Commute times and neighborhoods (Houston, Pasadena: house, schools, subdivisions)

[Chuck_G]

Hi,
My wife and I looking at possibly relocating to Houston and I wanted to get an idea of where to look for housing. I would be working at the VA medical center. My budget would be $250,000-$300,000. Areas close to the medical district look pretty expensive. Is this budget doable for a commute within an hour, say 30-45 minutes? Schools are not an issue. I am doing some research into city neighborhoods but any suggestions would be appreciated.

[houston-nomad]

It would help to know what you're looking for in a house-- size, yard, condition.

[Chuck_G]

A little more information. My wife and I are mid-50s. We are looking for something move in ready or nearly. (I'm not very handy!) We would like something 1,500-2,000 sqft our daughter might be living with us. We enjoy eating out and shopping. A neighborhood wit sidewalks would be a plus. A fenced yard is a must as we have two dogs. We've lived in a smaller city for the the last several years with not much of a commute. The largest city we've lived in was Tucson back in the early 2000s where we had a 30 minute commute, most of it on I-10. Cookie subdivisions don't really bother me. Hope this helps.

[airdrawndagger]

Areas around Pearland comes to mind - check out 77584 on HAR. Commute should be do-able even during rush hour if you're OK with tolls on 288 - don't have to if you don't want, however. I know you don't care about schools, but for re-sale value, the schools in Pearland are solid.

If that seems too far and you want something closer, the neighborhoods across 288 from the medical center (zip code 77021) are beginning to gentrify - they got a HEB recently! Slightly raw but expect excellent appreciation over time. Certain folks on this forum will balk at anything east of 288 but the truth is that this area has a ton of potential.

[Chuck_G]

Thanks for the reply. Looking at nearby areas how is Pasadena? I was also looking at Sugar Land, but I wasn't sure if that was too far out. What do people generally find is an acceptable commute?

[houston-nomad]

My neighborhood (77096/77035) is just outside the loop. We love it, it's quick to get anymore. It's also undervalued, in my opinion-- still very affordable. Maybe this is because it has a reputation for flooding, but that it not the problem people think it is. You just have to look at the flood maps and be sure the house you are looking at is within the 500-year flood plain. If you put those zips into Har.com and search up your requirements, I think you'll find some options in your price range.

[LocalPlanner]

The Westbury / Willow Meadows area, with mostly 1950s-1960s homes, and Pearland, with homes 1990s to present, should be your main places to look initially. Try Sugar Land and Missouri City if you don't find what you want in those first two locations.

As noted in another post, you will need to be very mindful of flooding patterns and history in the Westbury / Willow Meadows area.

[modster]

The Riverside/Macgregor areas are going to be cost-prohibitive for anything move-in ready. Pearland might push the commute-time boundaries, but would definitely check all the other boxes.

The general Westbury, Parkwest neighborhoods to the southwest come to mind, with two caveats. Some parts flood, a lot don't, so you'd need to check that out. Secondly, with the recent run-up in prices everywhere, getting "turn key" for under three may not be do-able anymore in a non-flooded location, or at the very least, challenging to find. The areas south of the bayou in Braeburn Valley may be another option.

As for Pasadena, there are some decent neighborhoods and retail over around the Fairmont Parkway area.

Garden Villas and Glenbrook Valley southeast would give you an easy commute, but retail sucks. So with each of these options there are obviously some give and takes.