Can Houston really be considered a cheap city anymore? (Atlanta: car insurance, schools)

[jek74]

Originally Posted by donblackie

If Someone were planning for a very important meeting and ask, how long would it take me to get from houston to California....I would specify the flight from IAH to LAx is about 3 hours gate to gate so vary your planning around that. You said it takes you 40 mins to get from woodlands to downtown without any detail. That is about as useful as a piano made for squirrels

Yup, actually 35 minutes from Woodlands to downtown, actually "past" downtown. I travel to the south side to the UH campus. So 35 minutes from Woodlands past downtown to UH, using the HOV lane. Fine, add 5 minutes from my house to the pickup point. So 40 minutes door to door. You feel better about yourself now? Or do you want me to tell you how long it takes for me to walk to my first class? Because THAT is going to add some time.

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

What does it look like in royal oaks? That community is gated as hell. I've never seen such a blocked off place. I lived in west chase for several years and never saw the inside of royal oaks.

Just jump the wall,and help yourself to the buffet in the clubhouse if you are curious. Happened at a party I went to there, and apparently not uncommon. Nice, wedding cake type houses, but they are right on top of each other with really no privacy landscaping. Extremely international, lock and leave type neighborhood.

Resale has a tendancy to labor in there. many of the older homes listed on har.com are 200k less now than when they originally sold in the early 2000's.

[donblackie]

Originally Posted by jek74

Yup, actually 35 minutes from Woodlands to downtown, actually "past" downtown. I travel to the south side to the UH campus. So 35 minutes from Woodlands past downtown to UH, using the HOV lane. Fine, add 5 minutes from my house to the pickup point. So 40 minutes door to door. You feel better about yourself now? Or do you want me to tell you how long it takes for me to walk to my first class? Because THAT is going to add some time.

I'd add that time in. I do feel better thanks.

Please try to relax this Sunday. You are definitely irate.

[jek74]

Originally Posted by donblackie

I'd add that time in. I do feel better thanks.

Please try to relax this Sunday. You are definitely irate.

How do you figure irate? LOL. You asked me to post times....I posted times. Nothing to be irate about. The facts are what they are. You seem to have some agenda to the contrary. I'll leave you with that agenda....whatever that is.

[Kiovo]

Originally Posted by donblackie

I live less than 10 miles to the heart of downtown and still enjoy a large backyard 14000sqft lot, tons of trails (memorial park and Hershey), some of the best public schools in the city and a 3 car garage. What I sacrifice is old house vs new which to each his/her own.

Last I checked 40mins x 2 is more like 1.5 hours a day which is 20% of your free time away from your family. I'd rather pay an extra 20% tax to the government (money can be made, time cannot) then waste that sitting a bus.
Time is more important to me than any other resources. Just my perspective.

I didn't realize I had to give a 5 page second by second detailed report of my commute. I did my research before moving to this area so I knew exactly what I had to do to make it work to my favor. 1.5 (actually 1 hour 20 mins) hours a day where I get me time and not be bothered by anyone? Watch a show, read a book, catch up on current events, write down my grocery list etc etc, I'm hardly wasting my time sitting on a bus.

Also, you must of left out some details because I'm not sure where you came up with 20%...

That's great that you can afford all that living in an old house inside the city
But again...you're leaving out details too. What neighborhood are you in? How much did you pay for your house compared to how much I paid, how much do you make, you much extra money do you have?? It's up to each individual to figure out what's best for them, if someone read my post about my 35 min commute time from Katy to downtown and think its gonna be the exact same for them...well shame on them for not doing any extra research.

[GTRdad]

Originally Posted by donblackie

Thanks for the insight. Here is what I don't get. You can easily buy something "decent" in the villages for $2m and you won't have to send your kids to school with 50cent or private school. It's closer to everything you mentioned, galleria, hermann park, etc. the village PD is way more responsive than HPD. So what are you paying for? The gate?

For the record I think royal oak and shadow lake are decently located and with west park tollway it fairly easy to get places....that is appealing.

Problem is the school distric and surrounding neighbors. It will be very hard for those homes to appreciate due to this.

I really doubt the village PD can respond any faster than our HPD. HPD has a major substation on Dairy Ashford. Not sure if youre familiar with area, what neighbors are you referring to? Why don't you drop by at HEB/starbucks maybe after work get a feel. There's also a lot of 55+ active living apartment here, that seems to be in demand recently

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by jek74

Yup, actually 35 minutes from Woodlands to downtown, actually "past" downtown. I travel to the south side to the UH campus. So 35 minutes from Woodlands past downtown to UH, using the HOV lane. Fine, add 5 minutes from my house to the pickup point. So 40 minutes door to door. You feel better about yourself now? Or do you want me to tell you how long it takes for me to walk to my first class? Because THAT is going to add some time.

You're going to have that walking time to your first class no matter what, right?

[jek74]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

You're going to have that walking time to your first class no matter what, right?

I wanted the OP to have a going away prize.

[GTRdad]

Originally Posted by GTRdad

I really doubt the village PD can respond any faster than our HPD. HPD has a major substation on Dairy Ashford. Not sure if youre familiar with area, what neighbors are you referring to? Why don't you drop by at HEB/starbucks maybe after work get a feel. There's also a lot of 55+ active living apartment here, that seems to be in demand recently

I think I should add that not only HPD patrol the north Alief area. There's also the Alief ISD police, some 5th precint constable and also the Metro police. I'm actually a block away from most of these, including the school bus depot so 'visibility' is not an issue here

[bhammaster]

Originally Posted by swopoe

Agree. Going back to Philadelphia, since it was mentioned, my house in Sugar land would cost about twice as much in a comparable suburb (such as the one where my husband grew up and where his family still lives). The property tax percentage would be lower, but the house would cost more. Factor in income tax, and there is no way you can tell me that it is not cheaper to live in Houston. Even my mother in law, who was visiting this weekend, told us that gas prices there are still in the mid $3.00's a gallon.

I just checked the gas prices for Houston. You guys have to have the cheapest in the nation because even here in Atlanta it is in 3.00s and has been for at least 3 years.