Buying a house in Northwood (San Antonio, Nacogdoches: sale, neighborhoods, best schools)

[am8zed]

My family is relocating from Ohio and we have been looking for homes in the Alamo Heights, Terrel Hills and Olmos park area. We found a house in Northwood that we love but the airport noise worries me. We checked the Airport's Noise Exposure Map Report and it seems the house is not directly under the takeoff path. The house windows and attic have been retrofitted to abate external noise from the airport. We spent a couple of hours outside the house to check the noise and found that it was not too loud but it was frequent.

I think I may get used to the planes but I worry that buying a house in Northwood is not a good investment as, for example, Alamo Heights is. Is the resale value in this area lower because of the noise?

[smuboy86]

Our family has lived in northwood for almost 40 years. We couldn't be happier. Home valued are stable and rising, some of the best schools in the city (exemplary elementary and a blue ribbon middle school), you get the Alamo Heights zip code (affectionately referred to as 09ers) with out the huge mark up. Oh we also have awesome tree lined streets!

[kevcrawford]

Northwood is still a community with great resale value and desire. The noise really isn't an issue. For one thing, the city just recently had a large noise abatement program that provided many of the homes with new windows to cancel out the airplane noise. But also, if you live there, you really don't hear the noise after a week or so. The proximity to everything counters out any possible noise. Every place has its downfalls.

I'm actually excited because I'm getting a new listing in Northwood next week, but it's a 2-bedroom home, so it'll be a limited market

[ged_782]

This is the time of the year when Northwood gets hit the hardest with aircraft departures, when the prevailing winds are out of the Southeast. Wintertime is when aircraft are more likely to land over Northwood, and landing is not as noisy. There is also another runway that may be utilized where landings/departures don't fly over Northwood at all.

With the quieter engines used on modern jets, and hush kits installed on older ones, I don't think the noise problem is as bad as it used to be. Probably one of the worst offenders here are FedEx DC-10s. Other than that, we don't see very many tri-engine or quad-engine jets here, which tend to be noisier.

[Montirob]

The Express News has an article about the area in today's paper: Oak Park-Northwood's original style

I would sale resale value in this area is among the most stable in San Antonio.

[austindoxie1972]

I lived in Oakwell Farms and Terrell Heights, and the noise was never an issue for me. I also never heard others complain about it. I think Northwood is a great neighborhood.

[WilGar]

Originally Posted by austindoxie1972

I lived in Oakwell Farms and Terrell Heights, and the noise was never an issue for me. I also never heard others complain about it. I think Northwood is a great neighborhood.

In truth , you have lived on the west and east sides of the noise.

The area just east of Nacogdoches on both sides of 410 is severely impacted.

Of course the city will insist the noise pattern is shrinking since more Stage iii aircraft are part of the mix. One non compliant aircraft can shatter the night.

[LindaGrace]

Originally Posted by Montirob

The Express News has an article about the area in today's paper: Oak Park-Northwood's original style

I would sale resale value in this area is among the most stable in San Antonio.

This is off-topic, but really, I do not understand why this neighborhood is still viable and on lots of "great places to live" lists, and other neighborhoods of similar vintage with similar mid-century homes aren't.

So one reason is the school district. Why is AHISD still good but SAISD is perceived as not being a good district? There are gorgeous homes in my neighborhood (mine included, thanks so much) that look much like the home above, yet no one even considers it b/c of the school district. (Not to mention the gorgeous houses in my neighborhood, mine included, come in at about $120,000 to $150,000 less than the house listed above.)

I'm rambling and I know it. I guess I just don't understand urban to suburban migration patterns, and why one district thrives while others don't.

What came first? "White flight" or a "bad" school district?

[smuboy86]

Well I consider most of Northwood to be NEISD not AHISD, Northwood Elementary is consistently rated recognized or exemplary. It has boasted 100% participation in the PTA membership among parents. Northwood though isn't lilly white, the elementary is 10% AA, 40 % Hispanic, 50% white, nor is it uber wealthy, 34 percent of the kids are considered to be economically disadvantaged.
Sometimes I guess you just have a neighborhood where everything clicks.

[RGJ]

But you are talking about totally different school districts, not just schools. And the mentality within the district that you live in. My parents moved out of SAISD so my younger brother could go to an NEISD school. This was in 1969. And of course, those were some turbulent times. About the time they closed Brackenridge High and began busing kids.