Relocating to Houston - Best areas/zip codes to live? (Sugar Land: for sale, condos)

[johnqe]

Dear Houston residents,

My family and I may be relocating to Houston within this 07' year but we have very little knowledge about the area.

Would appreciate much if you can share some info with regards to the best areas to live in term of:
- safety
- top-rated schools (high-schools, colleges, universities)
- amenities (shopping malls)
- jobs (IT management)
- local web sites for information

Thanks,
John

[Vicman]

Figure out where you will work first.

After you figure this out, buy a home reasonably close to where you live.

What is your budget, John?

[katyfamily]

I agree with Vicman. Find out where you will work first. Houston is so big and spread out. When you are ready to look, the best areas are Katy, Cypress/Spring, the Woodlands, Sugar Land and maybe Pearland (if you need to be close to downtown/med center areas).

[Vicman]

Also, it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want.

Do you want an urban lifestyle?

Do you want a "planned suburb" lifestyle?

Do you wish to live near the water?

Do you wish to live in incredibly wealthy areas?

[modster]

77019 - River Oaks

77005 - Southampton, Boulevard Oaks, Chevy Chase, Shadyside, Shadowlawn, West U.

Not sure what zip codes the Memorial Villages are in, Hunter's Creek, Piney Point, etc.

These are the most sought after areas. Of course you have to spend 7 digits to buy in them.

[Vicman]

Modster: Actually, many homes are six digits. The biggest are seven.

The areas you mentioned, by the way, are zoned to the best of the Houston ISD public schools. Some wealthy people in the area enroll their kids in those schools (rare for many urban public schools in the U.S.)

As for the Memorial Villages, all but a few sections are in Spring Branch ISD and are zoned by highly-rated schools. A few tracts are in HISD; the bit of Hunters Creek is zoned to Briargrove Elementary, Grady Middle, and Lee/Lamar/Westside, while the bit of Piney Point is zoned to Emerson Elementary, Revere Middle (YUCK!), and Lee/Lamar/Westside.

Oh, and don't bother with Lee High School.

[modster]

Originally Posted by Vicman

Modster: Actually, many homes are six digits. The biggest are seven.

The areas you mentioned, by the way, are zoned to the best of the Houston ISD public schools. Some wealthy people in the area enroll their kids in those schools (rare for many urban public schools in the U.S.)

As for the Memorial Villages, all but a few sections are in Spring Branch ISD and are zoned by highly-rated schools. A few tracts are in HISD; the bit of Hunters Creek is zoned to Briargrove Elementary, Grady Middle, and Lee/Lamar/Westside, while the bit of Piney Point is zoned to Emerson Elementary, Revere Middle (YUCK!), and Lee/Lamar/Westside.

Oh, and don't bother with Lee High School.

Actually no, there are just the "scraps" for houses in most of those markets for less than 7 digits, with the possible exception of West U. You can't buy at all in Shadyside, Shadowlawn or probably Boulevard Oaks for less than 7 digits. They exist in Southampton, but right now there is only 1 active in the six digit range. In River Oaks there might be 3 or 4 under a mil out of 30+ homes. Those will be facing S. Shepherd or marketed as tear downs for the lot 90% of the time. Let me quanitify that, you can't get much decent in those markets for less than 7 digits.

[Vicman]

Hmm... for some reason I cannot find ANY Shadyside or Shadowlawn homes on HAR. Do you know if those names are used on HAR? Or should I search with different names?

North Edgemont, in the Boulevard Oaks area, has some houses below one million dollars that are for sale as of now.

River Oaks has seven below one million dollar homes for sale at this moment.

Go on HAR.COM, enter "River Oaks" for the subdivision, select Houston as the city, and set one million as the price floor.

Originally Posted by modster

Actually no, there are just the "scraps" for houses in most of those markets for less than 7 digits, with the possible exception of West U. You can't buy at all in Shadyside, Shadowlawn or probably Boulevard Oaks for less than 7 digits. They exist in Southampton, but right now there is only 1 active in the six digit range. In River Oaks there might be 3 or 4 under a mil out of 30+ homes. Those will be facing S. Shepherd or marketed as tear downs for the lot 90% of the time. Let me quanitify that, you can't get much decent in those markets for less than 7 digits.

[modster]

There are 6 in River Oaks, some of those showing on HAR as River Oaks are not really in River Oaks proper. 1 is pending on Stanmore listed at $895,000. Of the remaining 5 available properties 2 face South Shepherd, 1 on Pelham is advertised as a build to suit lot by Cooper Welch, and the 2 on Troon are advertised as lots. There is nothing available right now in Shadyside or Shadowlawn. 1.4 million range is the cheapest sale in there in the last few years.

North Edgemont is in 77006, not 77005. While it is geographically close, it is miles apart price wise from the houses on North & South Blvd.

It is not just the biggest that run over a million, it is everything but the scraps.

[KBELLA27]

anyone know anything about the best urban areas for condos? I'm relocationg within the month, and plan on buying by the end of the year. But I'm a young, single professional and and I have no interest in the school districts or anything like that. I want to be in the safest, liveliest, place possible.