Considering JSC move from Utah (Houston, Sugar Land: insurance, buying a house, neighborhoods)

[alexei27]

HI everyone...

I may be looking at a move to the area around NASA. Can anyone familiar with the area from Dickenson-League City-Sugarland tell me a few things?

- Houses see to be very affordable...we are looking in the 125-175K range. Does anyone know if there is new development in this range?

- What's a typical electric bill in the summer with the AC roaring?

- The area seems pretty flat and at low elevation. Is flooding a typical thing? Is flood insurance common?

- Any other things anyone can think of that I might want to know?

My uncle lived in Sugarland for 20 yrs...but moved in the early 90's. He had many good things to say.

Thanks!

Brandon

[marysally]

I lived in the Clear Lake area for 30 years before moving away about 9 years ago. I can answer at least one of your questions. About the flatness -- yes it is flat which has its good and bad sides. When a torrential rain comes (which is not that uncommon) you will see street flooding, since the streets are a foot or so lower than most houses. Generally the good thing is that it runs off fairly fast. That being said I would recommend flood insurance for all areas of Houston not just the Clear Lake area for the occasional hurricane. Much of the most recent flooding occurred in the Medical district which is very far from the NASA area. I would also before buying a house determine the proximity to any creek, because that is where flooding problems arise. The only time we experienced flooding in our house was from a tropical storm that dumped a Guiness Book record amount of rain on our area and caused the creek to rise way out of its banks. Again because of the flatness the water drained down into the Gulf fairly quickly, not like NO where it sat for weeks.

[AK123]

Sugar Land is not very close to Clear Lake / NASA. It's probably a 30-40 minute drive away.

There are many nice neighborhoods in Clear Lake, Webster, etc.

A/C bill will depend on how new the house is and if energy-efficient construction was used. This can make a huge difference in the bill.

Yes, it is flat and a low elevation. Many people have flood insurance, even those like us who don't live in a flood-prone area. It is usually not very expensive to have and also covers things like pipes breaking and flooding the house (but check the specific policy to make sure)

For home searches, HAR.com is a good site. Found my first home in Houston that way.