Moving to Texas from California...SIENNA PLANTATION or CINCO RANCH (Houston: for sale, real estate)

[cantwaittomovetotexas]

I am in desperate need of your opinions. We are moving to Houston from Los Angeles. I am in my late twenties and fiance is in his early thrities. No kids. We work from home so a daily commute is not an issue. We would like to be around good restraunts and shopping and not tooo far from activities. We visited Pearland and it was a little too undeveloped for our taste. Any comments on Sienna Plantation or Cinco Ranch? Which would be a better community for our age and which community is closer to good shopping and restraunts. Alos, any negatives that anyone is aware of on these two communities. Your help is GREAYLY appreciated.

[BEVH]

Hi I am moving from Orange County to one of those areas also. I have no kids. I was there and it appeared that you are closer to Sugar Land, Town Square and all the great restaurants in Sugar Land than all the way out in Katy. Plus closer in to Houston for any night life or theater.

I thought Cinco was nice but it is a family area all the way. Have either of you thought about buying a loft in the happening area of Houston or a house. West U or somewhere like that.

My 2 cents from someone that does not live there but been there 2 different times househunting.

[houston-nomad]

If Pearland is undeveloped for your taste then I can't imagine what you would see in Sienna Plantation, which is, in comparison anyway, in the middle of nowhere. I agree with the post above that if you don't have kids, the inner loop would seem to be a better choice than the suburbs.

[Kappinator]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

If Pearland is undeveloped for your taste then I can't imagine what you would see in Sienna Plantation, which is, in comparison anyway, in the middle of nowhere. I agree with the post above that if you don't have kids, the inner loop would seem to be a better choice than the suburbs.

Previous posts are absolutely correct! Stay Inner Loop if you can afford it. What is your price range?

[EasilyAmused]

Buy or rent a townhouse on Bering or Augusta in the Galleria area. Zip code 77057.

[Topaz]

Definitely not Sienna Plantation as it is isolated. If I were you I wouldn't want to do Cinco Ranch, either, unless you are planning to start a family.

Good shopping and restaurants are going to be closer in, not in the 'burbs. While I live in Sugar Land and enjoy it and it is an excellent place for families, my husband and I would be in a condo in the Inner Loop if we didn't have children.

[cantwaittomovetotexas]

Thanks for the opinions. We work from home and therefore need alot of space. We are looking at atleast 3900-4500 square feet as we not only run a full office but also keep alot of merchandise at home. Our price range is $400-$450k which probably wont buy anything near Downtown. We have a very busy work schedule so we wanted to buy a newer home that would not require alot of upgrading. I heard may of the "affordable" housing near downtown are fixers or very old.

Last time I visited Sienna Plantation i loved how close it was to tons of restraunts and shopping in Sugarland. I was wondering if Cinco Ranch had as much nearby restraunts and shopping?

Oh and we are not planning on haveing kids anytime soon so it does not have to be a very family oriented.

[tstone]

Cantwait- look at Clear Lake area (Houston zips 77062, 77058, 77059) if you want suburban-type housing (about $100/sq ft) with plenty of unique dining, large amounts of shopping as well as waterfront type activities in the nearby resort towns on the lake and bay. My wife & I are about your age w/o kids (yet) and it suits us well. There are a good mix of people in our situation, singles, families and retired folks who are homeowners around us.

Edit: for that price range here look at neighborhoods Bay Oaks and Bay Forest, Brook Forest and Pine Brook, zip 77059.

Houston Real Estate - Houston Homes, Houston Home Value and Houston Relocation

Example: 3919 Majestic Trail, Houston, TX 77059

[citizen_jane]

Just a quick word of caution, there is no zoning in Houston but most subdivisions will have Home Owner's Associations with rules and regulations that go along. Some/most HOA's will not allow you to run a business out of your home. Where ever you purchase make sure your home business will not be breaking any rules. We had a young couple from LA move in a few houses away from us and they were running a home business. I don't know who did it but someone got feed up with all the traffic from delivery trucks and reported them to the HOA. Long story short, their house is up for sale and they are currently living in Austin.

[descovy]

If you really want suburbs go to Sugar Land... that would be my top choice. Myself & DH are in our 30's... but alas with 3 kids. We love Cinco... for family sake, but Sugar Land is my top choice for no kids... and grown up things to do