Help! moving (probably), advice please! (Houston, Sugar Land: apartments, to rent, condos)

[Kimmie Sue]

I will probably be relocating to the Houston area this summer. I am looking for good high school districts. Also, I will have to be going into the city every day to take my son to the Houston Ballet. Would like 3 bedroom under 1200/month if possible. I have been looking at Katy and Sugar Land but would welcome any other suggestions and zip codes that may be nearer downtown. would a house be better/cheaper to rent than an apartment?

Thanks for any help. I lived in Houston when I was a small child and remember nothing about the areas which have probably changed anyway since then.

[JasonAndJulie]

I think your budget is too low for a 3 bedroom with a good school district near downtown. Can you go higher? Or can you compromise on bedrooms?

[crono_clone]

Maybe Meyerland/Westbury neighborhood? Like the poster above said though, you might need a bigger budget unless you're willing to move farther out.

[Svensk08]

The long daily commute from Katy or Sugar Land to the ballet studio in the Theater District will get old really fast. Also, advanced students often are in The Nutcracker, which runs for over a month in Nov.-Dec., not including rehearsals. You're looking at a lot of time spent driving in heavy traffic.

Is there any chance your son could attend the Houston ISD High School for Performing and Visual Arts? Will you be working? What about school or work for other family members?

You might check out HAR.com and find a realtor who can help you decide where to look for a place to rent.

[Kimmie Sue]

He could not go to regular school because for his age group they have classes during the day, he has ben going to school on-line for 3 years now. The good school district would be for my daughter who will be starting high school this year. I am used to driving daily to take him to classes (and Nutcracker!) and I used to live in L.A. so I have no problem with LOTS of daily driving and traffic. I work at home on-line so I dont have to worry about being near my work place. I was just wondering if there were little pockets of good areas slightly closer than Katy or Sugarland that had good school districts and reasonable rents (yeah, I know I dont want much haha).

[jerbear30]

If you are looking for something closer in, you should focus on places zoned to Lamar High School. There are apartments around Lamar that would be good. Also apartments zoned to Bellaire High School would be worth looking into. My last suggestion would be Memorial High School. This is a bit west of downtown off the I-10. I live in Memorial's school zone and I pay 1200 for a condo with two big bedrooms and 1500 sq feet of space. I think this is a bit of a steal, since I've seen other smaller condos in my complex go for 1400. I've seen listings on HAR for apartments in all of these school zones that would fit your budget--a very few of them are three bedroom, but they're out there. One tip: when you search HAR, be sure you search for 2 bedroom and up, rather than three, since a lot of times there is a listing for a two bedroom with a utility room or den that could easily be made into a third bedroom.

[Kimmie Sue]

Thanks Jebear30, that's a great idea about the 2br and converting a den. i will give these areas a shot as well. I appreciate the help!