Young family moving to Houston - advice? (Humble, Katy: rental, houses)

[Tim131]

Hello all,

My wife, 8 month girl and I are thinking of moving to Houston in April of next year.

I work as an office administrator/accounts receivable/office manager in a small business, my wife is finish up her degree, but will be looking for a paralegal job.

A quick look on indeed etc would appear there are a good few jobs in both fields out in Houston.

We live in a small town in Florida, near Vero Beach and just decided there isn't much going on, wages are quite low and we both have a soft spot for Houston (my wife has family there)

We were thinking of living west of the city, name the Katy/Cinco ranch area - there are some pretty decent 3 bed 2 bath houses to rent for less than $1500 a month - and then after a year or so potentially buy a house, which are also reasonably priced at around $200k.

Can anyone tell me, if we are looking at Katy, should we be looking for jobs in Houston itself, or is the commute too long?

Is there anywhere else you would recommend living that is family friendly, safe, good schools and in a reasonably commute to jobs - My wife is Hispanic and my little one will speak Spanish too, I speak only English but have some Spanish - I don't mind living in a safe Hispanic neighborhood as well (not sure how the neighborhoods work over there)

Thanks

Tim

[SugLandDAd]

The commute from Katy to Downtown is a tough one, sometimes brutal.....but it is doable. There is Metro bus service that make it easier.

Houston traffic usually dictates that you find a job, and then use that location to help guide your living arrangements. There are lots of jobs that are not downtown, but rather in the suburbs, and that's the problem. think of Houston as a clock, with downtown in the middle... you can commute from anywhere to downtown, but across the entire clock face, from one suburb to the other ( 12 to 6, 3 to 9) ..... wont work at all.........You may be best doing a shorter term rental somewhere, even Katy, and seeing how and where you land job wise.

[K LoLo]

^^^ is not bad advice. Other locations could be pearland, sugarland, tomball, Humble, Kingwood, etc. All probably have similar drives, but there will be differences on work availability closer to home. Jobs are spread just as much as the population though, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and find a job first, and then move. Or, like said above - do a short term rental and figure it out as you go.

[Ghost Town]

If I moved without job to Houston, I would rent within 610 loop (probably get 6-month lease) and then figure out more permanent future location based on job geography after I settle with a job.

[PeteyC]

I agree with the above posters. Try to get firmer job offers before deciding on places to reside. A rental as suggested may be a good option. Houston and outlying areas are geographically vast. Commuters over time can become a problem particularly with a child. For example if you live in Katy but are employed in the downtown Houston area, you would be pressed if your child was sick at school and you had to make the trek back. Lots to be considered. Good luck.