Help! Never been to Houston, moving from Orlando FL. (The Woodlands: apartment complex, to rent)

[miamichica24]

Hi

I live in Orlando FL. I Currently live in Baldwin Park which is about 8-10 minutes from the DT area. I live in a apt complex with rent no cheaper than 1250, and nice cars all around.



I am moving to Houston in early March. I have never been to Houston before. I will get out to visit once before moving but I want to have my list of places to visit shortened by then.


I will be working at IAH. I would like my commute to be around 30 minutes, give or take with traffic. I have heard because of the shift work ill be doing we miss most of the crazy traffic.


I have been doing research online, and I find its like peoples opinion of movies. One person loves midtown, the other says its trashy. Its hard to get an accurate feel. Let me tell you what I am looking for.


1) I would like rent around 1400/1500 no more (if its less that's great)
2) I have two Labradors. Since I have the dogs and they get walked at weird hours I want somewhere that I feel safe walking at midnight since its possible they would be getting walked at that hour.
4) I would like bars, restaurants, etc to be relatively close, IE 10 minutes or so... I like Loft styles with big windows. Style is the last priority tho. If the bars, restaurants, and stores are in walking distance thats even better.



I have heard a lot about Midtown, The Heights, Montrose, Galleria and and River Oak.


Ill be out there without my bf for a few months untill he is able to move so safety for me and the dogs is number 1 priority. I don't want my Lexus to be the nicest car on the block...if you know what Im saying...Yet I dont want to be out in the middle of no where. I have no idea how the public transportation works in Houston or what it is like...if its easy to get place to place and not drive



Im 30 years old, so would like to be surrounded by other young professionals...Id like to rent an apt so I can meet people. I love the urban feel with loft styles but dont want to be completely surrounded by pavement because of my dogs. RISE lofts online look great, City Pace MIdtown, also 2222 Smith Street. Yet again I have no idea what the surrounding area is like.

Based on Midtown, The heights, Galleria, and River Oak do any of these areas seem like they would be a good match? Any info of the areas is appreicated too.

[JLB001]

check apartmentratings.com to get a feel how those complexes score.

Try and take the bad reviews lightly as most are just unhappy people.

Also look in The Woodlands.

[Athena2c]

There are a lot of nice areas near IAH and we found that most apartments in Houston accept dogs. You might want to consider working with an apartment locator. We used one when we had to move sight unseen and are happy with our apartment (in the Willowbrook/Champions Forest area which is close to IAH).
We used David Moore (his services were free)
David J. Moore, Houston Realtor and Apartment Locator in the Houston and surrounding areas.

[DejaBlue]

Just based off what you said you want a lot or nightlife city life so with that you might have to sacrifice and deal with a longer commute. IAH is away from the "city" so the lofts and city lights you want are a star in the sky away.

Downtown, River Oaks, Midtown, Montrose, etc are all 30-45 minutes away. Living there going to IAH is going against traffic but with Houston you never know. But like I said with Houston the crazy traffic is coming from IAH and the suburbs not so much going towards it. Traffic but not parking lot traffic like the opposite direction.

Commute just depends but based on what you said IMO it sounds like nightlife, lofts and being around professionals trumps your commute time because you want those pretty bad right next door (at least that what I hear) so 45mins shouldn't be bad for you. I doubt it would be longer but still it's what you want most so even an hour should be tolerable.

But if you're going into work during the day then it would be 30-40 tops on average.

[chris_ut]

Spring. Kingwood and Atascocita are the areas close to IAH but those are all suburbs so you will need to commute from the city to meet your other criteria.

[houston lover]

You may be interested to look at the West End, which is on the opposite side of I-10 from the Heights. It has everything you are looking for plus you can get to IAH in 30 minutes if you use Hardy Toll Road. I have made that exact drive in traffic in 30 minutes. It has quick access to I-10, many 30 something singles and tons of food options. West End has more of a "night life" area than the Heights. There are less families living in West End, and more DINKs (double income no kids) and singles. This area is considered part of Rice Military, fyi.

The homes in the area are mostly town houses though there are some remodeled homes on the North side of Washington. The area is considered transitional but is less so than it was 5 years ago, yet some areas are more transitional than others. The area South of Washington Avenue before I-10 is still being heavily redeveloped now, at a rate much faster than I have seen in the Heights.

It is super close to Memorial Park, which is where everyone goes walking, riding and running. It is not as urban as downtown, and everyone has a dog. You won't have trouble walking your dog in this neighborhood. There are also restaurants within walking distance. There is a nice looking apartment complex South of the Zoe's on Washington, but I don't know its name. It is within a quick walk of many amenities and a new shopping center just opened a few blocks away. They have a new Wal Mart close by (no, they weren't happy about it) and are putting in a Bed Bath and Beyond and a Rack Room Shoes across the street from it where there is now a rock quarry. Location wise, it is perfect. I would say the only downfall is that you will sometimes see a few homeless folks and other questionable sorts around and so there is some petty crime. (It's a big city - don't leave your phone/purse/laptop in you car). This is the minority of activity there though.

[fordlover]

Sounds like the Lofts on the waterway in the woodlands would be perfect for you. Not sure what rent is, but I'd much rather drive from the woodlands to the airport every day than from downtown/midtown to the airport every day.

Be warned, some of the apartments/lofts/etc. are probably way out of your price range, so I'd look at it online to find a price range first. Your Lexus will be in impressive company throughout most of the Woodlands area.

I'm not overly familiar with best areas in Houston, so I'll limit my post to what I am familiar with.

[coconutbutter]

When I worked my airline job, I lived in both Kingwood (suburbs - not what you're looking for) and Montrose. I can only attest to the commute, but it was fine. My work week was standard, 8am-5pm. My commute time was about 30-35 minutes against traffic. Traffic was never intolerable since I was rarely sitting on the freeway except for a few hotspots.

I did take some of the back roads to get on less cluttered freeway entrances, so that can shave some time off of your commute.

As for the apt issue... I rented from the best landlord in a privately owned unit, so my rent was $585/mo for water and trash, a few blocks from the bars and restaurants on Westheimer. The unit was small (600 sq ft), so it wouldn't suit your needs, but if you aren't completely fixed on loft living or living at an apt that is managed by a company, I think you could find something at your price point.

[bloodwings19]

Originally Posted by JLB001

Also look in The Woodlands.

I would recommend The Woodlands, but your a young person with your bf and likes like to go out, so anywhere around Mid-town would be good for you. I know a lot of employees who work at IAH that live in The Woodlands and most of them have kids, or older folks who has adult children. The Woodlands is nice and peaceful, but other places gives you an easier time to commute to places. The commute to IAH is more affordable, or reasonable because you'll be going against traffic and 59 is a better freeway than 45.