What is going on with The Woodlands Housing market? (Houston: rentals, home sales)

[HaRaS]

My husband and I went to The Woodlands this past weekend house searching and can't believe how fast the houses sell. It seems that the "good" ones don't last more than a few days at most. Also, for the price, we saw some major fixer uppers at 400,000 +! This is about the 3rd or 4th time we've gone to look and the ones I want to see are always gone by the weekend when I'm there. I'm getting discouraged, and worried that finding a house there may be a lot harder than I originally thought. Why is the housing market booming there? Is it because Exxon is coming in? We want to move there because of all the trees, nature trails, and seems family friendly, but minus the trees and trails, Dallas suburbs seem to offer something similar. When we were looking around the DFW area (Keller, Southlake, Flower Mound) they sell quickly, but not that quickly. The ones in Dallas area seem to be staying at least a few weeks. Anyone else feel the same way? I really want to live there, but I'm worried I won't find a house that suits our needs. We have to be out of ours in less than 2 months!

[cheryjohns]

Exxon has a lot to do with it, but other employers,as well. There was over 80K jobs added in Houston just in March and April.

The Woodlands isn't the only area affected.

[chris_ut]

Part of it is timing, everyone likes to move over the summer while the kids are out of school so this is prime time for home sales, things slow way down in the Fall and Winter.

[Dopo]

Exxon-Mobil + Grand Parkway toll-road planned to be built just South of The Woodlands.
You could try looking in the area by "Auburn Lakes" and "NorthHampton", since the toll-road is going to run just South of there.
Kuykehndahl Rd is already pretty nice, and I bet is going to be improved later once the toll road is finished (same for Gosling Rd.)
It's going to go just North of Mueller Elementary and David Wayne airport.

I visited a friend that lives in the NorthHampton area, and that area is pretty nice.
I've also been to Burroughs park and I would love to live close to that park.

Grand Parkway map

[colcat]

Wow, this is great news for resale. I had no idea it was like this considering I already live here. I don't know what your criteria is for a house, but I live in a neighborhood in an awesome location but the houses here go for 175,000 and up and houses seem to sit on the market for a while.

[HaRaS]

We are looking for a 4 or 5 bedroom house with an office and pool with spa. We have 4 kids and my husband works from home so we need some space. We probably need at least 3200 square feet. We are trying to find something in the 350,000 to 500,000 range. It's just that the houses here in DFW are a lot more updated for the same cost. I guess I have to either have trees and less house or nicer house here, but lacking natural beauty of trees. I'm one of those people that finds the outdoor scenery (in terms of green and lush) just as important as the house itself. We thought about renting for a year, but the rentals I saw were even worse at the same monthly amount and it's such a good time to buy in terms of interest rates. Moving is just so stressful. I'm really wanting to find the house for my kids to grow up in and stay put for awhile. My kids are 8 and under and we also have dogs that need some room to run...and poop. Some yard space is a must and most of the lots we are seeing are tiny.

[jtothemak]

Get a good Realtor and hit homes as soon as they go on the market and if it is the home you want make an offer that same day.

[EasilyAmused]

Your price point is the most popular for all the suburbs. Higher there is much more inventory. In fact I think 350 is the median price for that area

[stop-go]

The Woodlands is just popular. Great schools, shopping, scenery. I would love to move there, but my husband works on the west side of town and the commute would be awful for us.

[jtao]

I live in the Woodlands right now and it is awesome! That is why they go so fast. I definitely recommend living here, if you can find and make an offer on the right house. Good luck!