Soaring home prices put a dent in Houston's reputation for affordability (Spring: apartment complexes, homes)

[jerbear30]

Originally Posted by hendersj31

You mean that you are too good for schools with limited english and economically disadvantaged students percentages in the upper 80s and 90s? Or you want your white child to have some white kids in his class? How dare you... Houston is an urban mecca and people should never consider the suburbs when you should be perfectly happy with a school that resembles something from a hip hop video.

Well, to start with my child is not white. After that, I don't know where to go with your comment. I don't think parents should consider keeping their kids in schools based on race at all. That's stupid and pig-headed. The problem with HISD is not its ethnic diversity, it is the fact that the schools don't produce very many good students. This is obviously tied up with the fact that whites have most of the resources and those resources are generally spent on whites, but for this very reason I'd say it is more of a class issue. When HISD spends all its big bucks on selective admissions schools and forgets about the forgotten, it just perpetuates this kind of problem for all parents, even those who can't afford to move in order to get their kids out of the crappy schools to which they've been assigned.

[hendersj31]

Apologies, my comment was a joke that may have been in bad taste. I was simply mocking some of the frequest posters who don't understand parents requirement of schools over location. My intention was not to offend you as I agree with your post completely.

[Sampaguita]

My brother is paying 30k more now than what our parents paid for a larger house in August 2013 (same 'hood, same zoned schools). We're in the burbs.

[fnh]

henders, jerbear's family is majority Hispanic which he's been very open about, so don't lay on the white guilt. He has also been renting in the 'better' half of Spring Branch to be zoned to 'excellent' schools and has found they are not worth the price. Excepting the selective magnets, the 'better' scoring schools are driven primarily by catering to an exclusively privileged demographic. Otherwise, there is nothing special about those schools.

However, I've also pointed out repeatedly that there ARE schools located within the beltway area (or literally just outside) that are good schools with mixed populations. Jersey Village HS is one of them, with good feeder schools such as Gleason and Cook. You can still buy a home within 20 miles of downtown zoned to good schools (and a nice home, in a nice neighborhood) for under $300K. In other major cities, that is simply not possible, so I do think Houston is very affordable.

Edit: Ah, I see we cross-posted, henders, and that there's been some editing. I didn't catch the mocking tone of your original post so disregard. :-)

[PedroMartinez]

Vouchers.

[ToyYot]

Originally Posted by fnh

henders, jerbear's family is majority Hispanic which he's been very open about, so don't lay on the white guilt. He has also been renting in the 'better' half of Spring Branch to be zoned to 'excellent' schools and has found they are not worth the price. Excepting the selective magnets, the 'better' scoring schools are driven primarily by catering to an exclusively privileged demographic. otherwise, there is nothing special about those schools.

Seems to be quite a sweeping statment. Stratford is a very good school by all accounts and is fairly mixed. Or are there not enough poor folks attending to satisfy some wierd demographic requirement?

[Scientific]

Who'd have thunk it? Promoting your city and state would bring in this many people, and raise your standard of living.

I dont know why so many people are a fan of this huge growth. The rising COL is only one problem. Commute, pollution, resources are unwanted additions we already had problems with.

[fnh]

Sure, add Stratford. I only used JV is an example, and I'm sure there are others even on the eastern side. Besides, I know Stratford has changed tremendously and it was not a high-scoring school until very recently. People seem to forget that buyers vaulted over 77079 for the Katy schools until just the past few years.

And, can you buy a nice home near Stratford for $300K any longer?

[Oildog]

Originally Posted by Dopo

We don't need to "close the borders"
we need to make our city officials stop giving in to developers creating subdivisions like crazy and start creating "smart growth" with more public parks (sorry, less subdivisions)
Doing that could reduce by 1/2 the number of families that live in an area.


Houston neighborhoods see skyrocketing home values
Hey, but "it's a good housing market" .... for realtors

And people that own their property.

You sound like another bitter guy that recently left the area...always complaining about parks and development...

[jerbear30]

Originally Posted by fnh

Sure, add Stratford. I only used JV is an example, and I'm sure there are others even on the eastern side. Besides, I know Stratford has changed tremendously and it was not a high-scoring school until very recently. People seem to forget that buyers vaulted over 77079 for the Katy schools until just the past few years.

And, can you buy a nice home near Stratford for $300K any longer?

You actually can get close in the area north of the I-10 and just west of the Beltway. That area is surely going to go up in price soon.