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Old 09-23-2013, 10:26 PM
 
12 posts, read 89,347 times
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My husband is thinking about accepting a job offer in Houston and if he does he, myself and our 5 month old baby will be moving to Houston or a city outside of Houston. I have no clue where to begin ! We really want to rent a house instead of buy one since we don't know how this will work out for us. What surrounding cities are "nice/safe ones"? Not too pricey ? I believe he will be commuting to downtown Houston for this new job so nothing toooo far from there. I am just trying to get a feel of what I should know, do, where I should look?
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Old 09-24-2013, 07:22 AM
 
Location: Texas
872 posts, read 827,833 times
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You need to give a little more info for anyone to help. What is your budget? Is commute time important? Keep in mind, Houston is a very large City.....and Surrounding Cities...Spring, Cypress, Katy...etc. will be a commute to downtown.
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Old 09-24-2013, 07:41 AM
 
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Definitely rent before you buy. Houston is large and it will take you a while to figure out which parts of town you like best. Without a budget, it's difficult to recommend anything. Obviously there are neighborhoods close to downtown that would be great, i.e. The Heights, Midtown, Montrose, Bellaire, etc., but you're looking at very high rental rates for those areas... over $2500/month most likely, and that will be for something small.

We lived in an apartment at the Marquis at Bellaire (in Bellaire right on the edge of West U) back in '10. My husband's commute to downtown was a breeze and we loved living in that area of town. I don't know if those apartments are still as good as they once were, but we really enjoyed living there.

Ideally you don't want your monthly rent/mortgage to be more than 25% of your take-home pay, and really it should be 20% or less.
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Old 09-24-2013, 08:39 AM
 
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Yes sorry, I should have put that. Our budget to rent is around $1000-$1500. We don't need anything big but definitely not a one bedroom since we do have a baby. Commute is some what important. I have been looking at houses to rent in Missouri City, Katy, but I don't know how far with traffic that is from downtown Houston. We don't NEED to actually live on Houston, but if the commute is a way to long from the other cities, then I guess Houston it is.
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Old 09-24-2013, 09:19 AM
 
175 posts, read 367,501 times
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With that kind of budget, you will need to live out in the burbs for sure. Sugar Land is more convenient to downtown than Katy. Living in Katy, you are looking at about an hour commute each way. I would look at apartment finder.com and also apartment ratings.com. Sugar Land is a nice area. There are also apartment locators around. Some real estate agents specialize in rentals--even apartment rentals.
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Old 09-24-2013, 10:39 AM
 
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Thank you for your advice !
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Old 09-24-2013, 10:58 AM
 
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We were in your shoes a year back. Depending on where you are moving from you may find Houston a great place to live. But do keep on mind that like any other big city there are pockets that are not so desirable, so you have a great plan to rent first.
Sugarland is quite nice and driving on Hw 59 is not as bad in my opinion.

If you want super short commute to downtown Houston Heights might be an option. But the prices are higher and frankly I am not a fan of open drains and often feel its overrated (and will end up taking some "heat").

There are some nice townhouses in EDO (East of Downtown) that I found appealing. Some with rooftop patios with downtown views!!

I am a big fan of West U, but affordable housing is scarce in that part unless you can score a old small house rental, but even those might run above $2K.

We visited a friend in one of the high rise apartments next to Herman park and liked it a lot, but these are working couples without kids.

Good luck on your move and always use your own judgement and gut in combination with opinions and give more weight to the former.
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Old 09-24-2013, 12:39 PM
 
12 posts, read 89,347 times
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We were born and raised in San Antonio and love it here, but we are willing to try something new, especially for his new job adventure. Thanks for your help, very much appreciated ! I am beginning to notice the price range we have is going to be a little hard to find a decent house to rent.
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Old 09-24-2013, 12:54 PM
 
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Houston home rentals and homes for rent - HAR.com

There are a few rentals available in your price range for 2 bedroom places in the better areas.
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Old 09-24-2013, 02:16 PM
 
12 posts, read 89,347 times
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What are the better areas?
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