Need Help on Selecting Location to Move into

[movingtohouston]

Hello All,

I will be moving to Houston next month and I am in the process of looking for a place. either to buy or rent but more towards buy. I will be working in Downtown. To my dismay the residential areas around downtown are not fully developed.. 77003, 77004, 77007 etc. nice houses but the areas are still up and coming. Least thats what I realised. I might be wrong since I am new to this area and thats why I wanted to seek opinions. Can you pleae help on which locations are nice and safe. Safety is priority. I have been told areas around Westheimer, Richmond ave are good. Is this true? please help as I am running out of time and need to find housing. Thanks so much.

[musicman]

westheimer and richmond both have good and bad sections IMO. what type of price range are you desiring?

[movingtohouston]

westheimer and richmond both have good and bad sections IMO. what type of price range are you desiring?

Max of probably 270K

[musicman]

how far from downtown are you willing to live? what type of amenities are you looking for in an area/neighborhood? what size place are you looking for? ok with used?

[movingtohouston]

how far from downtown are you willing to live? what type of amenities are you looking for in an area/neighborhood? what size place are you looking for? ok with used?

About 20 mins from downtown is fine by me. Since im a single person i'd love a place where there are activities around. Somehwere where it is safe to walk around. a 2 bed will work just fine. I do not mind used so far it was built on or after 2003. Thanks

[smurf]

Hello All,

I will be moving to Houston next month and I am in the process of looking for a place. either to buy or rent but more towards buy. I will be working in Downtown. To my dismay the residential areas around downtown are not fully developed.. 77003, 77004, 77007 etc. nice houses but the areas are still up and coming. Least thats what I realised. I might be wrong since I am new to this area and thats why I wanted to seek opinions. Can you pleae help on which locations are nice and safe. Safety is priority. I dont have any kids so schooling area is not a consideration for me. I am not looking for something cheap, lets say affordable. If its a lilttle expensive i dont mind so far its pretty safe. I have been told areas around Westheimer, Richmond ave are good. Is this true? please help as I am running out of time and need to find housing. Thanks so much.

I suggest you rent for at least 6 months in midtown area / West Gray St which is "very walkable" for the most part and commute to work is walkable or bus or train, or in the Allen Parkway/Washington Ave/Upper Montrose areas which are closer to the Buffalo Bayou and Memorial Parks if you like outdoor activities like running or biking but still within 3-5 minutes of downtown. If you like a little bit more neighboorhood feel, I would suggest middle Montrose & Heights areas which are still closer to town as well.

All four of these areas are probably the top areas in Houston in terms of long-term growth and stability if you fit in the middle to upper middle class range, or heck higher .... The quality of life (even for families) is better and getting better for the West side of the inner loop (inside 610) than the far suburbs. When I say higher quality of life, I mean lack of Walmarts, reduced strip-mall culture, far more independent retail shopping and eateries, art galleries, music venues, social scene, and of course, LESS TRAFFIC than ironically the suburbs. Also, I suggest looking at light rail expansion within inner loop on four lines starting this summer before buying as well. They are federally approve and fairly set in stone. Because of stiff opposition to commuter mass transit from far flung suburbs/cities, Hosuton decided to only built the inner city rail network and is getting federal funding for it.

WARNING: Be careful of real estate agents who grew up in Houston suburbs and have never ventured into town all their lives. They will recommend living in the Galleria (which is called Uptown) area and then buying a house in Pearland, Sugar Land, Clear Lake, Woodlands, Spring, Cypress, Kingwood etc later. Several of those places have a hard time selling houses these days but you can get seclusion from knowing your neighbors and a huge house and a huge front/back yard that you will never use except to cut grass! You will be miserable with traffic and especially if you are coming to this area from a progressive part of the country. One more thing to keep in mind, follow the money. More money flows into the into inner loop throughout Houston's histroy except in the 70s and 80s and early 90s.

[sevfiv]

merged duplicate topics...one per, please

[musicman]

About 20 mins from downtown is fine by me. Since im a single person i'd love a place where there are activities around. Somehwere where it is safe to walk around. a 2 bed will work just fine. I do not mind used so far it was built on or after 2003. Thanks

sounds like you want something new basically. that definitely narrows your options. what type of things concern you safety-wise? inner city tends to be rougher than the burbs. would street/homeless people scare you?

[movingtohouston]

merged duplicate topics...one per, please

Thank you for the input. Much appreciated. I am moving from DC so yea its a bit different here for me.

I suggest you rent for at least 6 months in midtown area / West Gray St which is "very walkable" for the most part and commute to work is walkable or bus or train, or in the Allen Parkway/Washington Ave/Upper Montrose areas which are closer to the Buffalo Bayou and Memorial Parks if you like outdoor activities like running or biking but still within 3-5 minutes of downtown. If you like a little bit more neighboorhood feel, I would suggest middle Montrose & Heights areas which are still closer to town as well.

All four of these areas are probably the top areas in Houston in terms of long-term growth and stability if you fit in the middle to upper middle class range, or heck higher .... The quality of life (even for families) is better and getting better for the West side of the inner loop (inside 610) than the far suburbs. When I say higher quality of life, I mean lack of Walmarts, reduced strip-mall culture, far more independent retail shopping and eateries, art galleries, music venues, social scene, and of course, LESS TRAFFIC than ironically the suburbs. Also, I suggest looking at light rail expansion within inner loop on four lines starting this summer before buying as well. They are federally approve and fairly set in stone. Because of stiff opposition to commuter mass transit from far flung suburbs/cities, Hosuton decided to only built the inner city rail network and is getting federal funding for it.

WARNING: Be careful of real estate agents who grew up in Houston suburbs and have never ventured into town all their lives. They will recommend living in the Galleria (which is called Uptown) area and then buying a house in Pearland, Sugar Land, Clear Lake, Woodlands, Spring, Cypress, Kingwood etc later. Several of those places have a hard time selling houses these days but you can get seclusion from knowing your neighbors and a huge house and a huge front/back yard that you will never use except to cut grass! You will be miserable with traffic and especially if you are coming to this area from a progressive part of the country. One more thing to keep in mind, follow the money. More money flows into the into inner loop throughout Houston's histroy except in the 70s and 80s and early 90s.

Thank you for the input. Much appreciated. I am moving from DC so yea its a bit different here for me.

sounds like you want something new basically. that definitely narrows your options. what type of things concern you safety-wise? inner city tends to be rougher than the burbs. would street/homeless people scare you?

not exactly on the street. i'd like to get away from the noise. Homeless pple.. yeah kinda.

[sevfiv]

I live in first montrose commons and can't complain - while i wouldn't recommend this area exactly since you want new and this is a semi-historic district, the surrounding areas might be of interest (although crummy townhomes are starting to take over in some parts...bleh).

We have our share of homeless, but they tend to stick closer to the boundaries (alabama/montrose/richmond/spur). i can walk to the rail and have never had safety issues.

[movingtohouston]

I live in first montrose commons and can't complain - while i wouldn't recommend this area exactly since you want new and this is a semi-historic district, the surrounding areas might be of interest (although crummy townhomes are starting to take over in some parts...bleh).

We have our share of homeless, but they tend to stick closer to the boundaries (alabama/montrose/richmond/spur). i can walk to the rail and have never had safety issues.

i do not know where montrose is, can you please tell me. I am stiull trying to know my way around here. Thanks.

[jm1fd]

i do not know where montrose is, can you please tell me. I am stiull trying to know my way around here. Thanks.

A rough approximation would be 77006

[rsb320]

A rough approximation would be 77006

...and continues to 77098.

[movingtohouston]

...and continues to 77098.

what about med center/braeswood area (77025).. any information about those areas pls? thanks.

[TheNiche]

Hello All,

I will be moving to Houston next month and I am in the process of looking for a place. either to buy or rent but more towards buy. I will be working in Downtown. To my dismay the residential areas around downtown are not fully developed.. 77003, 77004, 77007 etc. nice houses but the areas are still up and coming. Least thats what I realised. I might be wrong since I am new to this area and thats why I wanted to seek opinions. Can you pleae help on which locations are nice and safe. Safety is priority. I have been told areas around Westheimer, Richmond ave are good. Is this true? please help as I am running out of time and need to find housing. Thanks so much.

If safety is a top priority, this website and this other website provide a good ways to screen out various neighborhoods.

In my experience, Montrose seems more prone to crime than are areas around Washington Avenue. But if you really want something safe, I'd suggest that you just lease in a large very upscale apartment complex such as The Bel Air on Allen Parkway, where you can be lost in a wealthy crowd, several floors above street level, and be totally anonymous (this is in contrast to one of the things Spade had said; I think that the fewer neighbors you have, the better you're likely to know them, and the better you know your neighbors, the more likely they are to cause you grief at some point).

what about med center/braeswood area (77025).. any information about those areas pls? thanks.

That's definitely a safe area. Excellent demographics. The closer to Braeswood, the better, generally speaking.

[skyphen]

Max of probably 270K

I haven't looked in a while, but last I looked there was nothing in Montrose for 270K. Houses there were starting around 300K and up. That's true of most of the more established, desirable Inner Loop neighborhoods, which is what it sounds like you're wanting. At your price point, you will need to look into a transitional neighborhood, consider condos/townhomes, rent, or head for the suburbs.

[smurf]

I haven't looked in a while, but last I looked there was nothing in Montrose for 270K. Houses there were starting around 300K and up. That's true of most of the more established, desirable Inner Loop neighborhoods, which is what it sounds like you're wanting. At your price point, you will need to look into a transitional neighborhood, consider condos/townhomes, rent, or head for the suburbs.

Speaking from past experiences, Bel Air or something upscale around Allen Parkway is a good idea if you are new to Houston and looking to decide where to live. I am a homeonwer in the same area for the last 2 years.

Finding anything of quality under 300K in Montrose is really hard. For 270K, there is still a lot of good options in the Washington area. If you can afford to, look for a place with a big usable balcony or a roof deck. It is so worth it 9 non-summer months of the year. You will be surpirsed how much time you actually spend "outside" the house when you have a view of some sort.