Jump to content

Bellaire/Southside Place/West University Place Real Estate


sevfiv

Recommended Posts

hey everyone...i just wanted to get some of your input on the housing changes that have begun in the past decade or so in Bellaire. Twenty years ago, the houses were quite "cookie-cutter" one story homes. Today, these homes are being bulldozed at a high rate and are being replaced with larger, more "modern" two to three story homes that cover alot more area of the original lots.

living there, or just observing, what is going to be the fate of Bellaire in the next decade? what do you think about the issues that could come into play here, such as ecology or the skyrocketing prices?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 237
  • Created
  • Last Reply

The neighborhood is just going through a change. To believe that one neighborhood will stay the same forever is a mistake. Even in historical areas where the houses are preserved, the people living there change and therefore attitudes and the community change.

Just some neighborhoods see more physical changes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My friend lives in Bellaire when he isn't at boarding school. His house could be described as a McMansion.. it has Walt Disney and Looney Toones related pictures everywhere as a decoration.

However, all his house has out back is a glassed in patio.. and not much of it!

If I was building in that area, I would choose a Spanish-style house and I would have as large of a backyard as I can!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The next step is the hybrid McMansion/Townhomes. Peopulation density doesn't increase all that much, but there is a significant loss in greenspace.

In some cases they can work out well and create a critical mass for neighborhood vitality and small businesses. Other times they end up ghettos. Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Over the past few years, I've seen a number of the homes being demolished and turned into McMansions.

While A few of the homes that were torn down were not very well kept up and were on the verge of collapsing, the majority were homes in very good shape that had the potential of being livable for a number of years.

The current space of constructions near a few of the streets are towards the upper end of the scale as far as income goes.

Ricco

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will say the "McMansion" builders are putting more creativity into these homes than the original McMansions of the 80's West U vintage. Groin vaulted tiled celings and intricate inlaid floors, & other details. It still seems to me, though, that many are poorly proportioned to the lot. The recent Bellaire new home showcase had several homes in the 1.5 to 1.8 million range.

The company does a chunk of business in these homes & what does bother me is the agents that work them have called Meyerland, "the new Bellaire". You can now see Villa d'tara on a quarter acre popping up among the low slung ranches in there. The individual new homes may be okay, even great, on a couple of acres or sitting in a development of similiar homes. My problem with them is it seems like we are "homogenizing" our city. Is making everything look the same an improvement??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well? What are you waiting for? Vent! ;)

No I'm not in the chimney, it doesn't even feel like WestU over there. More like Bellaire.

So anyone else tired of the ugly McMansions they're building with regularity in WestU? Used to be when I moved to WestU, most new construction was designed by an Architect. But now it seems like the builders have moved in and is ruining the charm of WestU. They typical spec house which seems like they got the plans from a plan book while waiting to checkout at Krogers.

I guess anything for a quick buck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I live in the last section of WestU to be upgraded and guess what, the contractors are bankrupt and the work stopped about 2 weeks ago! Thank goodness my street was finished but there are some streets that are completely torn up, and unaccessible! I feel sorry for those homeowners, they have to park at the ends of the blocks. I don't even know how the city gets the trash out of there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as I can see, Wake Forest is totally shut off at the Bissonnet intersection. Has been for like 2 months. Sunset and Nottingham east of Wake Forest is totally torn up with only one lane open, so that half the street can't access their own driveway. Probably Albans and Wroxton are the same but I don't go that way. Trying to avoid that whole area actually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

"Is making everything look the same an improvement??"

that is all relative.... my office is a 1925 Victorian cottage in East Montrose.... 80 years ago these were everywhere and someone probably complained about everything looking the same...

my house, built 1960, is in Timbergrove.. drive around a little and you'll notice that all the houses look the same... you'll even see the same floorplan 3-4 times per block..... and I'm sure someone complained about everything looking the same...

go to the Heights.... imagine it 50 years ago... a million bungalows that all look the same... and again, I'm sure someone complained about them all looking the same...

so basically I don't get your point.... what would you prefer the builders do in that area??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Is making everything look the same an improvement??"

so basically I don't get your point.... what would you prefer the builders do in that area??

My wife and I drove through Bellaire over the weekend (we are looking to purchase in Meyerland) and we were amazed at the TOTAL transformation this neighborhood as taken. I went to High School in Bellaire and I used to cut through many of those streets 15 years ago and I always thought the neighborhood was gross. That opinion stuck with me until recently when I say that 80-90% of the homes (at least in the area we drove) were all new and very large. The houses that remained were usually pretty nasty and need to be torn down.

One of the reasons we like Meyerland is the possibility that once Bellaire is built out people will venture South towards Braeswood. The neglected homes will go first and the neighborhood will see new construction. It has already happened around Meyerland Plaza, but I think there is potential for this to continue all the way to Willowbend and possibly beyond. As more and more homes deteriorate coupled with the large lots most of the houses are built on, there will be many more re-build occuring.

So I guess to answer the original Poster's question. I like what has happened in Bellaire. I love the boulevards and the trees. I think the newer homes add a lot to the area. I love one story ranch style homes, but unfortunately those days are over (for now) as everyone wants 4-5k SF homes on their 7500 SF lot. There is only so much you can do !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you were to purchase in meyerland, would you buy an older house to live in, to tear down and rebuild, or buy new construction?

i honestly don't know the current rate of new construction in meyerland (and it covers a good amount of area) but i would imagine it is pocketed like bellaire.

the closer you get to the railroads (inner loop bellire) the smaller the lot size (and seemingly more rundown houses). near the freeway the lots are slightly larger. these two areas plus the houses around evergreen just outside the loop seem to be where alot of the newer construction is.

i noticed that to the north of the high school, the lots are much larger, and there are more original homes (larger and priced accordingly, too).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you were to purchase in meyerland, would you buy an older house to live in, to tear down and rebuild, or buy new construction?

We are looking at two types of homes:

1. Older homes that need work. We want 4 bedrooms and 2000-3000 SF. We are looking in the $210-$255 range.

2. Older homes that have been remodeled and do not need as much work. Same space requirements as above but we are willing to pay $255-$300 for those houses.

We have seen a couple in each category we like, but we are waiting to sell our midtown/ montrose townhouse first and there has not been a lot of activity although it has only been on the market for 2 weeks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good luck in the selling.  I hope it all works out.

I am a little nervous. There is a lot of new construction in the near areas. My townhouse has a lot going for it, but it is a Perry and everyone on here knows the reputation of them. We are not dying to get out so if it takes a little time I am fine with that too. Thanks for the good wishes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

do every staging trick in the book when trying to sell your house.... hell buy some candles that smell like cookies to keep the house smelling that way and always leave some cookies out when it is shown...

it took me a long time to sell my townhouse in Cottage Grove even though we had 3-4 showings per week, sometimes more.... our house was beautiful inside and was more interesting than most townhouses, but we just couldn't compete with the psyche that buyers would prefer new construction even if it costs more...

my sister is STILL trying to sell her townhouse in the Museum District... she is priced $25-40k less than the new construction near her and still can't get an offer...

my main worry for Houston in the near future is that all this rampant construction of townhomes is going to kill the market... these builders are cannibalizing their own profits and long term stability... it is madness...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Is making everything look the same an improvement??"

that is all relative.... my office is a 1925 Victorian cottage in East Montrose.... 80 years ago these were everywhere and someone probably complained about everything looking the same...

my house, built 1960, is in Timbergrove.. drive around a little and you'll notice that all the houses look the same... you'll even see the same floorplan 3-4 times per block..... and I'm sure someone complained about everything looking the same...

go to the Heights.... imagine it 50 years ago... a million bungalows that all look the same... and again, I'm sure someone complained about them all looking the same...

so basically I don't get your point.... what would you prefer the builders do in that area??

You just described three different area, recognizing the differences between each with their own character and architectural style and history. Within a given neighborhood their is going to be similiarity between houses of course. The point is, is it an improvement, for example, to make Timbergrove, the Heights and Montrose all have one look? To build the same new houses or townhouses so no neighborhoods have their own style and history anymore?

Meyerland, for example, has some great mid-century architecture. I don't think it is an improvement to make it look just like Bellaire that looks just like West U and so forth. Of course there are plenty who see it otherwise I am sure. I just think it is boring to make different communities of different ages and history all look the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...