A few questions on moving to Houston (Spring, Katy: low income, power lines)
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I have accepted a job in the energy corridor and will be moving my family to the area in late 2012. I have only been to Houston once and did not make it to the burbs where we are looking to live. There is a lot of information on this forum about Katy and area but I was looking for some specific details on these areas: south 77450 (yes I know this is Katy), particularly 77094 west of George Bush Park, 77079 and south of this in 77077. We are looking to spend 350-400 k on a 4 bedroom with a pool and hopefully minimum of 9000 square foot lot. Is this reasonable? There seems to be a few houses on HAR in this range. What we don't want is a house that is:
a) near power lines (transmission lines to be precise)
b) near a mossy infested drainage of some sorts - is this common?
c) near sex offenders (I know there is a website to check, I was amazed by how many there were in the Houston area!)
d) poorly constructed, I have read a lot of complaints about houses in the Houston burbs and poor quality construction - how much can you rely on these comments, do the houses just fall apart after a few years or are they mostly cosmetic things like cheap cupboards?
e) near a massive traffic artery so you have noise all the time
f) near any sort of low income housing - is there LIH in these zip codes listed above?
g) near a flood zone (I have seen a map for this as well)
That may seem like a lot of no no's but there is no sense in buying a home if any of these things are not avoidable.
Also, I have a few questions that maybe some of you could answer who know the area well:
1) What is a realistic estimate of the total property tax on a house in Katy vs. the other areas that fall within the Houston city limits with a homestead reduction and a pool to maintain (i.e. 77094,77079 and 77077)?
2) Are there plenty of safe trails for women to jog in the daylight by themselves in these areas or is this a total no no in Houston?
3) I have heard horror stories about people getting themselves shot for venturing on a person’s property accidentally (i.e. after a dog who broke a leash etc.) in Houston, is this really how it is? Are the burbs like this? I find this hard to believe really but maybe I am a bit naive as a Canuck I suppose...
4) There seems to be a lot of break-ins/burglaries in south Katy and area, does this happen when you are away, to people without alarms etc.? Do they attempt to break in if you have an alarm sign in the front of the house? I can't understand how people are brazen enough to try and break into a house and risk their life?!
5) Is there a sense of community among streets in the burbs or does everyone pretty much keep to themselves?
6) Is traffic from say south Katy to the energy corridor really that crazy at 7-8 am? How long to commute say 7-10 miles via car?
I think that is all I have for now; I really appreciate in advance anyone who takes the time to provide some solid advice. I apologize if some of these things are in other posts and I have been unsuccessful in my searches!
I have accepted a job in the energy corridor and will be moving my family to the area in late 2012. I have only been to Houston once and did not make it to the burbs where we are looking to live. There is a lot of information on this forum about Katy and area but I was looking for some specific details on these areas: south 77450 (yes I know this is Katy), particularly 77094 west of George Bush Park, 77079 and south of this in 77077. We are looking to spend 350-400 k on a 4 bedroom with a pool and hopefully minimum of 9000 square foot lot. Is this reasonable? There seems to be a few houses on HAR in this range. What we don't want is a house that is:
a) near power lines (transmission lines to be precise)
b) near a mossy infested drainage of some sorts - is this common?
c) near sex offenders (I know there is a website to check, I was amazed by how many there were in the Houston area!)
d) poorly constructed, I have read a lot of complaints about houses in the Houston burbs and poor quality construction - how much can you rely on these comments, do the houses just fall apart after a few years or are they mostly cosmetic things like cheap cupboards?
e) near a massive traffic artery so you have noise all the time
f) near any sort of low income housing - is there LIH in these zip codes listed above?
g) near a flood zone (I have seen a map for this as well)
That may seem like a lot of no no's but there is no sense in buying a home if any of these things are not avoidable.
Also, I have a few questions that maybe some of you could answer who know the area well:
1) What is a realistic estimate of the total property tax on a house in Katy vs. the other areas that fall within the Houston city limits with a homestead reduction and a pool to maintain (i.e. 77094,77079 and 77077)?
2) Are there plenty of safe trails for women to jog in the daylight by themselves in these areas or is this a total no no in Houston?
3) I have heard horror stories about people getting themselves shot for venturing on a person’s property accidentally (i.e. after a dog who broke a leash etc.) in Houston, is this really how it is? Are the burbs like this? I find this hard to believe really but maybe I am a bit naive as a Canuck I suppose...
4) There seems to be a lot of break-ins/burglaries in south Katy and area, does this happen when you are away, to people without alarms etc.? Do they attempt to break in if you have an alarm sign in the front of the house? I can't understand how people are brazen enough to try and break into a house and risk their life?!
5) Is there a sense of community among streets in the burbs or does everyone pretty much keep to themselves?
6) Is traffic from say south Katy to the energy corridor really that crazy at 7-8 am? How long to commute say 7-10 miles via car?
I think that is all I have for now; I really appreciate in advance anyone who takes the time to provide some solid advice. I apologize if some of these things are in other posts and I have been unsuccessful in my searches!
Cheers
You may not want to move to Houston as many of your 'wants' cannot be met. Sorry
No one in the suburbs is going to shoot you because your dog wandered onto their lawn, maybe some crazy rednecks in the woods in East Texas. There is a lot of random street theft in some parts of Houston. Most home burglaries are targeted against people who are know to have valuables int her house because they are involved in drugs or they are business owners who carry a lot of cash. There is also a lot of theft from construction sites and newly built homes but that will not effect you.
You can look up the taxes for the houses you are interested in on har.com on the right side toolbar most times, if not go to HCAD and search the address. I will warn you that RE agents will make a big deal about homestead as if it dramatically cuts your taxes but it only knocks off a few dollars a year. Plus it seems like the school taxes go up every year lately so expect your taxes to be higher soon anyhow.
OP - I won't go into a lot of detail, but I'd say at least half of your concerns will be difficult to avoid (especially the road congestion, questionalbe home construction, sx offenders, and the potential for flooding).
Houston is a huge town, and though it may have some desirable things, it also has a lot of undesirable qualities. It really comes down to what's really important to you. If you focus mostly on a job and working as the major priority, it should be fine. But if you want a better quality of life (based on your concerns), I'd say Houston isn't the place for you. I get the impression that you are may be from a medium to small town.
Since this is very subjective and personal, the best advice would be to visit first, and spend a few days here. That kind of experience is better than thousands of words.
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canuck123
We are looking to spend 350-400 k on a 4 bedroom with a pool and hopefully minimum of 9000 square foot lot. Is this reasonable? There seems to be a few houses on HAR in this range. What we don't want is a house that is:
a) near power lines (transmission lines to be precise)
b) near a mossy infested drainage of some sorts - is this common?
c) near sex offenders (I know there is a website to check, I was amazed by how many there were in the Houston area!)
d) poorly constructed, I have read a lot of complaints about houses in the Houston burbs and poor quality construction - how much can you rely on these comments, do the houses just fall apart after a few years or are they mostly cosmetic things like cheap cupboards?
e) near a massive traffic artery so you have noise all the time
f) near any sort of low income housing - is there LIH in these zip codes listed above?
g) near a flood zone (I have seen a map for this as well)
For your wants and budget, 77450 is probably where I'd look. Staying far enough north of Westpark and far enough south of I-10 will get you away from most large road noise. The westernmost areas of 77079 may have some options too (further east in that zip tends to go over your budget for most things.)
Yes, it's fine for women to jog in the day alone (though always helps to be prepared and aware of surroundings) and most burglaries do happen during the day when people are away at work; home invasions are much less common.
When it comes to home construction, you get what you pay for. Some 3,000 sq ft homes in the more popular burbs may cost $320k, others in a neighborhood a couple miles away may cost $160k. Which one do you think is more likely to fall apart??
I am in a 17 yr old house that hasn't had any problems aside from an AC & water heater that needed replacing (count on that every 10-12 yrs), and a few planks of rotting wood. I lost about a half dozen shingles through Hurricane Ike and that was it. The rest of the work I've done or had done on it was for upgrades.
Also remember assuming equal construction quality, newer homes will be more energy efficient no matter how much you retrofit the older one.
77077 gets you south of the Buffalo Bayou and into HISD and 77079 is north and into Spring Branch. Spring Branch is the better school district so the houses are worth more up there. Look into neighborhoods in 77079 like Westchester, Wilchester and Nottingham Forest. Hershey Trail is nearby and a lot of joggers run there.
Like chris_ut said, only some rednecks wanting some gun play would shoot someone chasing a dog on their property.
As far as complaints about poor construction, I think it's a cosmetic thing. The cabinets looks cheap, knobs, etc. Hurricane insert name 2012 isn't going to toss the house in the air and land you in Oz when it's over. Construction is fine. The closet door isn't going to come off it's hinge when you open it for the XXX,XXX time in 3 years.
Spend the dough for custom and get it built if you're that nitpicky about tiny things.
Did the op learn about Houston from a comic book? Of course there are safe places to jog. And people aren't going to shoot you just for kicks. There are crazies here just like any big city. And regrettably there is some truth to the recent news about home invasions, although the latest news reports that intruders are now leaving by ambulance or body bags. This is Texas, after all.
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