Help finding area in SW Houston (Sugar Land, Spring: real estate, low crime, houses)

[PUMAS]

This is my search criteria:
1) Low crime
2) Excellent school system (preschool & elementary - preferably with foreign language programs)
3) Diverse and family oriented
4) 20 minutes or less in rush hour to north Stafford (Near TX Instruments building)
5) 4+ bedrooom house for $520K or less
6) Good libraries/parks

I looked in Bellaire and Meyerland, but do not see too many options within my price range. I like to stay in Houston proper.

Thank you!

P.S. Can anyone post pictures of the area you recommend?

[jfre81]

P.S. Can anyone post pictures of the area you recommend?

I'll get back to you later on the pics, but try looking at Willowbend (between Post Oak and the railroad tracks, between Willowbend Blvd. and West Bellfort. Someone else might be able to be more specific on the schools, but I think the schools in the area are some of the better ones in HISD, plus I'm pretty sure that is in Bellaire HS zone which is good.

[PUMAS]

The area looks nice. Thanks. I only found one house within my price range (Houston Real Estate - Houston Homes, Houston Home Value and Houston Relocation). Someone suggested 77079. Is this area too far from Stafford? What is the name of this neighborhood?

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by PUMAS

The area looks nice. Thanks. I only found one house within my price range (Houston Real Estate - Houston Homes, Houston Home Value and Houston Relocation). Someone suggested 77079. Is this area too far from Stafford? What is the name of this neighborhood?

77079 (yes, I had to go to Google to see where this is) is outside the belt on I-10. That's practically Katy, even though I guess it's in the Houston city limits. Don't get this confused with being in any sort of urban core, even though you got a few sorta-tall office buildings and such out there. If you're gonna be that far out you might as well start looking at Sugar Land. At any rate, traffic is not very fun over there, and your quickest route to Stafford is a toll road (Beltway 8). The west Beltway can get congested too. If all this still sounds good to you, get an EZ Tag so you don't have to wait in the toll line.

[EasilyAmused]

77079 is "West Memorial." Very nice area and zoned to Spring Branch ISD schools. It's urban-suburban, and far more ammenities than the master planned commuities. Very nice place to live, but it would be a stretch to call it "diverse." Neighborhoods are Rustling Pines, Gaywood, Memorial Plaza,Wilchester, Yorkshire, Nottingham Forest.

It's about 20 minutes to downtown during non-rush hour. 10 minutes to the Galleria via Westpark, during non-rush hour. So it's technically not that far out.

But if you are going to be working in Stafford, you may as well live in Sugarland.

[chicagomama]

Pumas- we were having the same problem. We are looking for a similar situation and can't find many houses listed in our pricerange (we'd like to be around 450K) in the city. I am hoping for Sugar Land but we'll see when we get there. My big thing is I like to walk everywhere and on another post someone said Sugar Land wasn't that walkable. I'm so bummed because it has a cute little downtown, good schools, etc.

Where oh where can I live??? I have the same criteria pretty much:

1) Excellent schools
2) Low crime
3) around 450K, I guess I could go up to 500K
4) Walkable to downtown area (not of houston, but of the neighborhood), walkable to parks, library, shops.

I have to be close to Stafford, where my hubby will be working. He has almost a 2 hour commute right now (Chicago) and we are desperate for under 30 minutes.

[jflores]

Originally Posted by jfre81

I'll get back to you later on the pics, but try looking at Willowbend (between Post Oak and the railroad tracks, between Willowbend Blvd. and West Bellfort. Someone else might be able to be more specific on the schools, but I think the schools in the area are some of the better ones in HISD, plus I'm pretty sure that is in Bellaire HS zone which is good.

Co-sign what he said, the thing is most of the houses are zoned to Westbury HS which leaves a lot to be desired. The positive is that you wont have to spend 550k to get a nice house more like 350k which allows you to perhap send your kids to private school with some of that leftover money. its a great neighborhood with character and appeal. I live in Willowbend area and I like it, its close to everything.

[MalteseJane]

Well good luck to find a place walkable to parks, library and shops here in Houston. We are in zip code 77077 and we are close to shopping, parks, hospitals and library but you still need your car (5 to 15 minutes by car). The only thing walkable from my house is school. There is a middle school just behind our house and there is a high school down the road.

[EasilyAmused]

Strange in 77079, across the bayou from 77077: I can walk to Terry Hershey Park, to Bisto Provence, to Egg & I, to the dry cleaners, to Pei Wei, to Firehouse subs, to nail joint, to Los Tios and a few other shops. If I want to go a little further I can go to the Kroger and the Public Library. Biking is really easy around that area. Of course I'm talking walking 1/4 to 1/2 mile, not just across the street. Still of a lot close than most Tube stations and sundries were to my flat in London when I lived over there a few months.

[Premont]

If you didn't mind using the Sam Houston Tollway, there's a lot of nice homes just east of the tollway, back on Briar Forest and Memorial. With the aid of the tollway you could probably make it to Stafford in about 20 minutes, but it would cost you the toll fee along with gas money. Your best options commute wise would be Sugar Land or Sienna Plantation.