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Old 10-09-2014, 07:18 AM
 
34,619 posts, read 21,621,539 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by surferdude949 View Post
I’m scouting where to rent an apartment in Houston. What area would be similar to Orange County (Irvine, Huntington Beach).

I have no perception of the rent average in Houston. I’m currently paying $1500 for a fully upgraded apt. what is the average rent in Houston in a good area such as North West/ West side.
If you do actually enjoy surfing, you may want to consider the northeast side close to Lake Houston. We have a pretty active wakesurfing scene there. Yes, it's not the same as ocean surfing; however, you always know there will be surf, it's always consistent and the rides are soooo much longer.

I'll assume you know this, but there are people who go out and surf the tanker wakes in the ship channel. It would also be quite different in terms of style and all, but it's one other surf outlet in this area.

Of course, winter is coming, and that is when you have the best chances of some surf that might be worth visiting on our coast. We don't get good surf often, but we get stuff that is surfable from time to time in winter.
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Old 10-09-2014, 08:18 AM
 
Location: Clear Lake
200 posts, read 297,270 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasTallest View Post
im not familiar with IT and if its confined to a certain part of town like other sectors are. for 1500 you shouldnt have a problem finding a place almost anywhere in town though, sans the uber luxury high-rise towers.
Information Technology is pretty spread around.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PedroMartinez View Post
I'd rather drive an extra hour each day (extra, as in on top of) then live somewhere that I don't particularly like, so I agree with txdemo.
it's not the "drive" time. it is the "sit in traffic and go no where" time added on top of the actual drive time. you're basically saying you would live in Pearland and work off 1960. (that is actually under an hour drive time) I wonder how long it is during traffic.

I know there is people that do it. I've known people to drive from west and southwest Houston to Galveston but that's against traffic usually. to each there own either way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PedroMartinez View Post
Of course, winter is coming, and that is when you have the best chances of some surf that might be worth visiting on our coast. We don't get good surf often, but we get stuff that is surfable from time to time in winter.
you left off the tropical storm/hurricane surfing! I know, it's not very regular and all but I've heard the waves are great then! (I kid, I kid!)
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Old 10-09-2014, 10:55 AM
 
34,619 posts, read 21,621,539 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by georgemichael View Post
you're basically saying you would live in Pearland and work off 1960. (that is actually under an hour drive time) I wonder how long it is during traffic.
I don't know of anything in Pearland that wouldn't be off of 1960, so let's change it to Seabrook.

If I were an avid sailor who loved being out on Galveston Bay each weekend but had to work off of 1960, yes, I would make that daily drive from Seabrook and continue to look for a job closer or a way to change my career.
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Old 10-13-2014, 12:00 PM
 
946 posts, read 1,136,872 times
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Hi guys,

so my wife is there now. We just drove from OC to Humble argh.. I'm back in OC till I find and job.

I didn't get to see much of Houston (mostly NorthWest) near the HP headquarters. It was very different from OC and I may have some very hard adjustments to do when I move there.

Can someone tell me about purchasing a house in Houston. I saw some really nice homes in the $350k range in the Cypress area. They're a lot cheaper than OC of course but I heard the property tax is higher and so is the home insurance.
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Old 10-13-2014, 12:50 PM
 
Location: Clear Lake
200 posts, read 297,270 times
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use Houston Real estate, Houston homes, Houston Realtors - HAR.com for the best results when searching.

get yourself an agent to look out for you as a buyer. start calling possible lenders. you can get pre-qualified to get a ballpark of your budget but you need to get pre-approved to start shopping and show sellers you're a serious buyer. (some properties only require the pre-qualification to make an offer but as stated in other threads most agents won't even take you on showings without the pre-approval)

as for property tax that is going to depend on where you buy, what city it ends up being, is it in a M.U.D. what school district the property is in. you will want to know if there is an HOA also (that's a yearly cost: Homeowner association - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and some can be real pain to deal with or will charge you a fee to even sell the house if you move). taxes you can find for the individual places you are interested in. also you might want to read this: HCAD: Property Tax Exemptions for Homeowners

as for insurance that will depend on the house, the area (several factors including but not limited to if the property is in a flood zone), and what insurance company you go with. how much coverage do you want? always best to call several insurance companies to get quotes and compare after you find the house you want. you could probably call a few to get ballpark figures or maybe someone could give some.
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Old 10-13-2014, 04:46 PM
 
946 posts, read 1,136,872 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by georgemichael View Post
use Houston Real estate, Houston homes, Houston Realtors - HAR.com for the best results when searching.



as for insurance that will depend on the house, the area (several factors including but not limited to if the property is in a flood zone), and what insurance company you go with. how much coverage do you want? always best to call several insurance companies to get quotes and compare after you find the house you want. you could probably call a few to get ballpark figures or maybe someone could give some.
Flood zone? Waat! Ok so what's up with the "floods"? Can you elaborate more about what to be prepared for living in Houston.
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Old 10-13-2014, 05:23 PM
 
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
7,484 posts, read 10,449,471 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by surferdude949 View Post
Flood zone? Waat! Ok so what's up with the "floods"? Can you elaborate more about what to be prepared for living in Houston.
Much hotter and more humid than what you are accustomed to during the summer months and don't forget to throw in mosquitoes and large flying roaches might be the biggest things for you to over come besides the fact that the geography is also quite different. If you can get past these things you will be just fine. And you won't find CA Mex (YUCK!) but you will find exceptional Tex Mex and real Mexican food.

There are more pluses to living in Houston than minus but many Californians that are hung up on things such as weather, scenery and beautiful beaches as a must for living a quality life will never be happy in most other states or cities.

Why the move to Houston? IT is big everywhere especially here in the Bay Area...but the water is ice cold all year round.
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Old 10-13-2014, 05:50 PM
 
Location: Clear Lake
200 posts, read 297,270 times
Reputation: 82
Harris County Flood Education Mapping Tool

Harris County Flood Control District - Flood Insurance Rate Maps
(quoted from the above link: "The regulatory floodplains are estimates of the potential for flooding. Analysis after past flood events has indicated that the estimates are, for the most part, relatively accurate. However, these estimates are only as good as the technical data on which they are based. So, there is some generally accepted range of uncertainty in these estimates. In other words, the floodplain maps are accurate, but only to a point. They provide a reasonable depiction of higher-risk flood areas along the primary bayous and creeks." so in other words if the house you fall for happens to be in one of these zones deemed to be part of the floodplain then hello extra insurance! flood insurance. if the house you choose isn't in a flood zone then flood insurance is generally optional and usually cheap. another thing to note, if a hurricane or tropical storms pays us a visit the flood insurance can be a good thing to have. once either hits the Gulf (I think it is) then you can't decide to go and get it. anyone feel free to correct me on that if I have the cutoff wrong.)

//www.city-data.com/forum/houst...nce-rates.html
//www.city-data.com/forum/houst...-increase.html
(an older threads on the topic)

https://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmar...licy_rates.jsp
https://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmar...s_required.jsp

The National Flood Insurance Program | FEMA.gov

a bit overkill probably but you asked! happy reading! before I forget, if you decide to live closer to the coast here or actually on it, well, good luck and ouch!
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Old 10-13-2014, 06:49 PM
 
2,945 posts, read 4,992,719 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PedroMartinez View Post
I'd rather drive an extra hour each day (extra, as in on top of) then live somewhere that I don't particularly like, so I agree with txdemo.
Yep. Thus why I don't live anywhere close to Westheimer. Within reason though. Seabrook to 1960 is just crazy talk.

OP rent before you buy first.
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Old 10-14-2014, 07:09 AM
 
2,756 posts, read 3,809,398 times
Reputation: 4433
Rent for at least one year before you buy. Some houses are in the flood plain so flood insurance is higher. Being in the flood plain doesn't mean your house will flood. Sellers have to disclose to you whether the house has ever been flooded. Ask the neighbors whether they've ever flooded.

If the house didn't flood during Tropical Storm Allison (google some photos - the whole city was practically underwater), then it's HIGHLY unlikely that the house will ever flood.
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