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Old 12-26-2008, 03:58 PM
 
Location: A little suburb of Houston
3,702 posts, read 18,216,670 times
Reputation: 2092

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Quote:
Originally Posted by boudicca2 View Post
you gave us a lot to look at. the heights are way too far, so those are voted out. meyerland and the other areas look much closer.

we'd like a house that is around what we have (1500 sq ft) or of course bigger ha ha. right now we are in a 50's split level that was $525K so we'd like something similar in price. i have heard that lamar and bellaire are good high school, so i am assuming they each have some good elem schools feeding them.

is west univ place out of our price range? we don't mind if we're the smallest on the block. are there young families or at least young kiddos in the areas mentioned? is $525 unrealistic?
You might find something small in West U for that price range.
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Old 12-26-2008, 08:18 PM
 
2,548 posts, read 4,054,486 times
Reputation: 3996
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poltracker View Post
You might find something small in West U for that price range.
I would be extremely surprised to find anything in West U for that price.

Also, don't assume that Lamar or Bellaire being good high schools are fed by good elementary schools. They are enormous schools fed by many, many elementaries, and those vary widely. The HISD system is very large and complex, with many people making use of magnets to get to the better schools. However, in the price range you are looking at, you are likely to be in an area with a good elementary school. But don't assume that. Once you zero in on an area, go to the HISD website and do your homework.
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Old 12-29-2008, 02:22 PM
 
33 posts, read 143,639 times
Reputation: 16
I have been trying to find a "report card" chart for elementary schools in the Houston school district. I must not be calling it the right term. Does anyone know how to get to a chart that would compare schools within a district? What kind of a rating system does Texas use? (or Houston if it is more specific to the city).
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Old 12-29-2008, 03:30 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
4,760 posts, read 13,828,505 times
Reputation: 3280
Texas Education Agency Accountability Info
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Old 12-29-2008, 05:12 PM
 
2,548 posts, read 4,054,486 times
Reputation: 3996
On the HISD website, you can search by school and find not only the attendance boundaries, but also the "school profile." This has stats for overall performance, as well as attendance, teacher experience, and a number of other categories of information. Looking at one profile may not help much, but as you start to compare schools, you'll start noticing differences and patterns. Here is an example of an entry page for one elementary school:
School Locator Results
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Old 12-31-2008, 07:28 AM
 
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,782,175 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by boudicca2 View Post
you gave us a lot to look at. the heights are way too far, so those are voted out. meyerland and the other areas look much closer.

we'd like a house that is around what we have (1500 sq ft) or of course bigger ha ha. right now we are in a 50's split level that was $525K so we'd like something similar in price. i have heard that lamar and bellaire are good high school, so i am assuming they each have some good elem schools feeding them.

is west univ place out of our price range? we don't mind if we're the smallest on the block. are there young families or at least young kiddos in the areas mentioned? is $525 unrealistic?
$525 for West U is probably unrealistic. An HAR search of West U. properties (no min. price, max $600,000) yielded only this: 2603 University Blvd, Houston, TX 77005

It's a foreclosure at the corner of an extremely busy intersection, asking price $549,000. Click on "map it" and then "bird's eye" to see how undesirable the location is.

I regard West U. as completely priced out. The smallest fixer-upper on the block is probably going to be in the $750K range. If you can comfortably afford the mortgage on a $500K+ home, you may be able to find some bargains in Bellaire, the Braeswood area or Southside. Maybe look at Southampton as well, but the prices there will closely track West U.

There is real value in Meyerland and even more in the neighborhoods to the South and East, but you will be compromising more than a little on schools.

If schools are your primary concern, you will probably be the most satisfied with the suburban communities and your dollar will go a lot farther in terms of how much house you can afford. The problem with the suburbs is the commute, but working in Stafford should largely nullify that problem.

Whatever you do, don't buy a house based on what you see on HAR or what any of us tells you. You definitely need to spend some time with your boots on the ground here (with a realtor) to make an informed decision.
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Old 12-31-2008, 07:40 AM
 
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,782,175 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by boudicca2 View Post
Also- someone told us to look at the "Heights," though I am not sure where this is or how to look it up on a map. I am having a hard time finding houses on har.com because I don't know what mls area to look in.. Please help!

PS My husband will be working near Stafford.
A brief instruction to get you moving in the right direction...

Open up this page- Houston Real Estate - Houston Homes, Houston Home Value and Houston Relocation

Click "Find a Home"

Click "Single Family" under the "SELECT A PROPERTY TYPE" heading...

Enter your search criteria for price, bedrooms, square feet, etc. etc. then type in the name of the subdivision you are interested in.

Browse intently for several hours and feel the addiction overtaking you.
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Old 12-31-2008, 09:04 AM
 
7,542 posts, read 11,576,646 times
Reputation: 4078
I hate the har site it is setup a little weird checkout garygreene.com much easier to use
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Old 12-31-2008, 11:55 AM
 
Location: Glendale/Los Angeles
571 posts, read 1,932,618 times
Reputation: 246
You should also try using the website www.ziprealty.com they have tons of listings.. I like it because it lets you save the homes and it has several search options.. you can search by zip, city, and my favorite is that they have an interactive map.. and they have tons of filters like year built and sq. feet and lot size.. it also shows up what elementary school is nearby and how much the HOA is, etc. I haven't used HAR but I think ziprealty is the most user-friendly .. As the guy above said I HATE using HAR.. It's not very user-friendly

Also you can use MSN maps to see a birds eye view, and Google Maps to see the street view..
I also have downloaded Google Earth and I use that to see what commercial stores and restaurants are nearby as well as the schools..
To see how the schools are I use www.greatschools.net

Can you tell I'm obsessed with house hunting.. even though we aren't moving anytime soon..lol
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Old 01-01-2009, 04:18 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
4,760 posts, read 13,828,505 times
Reputation: 3280
Quote:
Originally Posted by DJboutit View Post
I hate the har site...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tasksgirl View Post
As the guy above said I HATE using HAR.. It's not very user-friendlyl
Me three. It is pathetic and stupid that you can't search by specific school using HAR. Yes, I know I can run a search and then click house by house to view the school fields to discover whether the house is zoned to the school I want, but in this age of computerization, I shouldn't have to do that.
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