Young family new to Houston, looking for small town feel. How about Crosby, TX? (San Antonio: for sale)

[scarlett213]

We are a young family looking for a house with a decent commute to Summerwood. My husband and I have recently moved from San Antonio and currently live in an apartment in Pasadena. He will be taking a new position at the brand new Kroger (he's a new pharmacist) that is opening up in Summerwood, right on Beltway 8. We have a 3 yr old and a 7 month old, but are not done having kids, so I'd like a good amount of space; 4bd. I prefer established neighborhoods (no cookie cutter type homes) with mature trees, good sized lawns for the kids to run around in. I grew up in a Victorian built 1904, so I don't mind aged homes. I'd like to be able to run around my neighborhood, have parks, etc. close by. We are an outdoorsy family looking for a small town feel. Our budget is 150k, I'm willing to go to $170 if absolutely necessary. I've been looking in Crosby recently on Zillow, according to Google that's a 25 min commute, I'm thinking that's the max commute we'd be interested in. I'm also interested in Huffman, but have been reading a little about Eagle Springs and Summerwood, though I think SW would be out of our budget. Also, Kingwood and Humble. Fresh air, a large lot, and kid friendly neighborhoods are my biggest concern. I probably left out some info.

[right]

Newport (subdivision/neighborhood) is about it for that price range. The demographics are changing and it is on the decline. There are a lot of crimes being committed on a weekly basis. Lake Shadows is a LOT better but but nothing is for sale at $150k. Also, you are only going to find 8000-9000 sq. ft lots and 3 bedroom at that price range.

Huffman is a better location than Crosby due to the proximity of Atascocita for shopping, and West Lake Houston Parkway for driving to Summerwood. Lakewood Heights should have some houses under $150k with mature trees but they are likely 1960-1980's and may require some work.

The Commons of Lake Houston has everything you're looking for but starting prices are $300k.

[scarlett213]

Thank you, I really appreciate your insight!

[KatieKennedy]

The master planned communities closest to your husband's work Summerwood, Fall Creek, and Eagle Springs all have cookie cutter homes. Kingwood is quite a bit further away but has some older housing stock that might be in your budget and has good schools. The traffic on West Lake Houston Parkway can be very bad.

[rusty2006]

You'll probably be looking at older neighborhoods or across the lake at that price point. We've been in the Summerwood/Eagle Springs/Humble/Kingwood area since 2002.

We just moved out of Eagle Springs as we found it TOO kid-oriented (we're baby boomers). It's a great neighborhood.

There are some 'cheaper' neighborhoods West of Eagle Springs on Will Clayton Drive. You could search these. You're getting into the same schools, but a less expensive house.

You could look up 59 - Porter, New Caney. Smaller towns, more like Crosby. The New Caney schools aren't the best however. I live between Porter and Kingwood and I drive past Summerwood to work each day. It takes 15-20 minutes to get that far.

Kingwood is a great neighborhood, but it can be quite an ordeal to get out during rush hour. It is an aging community, but there are still a lot of kids and good schools. You probably won't find a larger lot in your price range.

You could probably find something in the older Atascocita neighborhoods, but you'll need to do you due diligence about the neighborhoods and neighbors. Some of them aren't aging well and I wouldn't want to live there. If you find something you like, ditch the realtor and go back by it at different times and use different access routes.

You can find something in Huffman, but be aware that the FM1960/West Lake Houston intersection is HORRIBLY backed up and congested on the weekends. The people that we know that live East of this intersection off of 1960 purposely avoid heading toward Atascocita on the weekends, especially in the afternoons.

I think you're in for a search challenge. If you could get your $$ up to $200-250, you'd have a lot more appealing options.

[vk2002]

Hi there! I am a long-time Crosby resident. I would just like to encourage you to pursue your search in our town. My husband and I both graduated from Crosby schools. Left for 4 years to go to college and returned to raise our children here. The town has grown tremendously in recent years, but I must say it still retains its small-town familiarity. There is a new master-planned community in the works called Sundance Cove that will offer many amenities. If you're looking for something in your price point, Newport or Indian Shores have many older, well-kept homes. This fall we are opening a brand new high school and all of our elementary schools are undergoing extensive remodeling. The Crosby ISD Facebook page is quite active and a good measure of the 'goings-on' in our community. We have always felt very safe here and are proud to raise our children here. We live in the more rural area of Crosby and love it, too, if you're looking for more land than the lots in Newport or Indian Shores. While Huffman is close to Atascocita for shopping, Indian Shores is a subdivision on the northern end of town that is only a 15 minute drive to Atascocita (about the same as Huffman).