Unsure where to buy first home (inside loop vs Woodlands)

[mike650i]

There really is no magic solution.

The Woodlands is a lot better for raising a family, but that matters more when you have schoolage children, which you don't yet.

Not sure what the pay difference is for you in the woodlands vs current job and how much your new job will pay vs your husbands, etc. Or if it's a possibility for your husband to work in the woodlands or remote.

Ideal situation is for you to both work in the woodlands and live there. Garden oaks isn't some miracle solution. Your commute will still suck, the schools most certainly will suck come middle school at least (though that is 10+ years away it sounds), and it's not nearly as nice as the woodlands.

Maybe you should just rent somewhere and kick the can. That way if one of you is miserable, you aren't tied down.When it sounds like you are both working in the same place, your husband or you decide your ok with the respective commute, or if you have a kid that is 3 or so (and you need the space), buy.

If you buy in the Woodlands, make sure to buy a house with a kickass media room. That way your husband will have a nice toy you definitely won't get in Houston.

[bamba_boy]

I think one factor not mentioned is the potential for a nice price appreciation if you buy in a nice inner loop neighborhood vs. outer exurbia. Woodlands does probably the best but the unlimited flat land surrounding Houston makes for much lower appreciation than the western inner loop neighborhoods or just outside (Bellaire, Westbury, Memorial) so close to jobs, museums, live music etc.

If you end up with a large family and kids who want to raise animals in the giant back yard for 4H club in 10 or 15 years, just sell your small inner loop place for a small fortune and buy a nice "acreage" place with the profits. Even if you take the Woodlands job you'll have a quick 70mph commute counter to traffic on the 45 or 59. I just left the energy industry and many (most?) of the Exxon people working just south of TheWoodlands that are singles and DINKs live in town and counter-commute out. Then they can enjoy their weekends and evenings with city attractions.

OTOH, TheWoodlands DOES have its Cynthia Woods music center that has all the Classic Rock shows old guys like me wants to see! :-) Also the little mini-San Antonio River Walk think with a few nice restaurants and clubs along it they dug out a few years back. It's not totally charmless, albeit in a rather artificial way. If I could get a high-paid job at Anandarko I'd consider it.

[texas7]

If you like the woodlands -- then go for it. The spouse who works downtown can ride the woodlands express or perhaps join a metro star vanpool and get the benefit of the hov lane if he or she doesn't want to drive solo. Lots of people make that commute. If you like in town, you can find a good area for families. The person in the woodlands wont have quite as bad the commute as it's going away from the city center. Not a piece of cake but not as bad as going toward downtown.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by OnMyWayto30a

If you stay in Houston then you will at least be commuting in the opposite direction of traffic (generally speaking). I commuted from the Woodlands to the AIG bldg on a temporary basis when we moved to Houston and I wanted to drive my car off a bridge most days.

Heading up 45 to the Woodlands in the morning isn't a piece of cake either. Hardy flows pretty well, but you have to get there first. I haven't been in the Woodlands during rush hour in a number of years, but the traffic in the afternoon towards Conroe was worse than the inbound traffic. But you still have to fight traffic when you get close to 610. The point is that it is a lot of miles and you can't assume traffic will be easy just because you are going opposite the primary flow.

[RedOrDead_YNWA]

Rent in Woodlands for a year, see how it suits you, then make your decision on where you want to put down roots.

You may end up loving it out there, or hating it and deciding that dealing with a commute is better than living near work in a place you don't like.

[HTownNearNative]

Originally Posted by RedOrDead_YNWA

Rent in Woodlands for a year, see how it suits you, then make your decision on where you want to put down roots.

You may end up loving it out there, or hating it and deciding that dealing with a commute is better than living near work in a place you don't like.

Same advice except flipped-buy in Oak Forest or Garden Oaks, zoned to Oak Forest or Garden Oaks Elementary. If you don't like it, these areas will appreciate in a short time, unlike any suburb.

Keep us posted on where you end up! :-)

[gwarnecke]

I don't have much to add to this thread that hasn't been covered already - except that I think many inner-loop boosters tend to minimize the fact that their kid-friendly amenities (museums, parks, etc) are quite accessible to suburban residents, given that highway traffic is basically a non-issue on weekends and 99% of attractions in Houston have ample free parking. Don't get me wrong - I agree that in many ways inner-loop Houston is great for kids. But the appeal of solid public middle/high schools and lower mortgage payments make the suburbs an appealing option, especially if working nearby and/or using a convenient park-and-ride is an option.