Moving To Sugar Land Area

[sjetexas]

Hey all, need some advice on where to move in SW Houston. My wife just got a job in Sugar Land (Dairy Ashford and 59). I currently work in the Uptown Galleria area. We are currently living in the Bear Creek/Copperfield area and want to move someplace more convenient (my commute currently sucks, and hers will once she starts her new job).

-Something convenient to both our jobs. Hers more so than mine, I'd like to keep my commute under 45 min if possible. I'd like to keep hers under 20 min.

-Good freeway access, good schools, access to shopping/restaurants (mall/casual stuff, nothing super upscale needed) all important.

-A *quiet* and safe neighborhood is a must.

Our budget tops out around 190-200k. Maybe a tad more if absolutely necessary. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2k-ish sq foot house...give or take. Preferably newish (under 10-15 yrs old, newer the better).

Is it possible to live around the Highway 6 loop on the SW side with this budget? A casual browse on HAR this afternoon is telling me no, except for some spots I know nothing about. So if it's not possible...how convenient to our work is New Territory and other communities out near Grand Parkway? How is traffic out there?

How crappy is US59 into the 610 area? I realize its probably better than 10/290, but how much better? Is it bad between BW8 and HI6? HI6 and Grand Parkway? Is Westpark or Ft Bend tollways a viable alternative to those who take 59?

Is Sienna Plantation a feasible option considering our job locations? This seems like a nice community. How bout Stafford or Missouri City? Are these locations nice areas to live?

Anyway, I plan to drive out and check the area soon, but some advice before I go would be great.

Also...I could use some recommendations for a good realtor. Need to sell our current home, and obviously need assistance finding a new one. Someone who would cut us a better deal for doing both jobs would be ideal.

Thanks!

[TJones]

Might look into Royal Oaks, may be a little more money, but it's gated, and I have not heard of ANY crime reported on the news since it has opened.

[sjetexas]

Might look into Royal Oaks, may be a little more money, but it's gated, and I have not heard of ANY crime reported on the news since it has opened.

Heh, I don't think I will find much in Royal Oaks in the neighborhood (or galaxy) of 200k.

It is indeed a nice neighborhood though.

[TJones]

Well, you could possibly find something nice in the 200k range around memorial and dairy ashford. I have looked there before and found some going for 180k.

I got it I got it. You could find something nice in Sugarland around the Westpark toll, and get yourself an easy tag.

[Houston1stWordOnTheMoon]

FWI, stay away from apartment complexes....if theres one in the southwest areas you are looking to buy in...keep looking!!!!!!! They have become havens for the criminal element from N.O.

[Jeebus]

FWI, stay away from apartment complexes....if theres one in the southwest areas you are looking to buy in...keep looking!!!!!!! They have become havens for the criminal element from N.O.

From the sound of it, he is no where close to looking where all the apartments are.

Well, you could possibly find something nice in the 200k range around memorial and dairy ashford. I have looked there before and found some going for 180k.

I got it I got it. You could find something nice in Sugarland around the Westpark toll, and get yourself an easy tag.

TJ.. What the heck are you smoking today? There's nothing off memorial for under 300k. Sugar Land around the Westpark toll? That's Cinco Ranch. And Royal Oaks?? Come on man, its 400k to get through the gate. It is a country club, ya know?

My wife & I have similar commutes as you do sjetexas. We live west of highway 6 where the Westpark toll crosses Westhiemer at 1464 & 1093. We could only afford 150k, but for 200 & below you can find nice homes along the highway 6 corridor. Starting at 59 & heading north on 6, try Village of Oak Lake, Park Point, Sugar Mill, Glen Laurel, Gannoway Estates, Barrington Place & The Meadows. Try to avoid Towne West, Kingsbridge, & Convington. This area will allow you to take Airport to 59 & head into town. Or you can travel just a bit farther north, get on the Westpark toll and end up at the same spot, for a dollar more.

South of 59 you have First Colony & Sugar Creek. Just search First Colony on HAR as there are about 30 or 40 invididual neighborhoods. Also, you have Sienna Plantation with quick access to the Fort Bend Tollway.

[sjetexas]

Thank you so much for the subdivision names, makes it a lot easier to search on HAR.

What are the reasons for avoiding the subdivisions you mentioned? Location or reputation?

Thanks again! Sugar Mill really looks like a great spot, gonna go drive around there tomorrow.

[TJones]

Jeebus, you apparently got into my stash, because if you go to the north side of memorial, closer towards kirkwood, there were a few there just a couple of weeks ago. but I will go look on HAR again.

BTW, sje, have you looked at www.HAR.com ?

http://www.har.com/cs_singlefamily.htm

BOO-YAH ! start here.^^^ Put in $200,000 and in zip code put 77079.

[sjetexas]

Jeebus, you apparently got into my stash, because if you go to the north side of memorial, closer towards kirkwood, there were a few there just a couple of weeks ago. but I will go look on HAR again.

BTW, sje, have you looked at www.HAR.com ?

http://www.har.com/cs_singlefamily.htm

BOO-YAH ! start here.^^^ Put in $200,000 and in zip code put 77079.

Yeah, been on it a lot lately. I appreciate the feedback, but memorial is a little more north than I currently want to be. Probably would have junped on that location for my job, but for my wife there are probably closer areas to be found. Thanks!

[PureAuteur]

This thread should really be on the Sugarland board, because it sounds like you want to be in Sugarland, not SW Houston. There is a huge difference between the two. SW Houston is a criminal war zone, and I'd strongly advise not moving there.

My apologies, this is the Sugarland board also, I only noticed the SW Houston part.

[sjetexas]

This thread should really be on the Sugarland board, because it sounds like you want to be in Sugarland, not SW Houston. There is a huge difference between the two. SW Houston is a criminal war zone, and I'd strongly advise not moving there.

My apologies, this is the Sugarland board also, I only noticed the SW Houston part.

Good point though, subject heading changed.

[UrbaNerd]

If you want to push your distance a tad, you might want to try Greatwood, River Park, New Territory, River Park West, or, stick around for a TAD longer, and wait for Telfair to start selling (the builders will be announced soon, and prices are not final yet).

[TxDave]

Just curious - how long (timewise) is the commute from Sugarland (around US 59 & Hwy 6) to the Galleria area? or from Sugarland to downtown?

[ProHouston]

Just curious - how long (timewise) is the commute from Sugarland (around US 59 & Hwy 6) to the Galleria area? or from Sugarland to downtown?

I travel this stretch from just inside Missouri City off Hwy 6 every morning. My commute is just under 30 minutes, I do get into work at 7am though. The commute home at 5 is a tad longer, maybe 35-40 minutes tops. I would say from Hwy 6 & Hwy 59, you could easily subtract 5-8 minutes from those numbers.

I would also suggest the sections of First Colony in Missoury City and some other new neighborhoods near Hwy 6 and Murphy Rd. All of these are new neighborhoods (less than 8 yrs old) and the area around Riverstone (which is $250k and up) are really nice. There is new retail, new restaurants, and the crime in Missouri City is lower than Sugar Land which in turn, is much lower than Houston.

I would advise against anything past Hwy 6 for at least 2 more years. The Hwy 59 widening won't be complete until then and traffic past Williams Trace in the evening is a disaster. However, if you can wait, this will be a great drive to a great area soon.

Telfair will also be nice but once again you'll have to wait a while, it's just started being built. And with its location, I bet it will be out of your price range. Similar locations for used homes in First Colony are well over $200k.

Lastly, Sienna Plantation is very nice but far from Uptown and even Sugar Land. The Ft. Bend County Toll road won't take you where you need to go for Uptown and to get to your wifes location in Sugar Land would entail a 6-7 mile drive along Hwy 6, that's a lotta lights.

I hope this helps.

[TJones]

Good point though, subject heading changed.

SJE, if you got a nice place close to the 99 parkway area, the commute for both of you would be tolerable, you could still jump the westpark tollway, and I can show you a few backroads for her to get to Kirkwood and 59 easy. I myself used to live at FM1464 and 99.

[Dolphin]

You should look North of Westheimer near Dairy Ashford. the neighborhood Briarwood has some nice houses.

[sjetexas]

You should look North of Westheimer near Dairy Ashford. the neighborhood Briarwood has some nice houses.

I thought about moving this far north (used to own a townhome up there), but won't this location be in the Alief school district? I'd like to avoid that if possible. May be a little far north for my wife as well...not sure. Dairy Ashford can be pretty nasty in spots.

Drove around the Sugar Land areas yesterday. Checked out New Territory. I loved the look of that area, so many trees...very pretty. Unfortunately it looked mostly out of my range...HAR shows some houses under 200k though. I also looked at Village of Oak Lake, Willowridge, Gannoway I think it was called off highway 6. These locations seemed pretty nice.

Some coworkers have told me 90 is pretty rough traffic around 59/6. How bad is airport rd? Seems like a nice cross street to take from a lot of these neighborhoods to get to 59. Probably gonna test the drive soon.

Thanks so much for all the responses. I already screwed up once when buying the home I currently live in, don't want to do so again!

[glo76]

sjetexas,

As someone who lives in New Territory, I can offer the following advice.

You may not know that New Territory is split into two sections either side of 99, the side to the east is generally more expensive (bigger houses) than the side to the west. If you look at the west side you should be able to find plenty of houses for under 200k. One across the street from me (2300 sq ft 1-storey if I remember right) is listed at $170k. Prices in the area do seem to have gone up a fair bit in the last year.

As for the commute, the previous poster is probably correct in that you are looking at about 20 minutes to the Galleria from SH-6 and 59 (depending on when you leave for work obviously). I used to work at Hillcroft / 59 and it was 20-25 minutes to get there from my house in NT, leaving around 6:45 am. Coming home, the traffic is pretty bad on 59 from Williams Trace to 99. The alternatives (90-alt, SH-6) all get backed up as well and your 25 minute commute goes to 40-50 minutes at night. West Airport isn't a bad option athough for my commute, all routes seem to work out to be about the same amount of time. I know that there is a park-and-ride option to the Galleria from the UH Sugar Land campus if that interests you.

For what it's worth, we love New Territory. We looked in several neighborhoods but few had the established landscaping of NT. I would say that it are less amenities (both for kids and adults) than newer subdivisions though. There's no giant water park like Cinco Ranch or Sienna Plantation, for instance, although there are several neighborhood pools. Depends on what you consider to be important, we didn't think they were and we've been very happy here.

[Jeebus]

I thought about moving this far north (used to own a townhome up there), but won't this location be in the Alief school district? I'd like to avoid that if possible. May be a little far north for my wife as well...not sure. Dairy Ashford can be pretty nasty in spots.

Anything above Westhiemer, but below Buffalo Bayou (around the Dairy Ashford area) is HISD. That would put your kids at Westbriar or Paul Revere for middle school and Westside for high school. I've heard mixed about Paul Revere (because of apartments) and good of both Westbriar & Westside.

Some coworkers have told me 90 is pretty rough traffic around 59/6. How bad is airport rd? Seems like a nice cross street to take from a lot of these neighborhoods to get to 59. Probably gonna test the drive soon.

Airport is nice, and there is only one four-way stop left inside highway 6. The rest are traffic lights. There aren't that many, and the traffic isn't bad, just slow to the speed limit when you get to Dairy Ashford (heading east) and stay under until you get to 59. The Meadows Police run speed traps there all the time.

The only area backed up at rush hour that I know about is 90 @ highway 6. They're doing major construction to build an overpass right now, so that doesn't help. Also, you'll get held up by the train at some point if you're traveling on highway 6.

[sjetexas]

sjetexas,

As someone who lives in New Territory, I can offer the following advice.

You may not know that New Territory is split into two sections either side of 99, the side to the east is generally more expensive (bigger houses) than the side to the west. If you look at the west side you should be able to find plenty of houses for under 200k. One across the street from me (2300 sq ft 1-storey if I remember right) is listed at $170k. Prices in the area do seem to have gone up a fair bit in the last year.

As for the commute, the previous poster is probably correct in that you are looking at about 20 minutes to the Galleria from SH-6 and 59 (depending on when you leave for work obviously). I used to work at Hillcroft / 59 and it was 20-25 minutes to get there from my house in NT, leaving around 6:45 am. Coming home, the traffic is pretty bad on 59 from Williams Trace to 99. The alternatives (90-alt, SH-6) all get backed up as well and your 25 minute commute goes to 40-50 minutes at night. West Airport isn't a bad option athough for my commute, all routes seem to work out to be about the same amount of time. I know that there is a park-and-ride option to the Galleria from the UH Sugar Land campus if that interests you.

For what it's worth, we love New Territory. We looked in several neighborhoods but few had the established landscaping of NT. I would say that it are less amenities (both for kids and adults) than newer subdivisions though. There's no giant water park like Cinco Ranch or Sienna Plantation, for instance, although there are several neighborhood pools. Depends on what you consider to be important, we didn't think they were and we've been very happy here.

Thank you very much for that post, glo76. I am currently dealing with 1hour-1:15 (or worse) from my current home, I could do 45 min standing on my head. I am guessing it would improve once they finish 59 construction in a few years. How is access to shopping in NT (grocery store, dry cleaning, daily need type stuff)? ...didn't really notice any neighborhood stores in my quick drive through.

Gonna take the wife to look around soon. She wants landscaping, so I think that aspect of NT will appeal to her.

Also, a 1 story is what we're looking for...I need to look at your neighbor's house on HAR, lol.

[energyman2005]

If you are going to seriously consider New Territory, PLEASE take a look at Greatwood as well.

We were into NT and thought it was a nice neighborhood. We were looking for the exact same price range as you, so therefore those NT homes were west of 99. We had heard Greatwood was nice, but thought it was too far. It's not any farther than the NT section west of 99. After visiting Greatwood we never looked at another home in NT. We live in Greatwood now.

[sjetexas]

If you are going to seriously consider New Territory, PLEASE take a look at Greatwood as well.

We were into NT and thought it was a nice neighborhood. We were looking for the exact same price range as you, so therefore those NT homes were west of 99. We had heard Greatwood was nice, but thought it was too far. It's not any farther than the NT section west of 99. After visiting Greatwood we never looked at another home in NT. We live in Greatwood now.

Okay, I'll defintiely check out Greatwood then. Why may I ask did you like it more than NT?

[glo76]

UrbaNerd gave a pretty comprehensive explanation of the retail in NT. The furthest we go for grocery and household items is down to the HEB at River Park, less than 10 minutes. For anything bigger, First Colony is only 10 minutes away for regular mall stuff, Lowes, Best Buy etc.

I'd point out here that doing a search on HAR for "New Territory" doesn't give the full selection of available properties. For some reason (is New Territory worse for this than other communities? Seems like it) a lot of realtors list the neighborhood name rather than the community name. To do a comprehensive HAR search, dig out all the neighborhood names and run those through the search as well. Or you can search by keymap zone, but then you are relying on slim chance that the realtor got it right.

Energyman, we also looked at Greatwood and really liked it. Two things counted against Greatwood in our minds - the traffic at that time (summer 2003) looked terrible since the only way into the neighborhood was over the Crabb River Rd bridge. I think it's been reconfigured since then and I presume it is better now (honestly, I haven't paid attention to it). Second thing was that we believed a lot if not all of Greatwood was zoned to Lamar CISD instead of Fort Bend ISD. We heard rumors it was going to be rezoned to FBISD but, rightly or wrongly, that combined with the traffic issues put us off.

[energyman2005]

Through our experience (granted, we are just one couple), we found the quality of the homes and the general upkeep of the neighborhood and the homes to be substantially better in Greatwood.

We looked at 5 or 6 homes in NT, all in the $170 - $200k price range. We only considered ONE of them to be in good condition. Some were very rundown and while the trees are nice and big, the landscaping wasn't that great.

Our Realtor pursuaded us to look in Greatwood, which we had previously ruled out because we had heard that it was too far. We looked at 5 or 6 homes in Greatwood the same day. They were all in good condition. The streets looked nicer, people took care of their yards and their homes.

The homes we looked at in NT were 5-10 years old versus the homes in Greatwood which were 2 - 7 years old. So that might have a little to do with it.

Greatwood also had nicer common areas, we felt. There are pools, tennis courts, basketball, etc. which we use a lot. Also, there is the golf course, which is very handy for practice or a round.

Just wanted to let you know that we were in the same boat as you.

We both work in the Galleria area. We used to carpool and our commute was 40 minutes in the morning and at night using the HOV lane. Now we drive separately and my commute is about 50 minutes. The way I see it, we got a great home for a great price and 59 will only get better. When it does, that bodes very well for GW and NT.

I saw this thread on Texags as well - I'm an Ag, Class of '03. Hope this helps.

Greatwood is Lamar ISD. I don't know of any re-zoning plans as of right now.

However, the two Lamar elementary schools in Greatwood are top notch. We've lived there for almost 7 months, and we haven't noticed very many teenagers. We've come to the conclusion that people may be raising their kids in GW until they get to middle school age, and maybe moving to FBISD at that time. Regardless, the schooling until they are 10 years old is great.

[energyman2005]

How crappy is US59 into the 610 area? I realize its probably better than 10/290, but how much better? Is it bad between BW8 and HI6? HI6 and Grand Parkway? Is Westpark or Ft Bend tollways a viable alternative to those who take 59?

59 and 610 is one of the busiest interchanges in the country. However, if you work at the Galleria then you can basically avoid it by doing the following. Coming in on 59, I would take the Westpark tollway east right before the interchange. It is only a $.25 toll. If you exit left, it dumps you out right at Richmond and Post Oak. Take a left on Post Oak, and a right on Sage, and you are at the Galleria.

Earlier I said my commute was 50 minutes. However, I'm going to the North part of Uptown, all the way up to Riverway. That's an easy 10 minutes extra.

In the morning, my commute:

From my house in GW to Hwy 6: 20 minutes

From Hwy 6 to BW8: 10 minutes

From BW8 to 610/59 interchange: 10 minutes

From interchange to office at Woodway and 610: 15 minutes

I leave home around 7:10

In the evenings, my commute:

From Woodway and 610 to Hwy 59: 10 minutes

From 610/59 Interchange to BW8: 10 minutes

From BW8 to Hwy 6: 10 minutes

From Hwy 6 to my home in Greatwood: 15 - 20 minutes

I leave around 5:15.

[glo76]

I can see your point on the quality of some homes in NT. My particular neighborhood is 11 years old and some of the residents just don't seem to have the time, inclination or whatever to do the required maintenance. And some of those that do, do the job badly. We have personal experience of that, but that's a whole other story.

You may experience the same problems in Greatwood in a few years once the houses reach the 10 yr range when larger repairs / maintenance are needed. As someone who appreciates well-kept homes wherever they may be, I hope not, but I think the target markets for both communities were similar and attracted the same kind of people. I think both communities are significantly ahead of River Park. Some of the homes that are visible from SH-99 look terrible already.

Quick websearch indicates that you are right - Greatwood rezoning to FBISD is just a rumor.

[joelpond10]

Here are some helpful websites for someone considering moving to the Sugar Land area.

www.chron.com/homefront - Neat website that shows you the price trends of each subdivision and also gives ratings for schools in the area

www.fortbendcounty.org - Gives you demographics and news on new developments

Hope this helps you out.

Joel Pond

[houstonmacbro]

The mean streets of Sugar Land:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6189559.html