Housing options with a 45 minute commute of Downtown Aquarium (Houston: real estate market, new home)

[Fiona8484]

We are currently located in Silicon Valley, but looking for a more affordable metro area to settle down in. A very small single family house in SV that is near major tech employers in a mediocre school district can easily run $700-900k.

We have been very seriously considering the Houston area. On a side note, also open to Austin (due to the tech job market) and looking into other tech cities but primary reason for relocation is housing affordability. I feel the Austin housing market may be close to a bubble due to the possibly unsustainable increases that have been occurring in that city, so I am wary of that.

Not sure if this makes a difference, but we are from a more politically moderate part of NY so we can be tolerant in a liberal or conservative region of the country.

Schools are less of an issue for us, but we want to be someplace relatively safe. After living here, we would be ecstatic to live in a house that is newer, 3 bed/2 bath and 1500+ sq feet. I think our absolute minimum sq footage requirement would be 1200 sq ft if it meant a drastically shorter commute or much more desirable area. The other big issue is commute time, an ideal commute would be under 45 minutes to the area near the Aquarium.

Any idea of what zip codes I should be looking into for housing? I am trying to get a better picture of the real estate market before we make any big decisions. As of right now, house budget could run anywhere between $150-300k, but it ultimately depends on what salary is offered.

We aren't big city people, so something more suburban would be ok by us. It's fun to go into the city for a sporting event, but it's not something we need to do all the time.

What zip codes should we look at that would be within a 45 minute drive of Houston?

Thanks for your time and assistance!

[chris_ut]

I will warn you that a nice house in desirable neighborhoods in Houston can now run you in the same budget you are fleeing but you are still good in the farther out suburbs. 77339 (Kingwood) is around 45 minutes and has houses in your price range. Avoid Kings Mill as the school arent as good. Here is a sample house in your price range: 3527 Oak Lake Dr., Kingwood, TX 77339 - HAR.com

[tstone]

Pearland

[Fiona8484]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

I will warn you that a nice house in desirable neighborhoods in Houston can now run you in the same budget you are fleeing but you are still good in the farther out suburbs. 77339 (Kingwood) is around 45 minutes and has houses in your price range. Avoid Kings Mill as the school arent as good. Here is a sample house in your price range: 3527 Oak Lake Dr., Kingwood, TX 77339 - HAR.com

That's a very nice large home, but we could be very happy in something half of that size too.

Do you recommend any particular cities or zip codes for small homes (1200 sq ft) closer to Houston? Depending on salary, we may be able to go up to $350k.

Thanks for the tip about Kings Mill.

[Fiona8484]

Originally Posted by tstone

Pearland

Thank you!

Something like this would be great and is along the lines of what we are looking for:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...9-19904?row=60

[trbstang]

The bus that I occasionally take from my area (NW Houston) goes right by the Aquarium and the bus ride is about 30 min from the Park and Ride lot to the first downtown stop. If you are open to that option, there are plenty of homes around me in good neighborhoods in your price range. Zips 77064, 77040 and even some new homes in 77065. $150K for 3/2 1500 sqft and $300K for a 4+/3+ 3000+ sqft. But driving would put you just outside 45 min to 1 hour in traffic. I drive after rush hour and it takes me about 30-35 min to the downtown area.

Kingwood and Pearland are probably the best two areas for newer homes I agree that could be within the 45 min average.

Good luck in your search!

[Fiona8484]

Originally Posted by trbstang

The bus that I occasionally take from my area (NW Houston) goes right by the Aquarium and the bus ride is about 30 min from the Park and Ride lot to the first downtown stop. If you are open to that option, there are plenty of homes around me in good neighborhoods in your price range. Zips 77064, 77040 and even some new homes in 77065. $150K for 3/2 1500 sqft and $300K for a 4+/3+ 3000+ sqft. But driving would put you just outside 45 min to 1 hour in traffic. I drive after rush hour and it takes me about 30-35 min to the downtown area.

Kingwood and Pearland are probably the best two areas for newer homes I agree that could be within the 45 min average.

Good luck in your search!

I appreciate the information, the price points that you have provided are quite ideal. It's great to hear about the bus too!