Houston makes list of America's most expensive cities (Pasadena, Sugar Land: homes, unemployed)

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by CadillacRF

I'm surprised at how much traffic this thread actually generated. Anyway, Houston is expensive, and those of us that have/do live in Houston know it.

People see the median home price for the area, $155,000, and they think Houston is some low cost of living place. Wrong! What they don't know about Houston is that the city has pockets of very wealthy and very poor, all of which average out to the median home price.

For $155,000 you aren't living in a nice area. That won't buy a person anything in River Oaks, Bellaire, West U, Kingwood, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy Area, Clear Lake, Friendswood, Piney Point/Bunker Hill, Tanglewood, well, you get the point. Yes, I know you can find SOMETHING, but it will be a piece of crap. Good sized, nice homes in good neighborhoods do not exist in Houston for under $250K. Plain and simple.

Yeah, Houston #10. I believe it.

You can live in a modest to nice house in Meadows Place, Texas. Meadows Place is in Fort Bend ISD and is zoned to Meadows Elementary, Dulles Middle and Dulles High School. Although Meadows Place is probably not nice to you specifically it is nice to a heck of a lot of people. In fact, the median household income is over 80,000 a year. Seeing that the median household income in Houston is around 45,000 a year, I'd say those that live in Meadows Place are far from poor. I think "plain and simple" is you are kind of an elitist.

[amirelez]

Originally Posted by CadillacRF

I'm surprised at how much traffic this thread actually generated. Anyway, Houston is expensive, and those of us that have/do live in Houston know it.

People see the median home price for the area, $155,000, and they think Houston is some low cost of living place. Wrong! What they don't know about Houston is that the city has pockets of very wealthy and very poor, all of which average out to the median home price.

For $155,000 you aren't living in a nice area. That won't buy a person anything in River Oaks, Bellaire, West U, Kingwood, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy Area, Clear Lake, Friendswood, Piney Point/Bunker Hill, Tanglewood, well, you get the point. Yes, I know you can find SOMETHING, but it will be a piece of crap. Good sized, nice homes in good neighborhoods do not exist in Houston for under $250K. Plain and simple.

Yeah, Houston #10. I believe it.

I'm priced out then.

I don't want to buy a home that costs that much just to get a nice home in a nice neighborhood. I was going to move to Houston in December but now I think I would be making a mistake I really don't want to rent forever either. Someone tell me this guy is full of bull I don't know who to believe on this forum anymore but this doesn't make sense.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by CadillacRF

For $155,000 you aren't living in a nice area. That won't buy a person anything in River Oaks, Bellaire, West U, Kingwood, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy Area, Clear Lake, Friendswood, Piney Point/Bunker Hill, Tanglewood, well, you get the point. Yes, I know you can find SOMETHING, but it will be a piece of crap. Good sized, nice homes in good neighborhoods do not exist in Houston for under $250K. Plain and simple.

Yeah, Houston #10. I believe it.

Clear Lake...

Middlebrook ain't bad for $155k, especially if you are a DIY'er (circa mid 70s) and 1700 sq ft is enough for you. You're toeing the Pasadena line and pretty far from I-45, which adds up if you like to shoot into town on weekends. If you work at the plants near Bay Area Blvd it's a good place to live and not far from Clear Lake's amentities.

For $250k in northern Clear Lake, you can get a mid-90s, 2600 sq ft, 4/2.5/2, 2-story Centex/Village/Lennar in excellent condition with a couple of upgrades, and be 20-25 minutes from downtown off-peak.

"Good sized" and "nice" are subjective terms, Mr. Cadillac.

[SteveArmy]

Originally Posted by amirelez

I'm priced out then.

I don't want to buy a home that costs that much just to get a nice home in a nice neighborhood. I was going to move to Houston in December but now I think I would be making a mistake I really don't want to rent forever either. Someone tell me this guy is full of bull I don't know who to believe on this forum anymore but this doesn't make sense.

it's not exactly true. first of all most 'good places' are outside of houston, they're far from uptown/midtown/downtown. Sugarland, Katy, The Woodlands, there's also Cypress which is the most affordable of all these exburbs I think. My sisters and their families love it there. There are affordable, crime free neighborhoods out there.
Now, if you want to be within 15mi from work (westchase, uptown, midtown, downtown) it would be a good idea to stay away from 'affordable' apartments and subdivision with cheap rentals. Living in a gated community IMO is required, or (like the guy mentioned) a solid community pricey enough to afford extra police presence and higher community standards (that does help against crime)

[Grunn]

Originally Posted by amirelez

You seem like you're better off in Europe so why are you in Houston?

For the experience of living in the US. I like Houston, it just isn't 'cheap' like some people make out unless you're bubba six pack.

My only concern now is that the collapsing US economy will leave my assets here worth a fraction of what they should be on my return to civilisation.

[houston-nomad]

Don't worry, the economies of "civilization" are also collapsing. Even some of us cretins here in the US read the international news, you know.

[Grunn]

The euro at $1.50 doesn't seem like collapse to me although I'm not convinced that's sustainable long term.
It's excellent you read international news, no doubt you also have a passport and have left the womb like safety of the junk food states.

[XodoX]

Originally Posted by Grunn

For the experience of living in the US. I like Houston, it just isn't 'cheap' like some people make out unless you're bubba six pack.

My only concern now is that the collapsing US economy will leave my assets here worth a fraction of what they should be on my return to civilisation.

Well ,where are you from? I'd say that Houston is generally cheaper than Europe. No idea about House prices, but the same house would probably much more expensive in Europe than in Houston.
I actually think Houston's cheap. Yeah, more expensive than some village in the middle of nowhere, but it's a big city.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by Grunn

It's excellent you read international news, no doubt you also have a passport and have left the womb like safety of the junk food states.

I like Houston, it just isn't 'cheap' like some people make out unless you're bubba six pack.

As for talking down to people that certainly wasn't my intention. I feel that the consumer of information reads into it what they feel based on their own predispositions. If you feel I'm speaking from an elitist perspective then I suggest that's an issue for yourself rather than me.

Nah, I'm not on any sort of high horse....it's your problem....

At least when I'm talking down and condescending people I'm fully conscious I'm doing it. So go on, think to yourself "you know what, I'm going to tell these Big Mac-eating buffoons just how fat, lazy and stupid they are." And then do it. And when someone calls you out on it, you tell them directly "I'm saying I'm better than you because I'm better than you." I'll have more respect for you for doing so. The world would be a better place if we were all a little more self-aware, just not to unhealthy extremes. Seems you should know all about that.

[Grunn]

I didn't suggest you were on any sort of 'high horse' and I don't believe there's any need to tell Big Mac eating buffoons how fat lazy and stupid they are. Some things are self-evident.