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Old 07-20-2014, 11:02 AM
 
4 posts, read 7,735 times
Reputation: 20

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My husband just got a new job over in the Energy Coridor and doesn't want to commute anymore so we are now looking at purchasing a home over in that general area. I will tell you a few things about our us and then ask a few questions.

1. We are NOT looking in 77079. Already figured out that is out of our budget
2. Budget up to $450
3. No kids so schools not important except in consideration of resale
4. 2500 sq ft ideal
5. Renovations fine
6. Prefer pool but wiling to put in our own
7. Plan to live in the home 5-7 years max so return on investment is very important to us

Here's my questions
1. Have the non 77079 areas seen appreciation like 79 has? I know all of Houston is hot right now, but curious how this area has been historically
2. We've noticed homes in 77042 are about $10 or more a sq ft than homes across the street in 77077. Schools don't seem much better and the homes are in the same HOA. what is driving higher prices in 77042? Is it worth the higher pice tag if we if we find a house we love there?
3. We've now been in, and lost, 5 bidding wars on homes with pools. We've been offering up to $25k over asking and still not getting the contract. Meanwhile weve noticed non pool homes tend to sit on the market a little while. So we're thinking of buying a home and putting our own pool in. We think it's a good investment based on the demand we've seen for homes with pools. But plenty of friends are telling us we will never get our money back on the pool. I know that's the general fact on putting a pool in but we feel like we see a real high demand or pool homes in this area. We're putting it in regardless, I'd just like to hear your thoughts on this.
4. Lastly I'm wondering how we will fit in to these neighborhoods. We're mid 30's no kids. We like to host a lot of parties (were adults not college kids but we host a lot of BBQs, Texans watch parties, etc) and we like to get a little rowdy and have fun at times. We ride motorcycles and we both have tattoos ( and were both working professionals so you wouldn't necessarily see them). We live in the Heights now, and we like it, but we're also ready To move. We're both very social and like to know our neighbors. We love to be outside and talk to people. My husbands the go to guy on our block when anyone needs help fixing something and he likes that. We host many neighboorhhod block parties and dinners. We hope we can have a similar experiance when we move but wonder how we will fit in.
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Old 07-20-2014, 03:51 PM
 
Location: Charleston Sc and Western NC
9,273 posts, read 26,382,347 times
Reputation: 4740
Briargrove Park and Walnut Bend are very social.

Dont really have any experience with 77077 residents. It may be equally social.
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Old 07-20-2014, 06:30 PM
 
Location: Memorial Villages
1,502 posts, read 1,758,682 times
Reputation: 1691
1) (Eastern) 77079 was the first of these three zip codes to really shoot up in price, offering as it does a combination of great schools, close proximity to I-10, the Energy Corridor, City Center, and Terry Hershey Park. However - over the past year or so, I'd say that western (KISD) 77079, 77077, and 77042 have appreciated at a greater rate, likely due to families getting priced out of eastern 77079. All are very desirable areas that should benefit from redevelopment in the area (old apartments getting torn down, etc) and from people getting fed up with commuting from far west or even from inside the loop (I moved to the Energy Corridor after commuting there from West University Place got to be a pain).
2) I'm guessing that you're referring to Lakeside Place, which straddles 77042 and 77077? Not personally aware of any factor that would make 77042 more desirable, proximity to the Beltway maybe? A difference of $10/sq ft is practically lost in the noise if you're just looking at recent sale prices - it's common to see differences of $20-30/sq ft or more within older neighborhoods, due to varying home sizes, lot sizes, updates done, etc.
3) Your friends are right. Get a pool because you want a pool, not as an investment. Not a bad idea to put one in yourself vs buy a house with an older pool, as older pools are significantly more labor-intensive and expensive to maintain. For many buyers, an older pool is a neutral or even a negative feature.
4) Not too familiar with 77077 and 77042 dynamics. Most of my neighbors are very social and don't mine party types as long as the house stays kept up.

Apologies for shamelessly promoting my own hood, but you might not want to rule out western 77079. It's significantly cheaper than the eastern part of 77079, mainly b/c the middle and high schools are on the west side of George Bush Park (not an issue for you if you don't have kids), has relatively larger/newer original homes, and has the oil major HQs right in the backyard, along with redevelopment plans nearby (ie old ExxonMobil site between Memorial and I-10) that should bode well for property values.

Last edited by gwarnecke; 07-20-2014 at 06:39 PM..
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Old 07-21-2014, 01:01 AM
 
Location: Houston
5,581 posts, read 4,844,606 times
Reputation: 4527
Also check out non-gated areas of Parkway Villages and Briarhills in the northwestern part of 77077. Zoned to Barbara Bush Elementary which will keep values up. Should have homes in your price range, though they will be 1970s vintage in Briarhills. I'm in a non-gated portion of PV and values have strolled past the $450K mark over the last year or two, though one of the smaller homes may fit your budget. Some have pools. Our street used to be very social, but has decreased since a few folks moved away.
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