The Woodlands - A Few Questions from Floridiots! (Houston, Beaumont: sales, real estate)

[ucfz31s13]

Ok guys - we are a couple in our mid 20's (no kids) looking to move towards the Houston area to get out of Florida. We're looking to purchase a home in the 140k-160k range, and are excited at what we can get as a first home compared to what is available in the Orlando, FL market (we made offers on a few homes in in the low 200k-220k range but luckily owners did not accept!)

We've been researching The Woodlands for the past couple weeks and everybody seems to have great views about it. From the pictures we have seen the area looks beautiful. However - after much looking we do have a few questions.

When searching on www.HAR.com in "The Woodlands" area, alot of homes are pulling up in the area east of I-45 in Conroe and Springs. Still very close it seems according to the map, but are these still classified as being in "The Woodlands" or no? Are they not under the same HOA, if any? It did seem you can get a little bit more for your money in the Spring and Conroe areas east of I-45, but is this area a little too far east?

Also - how close are homes selling to their asking price in The Woodlands area in the price range of 140k-175k? I have read in a few posts that if the owners are not willing to negotiate 10%-15% then walk. Is this a fair assumption or a little on the exaggerated side?

Any help is appreciated, we are planning on flying out sometime in mid-late February to take a hands on look at the area, so we are trying to get all our ducks in a row. Thanks in advance!

[Clnconcpts]

It rains alot at the woodlands and has snow.If you are ok with that.Houston isnt very nice.Is only about an hour south.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by Clnconcpts

It rains alot at the woodlands and has snow.If you are ok with that.Houston isnt very nice.Is only about an hour south.

Wait, what?

The Houston area only sometimes has snow. Snow hardly ever comes to the Houston area.

[modster]

The Woodlands is a very nice suburb. Anybody who thinks they are going to get 10-15% off asking as a general rule in a popular suburb like that is mistaken.

In newer suburbs where very close sales comparables are easier to come by, due to the higher volume of sales & similiar condition, amentities, etc. of newer housing stock, pricing homes tends to be easier. There is usually less of a gap in asking and selling prices in these areas.

The Woodlands is made up of a lot of different villages. Under subdivision they may be listed as "VOCC" for Village of Cochran's Crossing, instead of simply "Woodlands." I would try using the zip code to search and leave subdivision blank. You might also try filling in simply "VO" in the subdivision blank and see if it pulls up some that way.

[jessnboys]

We recently returned from a trip to Houston and The Woodlands and fell it love with that area as well! We're been researching housing in that area for a few weeks and here's what we've found out/had our realtor tell us.

Homes typically sell for around 97% of the asking price. From what I've seen online, that seems to hold true. The homes that aren't in The Woodlands (east of 45, west of 2978, north of 1488, nw of College Park, etc) will certainly sell for less than homes in The Woodlands (and be on a larger lot) but then again, you aren't in The Woodlands. Some people would rather pay less and still be within a few miles drive of the The Woodlands shopping/concerts. Some people would rather pay a little more and live within the community/HOA and get all its ammenities. Depends on what you want.

When I do a search on har.com, I restrict it to MLS listing #15 (SW Montgomery County), as well as selecting "Woodlands" under town name, as well as putting in Conroe as the school district (All of The Woodlands is currently in Conroe ISD however the new Creekside Park section will be in Harris County and Tomball ISD). However, this search does manage to still pull up a few in various Spring developments but I just ignore those. Here's the villages within the Woodlands so you know what to look for: Grogan's Mill, Panther Creek, College Park, Cochran's Crossing, Indian Springs, Alden Bridge, Carlton Woods, and Sterling Ridge (newest section, almost completed). Creekside Park will begin building this summer. Then, within each of these villages, there are mini-areas with their own names (like Scribewood, Oriel Oakes, Millsap, etc). That's when things get confusing on har.com. A house might be listed as The Woodlands, Sterling Ridge, Village of Sterling Ridge, VOSR, or Scribewood. All the same house, all correct.

Oh, and I'm not sure what clnconcpts is talking about. No more snow that the rest of Houston (which is none). Plus, The Woodlands is 27 miles north of Houston. I'm sure in rush hour it's an hour easy but during non-commuting times we made it into downtown Houston in 30 minutes flat.

Good luck with your search!

[Ash5705]

UCF,

I must be your mirror image as I am leaving the Woodlands to go to Orlando.

I loved the Woodlands, it is a great community. I actually live in a village on the east side of I-45. It is a small subdivision called "Harpers Landing" which is part of the Village of College Park. It is very close to I-45 and you get all the perks of being part of the Woodlands. There is some legal action about being incorporated by the City of Conroe, but in all sense and purpose, the community would still be that of the Woodlands.

On HAR, put in zipcode 77385 and look at the village name to get Harpers landing. Most of the homes were built in 2002 and up. The homes range from 140K to about 250K. There is a small subdivision that has $100K homes, but do your research. They are built a few feet away from a train track that is still being used.

I agree with Modster, you try to hustle a 10% reduction in price and you will get a touch of Texas InHospitality.

[ucfz31s13]

Thanks for all the info everybody. We have made arrangements and will be making a trip late this month to see the area in person and hopefully it's what we percieve!

Do you see any downside to living just out of The Woodlands area, although still close enough to get the perks of the community? Is there any real estate appreciation difference between inside the community, and just out of it in the areas east of I-45? Do people 'think' The Woodlands area is more desireable (in terms of reselling) just because of the name?

Thanks again for all the help - lots of GOOD info!

[HonieB]

Hi UCF,

My husband and I were in the same situation a while back...making a move from South FL to the Houston area. I researched tons of areas all around Houston and had narrowed it down to a few .... Katy, The Woodlands, Sugar Land. (My husband works from home so distance from the city was not an issue.)

We drove all the way from Weston, FL where it's warm, sunny and lush and then when we got to Louisiana thought, well Louisiana is a poor state, it's all swamp...TX will be better. But when we got into TX and the landscape didn't start changing (in fact I think it was worse with the tacky billboards and run down shacks that you see off the highway) we looked at eachother and almost did a u-turn back to FL.

I guess this is a problem around TX being that the areas are not zoned the way FL is. HOWEVER, once we started getting into the actual neighborhoods and seeing homes, it was MUCH different. We ultimately settled on The Woodlands for its serenity and beauty, excellent schools, shopping, etc. I think you'll feel all the same things we did when you finally get to TX.

But the one thing that impressed us the most was the absolute friendliness of just about everyone we came into contact with. Nothing like FL or any other state I've lived in.

We did contemplate living outside The Woodlands, because you can get a little more for your money as far as acreage and square footage...but were told by a few realtors that the better resale values were inside the Woodlands. Also, as far as enjoying amenities...I don't know what the outside neighborhoods have to offer, but The Woodlands has tons of recreational pools/small waterparks which you need to be an actual resident of The Woodlands to enjoy.

Just thought I'd add my two cents. If you need any other info feel free to send me a PM.

Good Luck!

[Guerilla]

HonieB, you came in from Beaumont which might as well be in Louisiana. Once you get into Houston everything changes especially once you go north towards the Woodlands.

[HonieB]

Hi Guerilla,

Yes, we came in that way...but the scenery didn't change that drastically even when we were on the I45 up toward The Woodlands. Basically a lot of businesses, no landscaping, lots of billboards, etc. Not used to that here down in Weston.

However, that's not to say the interior parts of the towns aren't beautiful...otherwise we wouldn't be moving there. All I'm saying is that it's scary coming to a new state without ever having been here before with the idea that we're looking for a new home. It's a big step and we really hope we're making the right decision....so far, we feel we are.

Either way, life is an adventure and you should always be open to new experiences.