Our budget is $110k, where is the best area? (Houston: neighborhoods, schools)

[nakalamicnews]

Hi Folks... Just came back from Houston area. Definately not what i expected and we have decided to stay where we are. Of the areas we looked at, I found Cypress the best for our needs. We did check out Katy and Tomball also. I wasn't impressed by the size of the lots/yards and the fact that there are utility poles everywhere (even in your own backyards). The highways were a mess, I think it was quite possible to put together my very own car by picking up the car parts along the expressways! We're not aggressive drivers, doing just a little over the speedlimit, and people are cutting you off constantly. NO ONE uses their directionals. The people standing on the corners with signs in hand was never ending. The trailers parked on the corners of gas stations (selling tacos) wasn't for me. A beautiful subdivision (that we couldn't afford) would be just 2 blocks from the dumpiest of homes.

I was surprised to see that homes are actually still being built down there (the recession didn't hit as hard as up North). If I only had seen Cypress... and would never have to leave that area, I probably would have considered moving down. The Woodlands was georgeous from what i saw... but generally out of our price range and too far North.

I guess it's all about what you're used to... or can adapt to. It was an experience that we had to find out for ourselves.

[DejaBlue]

Originally Posted by nakalamicnews

Hi Folks... Just came back from Houston area. Definately not what i expected and we have decided to stay where we are. Of the areas we looked at, I found Cypress the best for our needs. We did check out Katy and Tomball also. I wasn't impressed by the size of the lots/yards and the fact that there are utility poles everywhere (even in your own backyards). The highways were a mess, I think it was quite possible to put together my very own car by picking up the car parts along the expressways! We're not aggressive drivers, doing just a little over the speedlimit, and people are cutting you off constantly. NO ONE uses their directionals. The people standing on the corners with signs in hand was never ending. The trailers parked on the corners of gas stations (selling tacos) wasn't for me. A beautiful subdivision (that we couldn't afford) would be just 2 blocks from the dumpiest of homes.

I was surprised to see that homes are actually still being built down there (the recession didn't hit as hard as up North). If I only had seen Cypress... and would never have to leave that area, I probably would have considered moving down. The Woodlands was georgeous from what i saw... but generally out of our price range and too far North.

I guess it's all about what you're used to... or can adapt to. It was an experience that we had to find out for ourselves.

LMAO! I don't know why but this whole post made me laugh.

The driving depends on where you are. Now, if you were driving a car with out of state plates and driving just a little over the speed limit on a freeway you're GOING to be cut off. 1. you look like you don't know where you're going, 2. we don't drive a little over the speed limit That's why we have so much traffic other than so many vehicles.
Those 4 cars in the front going 55 are making everyone else ride their brakes.

Have you seen our police? They don't EVER drive the speed limit.

Houston has no zoning. It's common knowledge something like a super nice neighborhood is blocks from something dumpy. That's just how it is.

Either low rent dumpy and/or a strip center with a church.

It's interesting you found Cypress the best. I hope you weren't on 290 going just above the speed limit. That will get you killed no joke. 18 wheelers go 90 on 290.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by nakalamicnews

Hi Folks... Just came back from Houston area. Definately not what i expected and we have decided to stay where we are. Of the areas we looked at, I found Cypress the best for our needs. We did check out Katy and Tomball also. I wasn't impressed by the size of the lots/yards and the fact that there are utility poles everywhere (even in your own backyards). The highways were a mess, I think it was quite possible to put together my very own car by picking up the car parts along the expressways! We're not aggressive drivers, doing just a little over the speedlimit, and people are cutting you off constantly. NO ONE uses their directionals. The people standing on the corners with signs in hand was never ending. The trailers parked on the corners of gas stations (selling tacos) wasn't for me. A beautiful subdivision (that we couldn't afford) would be just 2 blocks from the dumpiest of homes.

I was surprised to see that homes are actually still being built down there (the recession didn't hit as hard as up North). If I only had seen Cypress... and would never have to leave that area, I probably would have considered moving down. The Woodlands was georgeous from what i saw... but generally out of our price range and too far North.

I guess it's all about what you're used to... or can adapt to. It was an experience that we had to find out for ourselves.

Be careful, not sure if you're allowed to express any opinions on this forum without putting H-Town in a good light......here comes the sunshine pumpers.

[Lost_In_Translation]

Originally Posted by nakalamicnews

Hi Folks... Just came back from Houston area. Definately not what i expected.

I guess it's all about what you're used to... or can adapt to. It was an experience that we had to find out for ourselves.

Houston is a big city and much of your complaints are about many big cities.

[LizzySWW]

Originally Posted by nakalamicnews

Hi Folks... Just came back from Houston area. Definately not what i expected and we have decided to stay where we are. Of the areas we looked at, I found Cypress the best for our needs. We did check out Katy and Tomball also. I wasn't impressed by the size of the lots/yards and the fact that there are utility poles everywhere (even in your own backyards). The highways were a mess, I think it was quite possible to put together my very own car by picking up the car parts along the expressways! We're not aggressive drivers, doing just a little over the speedlimit, and people are cutting you off constantly. NO ONE uses their directionals. The people standing on the corners with signs in hand was never ending. The trailers parked on the corners of gas stations (selling tacos) wasn't for me. A beautiful subdivision (that we couldn't afford) would be just 2 blocks from the dumpiest of homes.

I was surprised to see that homes are actually still being built down there (the recession didn't hit as hard as up North). If I only had seen Cypress... and would never have to leave that area, I probably would have considered moving down. The Woodlands was georgeous from what i saw... but generally out of our price range and too far North.

I guess it's all about what you're used to... or can adapt to. It was an experience that we had to find out for ourselves.

Your problem isn't Houston, it's your budget. You said you're looking at homes under 160k and great schools with no crime are a must. Here's a sample of homes under 160K in The Woodlands (and you liked The Woodlands):

$115,000 The Woodlands Panther Creek


$125,000 The Woodlands Grogans


$150,000 The Woodlands Panther Creek




No offense, but if those were my options, I'd be a Negative Nelly too.

Rubbing salt in the wound => you'll have a 45+ minute commute into Houston with traffic. Ouch!!

Your post rips Houston & that's fine if what you said was true.

1- Post a link of the Google Street view map showing car parts all over our freeways. You can't, can you? (Tip- smart Houston bashers go with subjective complaints, this one is easy to prove wrong.)

2- Are Taco trucks really a complaint? NYC has hot dog carts - Houston has Taco trucks. Sorry, that's an odd thing to put on your con list.

3- Wow! You saw people at intersections holding up signs for money. Hard to imagine something like that in the 4th largest city in the United States of America. Sit down for this one ....Houston also has.......prostitutes.

4- Explain how so many Houston Forum posters are able to return here to post? If Houston drivers constantly cut each other off & never use directionals, half of us should be dead by now. Maybe THAT's what happened to Steve Army.

5- You complained about small lots, OMG your budget is under 160K, what did you expect?

[David Dollar]

You didn't like the tacos trucks??????????? That is the best and coolest thing about Houston.

[DejaBlue]

Originally Posted by LizzySWW

Your problem isn't Houston, it's your budget. You said you're looking at homes under 160k and great schools with no crime are a must. Here's a sample of homes under 160K in The Woodlands (and you liked The Woodlands):

$115,000 The Woodlands Panther Creek


$125,000 The Woodlands Grogans


$150,000 The Woodlands Panther Creek




No offense, but if those were my options, I'd be a Negative Nelly too.

Rubbing salt in the wound => you'll have a 45+ minute commute into Houston with traffic. Ouch!!

Your post rips Houston & that's fine if what you said was true.

1- Post a link of the Google Street view map showing car parts all over our freeways. You can't, can you? (Tip- smart Houston bashers go with subjective complaints, this one is easy to prove wrong.)

2- Are Taco trucks really a complaint? NYC has hot dog carts - Houston has Taco trucks. Sorry, that's an odd thing to put on your con list.

3- Wow! You saw people at intersections holding up signs for money. Hard to imagine something like that in the 4th largest city in the United States of America. Sit down for this one ....Houston also has.......prostitutes.

4- Explain how so many Houston Forum posters are able to return here to post? If Houston drivers constantly cut each other off & never use directionals, half of us should be dead by now. Maybe THAT's what happened to Steve Army.

5- You complained about small lots, OMG your budget is under 160K, what did you expect?

I know right. If I wanted to live in The Woodlands and considering it's location and a commute to downtown....houses that look like that wouldn't be what I want to come home to after that long commute.

As far as the freeways, they must have been on 290 because 290 is dumpy as hell. Those car parts could have been busted tired from the 18 wheelers. After going near 100mph, there's a decent amount of tire pieces on 290.

There's nothing really wrong with not using signals. Granted you AREN'T right in front of someone. If you're a good distance, get on over. No big deal. The a-hole people are the ones who cut you off to get right smack in front of you and don't use signals. If you're that close to someone they need a signal.

Though Houston drivers have a real problem with cutting you off close, no signal then turning right. Didn't you know 10 minutes ago where your exit was?????? Be in that lane already!

[Houston321]

Go to New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago...etc, and check out the areas where you can buy a home for 110K. Some advice; bring a bullet proof vest, semi-automatic weapon, and lots of spare change.

[Lost_In_Translation]

Originally Posted by Houston321

Go to New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago...etc, and check out the areas where you can buy a home for 110K. Some advice; bring a bullet proof vest, semi-automatic weapon, and lots of spare change.

nah, there are affordable suburbs, just twice as far away from the city center. but big city complaints are just that. If you want to live in a place that resembles Podunk, NJ, you aren't going to find that in the middle of the city.

[Lost_In_Translation]

Originally Posted by David Dollar

You didn't like the tacos trucks??????????? That is the best and coolest thing about Houston.

Some of them are good, some require a buzzard gut. I used to get lunch from the most delicious bbq truck though. He had a little gravel lot he occupied in the ship channel. Very good pulled pork sandwiches.