Easy commute and best school near 77041 (Houston, Spring: for rent, crime rate, house prices)

[anilsubramanian]

Hi -We are planning to move to Houston in July and going to work in 77041 zip code - planning to rent a house first then by later on (not sure it's a good idea or not - seeing the Houston house prices sky rocketing ) - need advice on where to look for!

My daughter is 4 yrs and we need a living near to good elementary school and less crime which is in max 15 miles commute from work (77041)

My budget for renting is max $1600 monthly and if I see some good houses would like to buy if it's with in $300k - again buying is more like later after getting to know the neighborhood better!

Is this a reasonable amount? Which area I should start looking first ?

[anilsubramanian]

Any suggestions - 77041 is Intersection of Beltway 8 and Clay Rd... Thank you very much for your help

[timtemtym]

There are great neighborhoods west of there and in a not too bad area of Cy-Fair ISD. Lakes Of Eldridge is in that zip code and has nice homes.

If you'e looking for more Outer suburb areas, West of Highway 6 and north of 529 has great new and gently used neighborhoods with pretty good schools. I'd stay south of 290 and not use 290 to get to work as it is undergoing a massive expansion and right now has pretty bad commute times.

If you keep going west on Clay Rd, there are newer neighborhoods around Fry, those aren't too bad either. Katy ISD in that area is generally anything south of Clay and Cy-Fair isNorth. You'll hear arguments both ways on which school district is better. Katy ISD schools SOUTH of I-10 are generally ranked better, but it's not a bad area north of I-10 that far out (along Fry Rd. or Mason Rd.).

Are you coming from another state? Factor in Texas property taxes in that 300k budget. You may want to shift down that 300 to 250, you can still get a nice newer or new house in west houston.

[anilsubramanian]

Thank you so much - I did look at Lakes Of Eldridge area through HAR - pretty expensive all are 500k + houses - that's way out of my budget! I am coming from OK and heard about the property tax situation, you are right I need to think about 250K budget.

I really liked the Willowbrook mall area and found many good houses - I am talking about zip code 77070 and mostly will use 249 to work - is that a good area? not sure about the schools - great schools I see good schools near tomball. I read some old posts - crime rate is high near to mall, is it better now?

Thank you very much again! Will keep looking in Katy too - please share more ideas

[dereistic01]

I used to live near Willowbrook, around Champions Dr and 1960 and work in 77041 (Jones & 529). The area was really good, police always patroling, especially at night. It did seem like crime stayed mostly above Champions Forest Dr. Once you leave the Champions area, it gets a lot worse. Use www.crimereports.com to get an idea of crime in the area.

The traffic around the mall is horrible, but you can find ways around by cutting through the neighborhoods. I always took 1960 to Jones to get to work, not too bad of a drive, but it could get pretty bad around rush hour.

[cheryjohns]

Spring Shadow in 77080 and 77043. It's adjacent to work zip.

[renee7363]

My neighborhood is in 77429, but borders 77070 and I work in 77041. My commute is about 35-40 minutes in the morning and 25-30 minutes in the evening. Hamilton Elementary is an excellent school.

[anilsubramanian]

Thank you everyone for the help - Zip code 77429 looks great - Good school ratings too. What about the construction going on in 290? Is it a difficult commute?

[fnh]

Spring Branch north of I-10, south of 290, east of the beltway and west of 610 has very low performing schools. There is a sliver of land north of I-10 zoned to schools south of I-10, but homes there are priced accordingly.

South of I-10 will be above your budget, look north and west. 77429 is very nice but the commute needs careful consideration. Gleason Elementary in 77064 is well regarded and only 6 miles north. You may be able to find something in your budget in one of the Winchester neighborhoods there. Also, Villages at Lakepointe is only 5 miles away in 77041 and Lee Elementary looks strong although I know less about it. Good luck!

[timtemtym]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

Spring Shadow in 77080 and 77043. It's adjacent to work zip.

Ooh I forgot about Spring Shadows. I love that area and being in Spring Branch ISD is great. That district is very innovative and offers good programs plus you're sharing a school district with the memorial villages which contains some of the highest wealth in SE Texas. The teachers I know in SBISD wouldn't even consider working elsewhere. It's one of the hardest to get a job in and they retain good people and can be picky with their teachers which trickles out to the lower-income schools as teachers will go there just to get into the district.