Greatwood or New Territory (Houston, Sugar Land: real estate market, crime, how much)

[shuks76]

I have been looking for house in both these communities, Greatwood & New Territory, budget being around 175K. I am planning to buy it as our first home and sell it within 4-5 years. Will be looking to buy a bigger home after that.

Which community will have a better resale value?

Greatwood seems very nice, but have been reading that the schools it zoned to (High School) is not that great as compared to New Territory. Our Realtor told us that there is a new High school which is coming up, and should be pretty good.

New Territory also is a very good option, but i don't see many houses listed at this price on the east side of 99. Somehow I don't like the west side of it, mostly because of being on the farther side.

Any pointers / opinion will be highly appreciated. This forum provides a lot of valuable information and I thank you all for that.

[dezzy_mb]

They are both great communities but they both have some major factors to consider. If you buy in Greatwood make sure you get your foundation inspected. This is a must! Especially if you plan to resell in 10 years or less. The entire area was built on drained swamp land and have our traditional Houston Gumbo soil. Most of the houses will need moderate to major foundation work soon. It is a fact of life known to everyone who lives there but not talked about. I found out when I almost bought a house about to break into 5 large pieces.
New Territory has issues more due to location. A lot of the houses loose value because of the highway and railroad proximity keep in mind that the city plans to make 99 a tollway and to widen 90A both will increase the road noise heard in the neighborhood and decrease property value. It will also make it less desirable for resale. Both options are still very good but be very careful when looking at location and at the structure. I personally had a very hard time finding a home in those areas that I was happy with.

[Topaz]

We just finished a house hunt in New Territory and we ended up on the west side because all the homes in our price range on the east side were serious fixers. Inventory is very low and you really need a Realtor with inside information. Offers on the best deals get made the first day or two the house is on the market or even before they go on the market. The less good deals stay on the market longer but in your price range, houses will get snapped up.

We were initially reluctant to move to the west side of New Territory but honestly, the neighborhood we are in is nicer than the neighborhood we left on the east side. For example, we don't hear the train at all here and we heard the train big time in northeast New Territory, especially in the middle of the night.

We do still drive back to use the Club and some of the parks my children like. Driving to Sugar Land's amenities is slightly farther from this side of New Territory, but my neighbors convinced me that one upside of this is that crime is low in my neighborhood because we are tucked away in the back of New Territory. It only takes a few moments to drive through Telfair to get to 59 or sometimes I take Alt90, which takes a bit longer.

Overall, we are very happy with New Territory. Feel free to DM me with any questions.

[predatorprey]

Ask what age are your kids (if you have any)
Greatwood is a great neighborhood, but is zoned to terrible high schools. I mean terrible, and I went to Alief!

If you have young kids only going to elementary or middle school then it should be fine.

[CDeb]

The widening of 90A will include a sound wall close to the roadway that should actually reduce noise in NT below current levels.

Topaz, we are closing on a house in Wilkins Crossing (east side of NT) soon. I might be reading too much into it, but your post seem to imply that there are some crime issues in eastern NT. Can you elaborate?

[Cottonmather0]

We just bought a house in Telfair, although while we were shopping my preference for neighborhood and architecture was with Greatwood. That said, Greatwood is in Lamar schools and New Territory is in FBISD, so it's a no brainer in that sense to go with New Territory.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by CDeb

Topaz, we are closing on a house in Wilkins Crossing (east side of NT) soon. I might be reading too much into it, but your post seem to imply that there are some crime issues in eastern NT. Can you elaborate?

There is a problem with car break ins in NT at and around the soccer fields, but that is in western NT. In eastern NT, there are some streets close to the gas station and the convenience store that just aren't as well-kept as most of the rest of NT. You can tell by driving through them, and when we were house hunting there, some of the houses were poorly maintained.

Wilkins Crossing is very nice. You'll like it there.

[xavier1774]

The break ins were usually car thefts...stupid kids with nothing to do and poor upbringing...Both sides are fine. I think the reason why people want to be on the east of 99 is because that is where most of the amenities are concentrated...I did look at a custom home on the east side, but the floor plan was "too" custom for me. Another one had weird colors....Like it is mentioned, some very desirable homes get sold even before they hit the MLS.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by xavier1774

The break ins were usually car thefts...stupid kids with nothing to do and poor upbringing...Both sides are fine. I think the reason why people want to be on the east of 99 is because that is where most of the amenities are concentrated...I did look at a custom home on the east side, but the floor plan was "too" custom for me. Another one had weird colors....Like it is mentioned, some very desirable homes get sold even before they hit the MLS.

Yes, the east side of NT has the amenities, the gated communities, and the lakes. Plus better location. But the price drops $20K for the same house as soon as you cross 99, and for us that difference mattered since that's just about how much equity we left behind in another real estate market.

[BBall Coach]

If you have kids, New Territory no doubt. This is from a person that actually likes the look of Greatwood better, but if I were buying in that area, I would spend my money in New Territory. Telfair is nice, but definitely not in the budget and backs right up to New Territory which should be a good thing for resale value in the future. Telfair and New Territory are both FBISD and I would assume they will be linked for the most part when it comes time to zone for middle and high schools in the future.