Working in Bellaire - where to live? (Houston, Sugar Land: houses, established neighborhood)

[fiestymama]

So my husband might be getting a job in Bellaire and I'm wondering where to consider living. We want really good schools, and of course the shorter the commute the better. I'm not really sure about price, maybe 300-375K. I've been looking at Katy, Sugarland, and Sienna Plantation, but maybe I'm overlooking something good? Katy looks to be further away, but someone told me the commute might be better - any truth to that?

[bostoner]

Overlooking something good. Meyerland, Maplewood, Willow Meadows, Willowbend, Westbury...
Define "better". Katy is way out in BFE.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by fiestymama

Katy looks to be further away, but someone told me the commute might be better - any truth to that?

Whoever told you that is full of it. I-10 can make anyone hate driving.

Live close to where you work. You can afford it.

[Poltracker]

Houstoner suggested some very good and sensible (from a commute point) neighborhoods. I would check those first. Katy would be a horrible drive.

[texan_176]

Sugarland and Katy home prices will crash as the price of energy surges. I have friends in Sugraland that are already experiencing this.

Meyerland is about $350K for a good home and Westbury is around $175K. IMHO these are also very inflated numbers. Westbury homes sold for just around $100K in 1997 when I moved here. The house next door to me sold for $215K last year....that is BS. The city and county just want to make their tax rolls fat so they fool stupid people into thinking they are rich cause on paper their house goes up in value but the reality is a higher tax bill while NOTHING changes to impact the quality of life. Yeah, my 1997 home is exactly like my 2008 home. The only change I saw was a yuppie move in 3 doors down and a new BMW in his drvieway...that's it....his being there and his car do not change my life.

Bellaire is starting to become $500K and up for the most part unless you find a WW2 era shack that has been maintained but that will still be around $400K.

Meyerland is your best bet...those homes will all be in the $1 million + range within 10-15 years....get in while you can.

[Bike4Life]

Try to live close to Bellaire.

[jfre81]

Westbury homes sold for just around $100K in 1997 when I moved here. The house next door to me sold for $215K last year....that is BS.

Consider inflation, and that a lot of houses over there were picked up on the cheap back then and flipped. That's really not that big of an increase over 11 years.

Sugarland and Katy home prices will crash as the price of energy surges. I have friends in Sugraland that are already experiencing this.

Don't know about a big crash, but those huge houses out on the fringe are going to command less when it costs too much to get from there to a job that can maintain such a place.

[icon7]

I doubt it...As long as the schools continue to be top ranked. I don't see it slowing down in the nicer areas. My friend sold his house for 2x what he bought it for 15 years ago last month in Sugar Land. Oil Prices will have to get extremely high, but at that pint everyone will be impacted.

Originally Posted by texan_176

Sugarland and Katy home prices will crash as the price of energy surges. I have friends in Sugraland that are already experiencing this.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by houstoner

Overlooking something good. Meyerland, Maplewood, Willow Meadows, Willowbend, Westbury...
Define "better". Katy is way out in BFE.

Excellent advice. I live in Willowbend. Very nice, quiet, safe neighborhood. Most of the neighborhood is in the FEMA "X" flood zone and has been dry since at least 1955. Par for the course there are old construction ranchers, 3 bed / 2 bath around 2000 sq.ft. $375K will buy a VERY nice remodeled older home. Under $200K will buy a teardown on a large lot (most are 8500 square feet and up). Willowmeadows is similar, but the houses and lots are larger. Westbury is the best value, as far as I know, but portions are still a little ghetto. Meyerland is very nice and the prices are beginning to approach those of Bellaire proper, but it should probably be your starting point for the price range you quoted. I don't know much about Maplewood other than its geographic location.

As someone who has lived in BFE and now lives 10 minutes from work, LIVE 10 MINUTES FROM WORK!!! Keep in mind that your savings in fuel costs alone will buy an additional $50K on your mortgage. Also, property tax rates are (slightly) less in established neighborhoods.

Further, if you're into this sort of thing, Willowbend is a massive dove roost. Every evening (at the right time of year) you will see flights of hundreds of dove heading to roost in the neighborhood and the woods due south. The large biomass of dove supports a concentration of raptors as well. There are a pair of red-tail hawks that I see hunting almost every day and a number of what I assume are Cooper's Hawks as well. I see screech owls all the time and have seen a large owl (too dark to confirm the species) snatch rats off the powerlines at night. I find this to be great sport, although I wouldn't leave a chihuahua outside for extended periods (unless you just hate that dog). There are quite a few martin houses in the neighborhood as well, so during the summer their song and distinctive flight pattern is commonplace. Almost all of the telephone poles bear evidence of woodpeckers and cardinals nest in the ubiquitous holly trees. Anyway, the resident fauna is not something that you will find in most of the clearcut new development.

I digress. Good luck, hope to see you in the neighborhood.

[Wysiwyg]

Originally Posted by texan_176

Sugarland and Katy home prices will crash as the price of energy surges. I have friends in Sugraland that are already experiencing this.

I don't believe this too. I don't know if its the genX in me but gas prices never bugged me, and I load up premium fuel. If you absolutely want the best for your family and cars you have to cut back somewhere else
It's also hard for me to believe suburbanite families actually moving back into the loop just to save gas when moving actually costs thousands of dollars. it just doesn't make sense