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Thank you for the prompt replies. As far as apartments go, if I were to move I would ideally like something newer. I currently live in a complex that is quite old; therefore if I'm going for a change, I'd like to get a newer place as well. The pool scene is irrelevant right now for me.
As far as what I'm making. Right now it's 75k and my offer is 95k and I would have to re-locate myself. If I were to move, I'd essentially sell off everything and start a fresh (I still have to look into moving costs).
Greenspoint Area - Yes. Its good to hear that the commute will be reverse.
@Schumacher713 - Can you please provide the specific list of apartments you are talking about? I would be ok with spending that extra for the right location this time. I tried to do it in Cleveland; however at the time I moved, there was nothing available in the hot / young area of the city. As far as what or the type of scene I'm into - good restaurants. Decent sport bars to watch sporting events. But to hangout, I prefer lounges or bars with good quality drinks rather than the rowdy dance clubs. Once in a while I can go there, but not every weekend. Rooftop bars are ideal when the weather allows for it.
Also if I want to think long-term, I would want to do MBA as well (maybe from Rice). Would the aforementioned areas have easy access to the university? What's a natural transition from Midtown? Or do people live there and have kids too?
Thank you again for your help! Cheers.
Ignore the timbergrove, oak forest, garden oaks comments. You don't want to live there. Those are family areas.
Don't waste the extra money on a MBA from Rice. Get it from UH like everyone here does. I know tons of Exxon people that got theirs from UH because Exxon picks up the tab. They won't however pay for Rice. Honestly, Rice is not that much better for a MBA. That being said I live in Montrose and it takes me about 10-15min depending on traffic to get to Rice.
The natural transition totally depends on how much money you have. For most it means the suburbs because they can't afford a nice house in the city. I would say Timbergrove, Oak Forest, Garden Oaks is the city transition area. Houses run 600k-1.5 in those areas unless you are talking a tear down. Most transition into buying a townhouse in Midtown or Montrose before going to a house.
As for bars Midtown is the best area by far. You have lots of options in an area that is all walkable. Most are sports bars in that area. There are just a few clubs. Houston is pretty laid back as far as the bar scene goes. There is a bar for every type there. The restaurants in midtown are nothing amazing, but there are a few good places. The best places are in Montrose and the Heights though some can be very expensive.
As for specific apartments. Anything off Allen Parkway, W Dallas, or around that area would be good because it is quick to get on I-45. Midtown also has easy access to I-45. 2121 AMLI is where it is at, but it will run you 1600ish. I would look at Metro Midtown simply because of the location and it is not crazy expensive like some of the other Midtown spots. Lots in Houston take on roommates to lower the cost of living in a fun area. The Post just opened a new section in Midtown, but I bet it will be 1500ish. Most Midtown places will start at 1400. All my friends tell me every year they get their rent jacked 10-20%. We have a big apartment shortage in Houston. Maybe try Camden City Centre. Honestly, there are just so many complexes. You might want to get an apartment hunter. Let them do the leg work for you.
As far as what I'm making. Right now it's 75k and my offer is 95k and I would have to re-locate myself. If I were to move, I'd essentially sell off everything and start a fresh (I still have to look into moving costs).
@Schumacher713 - Can you please provide the specific list of apartments you are talking about? I would be ok with spending that extra for the right location this time. I tried to do it in Cleveland; however at the time I moved, there was nothing available in the hot / young area of the city. As far as what or the type of scene I'm into - good restaurants. Decent sport bars to watch sporting events. But to hangout, I prefer lounges or bars with good quality drinks rather than the rowdy dance clubs. Once in a while I can go there, but not every weekend. Rooftop bars are ideal when the weather allows for it.
Also if I want to think long-term, I would want to do MBA as well (maybe from Rice). Would the aforementioned areas have easy access to the university? What's a natural transition from Midtown? Or do people live there and have kids too?
Thank you again for your help! Cheers.
Access to Rice University (or to any of the other 3 universities inside the loop) should be easy enough from the Heights or Midtown. Like another poster said, Midtown is predominantly singles, while the Heights have both singles and young families. You can also flee to the suburbs once the need arises, and we have plenty to choose from.
As for the scenes:
Midtown is the current hotspot, and it tends to be rowdy and lively. Young-ish (college) crowd, especially on weekends. Not very many interesting restaurant choices yet, but they're starting to have a few notable ones like Mr. Peeples and Cook & Collins.
Downtown-Market Square is where the older young professional crowd hangs out. It's laid-back with a focus on cocktails and a speakeasy-vibe that fits with the historic buildings in the area. Like Midtown, there's a few notable restaurants there like Hearsay Gastro Lounge, Batanga, and Fusion Taco.
Montrose, however, is a food mecca -- housing some of the city's award-winning restaurants like Underbelly, Uchi, Hugo's and Indika just to name a few. The scene there tends to be a little more hipster-ish/alternative depending on when and where you go.
The Heights also has a lot of good grubbin', though not as concentrated as in Montrose yet. Notables are Down House and the Creeks (Onion Creek, Dry Creek, Cedar Creek). Scene is yuppie-ish and mellow.
Washington Ave.......nah.
EDIT: Ok ok fine, Wash Ave does have a few good restaurants like Max's Wine Dive and Soma. Though I'd suggest you detour into the First Ward instead and try out Stanton's City Bites or Cafe Brussels.
You have gotten a lot of great advice here. My husband and I made the move from Ohio to Houston 10 years ago and have never looked back. In your field, there is so much opportunity here, and this is a great time to jump in. I wouldn't hesitate. Houston is a great (and fun) place to be.
Good luck!
(By the way, if you are an OSU grad, there is a decent alumni group down here too.)
Don't waste the extra money on a MBA from Rice. Get it from UH like everyone here does. I know tons of Exxon people that got theirs from UH because Exxon picks up the tab. They won't however pay for Rice. Honestly, Rice is not that much better for a MBA. That being said I live in Montrose and it takes me about 10-15min depending on traffic to get to Rice.
+1 on this.
Rice is good, but UH has really deep connections with the oil & gas industry. And most of the professors/adjuncts are either working in the oil & gas industry, used to work for it, or their spouse does lol. You can't go wrong there, especially when it comes to networking opportunities.
Living anywhere between Oak Forest/Garden Oaks and the Heights is a good idea cause it's northish but still central. With engineering O&G you could end up working downtown, Katy, Greenspoint, or up North. Clearly this company thinks your skills are in demand and valuable so there are probably more companies out there that would think the same if Subsea doesn't pan out. Check out the Oak Forest Facebook page. There are realtors on there who may offer advise or their services.
Ignore the timbergrove, oak forest, garden oaks comments. You don't want to live there. Those are family areas.
Don't waste the extra money on a MBA from Rice. Get it from UH like everyone here does. I know tons of Exxon people that got theirs from UH because Exxon picks up the tab. They won't however pay for Rice. Honestly, Rice is not that much better for a MBA. That being said I live in Montrose and it takes me about 10-15min depending on traffic to get to Rice.
The natural transition totally depends on how much money you have. For most it means the suburbs because they can't afford a nice house in the city. I would say Timbergrove, Oak Forest, Garden Oaks is the city transition area. Houses run 600k-1.5 in those areas unless you are talking a tear down. Most transition into buying a townhouse in Midtown or Montrose before going to a house.
As for bars Midtown is the best area by far. You have lots of options in an area that is all walkable. Most are sports bars in that area. There are just a few clubs. Houston is pretty laid back as far as the bar scene goes. There is a bar for every type there. The restaurants in midtown are nothing amazing, but there are a few good places. The best places are in Montrose and the Heights though some can be very expensive.
As for specific apartments. Anything off Allen Parkway, W Dallas, or around that area would be good because it is quick to get on I-45. Midtown also has easy access to I-45. 2121 AMLI is where it is at, but it will run you 1600ish. I would look at Metro Midtown simply because of the location and it is not crazy expensive like some of the other Midtown spots. Lots in Houston take on roommates to lower the cost of living in a fun area. The Post just opened a new section in Midtown, but I bet it will be 1500ish. Most Midtown places will start at 1400. All my friends tell me every year they get their rent jacked 10-20%. We have a big apartment shortage in Houston. Maybe try Camden City Centre. Honestly, there are just so many complexes. You might want to get an apartment hunter. Let them do the leg work for you.
Thank you for the comment. I think I'm very close to making my decision (most likely over the weekend). After that I'll see if I can get an apartment hunter. I like the idea of having a youngish complex that is close to I-45. My commute would be about 20 odd minutes which isn't too bad. I did look at 2121 AMLI and it looks amazing. I read some of your other comments as well in similar threads. Having hot women live in the complex wouldn't be such a bad thing; however I would be more pressed to actually meet people to make friends so I have something to do over the weekend. Otherwise I'm looking at a very tough move there.
Other complex that I looked into is: Post Midtown Square. Located at: 302 Gray Street
Houston, TX 77002. Rent seems to be lower than $1500 a month. How is this area?
But I also scouted CL to check out Roommate opportunities and there seems to be some amazing townhomes that people have up for rent for about $800 - $1000 in midtown / heights area. Are they really that nice? Or am I putting myself up for a scam artist?
Any good recommendations on apartment hunters? I've never used a service like that before (frankly didn't even know it existed)...
But I also scouted CL to check out Roommate opportunities and there seems to be some amazing townhomes that people have up for rent for about $800 - $1000 in midtown / heights area. Are they really that nice? Or am I putting myself up for a scam artist?
Midtown/Montrose area on Grey is very hip with close proximity to trendy bars, restaurants, etc. We used In The Loop Properties when we moved 6 years ago. Bamboo Realty is another one that pops up on Yelp.
You have gotten a lot of great advice here. My husband and I made the move from Ohio to Houston 10 years ago and have never looked back. In your field, there is so much opportunity here, and this is a great time to jump in. I wouldn't hesitate. Houston is a great (and fun) place to be.
Good luck!
(By the way, if you are an OSU grad, there is a decent alumni group down here too.)
Ditto this. We did it 30 years ago and never looked back. You have come to the right place for opportunity. We are old enough to see the difference in what Cleveland was then and what it is now...you would be doing a very smart thing to relocate to Houston. And yes, huge alumni group here!
Thank you all for the wonderful tips and pointers. In the end I will be accepting the offer and will become a Houston native in the not too distant future. I've done a lot of research, but I'd like you experts to rank the following apartments. Please remember my work will be around the Greenpoint mall area.
The Pearl Midtown
CityPlace Midtown
Memorial Heights Village
Camden Midtown
Camden City Center
Post Mid Town Square
AMLI 2121
AMLI City Vista
La Maison
Sawyer Heights Lofts
Or any others in a similar category. I think an enclosed, secure parking would also be something I'd like along with a safe area.
I understand some of these might be stretching my budget - however for the perfect place, I might just be able to do it. Also does it matter which floor one stays? Any issues with temperature on 1st floor vs. say 3rd or 4th floor?
Last edited by travelpedia; 07-22-2014 at 09:53 AM..
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