We're Moving to Houston Too! Some Questions...

[EEstudent]

Originally Posted by UpstaterInBklyn

Hi All,



Since we tend to be gregarious and down-to-earth, we're looking for a nice community where we can make friends with the neighbors. Basically the kind of place where folks invite each other over for a few beers or get together for a ball game, that kind of thing. Some decent, non-chain dining and shopping options would be nice too.

Good Luck finding NON-CHAIN dining in that part of town, or any part of town that isn't within the loop. The Burbs are full of restaurants that make you want to believe that they arent chains. You can find Decent shopping in the suburbs but you would want to check out galleria for A+ shopping.

Looking at your situation you have two options...

Either make a reverse trip to your work and be able to enjoy the amenities you want. Which causes you to pay for GAS plus a premium on your housing because of the location.

OR

Stick it out in the Suburbs nearby and hope and pray that you find things to occupy your time, unless you are willing to drive into Houston every weekend.

Notice the common denominator in both those scenarios is DRIVING. Get used to lots and lots of that.

[Sampaguita]

Sounds like you've already received good suggestions especially on looking closer into town.

I grew up in NY across the Verrazano and lived in Buffalo during the early 90s. GREAT places & great people to eat in Buffalo!

As a recent transplant from SoCal, you are making an excellent decision to rent first to get your bearings. DH & I are in our 40s (but with toddlers) and The Woodlands just didn't suit us so we're glad to have rented first. Good luck with your move & welcome!

[UpstaterInBklyn]

Originally Posted by EEstudent

Looking at your situation you have two options...

Either make a reverse trip to your work and be able to enjoy the amenities you want. Which causes you to pay for GAS plus a premium on your housing because of the location.

OR

Stick it out in the Suburbs nearby and hope and pray that you find things to occupy your time, unless you are willing to drive into Houston every weekend.

Notice the common denominator in both those scenarios is DRIVING. Get used to lots and lots of that.

I see what you mean. It seems that the same $1500/mo rents gets you a nice 2000+ sqft 4BR newish place in Cypress or a 1200 sqft 1950s cottage in Timbergrove or the Heights. So far, we're leaning towards the better houses in the suburbs, with a huge bonus being the short commute. Those two factors have a bigger impact on day-to-day quality of life. Who knows. We may fall in love with the charm of the city and change our minds when we get there and start looking. In any case, I think we've had enough of apartment living.

Sampaguita, I'm glad your Buffalo experience was a positive one. A lot of people who move to Buffalo hate the idea of going there, then after while, hate the idea of leaving!

[usc619]

Having been in your shoes 2 1/2 years ago, I'd say it's best to rent first and learn Houston metro yourself......nothing worst than having second thoughts after you've made the purchase

[UpstaterInBklyn]

Just got back from a three-day weekend in Houston.

One week from today we'll be living there. Let me say we are very impressed with Houston and very much looking forward to the move!

We did lots of exploration around Cypress and Champions/Klein and hit many of the city neighborhoods as well - including the Galleria area, Westchase, Bellaire, West U and Montrose plus the area around Washington Ave. We even drove through some of the slummy areas just to get a sense of what they look like (way different from NE cities). It seems unavoidable to go through some rough areas when you are flying in and out of Hobby anyway.

I think we're going to look for a place to live in Champions or Klein. We loved the housing in the more established neighborhoods, plus I'm really thrilled about the idea of a 15-minute commute after suffering through years of daily 75-90 minute subway/bus torture here in NYC. It seems like all of life's necessities are close by on Louetta and 1960. We already LOVE the HEB on Louetta! You probably think it's weird to get excited about a grocery store, but if you've seen a typical NYC grocery store (yuck), you'd understand.

We have a preference for more established neighborhoods with mature trees that are closer to shopping and dining. The parts of Cypress we looked at seemed like brand-new subdivisions in the middle of nowhere, but maybe we didn't go far enough south. Our exploration was limited to the areas North of Louetta and Grant Rds.

I've signed a lease on a beautiful furnished temporary corporate apartment where we'll be for the first 4-6 weeks, then we're going to rent a place in the NW suburbs for a year and see how it goes. We'll keep exploring the city and maybe we'll get bored in the burbs and move there, maybe we'll stay in the burbs and buy a place. Exploring and deciding is all part of the fun!

Looking forward to joining you all (oops, I mean "y'all") in a week!

[Sampaguita]

Glad you had a pleasant experience and are looking forward to your move to Houston. Good luck as you settle into your environs.

[TXRyan23]

shop around for your electricity.

[1WVULAWGRAD]

Houston is the best! Looking for to moving there as well.