Thoughts on Oak Forest? (Richmond, Hamilton: townhouse, neighborhoods, new construction) - Houston - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

KatieAP3883 · 05-06-2012, 05:13 PM

My husband and I have been looking to move out of our townhouse near downtown. I think we've about settled on Oak Forest. It seems to be in the right price point and be zoned to a good elementary school (one of our primary criteria).

There seem to be a lot of people on here that are in the know, so I thought I'd see what thoughts people have about Oak Forest; good and bad. Also, any areas we should avoid?

Thanks!

testmo · 05-06-2012, 08:05 PM

It was last year that I was house hunting and I did settle elsewhere so obviously you can say I have a bias. But, for me a large part of Oak Forest was still too much of a transitional neighborhood feel for the prices of the homes. I also had a hard time finding anything over 2,000 sq ft with a garage for what I felt was reasonable for the neighborhood (under $300,000).

The homes that weren't complete tear downs and rebuilds I found just too funky and in a bad way. Like owners converting a garage into a sun room that only enters and exits from the yard (no real attachment to the house) or a master bedroom where you had to walk through a joined bathroom or the laundry room to get in or out of. The average homes were very small and older. So over time people have done poor renovations to them. New builds imo were just priced too high for what imo I felt it was worth. I am aware the area probably will only get better over time due to proximity to Heights and the city. I know several people that live there and love it. Lots of bars are around to develop an off-shoot of the Heights feel.

Parts of the area have a history of flooding. I bought a home in a flood plain elsewhere so that wasn't a major turn off for me, but something to consider.

Ultimately I decided on another neighborhood that is improving and in close proximity but on the SW side of the loop.

cheryjohns · 05-06-2012, 08:43 PM

Stay east of TC Jester. I should probably repeat that 14 more times. There is "Oak Forest" and there is "Oak Forest". It is a huge subdivision that should not be treated the same everywhere. As long as you stay in the right part - it is a great neighborhood with fantastic appreciation. People tend to move to the suburbs once the kids hit middlle school. It's great from "no kids to 7th grade".

Beto · 05-07-2012, 12:47 PM

I agree with Cheryjohns and that is to make sure you stay of the east side of TC Jester. I would recommend for you to drive the area in the evening to get a better idea of the community and its residents.

brownybaby · 05-07-2012, 01:17 PM

I like OF alor - I have lived in the neighborhood many years. The Jr. High ( Black) - was recently designated a Vangaurd School which is a big deal ( Lanier, Hamilton, Pin Oak are othe Vangaurd schools near loop)- nothing happens over night - but the Jr. High has an oppertnuty to be really good.

We shall see! (fingers crossed!)

modster · 05-07-2012, 01:36 PM

Since a good elementary school was mentioned as one of the criteria, I am giong to assume that you are considering the sections of Oak Forest that are zoned to Oak Forest elementary, and not some of the sections further west.

I think the good points are pretty obvious. The area has a good, broad-based appeal that seems to be growing, which bodes well from an investment standpoint. Besides the good elementary school, it has the great trees, is right off the loop and gets people generally priced out of Garden Oaks, Heights or Timbergrove. Upwardly mobile types have been moving in for awhile now. There is new construction of larger homes now in the mix, something that will probably snowball over time. The area is relatively safe and there is a good Kroger Signature on 43rd. So it has a lot of things that make it appealing and "solid" on a lot of levels.

That said, I do understand what Testmo is saying. There are some nicer homes in Oak Forest, but a lot of the housing stock is very small, with converted one-car garages and awkward add ons that don't always flow well. Sometimes dining rooms or living areas can really be too small to be truly functional. Then there are some that are done quite nicely. So there isn't a one size fits all answer there. The challenge, unless you are spending for the new(er) constructions, is finding a good house with the right size and floor plan.

KatieAP3883 · 05-07-2012, 02:03 PM

Thank you for the input! We are only looking in sections of Oak Forest that are zoned to Oak Forest elementary school. It was also nice to hear a little bit about the middle school although that is still a number of years off for us.

I've seen some of what Testmo said about layouts, but I feel like we've explored a number of neighborhoods that are "close-ish" to town, and Oak Forest is one of the only ones that meets our criteria. We are trying to stay under $350,000 and need to be within a reasonable commute of downtown and the energy corridor. We also need something bigger than the 2 bedroom 1 bathrooms that we could maybe afford in the Heights. If anyone has any other neighborhood suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

modster · 05-07-2012, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatieAP3883

Thank you for the input! We are only looking in sections of Oak Forest that are zoned to Oak Forest elementary school. It was also nice to hear a little bit about the middle school although that is still a number of years off for us.

I've seen some of what Testmo said about layouts, but I feel like we've explored a number of neighborhoods that are "close-ish" to town, and Oak Forest is one of the only ones that meets our criteria. We are trying to stay under $350,000 and need to be within a reasonable commute of downtown and the energy corridor. We also need something bigger than the 2 bedroom 1 bathrooms that we could maybe afford in the Heights. If anyone has any other neighborhood suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Have you considered the areas zoned to Parker or Kolter elementary on the SW side as well?

ToyYot · 05-07-2012, 03:01 PM

Did you look at Larchmont? It's zoned to St Georges Place Elementary which is applying to be a Candidate IB school and feeds Grady, which is an Candidate IB school and apparently improving, which presumably will allow you to send you kids to Lamar, an actual IB school, rather than the dreaded Lee. The neighborhood looked quite nice and kid friendly but I have no first hand experience to offer so hopefully some can chime in. South of Richmond between Chimney Rock and Sage, north of 59.

KatieAP3883 · 05-07-2012, 06:31 PM

I've heard good things about Larchmont but haven't really looked there or anywhere in the southwest part of town because we were worried about the commute time for my husband. He currently works off of I-10 near Dairy Ashford.Are we wrong to assume it would be a long commute?

Modster- what neighborhoods would Parker and Kolter serve?