Advice on prices/apartments etc... (lease, appliances, house)

[firehawk]

thanks.
why large? I would love to have that experience. Thats all, and more room too.

I want an excellent condition place - not something that is rundown, in the dumps or anything. Need a good "home" to come to you know?

[jek74]

Originally Posted by firehawk

thanks.
why large? I would love to have that experience. Thats all, and more room too.

I want an excellent condition place - not something that is rundown, in the dumps or anything. Need a good "home" to come to you know?

OK, so you want to rent a "large, nice" home in cypresswood. How much do you want to pay?

Again, I'm not trying to lecture or anything but if you are trying to keep costs down, having a large home anywhere in the country is going to be expensive just from a utility standpoint. And you will also have to maintain the home and probably the yard. But having said that, what is your price range for a large home and what do you consider too big?

[jek74]

Also, do you have good credit? I think you might find it hard to rent a large home with bad or non existing credit.

[firehawk]

Jek74, thanks for your efforts. I WANT you to ask me these questions, so I know myself too

price range? free?
seriously: $0-$1200 is stretching it.
what do I consider too big? 3+ bedroom I think would be too big.

I would want up to 2 bedrooms, 1+ bathroom, dining room, lounge and an office type room (even if that is the 2nd bedroom, thats fine) but spacious for clothes and to put desks and other things too.
obviously, I want the whole place to myself - no sharing.

utilities? ok like what? internet is fine - need high speed access, which I will pay for seperately if needs be or install a seperate line if possible. TV - im not fussed about to be frank.

As you may know london/UK areas - they are small. so anything bigger is better
im not good with measurements so you have to forgive me on that.

as for credit - well, I have an excellent credit rating in the UK. I also have an AMEX if that helps (some say you can transfer that over or something). never have had any form of credit in the US apart from renting hotel rooms.

[jek74]

This is probably too big but it gives you an idea. BTW, I don't know anything about Cypresswood so let others tell you about that area. But here is a place for 1100. It's a 3 bedroom home with about 1700 sq feet.

$1097 / 3br - 1752ft² - Clean Spring House 3/2/2 (Aldine Westfield / Cypresswood)

[firehawk]

P.S - lets put the credit to one side for now. I understand it is also an important thing. I was informed by my attorney (immigration) 2 weeks ago that it doesnt matter as long as you can provide at least 3 months of payslips (most recent) and credit card statements/bank details. She said that that is sufficient and its the same if you wanted to buy a home if you are not a resident, as its just like a holiday home.

[firehawk]

thanks Jek74 - that looks nice (yeh.. looks from the net! haha).

[Cabot]

Can't remember if you mentioned what part of Cypresswood you would be. It goes on for miles so if you are going to be near Hwy 249/Cypresswood for instance the house that Jek74 mentioned, while a good example, is a good 15 miles from there. Maybe you should look at townhouses, less maintenance issues than a free-standing house. Some come with yard service and if you can avoid mowing the yard in the summer, trust me, you won't regret it! Have no idea of price though.

[newlymarried]

You can also try Houston Real estate, Houston homes, Houston Realtors: HAR.com. That is the houston real estate market, but they also show rentals. Assuming you are talking about Cypresswood/249, you may have a little trouble with your budget. Homes tend to be large (3-5 bedrooms) in that area and I would imagine leases would be more expensive.

I rented a 1 bedroom townhome about 8 years ago in that area and paid $820/month. Utilities ran me about $200 in the summer. The house wasn't particularly well insulated, so that was part of it, but you just need to be aware of the cost.

The larger the house, the more you pay for A/C -- and as has been pointed out, you will need it. $300-400 utility bills are not unheard of in some of those larger suburban homes during the summer. As others have said, lawn maintenance will also be an issue. In the summer, expect to mow once a week. If you pay someone else, it'll be $20-40/time (depending on amount of lawn, etc) You will also have to water the lawn regularly, so think about if you want to drag around hoses, wait on the sprinkler, move the sprinkler in an hour, and start again.

As others have mentioned, a townhome may be the way to go for you. No lawn maintenance is nice. You also might be pleasantly surprised at certain apartments in that area. In Houston, they tend to be much more spacious than in London and 1 bedroom plus an office, or a true two bedroom, are common. You might at least check out a couple of apartment complexes before completely excluding the possibility.

Good luck!

[firehawk]

thanks. I appreciate that. damn... soo much to think about