OK, what's the catch? Houston seems too good to be true. (Roma: low income, apartment complexes)

[westres1]

Originally Posted by RNeub

Actually, one other thing I was interested in knowing...what are the difficulties in adding on a room to one's house if one desired some additional space for say a hobby room or such? Are the zoning laws generally liberal or restrictive?

We do not have zoning but many Houston suburban neighborhoods have strict HOA's that may require approval before beginning such a project. I think after you see how large the bonus rooms,game rooms etc are in these suburban homes you may not need it.

[starkeshia]

Originally Posted by tstone

How does the appraisal district get this information, being that Texas is a non-disclosure state? Are they that good? Or do people blindly fill out that CAD 'survey' that arrives in the mail shortly after purchase?

Your friendly local realtor is more than happy to share what you paid for your house to the appraisial district....assuming you used a realtor for the transaction. Since most transactions go through a realtor that gives them a sufficient number of data points to value the houses which did not sell via a realtor.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

Now you can buy in a "transitional neighborhood" (aka little more dirty, some moderate crime, poor schools and highly diverse neighbors ranging from doctors to well.........not the world's best citizens) for much less and still be close in. In general those homes are usually much smaller and older and need some serious work. I really respect people that are moving into those areas though, they are taking back places that were once solid, middle class homes.

Sharpstown. Best kept secret in Houston that will not be a secret for long. This neighborhood fits that description pretty much to a tee.

[JL]

I was hoping that more people don't come to Houston. Traffic is getting worse every year!

[bhouston77386]

37.4 percent hispanic, 25.3 percent black.

Flat, brown water in Galveston. Hot humid summers. Bay so polluted that recently a restriction on certain type of fish that can be caught and amount.

There are plenty of decent homes in minority neighborhoods, but the white people who say they are not racist don't live in them... hmmm

Also, many areas that were once minority dominated, rich white people have bought those areas up and now mostly rich white people live there... hmm

White people pay a price for being racist in Houston. That price is expensive home prices in the inner city, or option #2 is buying in the suburbs and a potential long commute, fight traffic etc.

Low crime? Depends on where you live in Houston.

Afforable yes. If you're not racist or don't mind living in the suburbs very afforable. People in Houston that make a decent living can really enjoy their money here.

[kallieshep]

Jersey Village has some great private neighborhoods - secure, quiet, close to 290 / BW 8, etc. I've lived all over Houston and really like Jersey Village.

Kallie

[ssgmun5000]

Originally Posted by bhouston77386

37.4 percent hispanic, 25.3 percent black.

[asouthernsmile]

The obvious downside to Houston is the racism that is obvious on this forum and reflects what you will find in real life in Texas. People equate hispanic and black with crime which is not necessarily true. It will take time for that generality to finally be buried. Just like the generalities that all people who live on the east side of Conroe are "white trash" and all people that live in the Woodlands are college educated. Not true on all counts. Houston is also more conservative a town than say Austin or DFW.

One thing nobody mentioned is that Texas is an at-will employment state so your employer can fire you at any time for no reason at all. Been a victim of that a couple of times and it's not a nice place to be in.

House prices are the way they are because salaries are the way they are. I think the general population make an "average" salary (not six figures), when the same job in Florida, California, NY would be much higher. There are exceptions to this though so I am making a flowing generality here but having lived in the Houston area and having lived abroad, the salaries change from inside the city to out into the suburbs by as much as 30%.

Sports are big in Houston so be prepared for that and being in the deep south, you are in the bible belt. Now, not all Christians are bible beaters. Some of us just worship and get on with our business and let people believe what they believe but a lot of religions will push the idea of "testimony" and you willl hear that from those people. On a good side, there are lots of ways to worship in the Houston area from many denominations.

I think last reported, Houston is approaching 5 million if they haven't hit that already.

All in all, I love Houston with it's diversity, good and bad.

~Francis

[tstone]

And yet another thread in here starts going down the tubes.....

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by tstone

And yet another thread in here starts going down the tubes.....

It only takes one person Tstone...one, and I'm not even going to dignify them with a response.