HedwigTramp

Thanks TheNiche for the link. That is an ecellent resource. Unfortunately my Access skills are a little rusty and I need to link myultiple files to find what what I looking for. Guess I need to find a neighborhood ten year old to help me build the database. LOL

I live in Hedwig Village (Memorial Villages) on a ½ acre+ lot. The neighborhood has been redeveloping over the past 10 years with the older ranch homes being torn down and replaced with 5k-7k sf homes worth 1.5-3 million. My house is one of three remaining original homes on my street. The other two are classified as Economic Mis-Improvement with ridiculously low appraisals on the improvements… (All the land values are still outrageous… $30 per sq ft). I had my hearing with the appraisal review board this week, and I tried to get my property re-classified to Economic Mis-Improvement (EM). The ARB reduced my appraisal by 20K (1.5%) based on pictures of flaws with my house. I had expectations of a much larger reduction. My neighbor (whose house is EM) did a major remodel in 2008, but somehow HCAD was never notified. I had pictures comparing his kitchen and my kitchen, and they are basically the same. New cabinets, Granite, Stainless appliances, tile, etc. There is no doubt my house will be bulldozed when I sell it. By all definitions, it should be classified as EM, but the partial remodel is preventing HCAD from making the change. Before I commit to Binding Arbitration, I have a question: Is anyone aware of a property in Harris County that had a partial remodel (that HCAD knows about), and was re-classified to Economic Mis-improvement? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I am from the East End and proud of my wharf-rat heritage. My wife is not from Houston and knows nothing about the east side. We have an investment property about a mile east of downtown and we were going to meet some perspective tenants. . As we were going down Harrisburg she saw a construction sign about the new "East End" light rail line. She asked a very logical question....Why do they call it East-End? The "East" she understood, but why "End"? She asked what does the End refer to.. the end of ???? I did not have the answer. I never thought about it until she asked. I have been calling it the East End all my life.... because that is what it is called (Not Eado). Only Houston's East side uses "End" description. Anyone have any idea where the name "east End" came from?

I need a reputable marine mechanic to work on my outboard. I live in the Memorial area but I am willing to drive a reasonable distance

Wrong! Bunker Hill is not Houston. It is it's own incorporated city or "Village". As are all of the 6 true "Memorial Villages". Bunker Hill Village Hedwig Village Spring Valley Village Hilshire Village Piney Point Village Hunters Creek Village They have their own Police, Fire, Water, School District, etc. All are the perfect example of a "suburb".

A tidbit about the Tenneco / EP building. It was built to be self reliant. There is an old working water well in the basement. Not exactly spring water quality, but you can flush toilets with it. It also has backup generators for electrical power. The old well and generators were integrated into their Y2K contingency planning .... in case the doomsday scenario occured. They also built an underground bunker system at Hockley for their Gas Control center. It was built during the cold war with A-bombs in mind.

COOL SITE. Thanks

I have "been in town long enough to have seen the turnaround at Memorial City". And I don't see any comparison between the two malls. Memorial mall is surrounded by very high "disposable income" households. Sharpstown is surrounded by pseudo-ghetto, and middle to upper-middle class neighborhoods. big difference. Memorial Mall was a no brainer. Complete an upscale remodel and increase security. The locals (yes I am one) took care of the rest. They told their friends who told their freinds...etc.

It does not flood. IMO.... The house is toast (sad...pictures are beautiful). But a 2,100 sf house on a 20,000 sf lot with a land-only value (HCAD) just under $450K), in a prime neighborhood is a Major mismatch. Unless George Washington spent the night in the house, it will be in a dumpster 2 months after resale. The owners over-remodeled... I did the same thing.

I have worked downtown for 20+ years and the downtown tunnel system is one of Houston's greatest assets. I don't remember how extensive the network was in the 1980's, but I remember parking in the Hyatt garage and tunneling to work. The tunnel network is huge today and it is the ultimate in "walkable". One of my employees lives downtown and tunnels to work in bad weather. For those who are searching for large pedestrian crowds street-side to get that "Big city" feel ..(why he asks???), just visit the tunnel system on a cold rainy day about 11:30. It is wall to wall people in a NYC stride. But if the weather is decent, during lunch I will go for extended walks street side and head for Sam Houston/Buffalo Bayou parks. A beautiful area that is under-utilized by downtowner's. If you have never made the trek... visit the tunnel system and marvel at the underworld.

Huh?? I am confused..... what area are you describing? "West of Gessner, Memorial to the North, Beltway to East, I 10 to the South"

I thought I remembered that lot having some of those permanent "For sale or lease" signs posted. I may be mistaken, and if so I appreciate the correction.

PS- What's up with this house on Legend Ln in 77024. I know the street's a little funky, but that's a darn good price for 1/2 and acre. http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y At $585K it is almost twice the appraised (HCAD) value. My concern is the large 10 acre commercial parcel off Memorial that has been for sale (for years) within a stone's throw (two lots). Since it is in Houston (vs the villages) there is no zoning, so who knows who your new neighbors would be. And based on the pics, this house does not seem to qualify as a teardown (as advertised) unless there are serious structual problems or mold.

I hate the "improved" traffic lights in downtown peak traffic. I take Louisiana (north) in the evening (5pm ish) and it is a nightmare. At every green light I advance 1 block (maybe two) before having to stop to keep from blocking the intersection. That is north/south. East/West across downtown is even worse. The lights are no where near synchronized. Perhaps this causes the N/S jam as unfriendly drivers block the intersections. On the flip side. Westheimer and Richmond seem to have excellent traffic flow after the changes.

If you are interested in appreciation, buy as much dirt "in the Memorial villages" that you can afford. Lot size will mean much more at a resale, and and fact you do NOT live in Houston is a strong selling point. I have steadily seen the Massive rebuilds move north thru-out Piney Point into Hedwig, and now has jumped I-10 (especially into Campbell Place). I bought in Hedwig in 2001 with one priority...get as much dirt as I could afford. I bought a 3/4 acre lot and then "over-remodeled" a 1950's ranch. The location is excellent - end of a private road and a creek runs along the back and south side of my property (no flooding. My "Dirt" is now worth 3 times what I paid for it. Unfortunately, my "over-remodeled" house will probably be leveled by whoever buys the land. Another secret... When buying an investment in a gentrifying area (actually Memorial never significantly declined), buy on a street with the smaller homes/large lots. These will be the first to be attacked by the developers. When I moved into my home, my street was appraised 20-30% less than the surrounding streets because of the older, smaller homes. Now I am surrounded by new 6-8 thousand foot houses that sold for 2+ million. The surrounding streets had very nice homes that made the lots too expensive for the builders.