Working at the TMC, west Pearland vs. Meyerland / Maplewood / Westbury /Willow Meadows (Katy: neighborhood, middle school)

[bu2]

Originally Posted by pearlandnation

The mornings start to build up at about 6:00 - 6:15 and last until almost 9:00. The evenings start to build up at about 4 and go till almost 7.

But it doesn't really get bad until around 7 and leaving until about 5.

I agree Pearland will get worse. Its really booming. But its still not as bad as the Gulf Freeway, Southwest Freeway, Katy Freeway, North Freeway or Northwest Freeway. You're probably spoiled. There was a time not too many years ago when you got run over if you weren't doing at least 70.

[sentrywoods]

There are plenty of homes in your price range that are zoned to Pearland ISD.

[Annquist]

Thank you Houston nomad, Rycy,nana053....

How do the people in Pearland feel their property values are holding up? I know the Houston areas mentioned are appreciating and I would hope the burbs would at least hold steady?

[Rycy]

We've slightly increased since last year in the resale market. My home is up (based a a bit lower than the average square footage price) from its original purchase price from the builder 10 years ago (maybe about 15k-ish). I've noticed that the West Pearland area tends to have a slightly higher turnover rate due to the constant flux of the med center community (residencies, fellowships, etc). We have a few friends that have bought and sold in Pearland in the past six years based purely on job location. I also find more and more of my husband's coworkers moving into the community because it's the closest suburb/commute to the med center, so I don't think the area is going to experience a downturn anytime soon.

If you're concerned about home value, it might actually be better to look at some of the resales on the market instead of a new home. My father-in-law has been looking at homes in the area and I was really surprised at the price of new homes vs. one that's a few years older. The Perry home my father-in-law liked was roughly $50k more expensive than the resale that was 4 years old. Granted, that same new Perry home was $50k less last year as well, so I don't think the price on the resales are a matter of depreciation.

[sentrywoods]

Today's market is very strong so values are up. Overall, the values are holding strong and should for the foreseeable future. The "Pearland Medical Center" is growing and Mitsubishi is opening it's first US plant in Pearland. The city is only getting better and values will go up with it.

[karuna95]

Testmo's response is spot on, although I'd add that you could still find some homes in your price range in Meyerland. I did a quick search on Zillow and saw a few options.

I commute from Meyerland to the TMC every day. During rush hour (7:45am in the morning, and 5:30 pm in the evening), the commute is about 15-20 minutes max. For a slow bicyclist, the commute will be between 30 - 35 minutes on the bayou.

Having young children, you will want to look at schools. Lovett Elementary is an exemplary school. You can get more details here. And if you stay longer, Bellaire HS is one of the best public high schools in Houston. It offers both AP and IB programs, and about 10 different languages your child can study... and every year, there's a slew of National Merit Finalists and Semifinalists from Bellaire. There are also many excellent private school options close by, if you prefer that.

We moved to Meyerland from West University 4 years ago and really appreciate the differences. The Meyerland lots are larger, the streets wider, and there's just more breathing room between the homes. I also really like the friendliness and diversity of the Meyerland community, both in terms of race/ethnicity, but also in terms of political and religious perspectives.

Pearland also offers diversity, but in terms of commute and quality of life, I'd have to vote for Meyerland. Good luck with your move, and let us know what you decide.

[Bike4Life]

Originally Posted by Annquist

Thank you Houston nomad, Rycy,nana053....

How do the people in Pearland feel their property values are holding up? I know the Houston areas mentioned are appreciating and I would hope the burbs would at least hold steady?

The price of houses in Silverlake Pearland dropped at least 10% around 2008. Then in 2011, Silverlake houses started going back up but I'm not sure if it exceeds the 2007 peak level. This seems to be common in many suburbs which can be a bargain for a used suburban home.

Meanwhile, our homes in Willowbend were pretty stable during 2008 and have gone up steadily since then. It appears that more young people and families are moving into Willowbend after a long period of time when silver haired people lived around here.

When we first came to Willowbend in 2000, I knew this was it. Meyerland Plaza had transformed from a dead mall in the 1980s into a vibrant shopping center in 1995, I like the "pretty" businesses along West Loop as oppose to blight, the 12 minute drive to The Galleria or TMC, our Willow Pool, and Grace Episcopal Day care and later the Westbury Methodist Day School. So, we slapped down an offer on the very first day with our new Realtor and been here ever since. If you like remodeling your home to your taste, this is a good area to put more money into renovations. We rarely need to navigate more than 7 miles from our home in Willowbend.

You'll probably find similarities with Maplewood, Meyerland and Westbury except they have more popular elementary schools like Parker and Kolter so that might be a good option for you. If you decide to be on that side, you might want to be close to the Maplewood Family Recreation Park. It's a great place to meet your neighbors and to cool off at the community swimming pool.

[philopower]

Maplewood is in your budget and the schools are better than westbury. Definitely go for maplewood. Pearland is awful. It's the suburbs and a rather uninteresting suburb.

[diggity101]

Maplewood covers a large area with many different school tracts (as does Westbury) so you can't really say the schools are better or worse.

[TXbywayof]

If you are considering Pearland you might want to also consider Sienna Plantation. The Fort Bend toll road runs through Sienna Plantation and I have heard it is a pretty easy drive into TMC.