CA Transplants - Pleaes Share your Experience about Houston (Sugar Land: car insurance, how much)

[onyx]

My husband and I are coming to Houston suburbs shortly to "investigate" on neighborhood & new houses & decide whether ultimately move to Katy, SL or somewhere close.

I noticed there are quite a few CA people moved/planning to move to Houston. Do you have any good/bad experience to share? Would you make Texas your new home sweet home? Thought it would be interesting.

After looking at har.com and seeing all those wonderful homes, we feel we can no longer find a home in SoCal that fits us - old, small, non-remodled homes at sky-rocketing prices!

When people talk about low standard of living in TX, do they mainly refer to the low housing cost? I think property taxes & utilities will be (much) more than CA... how about food, clothing, health care, gas, etc?

[Mr. Football]

Houston is a relatively wealthy city, we do have something like the 2nd highest number of Fortune 500 headquarters in the nation, second only to NYC. We have all of the finest retail you could find anywhere in the nation, I doubt you will find yourself wanting in that category.

Weather....it's actually pretty nice from late October through Mid-May...then its hotter than Satan's left armpit June through August.

Crime...not bad in the good parts - real bad in the bad parts.

Homes...nice in the good parts as well as in many of the bad parts.

Schools...good in the good parts.

Property Taxes...unconstitutionally high...they're attempting to fix it, but in Texas, homeowners foot the burden. ($200K home = roughly $6k-$8k/ per annum depending upon where you live).

Insurance Costs....RIDICULOUSLY high, as the insurance lobby in Texas is incredibly strong. Historically, they've gotten nearly everything they wanted, yet have rarely delivered on promised price decreases...despite the fact that we get far less service than customers in other states. Health, Homeowners, Auto...are absurdly high.

Traffic...can suck.

Mountains....none

Ranches...every direction.

Hill Country...2.5 hour drive West.

Beach/Saltwater fishing....less than 1 hour drive South

Gas...cheaper than California by about $0.50/gallon

Utilities...AWFULLY EXPENSIVE (Enron's Deregulation plan is still in place here). Figure $400-$600/month electricity for a 3,000 sq. ft house...prices are 'supposed' to come down, but don't trust the Utility industry. It may be up to State lawmakers to bring the threat of regulation to bring these greedy bastards back in line.

As for the good parts (in no particular order): River Oaks, West U, Galleria Area , Bellaire , Memorial, Champions, Cypress, Klein, Spring, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Friendswood, Clear Lake, Pearland, Sugar Land, Cinco Ranch, Katy, Cy-Fair.

[jjnnino]

Originally Posted by Mr. Football

Houston is a relatively wealthy city, we do have something like the 2nd highest number of Fortune 500 headquarters in the nation, second only to NYC. We have all of the finest retail you could find anywhere in the nation, I doubt you will find yourself wanting in that category.

Weather....it's actually pretty nice from late October through Mid-May...then its hotter than Satan's left armpit June through August.

Crime...not bad in the good parts - real bad in the bad parts.

Homes...nice in the good parts as well as in many of the bad parts.

Schools...good in the good parts.

Property Taxes...unconstitutionally high...they're attempting to fix it, but in Texas, homeowners foot the burden. ($200K home = roughly $6k-$8k/ per annum depending upon where you live).

Insurance Costs....RIDICULOUSLY high, as the insurance lobby in Texas is incredibly strong. Historically, they've gotten nearly everything they wanted, yet have rarely delivered on promised price decreases...despite the fact that we get far less service than customers in other states. Health, Homeowners, Auto...are absurdly high.

Traffic...can suck.

Mountains....none

Ranches...every direction.

Hill Country...2.5 hour drive West.

Beach/Saltwater fishing....less than 1 hour drive South

Gas...cheaper than California by about $0.50/gallon

Utilities...AWFULLY EXPENSIVE (Enron's Deregulation plan is still in place here). Figure $400-$600/month electricity for a 3,000 sq. ft house...prices are 'supposed' to come down, but don't trust the Utility industry. It may be up to State lawmakers to bring the threat of regulation to bring these greedy bastards back in line.

As for the good parts (in no particular order): River Oaks, West U, Galleria Area , Bellaire , Memorial, Champions, Cypress, Klein, Spring, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Friendswood, Clear Lake, Pearland, Sugar Land, Cinco Ranch, Katy, Cy-Fair.

Mr. Football , that was a dead on analysis of living in Houston for prospective California transplants ..... good job . I would only add that the cost of food , i.e. groceries , eating out and medical care is much lower than in California and do not forget that in general people are much friendlier in Houston .

[onyx]

Wow it is really informative! Currently we pay less than $100/month in utilities (electricity, gas, water), so it would be hard to adjust to $500+/month in Texas! Realistically how much in total for all utilities for a 3,000 sq ft house? Is one story more energy efficient than 2 story and what is the saving?

To sum up, we shall prepare for MUCH higher costs in: utilities, car/house/flood insurance, property taxes; also the very HOT weather. we shall also expect MUCH cheaper houses, and cheaper food/gas costs, and no state income taxes, and friendlier people.

I guess life is all about choices.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by onyx

Wow it is really informative! Currently we pay less than $100/month in utilities (electricity, gas, water), so it would be hard to adjust to $500+/month in Texas! Realistically how much in total for all utilities for a 3,000 sq ft house? Is one story more energy efficient than 2 story and what is the saving?

To sum up, we shall prepare for MUCH higher costs in: utilities, car/house/flood insurance, property taxes; also the very HOT weather. we shall also expect MUCH cheaper houses, and cheaper food/gas costs, and no state income taxes, and friendlier people.

I guess life is all about choices.

The newer homes (built in last 5 or so years) cost much less in monthly utility costs since they're more energy-efficient.

The $500+ bills are more during the hot weather. The cooler times of year (like right now), the bills are lower because the a/c isn't running and the heater isn't running that much.

[Mr. Football]

Yes, but gas bills are high too.

If you have a pool, add another $100/month to your bill

[onyx]

Thanks so much for everyone's input! what is the Texas health system like, and is it much cheaper than CA (CA is outrageous!!!) What is the most popular medical plan, is it Blue Cross PPO? What does most employers provide? Does Katy have good hospitals/physicians? We will need pregnancy care/child birth service near Katy in the near future. Does TX have any short term disability benefit/leave from work for child birth? CA has some benefits up to $800/week, I think.

[nooneknowsmyname]

My spouse and I are also considering relocating from the San Francisco Bay Area to Houston. We'd prefer not to live too far away from downtown. We don't have any children so aren't concerned about the schools. We have seen several houses in the Glenbrook Valley neighborhood, many of them mid-century moderns, that appeal to us, and we are delighted by how reasonably priced these houses are, particularly when compared to the over-priced houses in the SF Bay Area. During the second week of January, I'll be traveling to Houston for a quick visit and to look at some houses

I'd love to hear from anyone who knows about the Glenbrook Valley neighborhood as well as from anyone who has relocated from the SF Bay area to Houston. Thanks in advance for any information you are willing to share.

[HonieB]

Originally Posted by Mr. Football

Houston is a relatively wealthy city, we do have something like the 2nd highest number of Fortune 500 headquarters in the nation, second only to NYC. We have all of the finest retail you could find anywhere in the nation, I doubt you will find yourself wanting in that category.

Weather....it's actually pretty nice from late October through Mid-May...then its hotter than Satan's left armpit June through August.

Crime...not bad in the good parts - real bad in the bad parts.

Homes...nice in the good parts as well as in many of the bad parts.

Schools...good in the good parts.

Property Taxes...unconstitutionally high...they're attempting to fix it, but in Texas, homeowners foot the burden. ($200K home = roughly $6k-$8k/ per annum depending upon where you live).

Insurance Costs....RIDICULOUSLY high, as the insurance lobby in Texas is incredibly strong. Historically, they've gotten nearly everything they wanted, yet have rarely delivered on promised price decreases...despite the fact that we get far less service than customers in other states. Health, Homeowners, Auto...are absurdly high.

Traffic...can suck.

Mountains....none

Ranches...every direction.

Hill Country...2.5 hour drive West.

Beach/Saltwater fishing....less than 1 hour drive South

Gas...cheaper than California by about $0.50/gallon

Utilities...AWFULLY EXPENSIVE (Enron's Deregulation plan is still in place here). Figure $400-$600/month electricity for a 3,000 sq. ft house...prices are 'supposed' to come down, but don't trust the Utility industry. It may be up to State lawmakers to bring the threat of regulation to bring these greedy bastards back in line.

As for the good parts (in no particular order): River Oaks, West U, Galleria Area , Bellaire , Memorial, Champions, Cypress, Klein, Spring, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Friendswood, Clear Lake, Pearland, Sugar Land, Cinco Ranch, Katy, Cy-Fair.

Hi,

My family is currently relocating to The Woodlands, TX, which based on all the postings here, is a long commute (approx 1 hr) to downtown, though my husband will be working from home and I'm a SAHM. However, I have something to say regarding Mr. Football's info. The Woodlands is in the process of becoming it's own incorporated city, separate from the city of Houston itself. The Woodlands is still regulated as far as utilities are concerned, and therefore, from what I've been told by everyone I know there so far, the cost of the utilities are lower than most other parts of Houston and its suburbs. Also, I understand that car insurance is lower as well.

Also, since everyone here is griping about the commute, I have to say that I'm originally from NYC and have commuted most of my life via subway into the city from Queens or Long Island and I'd say I'm used to a commute of approximately 1hr 15min door to door on average each way. Sometimes much longer if there was a problem with the trains, or it was a holiday of some sort, etc. I also lived in Los Angeles for about three years and driving to work was NO picnic (from Hollywood to Santa Monica was easily 1hr 30min each way). I little commute wouldn't have daunted us even if my husband did have to work in downtown Houston because living in the quiet, beautiful, woodslike backdrop of The Woodlands would make it all worth it for us. You being from SoCA might also feel the same way since you're already used to long commutes I'm sure, so I thought I'd make this point.

That said, The Woodlands has excellent schools, just about every single primary and middle school rated exemplary. The two high schools being rated recognized. There are also several excellent private schools to choose from. The thing about the Woodlands is that everything you need is contained within...from shopping, to dining, to outdoors recreation, to entertainment. I recommend you at least check out this beautiful area. Housing is also available there in all sorts of price ranges, but you'll be amazed at what you can get for the money being from CA.

And lastly, there are at least two excellent hospitals located in The Woodlands, one being Memorial Hermann (not sure if that's the correct whole name) and the other St. Luke's Hospital. I checked out both because at the time we initially started looking for homes I was still pregnant with my second child. Turns out we didn't make it there in time for the birth, so I can't give you first hand experience at these locations...but what I did find out impressed me. I am currently living in SoFL and the hospitals here are so-so.

If you want to know anything else, let me know and I'll be happy to help you out if I can. Hope this helps!!!

[onyx]

How bad are the bugs & snakes & mosquitos, & other pests situation at Cinco Ranch? Being someone never lived in Houston before, will we ever get used to it?