Am I missing any major downfalls? Houston seems real nice. (Dallas: hotel, houses)

[alamakota]

We came from NJ last year and it was the best decision we've ever made. We also like the heat.. a lot! so humidity & hot temps are not too much of the problem for us - much much better than shoveling snow for 3+ months each year (except the last year.. of course :-) ).

Real estate is super cheap and new, gas is cheap, no state income tax, PEOPLE ARE SO MUCH NICER (we are still learning these new ways ;-) ), job prospects & economy are above averages. Yes, there is a high potential for hurricanes & floods, but eventually, anyone living in the states must make a choice: snow storms in the north-east, tornadoes in the mid west, earthquakes in the west and hurricanes here. We can't have it all.. I love Houston. Yes - it's not as hip and interesting as NY or Chiacgo (is rather borking here I'd say..) but it's a good place to live. Let me know if you guys decide to come down! Good luck!

[houselooker]

Originally Posted by majicdonjuan

Houston with no job unless you had significant savings.

Downfalls? Heat, humidity, mosquitoes. You must have a car, and depending on where you live versus where you work, you may be driving it a lot. The city is geographically huge, and the metro area moreso. Crime is bad in some areas. I can't really think of any more. I loved living in Houston.

Hope this helps!

I agree with all of this. Check out the link to see what he's talking about when he says you MUST have a car.

If the world's population lived @ Houston's population density...

[tstone]

Originally Posted by texas7

Evening news had the 10 best beaches and 10 worse in the U.S. S. Padre made it into the 10 best (it was in terms of water cleanliness, bacteria levels, etc.) Surprising Galveston wasn't in the best but the good part is that it isn't in the 10 worst for water cleanliness. California had several and Florida had one or two in the worse with high bacteria levels.

I didn't think we were dirty in that way but the sand is definitely dirty and the water is murky. I meant more from an aesthetic standpoint, taking a long road trip to a TX beach is not worth it to me.

The water does get less murky going down the coast but it can still be hit or miss. I've seen pictures of S Padre w/ very murky water, just a lighter shade of tan. Coming up some, Port Aransas can be equally as murky as Sea Rim/Sabine Pass, which basically looks like diluted mud. There's a lot of overlap of clarity depending on season, wind, what's growing in the water, etc. To me it's not worth driving 350 miles to S Padre when I can go 520 to AL's emerald water, and especially the snow-white sand you don't have to even rinse off, much less take a thorough shower to remove.

Also Mobile > Brownsville any day.

[madrone2k]

I definitely think you should visit before you make a decision. As others have said, some love it here, some absolutely hate it, but most have mixed feelings. I guess most places are like that, but in any case, it's a very personal thing. People from drier places are often amazed that it's greener than they expected. Others hate the humidity and/or the heat. Others hate the brown water at the beach, which is a consequence of water from the Mississippi River flowing west along the coast. On weekends, one can visit places like Austin and San Antonio, but both have advocates and detractors.

From my minimal experience, New York state has a lot of nice features that Texas and the Houston area can't match. Perhaps you would find things here that are different, but you will also enjoy ... or not. You won't know until you see for yourself. Its always good to have a "Plan B", even if you wind up not needing it.

[cheryjohns]

From what you have said, you would be happy with a 3/2 ranch. If you go up to about $125K, you can be near I-10 for a decent generic commute (of course, job location will play a big part in making sure it stays decent).

Remember, it's the listing agent's job to make sure those properties' online photos look good. You won't see the bad part. That price point is subject to location appreciation or depreciation. Schools play a big part in that.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by SouthernBoy205

Originally Posted by Dopo

Best picture I've ever seen of Galveston

I would kill to have beaches like that in Galveston.

[lockmat]

Originally Posted by Glossa

I don't want you to be misled about #1 . $100,000 won't get you much. Not sure where you heard that. Maybe you can check out HAR.com and see what you can find at that price point.

You can get a very decent house for 115k to 125k

[bam989863]

I have been in Houston 4 years and am moving to Columbus, Ohio next week. I am completely neutral on Houston. My wife and I had good jobs and made good money but our quality of life was not that great. We learned that money does not equal happiness.

The heat wears on you, at first you think this isn't that bad but you get to the point where going outside is a bad thing. I never see my neighbors because of the heat, everyone drives home parks in their garage and you don't see them again til the morning when they leave again. I also miss the deep rooted communities that more established cities have. In Houston everyone is a move in so the communities do not have deep rooted characteristics and traditions. The final negative is traffic. Nothing is close in Houston and the highways seem to be bumper to bumper all day long.

I do not regret living in Houston for the last four years. It was a good growing experience for my wife and I. However the minute she got a job offer in Columbus, Ohio we jumped at the chance to move. Houston will treat you well financially but before you know it time passes you by and you find that the extra things in life that you have always cherished are no longer part of your life because the city is all work no play. Everyone here is chasing the almighty dollar.

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by bam989863

The heat wears on you, at first you think this isn't that bad but you get to the point where going outside is a bad thing.

It may not be heat per se - mosquitoes are probably a factor as well. Any kind of outdoor activity involves a plan for dealing with the swarms of mosquitoes that infest the city 365 days a year. I apply Deet before heading to the park, but get an average of two bites per 1/2 to 1 hour visit. Heck, I get a couple of bites just walking to and from the garbage dumpster, although that's without applying the bug repellent. Houston looks and sounds like a city. Insect-wise, it's very environmentally-correct - more like the jungles of Amazon than a major American city.

I used to think Deet was foul-smelling. Now that I've dealt with the consequences of not applying bug repellent when doing outdoors stuff, the word "fragrance" has begun to supersede the phrase "chemical stench" when I think about Deet.

Kilgore: Smell that? You smell that?
Lance: What?
Kilgore: Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.
[kneels]
Kilgore: I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like
[sniffing, pondering]
Kilgore: victory. Someday this war's gonna end...
[suddenly walks off]

[piyf]

Originally Posted by jek74

OK, let me correct this statement. In terms of actual "rates", yes they are high, but not in terms of dollars. The reason why Houston has high "rates" is because houses are 1/4th the value of NJ. For example, a nice 3k sq foot home in the Woodlands with 4 bedrooms might be 200k and you pay 4k in taxes. That same home in Briarcliff, NJ will be 800k and it will cost 8k in taxes. Yes, the "rate" is lower in NJ but your tax bill is twice as high!

200k home with 4k in taxes vs 800k home with 8k in taxes. I'll take the NJ rate anyday. 800k home here will be in the 20k+/yr easily and closer to 25k. But you'd have to move the home away from NJ if I had to live in it.