Looking for neighborhoods with short(er) commutes to Greenway Plaza (Houston: for sale, renting)

[haptic]

Hello! My husband and I will be relocating to Houston from the east coast in the next few months and are looking into neighborhoods to live in. We are both in our early 30s and I will be working in Greenway Plaza (he'll be working from home). We've heard horror stories about the traffic and I would prefer to live in an area that gives me a commute that is under 30-35 minutes. We'd appreciate any recommendations for potential neighborhoods. We're looking for a house with a 2 car garage, and not in a flood zone. Our budget is under $700k. Thank you!

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by haptic

Hello!... Our budget is under $700k. Thank you!

Now that's what I call a mighty wide range. From free to $699,999.

[jerbear30]

I would recommend using the local HAR app--that'll give you a sense of the costs in specific areas. If I had that budget, I'd live in Bellaire or Meyerland. There was some flooding in these areas, so you have to be careful about the history of the home. If you want to live in a suburb, I think the only reasonable choice for your commute is Sugar Land.

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by haptic

Hello! My husband and I will be relocating to Houston from the east coast in the next few months and are looking into neighborhoods to live in. We are both in our early 30s and I will be working in Greenway Plaza (he'll be working from home). We've heard horror stories about the traffic and I would prefer to live in an area that gives me a commute that is under 30-35 minutes. We'd appreciate any recommendations for potential neighborhoods. We're looking for a house with a 2 car garage, and not in a flood zone. Our budget is under $700k. Thank you!

If you don't have kids (didn't see any mention), have you considered renting first? Houston is a huuuge city, and different areas can have very different feels. Inner city, versus close-in suburbs, versus suburbs. Montrose/Heights vs Bellaire vs Sugarland, so to speak.

Renting would give you a chance to learn the city before making a major decision.

By the way, I live on the edge of Greenway Plaza, it's a nice area to live in, and work in. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

Now that's what I call a mighty wide range. From free to $699,999.

Ignore this post, there was no call for this type of response.

[timtemtym]

We moved from Southern California this summer and got a brand new 3 bed/ 4 bath house in the west part of Montrose for under your price point. It's 3 levels with a roof deck and view of downtown.

The dealership where we take our cars for service is in Greenway Plaza and it's about 15 minutes from our place. The area has a lot of younger professional people. Our street has been here since 1910 (from what we can find on old maps), and the neighborhood has lots of beautiful old trees that shade everything. There are always people out walking along our street since there is a small park across from us.

We really like it and will probably stay a few years, but eventually head back to California.

Urban Homes is building a lot of these type houses in the area and they were really nice to work with. We chose ours because it is detached (no HOA) and has its own private driveway as opposed to the attached style townhomes in the neighborhood that have shared driveways (we wanted off-street parking for my family).

I don't know if schools are a concern or if you want something walkable.

[haptic]

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses!!! I greatly appreciate it!

[travelguy_73]

If you aren't looking for a full yard, then the zero-lot-line homes (usually 3-4 floors) should work well for you. on HAR.com, you can add a drive time option.

[haptic]

Thank you! I've been to HAR.com and used the drive time option - do you think that is still accurate given the lack of traffic nowadays?

[houston-nomad]

I haven't used the drive time estimate on har.com, but I would say that if it's relying on something like google maps, it's not accurate. Traffic is light right now. I'm not sure how you can best estimate it. Check google maps Fridays at 4, for some reason it's heavy then. Other than that you probably just need to assume you're seeing a best case scenario.

[ganadocoog]

Your best bet is going to be Bellaire or the areas immediately skirting Bellaire. Bellaire is a very family oriented upper middle class area - lots of parks - neighborhoods are reasonably walkable (for Houston). Schools are good for HISD so you won't have to pay for private if you don't want to. You won't need to get on the freeways at all. Commute will be probably 10-20 min depending on where you live. Most larger newer homes are easily over $1M in that area but there are still some good ones in the 400K-700K range skirting the area. There are lots of lots for sale in the 400K range so if you built a 600K house on a lot you could have a beautiful brand new home in a nice suburban area close to downtown for about 1M. Only drawback is there is flooding in this area, however, many homes are built up off the ground now (flooding is why there are alot of lots for sale- people have torn down their 1950s ranch houses after being flooded and are selling the land).