Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Houston
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-27-2007, 09:00 PM
 
Location: Texas
34 posts, read 115,220 times
Reputation: 34

Advertisements

Hello Everyone! I am from Arkansas and my fiance is from Mississippi. He is considering accepting a job in the Woodlands, Tx. We are both 24 years old and pretty much just starting our careers. I would like to buy our first house in a year after we get married. We plan on renting for 6 mo. to a year. However, I have looked at the average housing prices in The Woodlands and they are much higher than here. I can get a 2000 sq. foot custom built house here in North Arkansas for equal to or less than $200,000. I do not think I will be getting as much for my money there. I looked on some realtors websites. We were not planning to spend more than 150, 000 on our first house. My questions are, will a couple with combined salaries totaling around 110, 000 be able to have a nice quality of life there. Also, would I need to expect to be spending at least 200,000 for a relatively nice single family home? Or is it possible to find something for less? A realtor we spoke to said that we should be expecting to spend at least 200, 000. Any information anyone has that they think would be useful would be much appreciated! Thanks!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-29-2007, 07:08 AM
 
Location: San Antonio-Westover Hills
6,884 posts, read 20,409,476 times
Reputation: 5176
You will have no problem at all. Check HAR.com for homes in the following zip codes (with Woodlands Villages listed below):

77380 (Grogan's Mill, Panther Creek)
77381 (Panther Creek, Indian Springs, Cochran's Crossing, and I think Creekside as well)
77382 (Alden Bridge)

Do your search for homes between $150-$200K and you'll see quite a few!

You will LOVE The Woodlands--that I can promise. If you work there it's even more rewarding to live there. Lucky folks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2007, 07:53 AM
 
Location: Clear Lake, Houston TX
8,376 posts, read 30,705,196 times
Reputation: 4720
24 is a bit young to move to the 'burbs unless you're trying to nest to have babies immediately. It can get pretty boring shutting down at 8pm on weekdays and 9pm on weekends, compared to say, Midtown. But I must say no matter how old you are, living and working in the same area is a pretty sweet deal!! I remember the days!

And an income of $110k will be no problem here. This is not San Francisco! You can live modestly, pay off a decent house rather quickly, and invest your way to be millionaires at 40 on that pay... or be a stay at home mom on one salary indefinitely. Or you can go all out with credit on cars, boats, clothes, jewels, and anything else that devalues to zero faster than anyone cares to admit. With either philosophy you can be more than comfortable!!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2007, 12:41 PM
 
Location: Texas
34 posts, read 115,220 times
Reputation: 34
Thank ya'll both for your comments (mom2feebs, and tstone).

Mom2Feebs, Thank you for posting the listings to search! I appreciate it!

Tstone, we're definitely not planning on having kids for probably 5-6 more years. What area is considered Midtown? When you say that everything shuts down at 8 weekdays, 9 weekends. Do you mean shops/restaurants? Or does that include nightlife as well?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2007, 12:44 PM
 
Location: Fort Worth/Dallas
11,887 posts, read 36,925,657 times
Reputation: 5663
Judging from those pictures I saw on another thread, you're going to like the place ALOT. It's one of the prettiest cities I've seen in quite awhile. Awesome place.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2007, 06:21 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
8,895 posts, read 20,002,567 times
Reputation: 6372
Midtown would be great if you were working downtown or Galleria but the commute to the Woodlands to work and back every day will really get old fast. A co-worker lives in the Woodlands and works downtown - he is moving closer into town because the daily commute of ~40 miles is breaking him down.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2007, 07:12 PM
 
Location: Woodinville
34 posts, read 131,530 times
Reputation: 74
Costs are always relative, of course. I came here from suburban Los Angeles and found the place to be amazingly affordable. However, on a combined income of $110K/year you shouldn't encounter many difficulties, and you'll find no shortage of homes in the 2000 sq. ft. range for under $200K.

A very helpful place to visit is The Woodlands Homefinder Center, located at 2000 Woodlands Parkway:
The Woodlands Homefinder Center - The Woodlands Texas Business Directory Yellow Pages on Woodlands Online

They can give you a boatload of information on available properties, as well as lots of insight regarding the town. If you're looking for new construction, you'll see signs throughout town pointing you to new developments, along with the price range of the homes. These appear most frequently in the newer villages in the western areas of town, such as Sterling Ridge, Alden Bridge, and Indian Springs. The newest (and I believe last) village to be developed, Creekside, will be another area to look. It's unique in that it's south of Spring Creek and therefore in Harris County (Houston).

Everything here is planned, so if you are looking to eventually build a custom home, you must choose from a list of approved builders. There's a Custom Home Center on 3535 East Panther Creek Drive that can help you with that:
Woodlands Custom Homes Sales - The Woodlands Texas Business Directory Yellow Pages on Woodlands Online

Be aware that homes in The Woodlands tend to be a bit more expensive than comparable homes outside of it. On top of the not insignificant property tax, you will be assessed annual association dues which are tied to the value of your property. Those aren't a tax per se, but the association has broad powers and can repossess your home if you don't pay them.

Finally, if you'd like to avoid such fees and get a bit more home and land for the money while still remaining in the area, the area off of FM 1488 just west of here is booming. But expect traffic tie-ups due to the fast growth and limited roads servicing that area. I personally feel it's worth the extra cost to live in The Woodlands, but whatever your final decision is - welcome to the area. It's relatively peaceful, yet diverse, and most folks seem to like it here.

Last edited by paradoxcop; 10-29-2007 at 07:28 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2007, 07:13 PM
 
Location: Clear Lake, Houston TX
8,376 posts, read 30,705,196 times
Reputation: 4720
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonesy77 View Post
Thank ya'll both for your comments (mom2feebs, and tstone).

Mom2Feebs, Thank you for posting the listings to search! I appreciate it!

Tstone, we're definitely not planning on having kids for probably 5-6 more years. What area is considered Midtown? When you say that everything shuts down at 8 weekdays, 9 weekends. Do you mean shops/restaurants? Or does that include nightlife as well?

Midtown is a district adjacent to downtown Houston.

When I say shut down at 8 on weekdays and 9 at weekends, that means the neighborhood. Like now it's 8:00 and everyone is on lockdown in our culdesac, getting ready for bed. Many people like me get up at 5:30 to get to work by 7 -- suburban Houston is middle-aged and generally an early rising - early bedtime place due to the commutes. In the middle of the city things are younger and more active later into the night. Shops and whatnot generally shut down about 6-9pm in the burbs depending on their business. Gas stations are almost always open 24/7.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2007, 07:15 PM
 
Location: San Antonio-Westover Hills
6,884 posts, read 20,409,476 times
Reputation: 5176
I don't think I'd want to live in the city if I worked in The Woodlands, though...?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2007, 07:24 PM
 
Location: Clear Lake, Houston TX
8,376 posts, read 30,705,196 times
Reputation: 4720
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mom2Feebs View Post
I don't think I'd want to live in the city if I worked in The Woodlands, though...?

Hell no! That's one bad commute.

I was 27 and my wife 24 when we bought in Clear Lake. Even though it may bore some people at these ages, there is definitely something to be said for owning your own space and piece of Texas vs. renting in a crowded city apartment as a tenant with virtually no rights. I'm originally from the SW side. We lived inside 610 out of college and didn't care for it much, namely the random petty crime. To each his own.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Houston
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:57 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top