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Old 03-23-2010, 04:52 PM
 
50 posts, read 129,592 times
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I have enjoyed reading and learning all about the areas in Houston. We are planning a trip in 2 weeks. We would like to see a few areas and houses and mostly to get a feel for the neighborhoods. Here is my question in regards to talking with a realtor. Should I talk to 2 different or 3 different realtors? I feel like if I ask a realtor they will say oh I know all those areas. Maybe they do maybe they don’t. In Atlanta the realtor may be familiar with the Alpharetta area but not Marietta. Or they might now The Woodlands but not Katy, or Missouri City or Kingwood/Humble? I want someone who knows the neighborhoods and schools and can help us in finding our new place to live. We are thinking we will move next May/June. My daughter starts preK here next year and our plan was to move for the summer before she starts kindergarten. We would need to sell our house here first and we are not ready to sell our house yet until we know for sure where we want to move. We were going to visit NC or SC cities but for the moment Houston is meeting most of the things on our list.
Thanks for any input. I mostly want to know if I am correct in my thinking that a realtor would not know all the areas.
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Old 03-23-2010, 05:59 PM
 
Location: The Greater Houston Metro Area
9,053 posts, read 17,152,348 times
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Depends on the Realtor. I admit to a low threshhold of boredom and like to work different areas - but am totally inexperienced in the Clear Lake area and the Northeast - and not even interested in getting more familiar with those areas. A better question to ask them is what areas they are familiar with. I happen to like showing prperty in the Inner Loop part of the day - Cinco or Champions or west Houston the rest of the day - but if you asked me to show you a beach house, it would be a deer-in-the-headlights moment. LOL
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Old 03-23-2010, 06:46 PM
 
50 posts, read 129,592 times
Reputation: 26
Thanks Cheryjohns - that makes sense. When we bought a house in a different part of Atlanta we had already found the house on our own so we used our previous realtor. He didn’t know a thing about where we were buying but we did! But since we don’t know anything other than my city forum education on Houston we want to learn all we can about the areas and if there are some we have missed.
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Old 03-23-2010, 07:11 PM
 
Location: The Greater Houston Metro Area
9,053 posts, read 17,152,348 times
Reputation: 15226
Quote:
Originally Posted by roterjo View Post
When we bought a house in a different part of Atlanta we had already found the house on our own so we used our previous realtor. He didn’t know a thing about where we were buying but we did!
Had that happen - the one time I did help with a house in Galveston, they were clients I had helped in Houston several times over the years. I declined at first, letting them know I knew NOTHING about beach property. Their attitude was the same as yours - that it was OK because THEY did and they trusted me in negotiations, etc. I did it, but it was very unsettling because I felt funny being that ignorant about the area.
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Old 03-23-2010, 11:44 PM
 
Location: Houston
75 posts, read 225,413 times
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One big question to think about too is where will you be working? Commute time can be a pain if you are working downtown and live in Woodlands or Cypress. Some highways are worse than others. Or if you work from home, then commute wouldn't be an issue. Experienced agents are going to know a lot of different areas in and around Houston. Yes, you should interview a few agents to represent you. But only use one to help you find a new home here. It'll be difficult and most agents aren't going to let you use them just for the north side and have you use another agent just for the West side. Keep in mind too, agents are not going to drive you around town unless you sign a buyer's rep and have a pre-approval letter from a lender. I know it sounds a little demanding but it's reality. Hope this helps. Also, check out http://www.har.com/ for all the homes listed for sale around Houston if you haven't already.
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Old 03-24-2010, 08:18 AM
 
50 posts, read 129,592 times
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Thanks HtownHomes4U,

I had thought about the fact that I don't want to spend time with 2 or 3 realtors and then we buy in 1 area and that realtor be the only one that gets commission for the sale. My husband works from home and so commute is not an issue. But we want to stay 45 minutes from Bush airport. We currently are 45-60 minutes from the Atlanta airport which works good. I have sent some PM'S to a few people that were looking for homes in Katy and The Woodlands to see if they felt like their realtor knew both areas well.

Hmmm not sure what to do next. We really want to move into a master planned large community that has multiple parks, pools, and walking trails. Since we will not know anyone in Houston we want to be in a community that has a large base of people. In Atlanta which I assume Houston is the same, to get to anyone's house it's 20 minutes away. My daughters preschool all the other moms are 20 minutes away. I would LOVE to have a network of people that are all in the same neighborhood. I saw some posts about Cinco and the block parties and cul-de-sac’s with kids and parents in it. That is what we want. I have searched on HAR in the various master planned communities. I have not looked at all of them but I have checked out quite a few.
Here is the link in case it helps anyone else:
http://www.har.com/masterplanned/

Also I found this link: http://www.click2houston.com/education/6276600/detail.html
I tried to find a newer listing but this list was posted 2006. It listed Klein and Katy in the top 17% of the country and the others are listed as the top 33%. School district is important but I feel like there are quite a few strong school districts in Houston.

The neighborhoods I like so far mostly because they are large and have lots of amenities are Cinco Ranch, Sienna Plantation & The Woodlands. But these are 3 totally different areas and each one has lots of different neighborhoods. I want someone to tell me about the different neighborhoods which is where our concern is in trying to find an agent that can give us info on different areas. Looking at the houses does help in giving us an idea of what the costs, lots size and etc are in each area. But I know we won't be able to narrow down the right area for us until we drive around and get a feel for Katy, The Woodlands, Missouri City. We also want to check out Humble, Kingwood, Spring. We love all the trees in Atlanta which is why the woodlands is on our list and the fact that it is close to the airport. Missouri City I am not too sure about. People on here speak highly about Sienna Plantation and it has lots of amenities that make me feel like we would never need to leave the neighborhood! Maybe the others are like that too. Sienna Plantation would be further from the airport, but when I got directions it is almost the same distance as Katy from the airport. But since we can leave almost anywhere we have lots of options.

Thanks
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Old 03-24-2010, 09:39 AM
 
Location: The Greater Houston Metro Area
9,053 posts, read 17,152,348 times
Reputation: 15226
I think you would really like Fairfield, which is in the Cy-Fair school district. Young families love the community feel. It fits the description of your second paragraph in your last post. Quite a few stay-at-home moms there - so you would not feel isolated. The annual HOA fee is steep - about $850 - but the amenities are nice. It includes a fitness center, so the fee is offset because you don't have to pay for that (and conveniently close to home means it is easier to go). I am always hesitant to suggest it unless I know the commute's direction, because 290 is awful during rush hour - but if your husband works from home - problem doesn't exist.
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Old 03-25-2010, 03:51 PM
 
50 posts, read 129,592 times
Reputation: 26
Thanks Cheryjohns, I looked into Fairfield today. I couldn't find lots of info on their community website as far as number of pools or playgrounds. Do you happen to know how many (roughly) they have? And do they have a walking path (trail)? I did have Cypress on my list. I have seen a few houses in Cypress Creek Lakes, Blackhorse ranch and Fairfield that I liked.
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Old 03-25-2010, 04:40 PM
 
Location: The Greater Houston Metro Area
9,053 posts, read 17,152,348 times
Reputation: 15226
They have trails and 5 pools. Several parks.
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Old 03-25-2010, 07:51 PM
 
Location: Houston
75 posts, read 225,413 times
Reputation: 43
I think you would like to stay on the north side, like the Woodlands or Kingwood. Katy may be as far as you want to go west. Cinco Ranch would be too far from the airport. On a good day it may not be too bad of a drive but Houston traffic can become a nightmare with rush hour traffic or b/c of one fender bender. The Woodlands and Kingwood are beyond my knowledge regarding schools and neighborhoods. Although they are better than HISD. I do know Realtors that specialize in that area though. When you come down, just visit the communities that your are interested in. I wouldn't bring a Realtor in the picture until you've settled on an area. I think when you come visit, you will know (have that feeling) on where you would like to live. Good luck.
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