Richmond or Katy? (Houston, Sugar Land, Bellaire: real estate, house, neighborhoods)

[Slowdowntime]

My wife and I are relocating from VA, she's in her mid 40's I'm 50 and her company is relocating her. We want to be close to her office in Katy but it looks like you get more bang for your buck in Richmond. We're looking for something under 275K over 2500sf.

So, what's the difference in living in Katy vs. Richmond. Any advice is greatly appreciated we can't wait to get out of this apathetic area and move where people actually care about one another.

[radiolibre99]

Katy is closer to Houston so it has that going for it and it's schools are top notch.

Richmond is really nice. I remember going there every X-Mas to look at the christmas lights on the homes. They go all out. I would probably take Richmond over Katy for purely aesthetic reasons, It's quaint. Katy has more going on and is closer to the city, so it depends on what you're looking for.

[sksainath]

Welcome to the Houston area. I live in Katy and recently bought an investment house in Richmond. There is a difference in the Community look, choice of bars/restaurants. Cinco/Seven Meadows/Grand Lakes are very nice Master Planned Communities. The Katy area is more developed and its very walk-able. Having said that the area of Richmond just south of Westpark tollway is picking up with retail, new communities and entertainment. In a couple years, the entire arc from katy to richmond to sugarland will become even more attractive. I would recommend the area just south of Westpark tollway if you want to look in Richmond. You will get more bang for the buck as you said. The main difference at this point is maturity and school district.

[jtothemak]

Richmond will be the next Katy. Is is already developing as most of South Katy is full. Yes your money goes further in Richmond and why I bought in Richmond just over the line from Katy. Check school ratings as a lot of schools are just as good as Katy schools. If you want a newer home Lakes of Bella Terra, Westheimer lakes and Long Meadow Farms are great neighborhoods. Older homes Waterside Estates, Pecan Grove ect.

A lot of people do not realize but there is actually more expensive real estate in 77406 vs 77494. Don't believe me sort by price for each zip code ascending.

[War Beagle]

Your decision shouldn't be made based on a comparison of the school districts as a whole. Both Katy ISD and LCISD are very good. My perception is that Katy ISD is slightly overrated and LCISD is slightly underrated. Both have excellent schools and some that are more average.

Given the the schools in both areas are excellent, I would make your decision based on which area you prefer, which has more of the amenities/shopping/restaurants you want, etc.

[sksainath]

Originally Posted by War Beagle

Your decision shouldn't be made based on a comparison of the school districts as a whole. Both Katy ISD and LCISD are very good. My perception is that Katy ISD is slightly overrated and LCISD is slightly underrated. Both have excellent schools and some that are more average.

Given the the schools in both areas are excellent, I would make your decision based on which area you prefer, which has more of the amenities/shopping/restaurants you want, etc.

That might be the case but I saw the National Rankings and both Cinco and Seven Lakes made it in the top 1000. For some reason, folks advise to avoid LCISD. Do you know why?

[BFFMaya]

We built into Long Meadow Farms in 2007 and love it . . . albeit we have a home along the creek with an amazing private backyard; and a pool which I could not have survived the Houston summers without. We don't have kids and so school wasn't an issue, but my step-grandson came to live with us for a little while and we found the folks at Foster very caring and great to work with. When we first moved here we had to travel to Katy for groceries, gas, banking, etc., but all the conveniences have pretty much grown up around us. My MIL lives with us and broke her hip last year and the FD and EMTs were here in no time and super awesome. Long Meadow has been a great neighborhood although from what I hear they really need another pool as the current one is overcrowded in the summer; great gym though! Although we have enjoyed our time here in Texas, we have decided to start planning for an escape from the rat race and recently purchased property in the TN mountains with plans to construct a small cabin.

[BFFMaya]

I forgot to mention, I would avoid the Fry Road exit off 99; would drive me crazy if I had to deal with that every day. JMO of course.

[War Beagle]

Originally Posted by sksainath

That might be the case but I saw the National Rankings and both Cinco and Seven Lakes made it in the top 1000. For some reason, folks advise to avoid LCISD. Do you know why?

Katy's reputation is based almost entirely on those two schools, which is what I was getting at when I said that you really can't base the decision on Katy ISD versus LCISD when it's the individual schools that matter.

I think there are probably several reasons why people say to avoid LCISD in favor of Katy:

First, Katy ISD is the educational equivalent of a brand so it's reputation spreads by word of mouth. It has a good reputation and that reputation now seems to perpetuate itself.

Second, LCISD arguably doesn't have any high schools of the caliber of Cinco Ranch or Seven Lakes. Of course, the rest of Katy ISD doesn't have high schools of that caliber either. The rest of Katy ISD is pretty similar to LCISD. The natural inclination is for parents to send their kids to the very best school, which is understandable. However, unless a parent is certain their child is going to perform at the top of their class, sending an average kid to Cinco or Seven Lakes could make college admissions more challenging since TX public university admissions rank class rank so heavily and competition will be extremely fierce at those schools.

Third, Katy and LCISD have historically been different socioeconomic types. Katy has largely been college-educated professionals for a long time now, whereas LCISD has taken longer to gain a professional population. LCISD has historically been more blue-collar or agricultural, but that is changing quickly now that Sugar Land is completely built out in terms of residential construction.

Fourth, homes tend to be more expensive in Katy, so there is a personal incentive for realtors to steer clients towards Katy.

Those are just my thoughts. Others could disagree completely.

[sksainath]

Originally Posted by War Beagle

Katy's reputation is based almost entirely on those two schools, which is what I was getting at when I said that you really can't base the decision on Katy ISD versus LCISD when it's the individual schools that matter.

I think there are probably several reasons why people say to avoid LCISD in favor of Katy:

First, Katy ISD is the educational equivalent of a brand so it's reputation spreads by word of mouth. It has a good reputation and that reputation now seems to perpetuate itself.

Second, LCISD arguably doesn't have any high schools of the caliber of Cinco Ranch or Seven Lakes. Of course, the rest of Katy ISD doesn't have high schools of that caliber either. The rest of Katy ISD is pretty similar to LCISD. The natural inclination is for parents to send their kids to the very best school, which is understandable. However, unless a parent is certain their child is going to perform at the top of their class, sending an average kid to Cinco or Seven Lakes could make college admissions more challenging since TX public university admissions rank class rank so heavily and competition will be extremely fierce at those schools.

Third, Katy and LCISD have historically been different socioeconomic types. Katy has largely been college-educated professionals for a long time now, whereas LCISD has taken longer to gain a professional population. LCISD has historically been more blue-collar or agricultural, but that is changing quickly now that Sugar Land is completely built out in terms of residential construction.

Fourth, homes tend to be more expensive in Katy, so there is a personal incentive for realtors to steer clients towards Katy.

Those are just my thoughts. Others could disagree completely.

Absolutely makes perfect sense. Yeah I always hear Cinco or Seven Lakes when people mention Katy. Also with Sugarland and South Katy essentially built out, Richmond area that lies along 99 is primed for a bump. I see construction booming along 99 near Mason and Bellaire. All it needs is a La Centerra/Sugarland town center type of attraction. I do have a vested interest in both the areas but its good that the west side of town is attracting people. I prefer having fun in the area instead of having to drive inside the loop and enjoying my car hitting a hundred bumps and potholes.