Moving from Chicago to Houston in June

[Pinkribbon518]

Having lived in the Chicago suburbs for 45 years prior to moving here, expect some culture shock! It is a transition. In the price range you are considering, you may want to consider renting a room in a private home, vs an apartment. East Pearland would be good, near the Beltway (Sam Houston toll) would help. $700 with utilities will not be enough in the current economy to get you a "decent" apartment in that area. There are some newer complexes along the Sam Houston toll a little east of the Hobby area. Clear Lake, though good advise, will mean you need to commute on Route 45 to and from work. (UGLY traffic).
There is something called the Houston Transtar....it is a live traffic map. You may want to spend some time looking at that during the times you would be commuting, from different locales that interest you. It shows the traffic volume. You may find your commute from Clear Lake too painful to consider if you are heading north up 45.
The good news for apartments here however, is that 6 month leases are very common, and while rents are not cheap, deposits are generally very low. The bad news is, what they quote you on the phone frequently changes daily, so be prepared for some other surprises. Good luck on your impending move. We have yet in our 7+ years here to shovel one flake of snow ; )

[SoxSider]

Great advice, thanks. Clear Lake sounds like it's out at this point in time. Really love the Galleria area but the only places in my price range are shared areas which I'm not entirely opposed to but obviously need to get along with a housemate. Montrose sounds like the same thing. I also like Oak Forest but seems to be all single family homes. Would love more suggestions. Sounding like the Astrodome area and Bellaire/Medical Center might be where i nee to start looking but would love further input.

[majicdonjuan]

Just a bit of advice on the Holly Hall area - some of the properties in that area are nicer than others. However, in my opinion the apartments north of Holly Hall, south of OST, west of Almeda and east of Knight Rd (basically in the immediate vicinity of the UT Medical Campus) are a bit nicer than the ones that are actually on Holly Hall west of Almeda. The ones on Holly Hall between Almeda and 288 are probably the nicest ones in the immediate area but likely more expensive. (Some are townhouses/condos too.)

Hope that helps!