Young couple in the mid 20's want to move to houston from NYC (Austin: best suburbs, 2013)

[stanley.g]

Hello everyone,

My wife (24) and I (26) live in NYC and we hate it. Its very crouded, noisy and discusting. We both grew up in the Subs and are considering Renting out our apartment in NYC and Buying a home in the near future in houston (Woodlands, Springs or Humble ) Area. Between both of us we are grossing around 70-75 K a year. Any suggestions about those area's, or any other area's not to far from downtown houston (Within 45 min drive) that we should look at . Ofcourse, we will rent for the first year while we are looking for our perfect first home.

But, This is my main question and please everyone get as detailed as you can get with this.

on Dec 7th 2013 the wife and i are flying into Houston for the first time For about 5. i think that should be enought time to scope out the place. We will be coming back tho soon. We are staying at four points hotel in the Inner loop I belive its located on Southwest FWY and we want to explore as much as possible in those day . Where should we start, What should we see. what are good eats and the areas that we MUST visit. We both love nature as we have a Miniature schnauzer and enjoy the outdoors Maybe check out some parks? We are also Big Lake fans and houston has a few of them .
Help us build a itenirary so we can soak up the Houston sun and see as much as possible .
We also want to spend a day or 2 around the sub's North of houston to get a vibe on the Sub divisions we want to buy in and if anyone knows any realtors that we can sit down with and speak about home availability .

[Schumacher713]

The Woodlands is by far the nicest of those three. It is also has the most shopping and things to do. Humble is kind of a crappy area. Spring is for people who can't afford he Woodlands. Your combined income is 75K or both of you make around 75? Kingwood next to it is more like the Woodlands. Kingwood will be the fastest to downtown. 59N is light on traffic. 45 can be a parking lot. There is a toll road that takes you out there and moves pretty fast. I would look into Sugar Land also.

The best suburbs are Sugar Land, Woodlands, Kingwood, and Katy. I think the Woodlands and Sugar Land are the best of them. The Woodlands is by far the most scenic. Katy has the longest commute followed by the Woodlands. Sugar Land and Kingwood are faster.

Must visit areas? Houston is not a tourist city. I would concentrate on finding out where you want to live. Most of the best places to eat are in Montrose and the Heights. Both are near where you are staying. I would stay away from the Galleria. The traffic there is a pain and you are not here to shop for things.

Good luck!

[Bad Haggis]

Lakes are on the outskirts... Lake Houston, Lake Conroe and salt water Clear Lake. I work all over town and think the best suburbs are The Woodlands, Sugar Land and Clear Lake in that order. Kingwood is nice and forested but not in the league of the other 3... and the commute is not a walk in the park either if you work anywhere west of downtown. Katy is OK but bland but you are closer to Austin which has nicer lakes than Houston.

[stanley.g]

Schumacher713,

Thanks for the quick post. total we gross around 75K. As to where we want to live is still pending based on where our jobs will be, but that is why we are coming to visit so we can have a general idea. As far as the shopping it would be nice to see some areas as well. we want to feel the way most people do living there. We never looked into Katy or Kingwood area's (will start researching now. ) What are Typical Home prices in the woodlands, katy Kingwood. (Keep in mind its our first Home in a new city) So price, Size and resell value are important as well. We are thinking about kids so Communities with young adults like us is important as well as good schools and Parks where us and our companion can enjoy.

You said Humble is crappy. What makes it crappy? we looked at several homes there and 3K Sq ft Fully redone with pool (Move in ready) 170K ?

[Schumacher713]

Well with that budget it will get tight for the nicer suburbs. Not all of the suburbs are nice. There are ghetto areas in them too. There are bad schools and good ones just like the city. You get what you pay for. I am no suburb pro, but I grew up in Houston so I know all the areas well. Also, don't buy any homes in a mud district. My friend made that mistake with his house in Katy. It is well over double the rate of mine. You really need to narrow down you area then find a realtor. Get on har.com and dig through many of them.

Kingwood is next to Humble. I honestly have heard horrible things about Kingwood from people who went to HS there. Humble is a poorer area than Kingwood. Just like Spring is to the Woodlands. I don't think 170K will cut it in the nicer suburbs. The real good areas in the burbs will run at least 300K.

Take a look at Pearland. It is the closest suburb to downtown. Like a 20min drive. It will fall in your price range.

Others can chime in that know more about their specific areas. I think at your budget you need to be looking at Humble, Spring, and Pearland. I could be wrong though.

Now if I were you I would just rent for several years. You are young. There is no reason to rush into owning a home. I think buying a home is something you do in your 30s. For sure find an apartment and live in Houston for a year. You just won't get much of a feel in that short time. Live in a fun young complex. Make some friends. Focus on your careers. There is no rush to have kids. Most of my friends did not start till their mid 30s. Just food for thought.

[stanley.g]

I looked into Spring and some of the homes there are very nice for my price point . I lived the city life for way to long, and to be Honest the quieter the better. We are more Family oriented and the going out and partying phase has been reduced alot. I own my apartment in brooklyn and will not be selling it. Keeping it as a rental property is a no brainer. how is the rental market there for homes. Even if we do decide to rent for more then 1 year . purchasing a property and renting it in the meanwhile sounds like something that would interest me as well.

We want to spend at least a day or 2 in the Subs looking at the different subdivisions the subs have to offer. Any suggestions on which divisionis in in the Springs, Kingwood, pearland and even the The woodlands .

[stanley.g]

We also like areas that have mom and pop shops, community resturants where we can sit outside have lunch and overall urban area's. We were advised to check out Montrose and the Heights areas but from my understanding they are still big area's to cover . any spefic lively areas that you know ? we will spend one night and see the night life where should we go at night. durring the day we want parks, shopping, Pretty Area's like the Oak _____ in downtown (where the very wealthy Victorians are). things like those. as im reading different blogs we are gathering more and more places to visit.

[d2mini]

Houston is a VERY LARGE city, especially if you are including the outlying smaller cities like the woodlands, katy, etc.

I suggest you find a nice apartment near "Midtown" or a small house to rent in The Heights, Spring Branch, Bellaire/Myerland, etc. Anything with a 10-20 minute drive to downtown. This will give you a year to really get to know the different areas of Houston and make an informed decision. There is NO WAY you will be able to find the best place for you in just a few days. Houston is much too big and diverse to do such a thing.

Btw, I grew up in Westchester and moved here over 15 years ago.
You're in for a little culture shock but Houston is again a very diverse city so overall I think you'll like it.

[stanley.g]

given the fact that we want to spend a day or soo looking around sub's. as a resident of houston where should we spend the remainder's of the days. ? we are Big food lovers, Beach Lovers, no so much into bars and night life anymore but would like to see how Sat or Sunday goes in the night life community (NO CLUBS) We do not have time to spend in musem's but would like to see the district. Shopping and Nature activities. Lake, nature trails ect.

us planning an itenerary will probably result in Running around the whole town just for one attraction so originizing properly would be a Huge help.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by stanley.g

You said Humble is crappy. What makes it crappy? we looked at several homes there and 3K Sq ft Fully redone with pool (Move in ready) 170K ?

Like most areas and cities, there will always be crappy areas.

Humble has some crappy areas, but it also has very nice areas.

Thinking about all the information you posted, I believe Kingwood should top your list. Kingwood is on Lake Houston, has a ton of walking/jogging/greenbelt trails and is close to a lot of parks. With your income level, you can also find a lot of housing options when you go to buy.

What I have observed is that homes in the 170k realm that are 3k sq ft with a pool tend to be in neighborhoods that are a bit older and with an older demographic. This generally translates into more maintenance costs and less people in your neighborhood to hand out. However, older neighborhoods tend to turn over at some point. When we purchase our home, with the exception of our next door neighbor, everybody was pretty up there in age. Now, three other homes within 100 yards are owned by people younger than us. Of course predicting when or even if a neighborhood were to turn-over would be impossible.