Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, Candlelight Area in 5 years (Houston, Shepherd: wood floors, crime)

[t-a-k]

Originally Posted by emirate25

You also have Smith Elementary who is being built from the ground up in phases that is located in Oak Forest.

I live in Candlelight Oaks and highly recommend all of the inner NW area. In my neighborhood alone, you are beginning to see more and more professionals moving in to the neighborhood.

We just moved into CO. We did a significant remodel, and love it here. I think CO is the "end" of the NW-area improvement, unless something can be done with the Inwood Forest area apartments.

If you have a family and want/need a larger home than what you'll get in Oak Forest, Candlelight Oaks is a great place...

For those interested in the area, check into some of the things the Near Northwest Management District is trying to do... The area is definitely planning on a resurgence.

Changes I can think of just off the top of my head...
290 expansion (not sure if this is good or bad, but it's 'progress', apparently.)
TC Jester park remodel
White Oak Bayou / Volger Creek hike and bike expansion
Smith Elementary remodel/rebuild
A community center of some sort is remodeling the eyesore at Mangum and 43rd (at the train track).
Attempt to make the BNSF rail through the Near-NW district a "quiet zone" (please let this happen quickly!)
Inwood Forest Golf Course into green space/parks

Having lived in the area since 2002 (I lived behind Inwood Forest Golf Course until this year) I can say, that as long as you live in a house (own or rent) the area is great. The apartments are terrible.

[brownybaby]

t-a-k, you forgot to mention the OF library getting a huge expansion and complete remodel on 43rd, and the YMCA added on quite a bit as well!

[EasilyAmused]

These revitalizing areas are interesting...there's phases becoming obvious after the past 10 years.

First: No one will touch it.
Second: Some one gets brave and goes in.
Third: It becomes a great value area and people start moving in.
Forth: The prices start breaking that 300k mark
Fifth: The teardowns start
Sixth: It once again becomes too expensive to afford for the average homebuyer..so they go to the burbs.

So..better get in while you can, should be the theory by the time phase 3 is well underway.

[modster]

If the area is doing as well as it is doing now, once the economy comes back it should really be booming.

[cheryjohns]

I have noticed that the Garden Oaks sales have slipped. They are charging a .075% of the sales price transfer feee. On a $400K house, that is $3000.

[modster]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

I have noticed that the Garden Oaks sales have slipped. They are charging a .075% of the sales price transfer feee. On a $400K house, that is $3000.

Yeah, but on a $400,000 house, is $3,000 really an issue when they don't have hefty annual HOA dues? I can't remember what the annual dues are there, but I was thinking they were very low.

[DJboutit]

Garden Oaks Oak Forstest has major flooding problems they need to fix this now. I was @ 43 & Ella about 1 yr ago in 45min of hard rain there streets filled up with 2 to 3 feet of water not good for area that is trying to turn around

[modster]

Garden Oaks does not have a flooding problem. Some of the houses near the bayou in Oak Forest took a little water in Allison.

[DJboutit]

Drive through Garden Oaks streets do not have crubs & there are no storm drains

[modster]

Originally Posted by DJboutit

Drive through Garden Oaks streets do not have crubs & there are no storm drains

and....