Finding ideal home for my family in Houston (Pearland, Friendswood: for sale, houses)

[Gypsysoul91]

I have lived in NJ for a long time, and for the most part I've always looked forward to the day I finally got out of here. I left to Miami to get my masters in social work and realized that the lifestyle wasn't what I was looking for and returned to NJ upon graduation. For months, I have been been looking for possible places to move to, and considered Texas a great option for the laid back life I was looking for. Funny enough, my dad knows someone who is a manager at an oil company in Houston and he offered him a job. Now we're thinking about going this summer and checking out the city, as this is a pretty good offer and I honestly believe that we would have a better quality of life there. We're currently living in Paterson, NJ, so any place is better than here! Anyways, as we look at homes for sale, we have seen some pretty affordable homes, but have no clue as to good and bad towns. I really want to find a good school for my sister who is 9 years old. We have looked at Cypress and Katy, but have read mixed reviews on here on these towns and don't know if a house under $200,000 would necessarily be a good choice although we get more for our money, at least more than in NJ.

Where can we find a nice family friendly suburb to call home (pref. under 250k)
And also, does anyone know how the social work field is doing in Houston?

[Athena2c]

Cypress and Katy are both considered good suburbs. Personally, I prefer Cypress. We actually bought a year ago on the Cypress/Tomball border (Northpointe area) and got a great, large house for $250K. Because the address is Tomball, the houses are slightly less and you can find some good ones in the $200K range. Also, Tomball ISD is well rated, especially the schools around here.

That said, I am an MSW, and for most Social Work jobs living out here means you have a pretty decent commute (mine is 45 min to an hour each way). To get an idea of Social Work jobs available here, check out:
Job Board - University of Houston
Community Job Bank
For some jobs, like the local government, some hospitals, etc., you have to look at their direct sites, but this will give you an idea.
Best of luck!

[TXbywayof]

Can you share what you didn't like about Miami? I'm not sure Houston would qualify as a laid back lifestyle.

There are a lot of medical SW jobs concentrated in the medical center. You can even find the occasional sales/marketing position where either an RN or LMSW is preferred. It's a long commute from Cypress to the med center. I did it and it took an hour to 1-1/4 hours in, and 1-1/2 hours out. The Park and Ride is a great alternative.

[lhafer]

Where is the job offer located? You don't want to live in Katy, but have to commute to the ship channel where most of the refineries are located. Would the job be in downtown?

[PedroMartinez]

There are a lot of very nice suburban areas with good schools that would be in your price range, but without knowing the location of where your father is working, it's tough to know the appropriate are.

[Meyerland]

Pearland sounds like a good fit for your family, but it is hard to say without knowing the work location. Houston is a huge area and is a fairly complex mishmash of suburbs and neighborhoods. There are good and bad places to live over the entire Houston area.

[Gypsysoul91]

I do not know for sure, but I believe the zip code of his place of employment would be 77001.

I think Miami is great, but it just didn't seem like the kind of place I would want to stay in the long run. It just seemed like too much of a party city with people who only cared about appearances. I loved having the beaches and restaurants near by, but that was really it. My field doesn't seem to be doing very well there either. Most of the people I graduated with (with an MSW) are still unemployed - I graduated in December. I enjoy being close to the city, but want my home to be someone where I can just relax and live comfortably.

My dad received this great opportunity in Texas and I think it would be a smart move, not just for him, but the family as a whole, as I hear that certain parts are very family friendly. I think a community where there are more children my sister can play with would be great. By the time we move (most like in a year or so) she will be finishing the 4th grade, so a good middle school/ high school is really important for us.

MSW - I'm wondering how competitive the area is for social work jobs? Like most places, I know the pay may not be all that great, but is Houston in need of more social workers right now? I'm taking the licensure exam and depending on if we decide to relocate, I will begin the process to see if I can get reciprocity in the state. I do have some internship experience working in a nursing home, and I would like geriatric social work to be my specialty.

[Athena2c]

77001 puts it right downtown. From any of the suburbs you are looking at least an hour commute, unless he can work off hours, which will lessen it a little. I commuted from Tomball to University of Houston (past downtown) about an hour each way working 9-6. However, being right downtown does make some of the park & ride options easier.
You will get more for your money space wise in the suburbs, but your father will need to be okay with that commute.

MSW-There is a strong MSW program at University of Houston, so you will be competing with those graduates. However, if you are interested in geriatric Social Work, there will be less competition-there just aren't as many MSWs interested in that, especially hospice. If you search on indeed.com with key words (hospice, nursing home, elderly), you will probably find quite a few options, I think your odds would be pretty good at being employed pretty quickly.
You will need to be licensed as an LMSW in Texas before you can even start your search though. Are you taking the ASWB exam in NJ or does NJ have their own? If it ASWB, transferring it to Texas is a lot easier. If it is not the ASWB exam, you will have to take Texas's exam (I had to take it for my LCSW coming from CA).

[Aggiebuttercup]

If it is downtown, you might want to look at the southern suburbs - Pearland, Sugarland, Friendswood.

[DJboutit]

You could get a nice home in Westbury for 250k to 285k on the southwest side just outside the loop. Meadows place right near 69 & the beltway it is under your budget and a nice area to