Neighborhood suggestions in SW Houston (Sugar Land, Missouri City: affordable house, schools, gated)

[2peaches2oranges]

I work from home but if I need to go into the office, rare, but happens, the office is S. Gessner @ Airport.
Co-workers suggest Missouri City, Sugar Land, and Richmond.
I am open, but want to be closer to the city.
Schools are not a factor except for future resale (youngest is a senior and attending school online).
Looking to spend under $300K for 3/2 with some updates to kitchen/baths.
Like shady trees and sidewalks for dog walking.
Also, I would like to be close to a Trader Joe's as I exclusively shopped there for 10 years and I like IKEA's restaurant to meet clients/study/eat several times a week. I don't see a Trader Joe's in SW though.

Older homes are fine but I also love the look of the newer planned communities of Sienna and Cinco Ranch, but it is very competitive in my price range.

Any suggestions on zips where should I be looking? I went to some open houses in 77096, 77035 and 77025 this past weekend. The prices are so varied, some on the same street, from $200 - $400. Some say flooded, some say foundation issues. I do have a realtor, so maybe she will help me figure out where to target my search.

Anything I should look for in these zips. I learned about the tree and root foundation issues here on the forum and that is pretty eye-opening. Thanks!

[LocalPlanner]

Try ZIPs 77077 and 77082 on the west side, if you don't mind having to pay tolls to go to your office. Older homes in 77077 close to Westheimer and 1990s/2000s homes in 77082 just south of Westheimer (not including the gated Royal Oaks) may be in your price range, and this area hasn't had flooding issues. Plus there's good access to much of the city and interesting things in that area to begin with. The interiors of subdivisions are quiet with mature trees for dog walking.

[houston-nomad]

You can find houses in Westbury (77035) for under $300K though they are usually not remodeled. Personally, I would rule out ones that had flooded, but accept foundation issues, because that is so common and easily mitigated; you could get $ for it potentially in the contract and do the work before moving in. The area along Willow Waterhole Bayou (Luddington etc) floods way too often for my taste. Just make sure your realtor knows the area well since it varies by block. There is no reason to rule out a whole area of town because of flooding, as some people on this board will advise. Many houses have never flooded and likely never will.

No Trader Joe's but the nice thing about this part of town is that everything is reasonably close-- 15 / 20 minutes to upper Kirby area (Trader Joes, restaurants, retail), 15/20 minutes to Galleria, to Ikea, to Museum District. In other words, you get an affordable house in a pleasant neighborhood that's pretty close to everything. We lack good restaurants and retail right here in/around Westbury, but that's a compromise I can live with. I only see the neighborhood getting better and better in the future too.

[TallGreengrass]

I know those zips well. Like another poster mentioned, foundation issues are not a dealbreaker. Lots of homes in those zip codes are 50-60 years old so it’s not unexpected. As for flooding it can be a street by street thing. My house didn’t flood but two houses down did. Sometimes there’s a group of dry houses surrounded by flooded ones.

What did you like and dislike about the homes/areas of the open houses you saw?

[2peaches2oranges]

Originally Posted by TallGreengrass

What did you like and dislike about the homes/areas of the open houses you saw?

I liked several homes but I was looking for something with a master BR on one side and the other 2 on the other side, but the older homes tend to group all the BR's together. Not a deal breaker. I saw several yesterday. 2 on the 100 year flood zone, seem to sit higher up, no flooding per owners on Braewick? in 77035.

Saw another I liked in the 500 year zone, on Briarbend.

These are in addition to the open house homes I saw over the weekend.

I am going out to 77077 and to Katy east of 99 today to see some homes.

Seeing more homes helps me figure out what I like and don't like.

Tomorrow I will hit the planned communities and hopefully get something under contract by the weekend.

Thank you for your guidance and for sharing your experiences.