Pearland Area Subdivision Query - Stonebridge, Lawrence Place, or Pearland Park Estates (Houston: houses, buying)

[royandlea]

All:

We are a couple of Louisianians whose jobs have sent us west to Houston. Because of the location of our jobs (Sugar Land and just east of Houston), we have determined that the Pearland area is probably the best fit for us from a location standpoint. We spent this weekend looking at homes with our realtor. We have eliminated Shadow Creek Ranch (too big, plus there are some landfill concerns), Southern Trails (loved the homes, but there are landfill concerns, and we found the saleswoman to be very 'snooty'), and South Fork (just not a good fit for us for various reasons).

These subdivisions are just west of 288. We also looked at a few subdivisions further east in Pearland: Lawrence Place, Pearland Park Estates, and Stonebridge. All three of these subdivisions were nice and we thought they would be good places to live. All of them have pluses and minuses as you can imagine. So far based on preferences, we have ranked them in this fashion: (1) Stonebridge, (2) Lawrence Place, and (3) Pearland Park Estates. As we progress down the path to becoming Texans and owning our own piece of the Lone Star State, we wanted to know if anyone has done business with or has any feedback to share on any of the builders. The builders are listed below. Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Stonebridge
Harwood Homes
Westin Homes

Lawrence Place
J Patrick Homes

Pearland Park Estates
Meritage

[honeyinhouston]

May I ask why you chose those subdivisions? Have you guys looked at Lakes of Highland Glen, Silverlake or Silvercreek? They are much nicer IMO and closer to the freeways....specifically Beltway 8 and Hwy 288.

[royandlea]

Honey:

We looked at Lakes of Highland Glen. Most of the subdivision is built out. The higher end part of Highland Glen is still available, but the three homebuilders there said they prices start at $400K and we are trying to top
out at $350K. Stonebridge is located literally next door to Lakes of Highland Glen. In fact, that is how we found Stonebridge. With regards to Silverlake, we thought it was a little large for our tastes. Silvercreek was very nice, but many of the homes we liked were out of our desired price range, and we were hoping to get a new construction home, whereas, it looked like most of these houses were built between 2000 and 2004.

Originally Posted by honeyinhouston

May I ask why you chose those subdivisions? Have you guys looked at Lakes of Highland Glen, Silverlake or Silvercreek? They are much nicer IMO and closer to the freeways....specifically Beltway 8 and Hwy 288.

[Rayden]

Originally Posted by royandlea

All:

We are a couple of Louisianians whose jobs have sent us west to Houston. Because of the location of our jobs (Sugar Land and just east of Houston), we have determined that the Pearland area is probably the best fit for us from a location standpoint. We spent this weekend looking at homes with our realtor. We have eliminated Shadow Creek Ranch (too big, plus there are some landfill concerns), Southern Trails (loved the homes, but there are landfill concerns, and we found the saleswoman to be very 'snooty'), and South Fork (just not a good fit for us for various reasons).

These subdivisions are just west of 288. We also looked at a few subdivisions further east in Pearland: Lawrence Place, Pearland Park Estates, and Stonebridge. All three of these subdivisions were nice and we thought they would be good places to live. All of them have pluses and minuses as you can imagine. So far based on preferences, we have ranked them in this fashion: (1) Stonebridge, (2) Lawrence Place, and (3) Pearland Park Estates. As we progress down the path to becoming Texans and owning our own piece of the Lone Star State, we wanted to know if anyone has done business with or has any feedback to share on any of the builders. The builders are listed below. Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Stonebridge
Harwood Homes
Westin Homes

Lawrence Place
J Patrick Homes

Pearland Park Estates
Meritage

The landfill is not a concern as it is a ways west of SCR and Southern Trails. I would be A LOT more concern about dirty streets and corners right in front of multi-million dollar homes in mid-town or the Rice Military area

[royandlea]

Rayden,

Thanks for the input. Out of curiosity, are you referring to dirty streets at SCR and Southern Trails? Or were you referring to the other subdivisions we mentioned? We truly are not that familiar with Pearland, so we are unsure of where the Rice Military area or mid-town are located. To be honest, we did not venture too far from 288 or 518 when we were in town.

Have you had a chance to visit/drive by Stonebridge or Lawrence Place? Thanks!

Originally Posted by Rayden

The landfill is not a concern as it is a ways west of SCR and Southern Trails. I would be A LOT more concern about dirty streets and corners right in front of multi-million dollar homes in mid-town or the Rice Military area

[royandlea]

Any other input?

[ChocolateBabz]

We have bought a property in Lakes of Highland Glen (should be ready for move in End Oct). We went with Coventry Homes. My husband liked a plan by Westin over at Stonebridge but we couldn't find a lot of information on the builder (we moved from the UK and did a lot of internet research). I have a friend in Shadow Creek Ranch and she is very happy there - she moved in on the recommendation of family who also live there. Good Luck!

[Timnwendy]

West Pearland is a rapidly growing exurb and is really going to take off in the next few years. A new Pearland Towncenter has opened, to be followed later by the Waterlights District (dining/entertainment/shopping venue). IMHO west Pearland could be the next "Woodlands" type exurb, but located on the south side of Houston and MUCH closer to downtown Houston and the Houston medical center.

I'm a resident of Southern Trails and love the community. Southern Trails and Shadowcreek Ranch both provide faster access to Hwy 288 than the other Pearland subdivisions mentioned above. Beware of the traffic on 518 east of 288; it can be nightmarish much of the time. That should be a big consideration when thinking about buying in any of the subdivisions east of 288.

I did careful research on the Blue Ridge landfill to the west (and its upcoming expansion) before buying. My home is approx. 2 miles east of the site and I have yet to smell anything from it. My neighbors agree. I believe 2 miles is safe; however, I would not recommend buying within 1 mile of this site. So IMHO, steer clear of buying west of Kingsley drive/County Rd 48. Why? I suspect that closer proximity to the site could prove problematic in the years ahead, when the site is expanded. (Yes, I know there is a coalition taking legal action to fight this expansion, but as of this writing it doesn't look good for their cause.) So what I'm saying is that it's my personal opinion that buyers should avoid the Enclave at Southern Trails (west of CR 48) and all the phase 4 subdivisions inside Shadowcreek Ranch (west of Kingsley).

There are alot of nice places to consider in Pearland, but no one can deny the west side is growing fastest and is getting the most amenities. I found that to be the best fit for me.

[inspector80]

Originally Posted by royandlea

Any other input?

If you are still looking, I have a lot of info on stonebridge and the builder Westin Homes.

[royandlea]

Inspector, we would welcome any information you can provide. We relocate in early December, so we are still looking. Thanks!

Originally Posted by inspector80

If you are still looking, I have a lot of info on stonebridge and the builder Westin Homes.