Spring Meadows Subdivision (Howe, Bear Creek: for rent, crime, student loans)

[jerbear30]

My family lives in Spring Branch in the Spring Branch Woods neighborhood. We like it here, but we're renting and as we look to buy in about a year or so, we'd like to move somewhere where the houses are a little cheaper. One of the places that interests me is the Spring Meadows subdivision, which is bordered on the north by Clay Road, on the east by Brittmoore Road and on the west by Bear Creek Park. I like the look of the homes in Spring Branch Woods, I love the proximity both to Bear Creek Park and the Duncan Ymca, it's a bit cheaper than most of the areas in Spring Branch and it's zoned to the high school my son attend, so it checks off a lot of things. BUT, there are some potential issues. For instance, I wonder about flooding in this area. Also, it's separated off from most of the rest of Spring Branch by the beltway, which may affect resale down the road. Does anyone have any insights about this area and the potential issues mentioned?

[LizzySWW]

Homes there sell between 150k - 199k and the schools reflect that. Crime is active in this tiny (and isolated) neighborhood, there was a burglary two days ago per the crime map. The elementary & middle are some of the worst schools in SBISD. You want good schools for your pre-schooler so this is confusing? Yes it floods, my cleaning lady owns a house there. Contact the realtor who's had the most listings in the last few years for flooding information.

Personally, I'd save up longer & get your budget into the 300's, and buy something in the burbs with 3 good schools. Your budget and wish list don't work in the city.

[jerbear30]

Originally Posted by LizzySWW

Homes there sell between 150k - 199k and the schools reflect that. Crime is active in this tiny (and isolated) neighborhood, there was a burglary two days ago per the crime map. The elementary & middle are some of the worst schools in SBISD. You want good schools for your pre-schooler so this is confusing? Yes it floods, my cleaning lady owns a house there. Contact the realtor who's had the most listings in the last few years for flooding information.

Personally, I'd save up longer & get your budget into the 300's, and buy something in the burbs with 3 good schools. Your budget and wish list don't work in the city.

I think you are right about my budget and wish list being an issue, Lizzy but they persist in being my budget and my wish list. More than that, I don't want to be house poor. I honestly don't know who it is that is buying all these 300k homes, but we make 120k per year, and it just seems like too much money with other expenses, including student loans, vacation and kids' extra-curriculars. Add onto that saving for kids' college and two date nights per month and we're basically barely able to save 2-3 thousand per year for a home. The people who are buying these 300k homes are either just at the top of the earning ladder or they are doing something that imho is not financially sound if they have kids. Right now, we pay 1800/month for rent and we want our house payment to be between 1200 and 1500, as this will give us more vacation money, more college money and still provide a windfall for any housing issues that may arise.].

Now, to the topic about schools, I know that the elementary and the middle school are bad and yes, I do want a good school for my kiddos. My high schooler is very happy with Spring Woods, his friends are there and he's had a good experience there (actually, he's gotten a few snapchat pics of kids doing drugs from his friends who now go to Memorial, as ironic as that may seem). As for the 4 year old, he's going to be taken care of one way or the other. Our plan as of now is to try to apply him to the dual-language programs offered at three of SBISD's elementaries. If that doesn't work out, we'll think of plan B.

I do want to thank you for letting me know about the flooding issue--it's something I actually asked about so it's great that you shared your knowledge.

[K LoLo]

I wouldn't necessarily judge the schools on test scores alone. Maybe take a tour and talk to the principal. My child is zoned to Shadow Oaks Elementary, which isn't known as one of the best. However we had the principal come to a meeting for our neighborhood and she explained a few things. I'm much more comfortable with it now, and I think other parents are too. We see more and more kids enrolling there from the neighborhood. My son still has 2 years before Kinder, so I think it'll be even better by then.

You might be able to get lucky and get a lower priced home within the beltway, but you'll have to be willing to put some sweat equity into it.

[Housportsfan]

I live west of the belt too, but closer to 10. I don't think it feels cutoff from the rest of spring branch. Brittmore has a new residential build too. I don't know about that specific neighborhood, but I don't think the west of the belt part is a big deal.

Good luck on your search.