Disappointed in Summerwood (Houston, Humble: sale, houses, neighborhoods)
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Well at least in Eagle Springs the area where the Westin Homes were located had a private gated entry. And I didn't see any Hillbilly types in there at all. Unfortunately ES was just too far from work for me to be commuting.
I think Summerwood used to be nice. But it started going down hill a couple of years ago. I had once strongly considered it to have my home there, but chose Eagle Springs instead. I can't say that I am sorry in the least. Summerwood is actually coming to be known as "Summerhood" by the residents who live there (this is from a real estate agent that lives there, who works here in ES and is planning on moving to ES).
What I can tell you is that I know several people - including regular people who live there, a couple of real estate agents that live there, and someone who works for Humble ISD who lives there - all want to move or are in the process of moving out of there. Mainly because they don't like the schools they are zoned to. Every single one of them, save 1 person who moved to Kings Point in Kingwood, wants to move to Eagle Springs instead. Including the person who works for Humble ISD and has her pick of ANY schools in HISD to send her kids to - her top choice is Atascocita Springs Elem. in Eagle Springs.
You should "get lost" in any neighborhood you want to live in, drive through it at all times of day/night, and really get a feel for the community if at all possible. When I was looking into Eagle Springs before we moved here, I knew all the names of the various sections better than my friends who had already lived here for 2 years.
Eagle Springs adds 10 minutes to your commute from the Beltway or from 59.
I also know that recently the Fall Creek residents were successful in getting some government housing moved away from Fall Creek property. They protested LOUDLY and were heard. I hear rumors that that housing will get moved a lot closer to Summerwood now. I'm not sure Summerwood residents will be as loud in protesting that kind of housing near their neighborhood.
I do consider Eagle Springs and Fall Creek and probably Lakeshore to be the communities with the young professionals. Summerwood....not so much.
So I am in the process of buying a new Westin Home in Summerwood. Yesterday I was in the area so I tried to drive by the house to just get a better feel for the area. Instead of using my GPS I tried to do it by memory and got a little lost. I ended up in an area that was some slightly older and uglier homes. Sitting in front of one of the homes was a fat overweight bald man wearing overalls with no shirt underneath. He was smoking and joking with a couple real redneck looking hillbillies.
I am SO pissed right now! I moved to Summerwood sold on the notion that it was full of young professionals. Not hillbilly scumbags, that's exactly what I was trying to avoid! I hope to God they were just there doing some renovations or gardening work on the home and not actually living there. Can anyone from Summerwood on this forum give me a good breakdown of the Summerwood demographic? Thanks!
That's what happens when you buy a home - you have no control of who else is able to find a lender and afford a home. You can just be thankful that the people you don't like won't be your next door neighbors.
Let's see, Ihafer thinks it is getting hoody and brownplayboy is worried about it being hillbilly redneck - what an interesting mix of "diversity" that combo will be.
Agree that it is Houston and most young professionals live more in town and not the far-flung burbs. Also, while there are attractive people - you will also see more "real" people and less of people who bought their perfect looks from a doctor than what you are used to in CA.
Wow I am really amazed by some of these comments about Summerwood especially Ihafer comments. I am a resident of the Summerwood community I have lived here for 12 years and basically spent about half my life here. In my opinion Summerwood is a great community which has only improved since I have lived here. The neighborhood is a great mix of different social and economical groups. Like most master planned communities Summerwood has expensive and less expensive homes. I know there are definitely not any "hillbillies" in the section of Summerwood that I live in so maybe Brownplayboy310 should have chose a different price range for his new house so that he would be in a more expensive section of Summerwood. The comment about Summerwood being referred to as Summerhood is ridiculous in fact that term was created by a group of kids when the less expensive homes were built in Summerwood behind the shell gas station. I can tell you this because I was one of the kids that came up with the term and its pretty pathetic that adults are now using the term to describe Summerwood. Obviously these people have never been to a real hood. Summerwood and Eaglesprings are owned by the same development company with the same strict home owners association. Also both communities as well as all the other communities are all within the same school district. Summerwood and Eagle springs both have their own elementary and middle schools both under the same district in comparable communities so I don't see how one is better then the other and they both share the same highs schools. The comment about the goverment housing like Ihafer said is just a rumor and in fact a rumor that I have never heard until now and I am pretty heavily involved in local real estate. The area directly in front of Summer Creek High was recently (within the last few months) purchased by a developer who is going to build some high end apartments, big box retail and a church. The area directly to the SE right next door to Summerwood and also across the beltway is going the be the Generation Park development which is going to be pretty amazing, you guys should check it out online. The area north of Summerwood on the beltway is being purchased by Humble ISD for a new middle and elementary school. And the rest of the area that surrounds Summerwood is parkland. So these rumored and I put a emphasis on rumored governmental apartments won't be any where near Summerwood. Also I find it funny that Fall creek would protest these apartments considering that their community is surrounded by 8 apartment complexes, a Walmart, and across the beltway from the Audobon neighborhood which really is a "hood". Also the neighborhoods surrounding the front of Eaglesprings all around Atascocita road and West lake Houston are more of a hood then Summerwood or anything near it. The comment that Ihafer made about Fall creek, Lakeshore, and Eaglesprings having more young professionals is really foolish we are all communities within a short distance of each other with the same individuals looking in all of our communities for homes, the same social and economical groups. The number of young professionals is probably equall. When we moved to Summerwood all of our neighbors were young professional just starting thier families but as people do they aged now they are all middle aged professionals. In my opinion it seems as if Ihafer has some type of vendetta against Summerwood.
I think Summerwood used to be nice. But it started going down hill a couple of years ago. I had once strongly considered it to have my home there, but chose Eagle Springs instead. I can't say that I am sorry in the least. Summerwood is actually coming to be known as "Summerhood" by the residents who live there (this is from a real estate agent that lives there, who works here in ES and is planning on moving to ES).
What I can tell you is that I know several people - including regular people who live there, a couple of real estate agents that live there, and someone who works for Humble ISD who lives there - all want to move or are in the process of moving out of there. Mainly because they don't like the schools they are zoned to. Every single one of them, save 1 person who moved to Kings Point in Kingwood, wants to move to Eagle Springs instead. Including the person who works for Humble ISD and has her pick of ANY schools in HISD to send her kids to - her top choice is Atascocita Springs Elem. in Eagle Springs.
You should "get lost" in any neighborhood you want to live in, drive through it at all times of day/night, and really get a feel for the community if at all possible. When I was looking into Eagle Springs before we moved here, I knew all the names of the various sections better than my friends who had already lived here for 2 years.
Eagle Springs adds 10 minutes to your commute from the Beltway or from 59.
I also know that recently the Fall Creek residents were successful in getting some government housing moved away from Fall Creek property. They protested LOUDLY and were heard. I hear rumors that that housing will get moved a lot closer to Summerwood now. I'm not sure Summerwood residents will be as loud in protesting that kind of housing near their neighborhood.
I do consider Eagle Springs and Fall Creek and probably Lakeshore to be the communities with the young professionals. Summerwood....not so much.
All very ammusing and mostly untrue. Especially considering that this hood has a lower incidence of crime than the high society ES (but not by much). Don't get me wrong I think both are basically the same and either neighborhood would make a fine home.
I'm SOOO glad people on here can read. And I'm very glad people on here know what I think and can put words in my mouth. I have no "vendetta" against Summerwood, and I don't think it's "hoody". Why would I? And I don't think ES is "high society". If you have looked at any of my posts on this board, I have always recommended Summerwood to people on here (along with ES and Lakeshore and Fall Creek).
Everything I wrote in my post is something I have HEARD from Summerwood residents...Not what I think.
Here's what I THINK:
- I think Summerwood is a nice community. I love the ponds, they way it looks, it's kept up nicely, and I always see people out and about.
- I think they offer a lot of great ammenities and community events for their residents - just like ES does.
- I think that Newland Communities owning both ES and Summerwood have zero impact on who actually lives there.
- I think Summerwood has some nicer homes/neighborhoods, and some cheaper ones - just like ES does.
- I think you can live on a great street and have great neighbors. But you can't control who lives next to you no matter where you live.
- I think both Summerwood and Fall Creek are too close to the beltway for my liking.
- I think that there is a lot of land yet to be developed both around Summerwood and Fall Creek and you really have no idea what will be building up around there in the future - could be great, could be not so great.
Here's what I KNOW:
- that within the past year, I know of several people (like 5 different families) who currently live in Summerwood and are looking to move. And those are just people I know.
- It was those Summerwood residents who said they are moving because of the schools (and I believe it to be more the high school, not the elementary school).
- It was a Summerwood resident who called it Summerhood. And i've heard that term before actually several years ago by other adults. Glad you give yourself props on that one.
- It's a Summerwood resident who works for the Humble School District that is looking to send her child to a non-Summerwood school (very telling IMO).
- I have a friend who lives in Summerwood and loves it there. She has a beautiful house, and lives on a great street.
So all that is very telling to me (as a non-Summerwood resident). I will say that before I lived in ES, I lived in another community nearby and lived in a $220,000 house. We lived there 4.5 years. During that time, we watched our neighborhood go downhill. We didn't really like the people moving into the neighborhood, and neither did our original neighbors. While we were there, just on our street - there were 4 homes for sale at various times and all of them were because of the direction the neighborhood was going (and there were only 9 houses on my street). On paper, I personally don't think a $220k house would equal a "riff raff" neighborhood. But that's what it turned into. And we got out.
What I heard about the government housing being protested by Fall Creek residents was from a FALL CREEK resident. And I stated that what I heard about it moving closer to Summerwood was a rumor. I never said that was fact.
I do not bet on any businesses for sure until they break ground on it. They can say they "plan" to build whatever they want. But until it actually breaks ground, it's always up in the air. Like the YMCA that is supposed to be opening up down there. I heard about that years ago, but I have to see it come about.
I'm from LA and there are certainlly areas there where you will be surrounded by pretty, fit and educated people. I guess I just have to get used to the south.
Got spellcheck? Do us all a favor and head back to Lib Angeles.
About the SummerHOOD comment. It's funny because I heard the same comment from a client who is purchasing in Eagle Springs. She's a teacher and didn't even want to look at purchasing in Summerwood because of what some coworkers said.
Summerwood looks like a great community, but I'm not a resident. The proximity to the Beltway is a huge plus for commuting, but could also be the biggest drawback. 77044 on the other side of the Beltway is not the best.
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