Tricky commute - where to live?

[TexasRedneck]

Those looking at mortgages....check out Randolph-Brooks, as well! They keep ALL their mortgages, so you don't have to worry about them selling it to some jerkwater bank that spends every waking moment thinking of ways to screw w/you. They are VERY quick - when we built back in '04, it took them less than TWO HOURS to give us full lending approval. When the rates fell last year, we refi'd by mail, total cost was $500. APR dropped a bit over 1%, so we recovered our costs in less than 5 months.

[charlie_paige]

I'll talk to that mortgage company, thanks! I haven't settled on a mortgage yet, but I have a few that I'm waiting on full quotes for. Our mortgage here was sold to Countrywide and then Bank of America. I never deal with them, to be honest. The money comes out of my checking account automatically, and that's that, so the company doesn't really matter, aside from the close. I really want a short close. At the moment we are booked in an extended stay hotel, and the cost has given me sticker shock. But short term rentals are either all booked, or refuse to rent to us because we have a German Shepherd. It's funny how states are so different, here in CA it was never an issue at all.

Originally Posted by desertbug

Oh - try looking at Hotpads.com - I find it a little more useful (and not as clunky) as Zillow - certainly better than any Realtor web site.

BTW - Is it mandatory that Realtors take the absolute WORST pictures of a house they are trying to sell with a cell phone? What's up with that?

No kidding! I don't know if we're allowed to post websites, but check out Lovely Listings, it's a blog where people send in bad real estate photos, and it cracks me up. Recently while looking at listings a guy took all of his photos with a fish eye lens. The house looked horrible.

Just based on listings we've narrowed it down a bit to a home in Castle Hills, a home in Whispering Oaks, and a home in Terrell Hills (AHISD). Of course we need to look at the places physically, but I think this is a good start for us.

[austindoxie1972]

Since you've narrowed your selection, I'd suggest looking at the rentals in each area and what they are going for. Your original post mentioned wanting to keep the place as an investment. AHISD is such a desireable school district, rentals often do better in that area. I also think that once BRAC moves are complete, homes closer to Ft Sam will increase in value. Traffic will be a nightmare.