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My husband and I will be moving back to Houston in the next 3 to 4 months. We were originally interested in the Heights but a house in Eastwood has caught our attention. I've been trying to do some research about the area but I thought I'd just ask some questions directly to you guys.
Is Eastwood safe? Would I feel comfortable walking my dogs at night or early morning (as a female) by myself?
I understand that Eastwood is a diverse neighborhood which is very appealing to us. My husband and I don't have children so we like the idea of living in a neighborhood that isn't just families with children. (Not that there is anything wrong with kids, but its nice to have a mix people, imo). Does Eastwood fit this?
How about the surrounding areas of Eastwood? Is it safe driving through? The last time I was in Houston I flew out of Hobby airport. I have to admit I was slightly nervous driving through the area at night, but that might just be because I "perceive" the area as being bad - not that it actually is.
I understand that Eastwood is gentrifying - can anyone give a very rough percentage of how far along it has come?
The home we like is on Walker street, it really seems to fit the bill for what we are looking for, as far as a large lot and a nicely restored bungalow (at least it looks nice from the pics). Of course by the time we are actually in Houston I'm sure it will be sold, however there will always be another one - at least I hope.
Thank you very much for your time and for answering what must be the same questions for the millionth time.
If Modster is around - he can you usually give some very good insight to a lot of the inner loop gentryfied neighborhoods. I see the area changing but other than a visual drive-through I couldn't give an honest comment about what it is like to actually live there. I do think I would like it as well though - some of the older homes are magnficent bungalows. Not sure about walking the dog through the neighborhood at night - although not sure about that in any neighborhood anymore. Good luck.
Is Eastwood safe? Would I feel comfortable walking my dogs at night or early morning (as a female) by myself?
Depends on how big and mean the dogs are, and how easily scared you are. I, myself, would take along some very big, very mean dogs for a nighttime walk in Eastwood....and I'm a big 'ol sistah from da 'hood.
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I understand that Eastwood is a diverse neighborhood which is very appealing to us. My husband and I don't have children so we like the idea of living in a neighborhood that isn't just families with children. (Not that there is anything wrong with kids, but its nice to have a mix people, imo). Does Eastwood fit this?
If by diverse you mean not totally white, then yes, it is diverse.
If you mean diverse as in having lots of variety, then no. It is largely working class hispanics.
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How about the surrounding areas of Eastwood? Is it safe driving through?
North of Harrisburg things go downhill pretty quick. To the west-ish of Eastwood, they're putting up townhouses at a rapid clip. To the east between Harrisburg and 45 it is better or about equivalent to Eastwood. Check out Idylwood...MUCH nicer than Eastwood, and I think it is a better value since prices are about the same for a nicer 'hood. Eastwood is overhyped.
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I understand that Eastwood is gentrifying - can anyone give a very rough percentage of how far along it has come?
Eh...if I had to guess...and this is just a guess....I would say it is 25% or less.
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The home we like is on Walker street, it really seems to fit the bill for what we are looking for, as far as a large lot and a nicely restored bungalow (at least it looks nice from the pics).
4617 Walker? It does look pretty on the surface, doesn't it? That's a flip by "The Garland Company" They flip one or two houses a year in Eastwood. A while back I went to an open house in Eastwood....turns out it had been redone by "The Garland Company" about 9 years ago...it didn't seem to be holding up too well.
My suggestion is that you keep looking, and maybe, possibly make a move on the house on Walker street if the price gets down to $200k or so. There are WAY better deals to be had....potentially MUCH better deals to be had depending on how low the price of oil goes.
If it is the house I am thinking of on Walker for $259,900 listed with Greenwood-King, I know some background on that one.
The story I heard is the house was originally built in West U, then "trucked" over to that location at some point and moved into the lot backwards. None of us could ever figure why that happened. It looked stupid with the back facing the street:
The Garland company did buy it, had it "spun" on the lot to face the front and redid it. As for the quality of their restorations, this is just my opinion, but they certainly seem to finish them out better. By that I mean theirs seem to have more architecturally appropriate finishes and don't look as "Home Depoted" out as some of the others that I have seen.
I have seen some of the ones the Garland company did several years ago and the finishes have improved as the market over there would bear it. 10 years ago you couldn't put in what they have put into this one and get the money back out of it. The later rehabs do look nicer than their earliest ones.
As for how they hold up, that is going to depend on the owner and how well they take care of it. Houses require on going maintenance to keep looking good. In regards to the more serious structural improvements and things that are more than skin deep, obviously you would want to get an inspector as you would with any home you look at. I have seen this one before and after, and an awful lot went into it. I would be very surprised for it not to fair well on an inspection.
As for the neighborhood, it is transitional, if having a nice house next to a run down one bothers you, then it may not be the place for you. It is changing and more houses get redone every year, but you do have to be okay with transitional areas. It did get some good press in a Chronicle article by Nancy Sarnoff earlier this year, Housing buzz fuels move to Houston's East End | Business | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle If you go on Houston Architecture Info Forum - Houston's largest online community and look up crunchtastic, they live on that same block and could probably answer your questions from a more first hand perspective. Most of the people I have dealt with in there, and I have dealt with several, seem to be pretty comfortable with it. I do know a lot of people get together in there and have dinner parties, that sort of thing. I don't think it is any scarier to walk the dog than Montrose or any other urban area.
The price was just reduced, but I would double check if they are selling both lots at that price, the lot size may be smaller than what is currently listed on HAR. The 9500 figure included 2 lots.
As for being a bargain, no, not particularly. But if you want a home totally redone, foundation, roof, all the systems, kitchens and baths totally overhauled, you name it, where all you have to do is move in and hang your pictures, then that is probably not going to be the cheap bargain. It will probably be at a premium. If the economy really craters, that may change, but for the time being that is how it still works. You would have to look at it and compare it to what else is out there to determine for yourself how it compares.
Hi all - thanks for your responses. This certainly gives us some information to ponder. A part of me thinks that this might not be the best neighborhood for us though. Starkeisha - I appreciate your candid answer. I also spent some time yesterday reading the Haif site about the East End and what I read puts me off a little. I can tell that the people that live there are excited about the area and happy to live there. However, the idea of gun shots heard just down the street or worse, bullets being fired into your home wouldn't work for us. We just don't have that kind of tolerance.
We don't have a problem with a run down house next door or down the street or whatever, however the safety issue is a big factor. I don't want to feel uncomfortable if I decided to take the dogs for a walk at 5am or 10pm or whatever.
Our budget will allow us to spend around 350k on a house so I hope that once we are in Houston we might see something that will suit us. We do intend to drive around and get a feel for different areas, including East Wood and Idylwood. I know that is certainly the best way to decide if a neighborhood would work. However at the moment we are living far away, so just reading about different areas has been very helpful. We still like the Heights however we want something around 1500 sq feet or less and a little larger lot. Alot of what I see is over our budget or the new large construction that we don't really care for. I noticed a neighborhood called Garden Oaks, does anyone have an opinion about it?
Modster - my husband and I checked the google street view for the house last night to get an idea of the street. We thought the street looks quite nice actually and the picture of this house is the old one that you posted. :-)
I don't think we are necessarily looking for a bargain. Wherever we buy we intend on staying for a long time. We are just looking for something that will meet our requirements and fit into our budget. Obviously the cheaper, the better. We also don't mind doing some updating however we just aren't in a position to completely rehab a house at this time. But we would be willing to update a kitchen or a bathroom as long as the price was such that we could afford to.
I really appreciate everyone's responses. This is such a great source of information.
Given that your budget is up to $350k and you're looking for an older home on a larger lot, Garden Oaks would be a great match for you. The only thing to keep in mind with Garden Oaks is that Yale street, on the very eastern edge of the neighborhood is the border with the ghetto. People cross over Yale from the ghetto to the east to raid the nice houses/cars in Garden Oaks on a pretty regular basis. The further west of Yale St. you are, the better....preferably west of Shepherd drive. You should also consider Oak Forest and Shepherd Forest. The lots are a bit smaller (but are still generous), and the houses are from the 50s instead of the 30s and 40s like in Garden Oaks, but your dollar will go a lot further, you'll have many, many more homes to chose from and you'll be closer to all the new retail that's going in at Ella and 43rd.
Given that your budget is up to $350k and you're looking for an older home on a larger lot, Garden Oaks would be a great match for you. The only thing to keep in mind with Garden Oaks is that Yale street, on the very eastern edge of the neighborhood is the border with the ghetto. People cross over Yale from the ghetto to the east to raid the nice houses/cars in Garden Oaks on a pretty regular basis. The further west of Yale St. you are, the better....preferably west of Shepherd drive. You should also consider Oak Forest and Shepherd Forest. The lots are a bit smaller (but are still generous), and the houses are from the 50s instead of the 30s and 40s like in Garden Oaks, but your dollar will go a lot further, you'll have many, many more homes to chose from and you'll be closer to all the new retail that's going in at Ella and 43rd.
Starkeshia - Is it violent crime or just petty break ins and car theft? We do have a rather large intimidating German Shepherd that I think would make people think twice about entering the house. However, if they have a gun well the dog isn't very useful.
Thanks for the rec on Oak Forest and Shepherd Forest - I will look into it!
As for gun shots and people shooting into homes. I have never heard of any one having that kind of issue in Eastwood. Travelguy that posts on here lives in Eastwood too, you might check with him. I live in the northern half of Glenbrook Valley, which is adjacent to all that mess by Hobby airport, and I have never heard of that happening down there either. (Although who knows what could be happening in the apartments further south by Airport Blvd., I wouldn't hear it in the sections north by the bayou). I can't imagine that happening in Idylwood either. That is not an issue there. The lack of good retail is about the biggest draw back right now. You can run the crime stats on line and compare areas to see for yourself, that will separate fact from fiction.
Garden Oaks is absolutely a nice area too. If you are looking for a smaller home on a larger lot, there are only so many places you can find that. Garden Oaks is one of them. Ella Lee Forest in the same area may also have some, although the houses are generally not as interesting.
I certainly wouldn't rule it (Walker) out because you are scared people are running up and down Walker Street shooting guns, that is simply not the case. As for my comment on good houses being next to bad, that was more of a general situation in Eastwood and not really specific to that house. That block of Walker is in pretty good shape.
The only other thing is I would not count on there necessarily being another one with the potential of a larger lot like that. Those are rare in Eastwood. The Garland company does have a couple of others in there they are starting restoration work on, so there will be other ones coming down the pipe, but I don't know that they will have a larger lot. If you can make a deal on one that is not finished, you might be able to have some input on final finishes, although usually what they put in them is pretty much spot on. I guess I tend to favor theirs because I personally can't stand the Tuscan style finishes and crap like that I see some of the other flippers put into old Arts & Crafts houses down there. It just looks wrong to me.
Starkeshia - Is it violent crime or just petty break ins and car theft? We do have a rather large intimidating German Shepherd that I think would make people think twice about entering the house. However, if they have a gun well the dog isn't very useful.
Never heard of any violent crime in Garden Oaks itself, but it probably isn't too far off considering the number of break-ins that happen. Violent crime has occured, however in the apartment complex at the corner of 34th and Shepherd, which does border small portion of Garden Oaks.
The dog may or may not matter. I've heard of at least one case of a Garden Oaks home being broken into where the thieves put the dog in the pantry and then proceeded to ransack the home.
You'd be remiss not to consider homes in the western portion of Garden Oaks (west of Shepherd). Just stay away from the apartments at 34th and Shepherd. While they're currently being converted to condos in a few years they will be just as bad as they were before the apartments were shut down....they're targeting low income folks. How they're going to get financed after the subprime collapse, I don't know. We can only hope they don't get enough buyers, the project goes under, and they're all torn down.
Modster - thanks for the response. I do know what you mean about Walker not having people running up and down the streets shooting. hahaha - I think so often when your sitting in your living room far away what sounds scary isn't what the reality of living there actually is. Your comment helps me to remember to keep an open mind. The person that posted about bullets entering his townhome lived in the East End but not in Eastwood (although it wasn't too far away).
There is a beautiful house in Garden Oaks listed right now - 207 W 33rd St, Houston, TX 77018
It is very close to Yale, however the price is right, the house looks gorgeous and the lot is HUGE. However it wouldn't be worth it if we didn't feel safe. I grew up in Houston and lived in some dicey areas with my mom, including Greenspoint. In fact our apartment was broken into twice - that is a horrible feeling and one I'd like to avoid if possible. With that said, I also lived alone in Westchase as single woman and I never was afraid. I think the area has gotten worse since I lived there but at the time there were prostitutes and some thuggy types hanging around. However I made with friends the neighbors, kept my eyes open and I never felt worried. I had no qualms about taking my dog out when I got home from the bars late. My now husband who was my then boyfriend thought I was rather reckless. I think I've always been of the mindset to just use common sense and to realize that if your not mixed up with trouble, trouble isn't as likely to find you.
Starkeisha - I know a dog isn't fool proof and I think your comment is a good reminder of that. sometimes i think i might put a little too much faith in the dog. She really puts on a good "I'm going to kill you" show when someone comes to the door but in reality I'm not sure what she would do if someone entered the house. Maybe not anything.
My husband will probably have a business trip scheduled to houston in Jan. I plan to come with him and we will definitely take a look around. If the two houses I mentioned are still on the market we'll take a look at them.
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Violent Crime?
