young, single and fabulous people choose to rent inside the city. I know tonnes of singles making >100k but plans on renting until they get married. They also like the idea of not having to mow the lawn or maintain anything. You can rent for a while and work with the realtor once you've moved to Houston to find the right house rather than rushing things?

[HTownNearNative]

I would definitely check out older First Colony neighborhoods off Lexington Blvd. Lots of smaller homes in established wooded neighborhoods less than $200K, with easy access to U.S. 59 without being "too close". One of my friends has a house in the neighborhood - beautiful area. Subdivisions to look into: Creekshire, Plantation Bend, Riverbend South. Also Riverbend North and Sugar Crossing.

[houston-nomad]

If you're willing to look at older homes, I would look in 77035 and 77096. You'll have a reasonable commute, close to the Galleria for fun stuff to do, diverse and interesting but solidly middle class neighbors, and a house that is as likely as any to appreciate, should those days return.

[HTownNearNative]

Also, I would never recommend Katy to someone commuting to Greenway unless they love to commute at the break of dawn. So older First Colony neighborhoods would be the best bet closer in <$200, oldest built around the time you desire.

There may be older homes closer in (older=built in the 1950s and 1960s, but they'd be zoned to HISD's less desirable schools. For example, homes in Westbury fall in that category. The ones zoned to Westbury high school are priced lower.