Westchase vs Spring Branch vs Katy for Empty Nesters (Houston: 2014, apartments)

[gwarnecke]

My wife and I live in the Energy Corridor and are generally happy with the area (beautiful homes, short commute for us, amenities like Terry Hershey Park, etc). Provided that we stay in Houston for the next decade plus, we'll likely stay put but may consider moving a bit east to SBISD 77079 or 77024.

My in-laws will be retiring soon and are planning on relocating from Austin to Houston. Originally, they were planning to move into a townhouse in Westchase that they already own, but they've decided instead to sell and purchase a single-family home (want a yard/garden, and are sick of dealing with the incompetent HOA that keeps raising fees and doesn't maintain the building exteriors properly).

Main requirements:
-Budget $250-300k
-Within 15-20 minutes of us
-Area where they will feel safe walking around the neighborhood
-Minimal flooding risk
-(ideal, but probably lower priority than above items) good potential for appreciation

Their budget doesn't allow for much in the Energy Corridor (maybe an entry-level home in Briar Hills, but for <$300k you won't be getting much of a yard). I've suggested starting the search in Westchase, Spring Branch, and older parts of Katy inside of 99 and south of I-10. Any thoughts on how these areas would compare against our criteria? Any particular neighborhoods to focus on or avoid?

[shanv3]

You can look at 77077 area. There are beautiful single family houses in that zip for that price. The price is low because of bad schools but it doesn't matter you anyway.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by shanv3

You can look at 77077 area. There are beautiful single family houses in that zip for that price. The price is low because of bad schools but it doesn't matter you anyway.

If the zip code is 77077, I found that some parts of the zip code are zoned to better schools and some are zoned to very poorly performing schools! TLDR the Askew and Ashford elementary zones and the Revere MS zone have schools performing at "C" or below according to Children at Risk. Barbara Bush and Ray K Daily elementaries and West Briar middle perform better, so I imagine homes zoned to those schools would be worth more.

Breakdown: For the single family homes these are zoned schools:

• Askew ES https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...s/Askew_ES.pdf
• Ashford ES https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...Ashford_ES.pdf
• Daily ES https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...s/Daily_ES.pdf
• Barbara Bush ES https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...ps/Bush_ES.pdf
• Revere MS (East of Kirkwood) https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/.../Revere_MS.pdf
• West Briar MS (west of Kirkwood_) https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...t_Briar_MS.pdf
• Westside HS https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...estside_HS.pdf

Shadowbriar Magnet takes people from the four elementary schools above as per https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...boundaries.pdf

• Elementary schools: Barbara Bush is statewide #84, an A+; Ray Daily is statewide #1604, a B-; Askew is statewide #3141, a C-; Shadowbriar Magnet is statewide #4067, a D-; and Ashford is statewide 34467, an F -- https://texasschoolguide.org/content...ementary-1.pdf
• Middle schools: West Briar is statewide #391, a B+, and Revere is statewide #1811, a D https://texasschoolguide.org/content...s_Middle-1.pdf
• High school: Westside is statewide #555, a B https://texasschoolguide.org/content...kings_High.pdf

[gwarnecke]

Thanks for the info. Indeed the schools aren't a major consideration except for the degree to which they would affect resale.

We're considering 77077 (I called that Westchase in my original post, but I guess technically 77077 is north of Westchase).

My main grievances with 77077/Westchase are the retail stagnation/decline along the west end of Westheimer Road (compared with Spring Branch, which seems to be booming) and anecdotal reports I've heard that foundation issues are unusually common in the neighborhoods along Briar Forest Rd.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by gwarnecke

Thanks for the info. Indeed the schools aren't a major consideration except for the degree to which they would affect resale.

We're considering 77077 (I called that Westchase in my original post, but I guess technically 77077 is north of Westchase).

My main grievances with 77077/Westchase are the retail stagnation/decline along the west end of Westheimer Road (compared with Spring Branch, which seems to be booming) and anecdotal reports I've heard that foundation issues are unusually common in the neighborhoods along Briar Forest Rd.

Spring Branch used to be the foundation problem epicenter of Houston, especially along Westview on the fault that runs through there.

[Failed Engineer]

I would try to get into Spring Shadows at that budget. The other areas with appreciation potential might not meet the safely walk around criteria. Memorial Parkway in Katy is a good option with many properties in the price range.

[shanv3]

Originally Posted by Vicman

If the zip code is 77077, I found that some parts of the zip code are zoned to better schools and some are zoned to very poorly performing schools! TLDR the Askew and Ashford elementary zones and the Revere MS zone have schools performing at "C" or below according to Children at Risk. Barbara Bush and Ray K Daily elementaries and West Briar middle perform better, so I imagine homes zoned to those schools would be worth more.

Breakdown: For the single family homes these are zoned schools:

• Askew ES https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...s/Askew_ES.pdf
• Ashford ES https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...Ashford_ES.pdf
• Daily ES https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...s/Daily_ES.pdf
• Barbara Bush ES https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...ps/Bush_ES.pdf
• Revere MS (East of Kirkwood) https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/.../Revere_MS.pdf
• West Briar MS (west of Kirkwood_) https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...t_Briar_MS.pdf
• Westside HS https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...estside_HS.pdf

Shadowbriar Magnet takes people from the four elementary schools above as per https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...boundaries.pdf

• Elementary schools: Barbara Bush is statewide #84, an A+; Ray Daily is statewide #1604, a B-; Askew is statewide #3141, a C-; Shadowbriar Magnet is statewide #4067, a D-; and Ashford is statewide 34467, an F -- https://texasschoolguide.org/content...ementary-1.pdf
• Middle schools: West Briar is statewide #391, a B+, and Revere is statewide #1811, a D https://texasschoolguide.org/content...s_Middle-1.pdf
• High school: Westside is statewide #555, a B https://texasschoolguide.org/content...kings_High.pdf

Thanks for this info. And I also heard that many people zone to Barbara Bush(especially with a lots of apartments around Eldridge/Brian Forest and HWY 6) were rezoned to Ray K Daily. And even when that got full, some were zoned to other schools which were rated lower. We like that area, but that's the reason we are hesitant. Otherwise its pretty safe and close to everything, including Terry Hershey park and the trails.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by shanv3

Thanks for this info. And I also heard that many people zone to Barbara Bush(especially with a lots of apartments around Eldridge/Brian Forest and HWY 6) were rezoned to Ray K Daily. And even when that got full, some were zoned to other schools which were rated lower. We like that area, but that's the reason we are hesitant. Otherwise its pretty safe and close to everything, including Terry Hershey park and the trails.

Indeed Barbara Bush got multiple rezones since it got full. Here's the current zones:

• Bush: https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...ps/Bush_ES.pdf
• Daily: https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...s/Daily_ES.pdf
• Ashford: https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...Ashford_ES.pdf

These are the maps from 2002 by contrast:

• Bush: https://web.archive.org/web/20020402...ages2/bush.jpg
• Ashford: https://web.archive.org/web/20021025...s2/ashford.jpg

2005/2006:

• Bush: Wayback Machine
• Ashford: Wayback Machine

2007:

• Bush: Wayback Machine
• Daily: Wayback Machine
• Ashford: Wayback Machine

2009 (these boundaries stayed the same until at least around 2014):

• Bush: http://web.archive.org/web/200902060...aps/bushES.pdf
• Daily: http://web.archive.org/web/200902060...ps/dailyes.pdf
• Ashford: http://web.archive.org/web/200709272.../AshfordES.pdf

This document shows the latest rezone among schools in the western fringe: https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/...boundaries.pdf Indeed some properties from Daily got rezoned to Ashford just as some Bush areas got rezoned to Daily.

[cheryjohns]

I second Spring Shadows. There are 4 bedrooms around 2500 square feet for you - and 3 bedrooms under 2000 for them. Schools are good. Appreciation good. Comfortable neighborhood ((walk your dog at night).

[SK115]

I live in 77077 and there are a lot of listings there that would fit your in-law's criteria. Of course you know that not all neighborhoods in 77077 are created equal, but there are some listings in good neighborhoods in that range.

It would be hard to find anything under 300k in 77079. They are mostly townhomes or houses that flooded in Harvey.

Another option is Tanglewilde/Westmont in 77063. While the surrounding areas aren't perfect, I feel that there is potential for appreciation. Being inside the beltway, there has been quite a bit of appreciation in there in the last couple years, but there are still affordable options.

I would also look at Katy in 77450, as there are lots of options in their range.

Full disclosure, I'm a realtor myself.