Barkers Landing And Fleetwood

[KatieDidIt]

With prices in Nottingham Forest and Wilchester skyrocketing for the condition they are in, why haven't these two subdivisions followed suit. They are zoned to good Katy schools and seem to be in better condition than some of the Memorial West homes. In fact some are on pretty good sized lots.

Is it that revitalization hasn't moved that far west yet? Does it flood? Opinions? Knowledge?

Thanks.

[sttombiz]

the new expansion of BP (8000 new jobs) and the katy freeway will see the area skyrocket. it will be like greenway plaza and west university. hopefully.

you will also see a lot of houses in the coming future up for sale for this reason. those older generations that cannot afford the taxes on the new appraisals and the families that bought the homes in the late 80s for around $70k will be unable to pay. then comes a newer generation of people looking to spend money in memorial. likely the land around wolfe elementary will be developed into a mixed junior high and high school. either private or public depending on what katy isd does.

the area does not flood (except for hard rains in fleetwood- Allison like). it has the 2 reservoirs and a detention plain (old addicks school lot).

likely housing prices have not risen bc of katy isd and the trend westward has yet to reach the area. it is still a steal for the new development to come. but the area bets on energy prices more so than any other. the houses usually range upwards of $100 psf. that is still a great price to pay for area.

in terms of katy isd, parents dont like the idea of paying this much money and busing their kids 15 miles to junior high and high schools. it should be zoned to spring branch. at present, wolfe elementary is a lackluster school with test scores deemed paltry by comparison. with a median income in the area of around $110k I think wolfe should be a better school (like it was when I went there). just as the council woman should be pam holm instead of traci lawrence (District G instead of A) the area is not defined in the right parameters.

80-90% of children in the area go to private school. other than that, the area is incredible.

[Parrothead]

I lived in Fleetwood for a time when I was little, right on Foxgate Rd. My parents loved it, 'course back then, it was "country". We still have friends that live there and in Barkers Landing. The property values have always been very steady, but as most housing stats suggest, the further you go out, the less expensive it gets. Thornwood isn't as expensive as NF or Wilchester, but the home prices in the area are steadily increasing, and Fleetwood and Barkers Landing have seen increases as well.

[sttombiz]

the price of oil destroyed that area.

[Parrothead]

wha? Destroyed?

[sttombiz]

in the 80s I mean

my friends parents bought their house for like 70k in 88 or 89. a house today which is likely worth close to 400-500k

[Trae]

That part of Katy I.S.D. is pretty pricey.

[cottonmather0]

My inlaws live in Memorial Thicket, which is right across Memorial from Barker's Landing and BP. We have been staying out here for a couple of months while our house in Timbergrove is getting remodeled.

My wife and I both work downtown and have been carpooling to take advantage of the HOV Lane because the traffic on the mainlines is just so gawdawful during rush hour. That said, if the commute wasn't so bad, I would consider moving out here. (I know the freeway is being expanded, but that's still 2+ years off and then it's just going to fill up again, anyway, I say)

But, if you work out here and don't have to commute, it's a great area. The houses in MT and BL are HUGE and very fairly priced, most have been renovated and have very interesting architectural variation around the neighborhood. Also, very nicely landscaped public areas and most yards are nice, too. Fleetwood is slightly more cookie-cutter and slightly more crowded, but it's still a nice area. You're not far from Katy or West Oaks, either, and still within the whole Nottingham/Westchester sphere.

The only downside is that the Hwy 6 / Reservoir area is still just a little bit cruddy, but they are indeed cleaning a lot of that up and developing it and the freeway is going to help in that regard. It

[KatieDidIt]

Thanks for all the responses. I am still unsure about this area being that its on the other side of the resevoir from most of the schools. And the 7-8000 sf lots are brutally small.

We are moving back from the Woodlands and have been basically priced out of neighborhoods we could have bought into in Memorial over the two years we have been gone.

Nothing is for sale in the interior of Wilchester and Yorkshire and this point and most of the lots are shockingly small. The few that have come up, the flippers have gotten ahold of a lot of them and I just don't like the type of work they do and I certainly don't want to pay for their profits.

Its going to be a tough move but fortunately we are not rushed and can wait a while to find the right situation. Its tempting to lease and wait to see if the prices deflate over then next year.

We haven't really looked into Katy, its just seems like another suburb far away. Our whole family really didn't like the Woodlands much, crazy about the house though, so we don't want to repeat that.

[sttombiz]

what size lot are you looking for? what size house are you looking for?

[KatieDidIt]

what size lot are you looking for? what size house are you looking for?

Hoping to find something on at least a 10,500sf lot and a minimum sf of 2800. Would prefer 12000 sf lot and 3300 sf house. ...........Actually I'd love almost half an acre, but that is an impossible dream in todays market. I keep hoping for one of the houses on Twisted Oak or Kickerillo in NOttingham Forest or an unflipped house in Yorkshire to come on the market, but they seldom do. Even South Wilcrest is hard to come by these days.

My husband has a terrible allergy to mold so whatever old home we purchase we are going to have to open up the walls and clean up around the foundation. So many people build up their beds for years and don't realize what that does to the walls and under the floor boards.

[sttombiz]

803 SOBODA CT 3700/10636 (Thornwood)

703 QUEENSMILL CT 4137/12238 (Fleetwood)

615 FAIRPORT 3919/13160 (Barkers Landing)

13302 APPLE TREE RD 3169/10557 (Nottingham)

14911 CAROLCREST ST 3184/10500 (Westchester)

14130 HEATHERFIELD DR 3429/13980 (Memorial Dr Acres)

14207 KELLYWOOD LN 3379/15420 (Nottingham)

15014 TURKEY TRAIL CT 4346/11035 (Turkey Trail Estates)

15010 TURKEY TRAIL CT 4473/11259 (Turkey Trail Estates)

626 W FOREST DR 3729/12467 (Yorkshire)

prices range from $385k-595k.

also I can recommend one house: 607 ROCK COVE 4100/9266 (its mine)- Barkers Landing

of the others I will also recommend 14911 Carolcrest. It was my brother's in laws' former home. Great renovations/remodel. The new owner wants to move to a farm or something. beats me. It is in the Westchester subdivision. If you know where the St John Vianney Catholic Church is, its right behind there.

finally, 615 Fairport. It has been on the market quite a will. Its around the corner from our house in BL.

but 607 Rock Cove is your safest bet. hehe.

Sorry, 803 Soboda Ct is 350k

[KatieDidIt]

Thanks we have looked at several of those and passed over several just due to location or condition. The one on Kellywood needed to be leveled and its already pending. I was excited about the one on W. Forest but a flipper had hijacked it and did a cheapo job. Hubby won't live in that area just west of Dairy Ashford but eat of Eldridge.

We may look at the one on Fairport due to the lot size and maybe on on Rockcove , but the seperation from the middle and high school concern me for when the boys want to drive.

So far the right one hasn't come along.

Thanks though!!! If you get inside scoop on something before market let me know.

[houstonfella]

I have a lot of co-workers and friends who live out West. Katy is OK. But... when someone mentions "thicket" in any context, I hear dueling guitars from Deliverance for some reason.

[KatieDidIt]

We noticed that Barkers and Fleetwood have few to no crime problems. Nottingham Forest area has a real mess going on, so I guess that's out now <sigh>.I was kind of shocked, but I guess all the Tully apartment spills over. Now Hubby has filed us back to east of Kirkwood excluding Fleetwood and Barkers after viewing the crime map.

Wilchester, south of Memorial still remains solid. But finding an interior home proves difficult.

Barkers/Fleetwood must have a private patrol, I find that deters a lot. But its still that distance to the upper schools that presents a major problem. I think that's what keep the prices low, because other than the lots sizes it doesn't seem to have any other drawbacks.

[sttombiz]

the only thing is to apply to be reassigned to Stratford and the middle school. Two of my friends asked for it and Katy and Spring Branch granted it. I think that they may have rented an apartment in the district during that time though. That is always something to consider. Rent an apartment in that school district and use that as the kids' home address.

I always hated the fact that I had to drive so far out to Taylor when I was in HS and had to be bused out to Memorial Parkway. Other than the drive though, both were great schools. There is no denying that.

There is also private. Some catholic schools are close (I believe Pope John for elementary). and of course village, the montessories (one is down the corner on grisby and addicks howell), and I believe that they plan to open the BP Childrens Center for all residents of the area.

Nottingham Forest has a high crime rate? I did not know that. I know that they plan to change the Kendall Branch library into a police substation after the move. or at least thats what Council woman Holm wants to do.

Also there are talks concerning BL about the increased traffic flow once BP is finished. The HOA wants to do as much in lieu of gating the neighborhood as they can. one idea which was proposed is to construct guard towers at the entrances to the neighborhood. They remain city streets but it will stop the flow from those cutting through to Memorial.

All of this is on the barkers landing website though under the BP heading. http://www.barkerslanding.org and the energy corridor website http://www.energycorridor.org or the less visited http://www.energycorridor.info

There is another house on rock cove for sale as well at 602 Rock Cove going for $395k but it is 3442/8136. It was nicely remodeled though. The water heater burst and flooded the house so the homeowners decided to remodel the entire thing. Really nice. But it does fit your parameters for lot size.

[KatieDidIt]

Wow, have to say I am very impressed with your HOA. The Woodlands was/is horrible about that. The Woodlands is owned, and run by paid employees, the homeowners don't have any final say. Its been a real shock over what people can get away with if they have "the right friends" in the Development company or association. They are able to strip there backyard of foliage, but up lights at the tops of trees, outdoor TVs and massively high pool decks. People really aren't too concerned about being good neighbors that's for sure. No patrol, once a week pickup on the trash... the place smells great in the summer. Kinda miss having a mailbox at my house too. (ok , through bitching once again about the place. Deep breath. I'm moving! yeah)

The patrol and twice a week trash pickupat BL is BEAUTIFUL also. We miss those elements greatly. Tanglewood was equally awesome about such things.

I would assume that your friends did rent an apartment to go to Stratford, I can't see how one can pay taxes for one ISD yet attend another. But I would think Taylor and certainly Memorial Prkwy middle to be better. Spring Forest middle school would not be my pick.

Yes, I too was surprised by the crime around and floating into NF. I think its all the apartments around Tully. That's one of the reasons my husband won't live west of Kirkwood. He grew up in Wilchester and went to Westchester, so he remembers the area well. Seems it hasn't gotten any better.

May I ask where you are moving?

[Parrothead]

Good luck Katie! I know you want to get back to Houston pretty bad. I hope you can find what you want!

[KatieDidIt]

Good luck Katie! I know you want to get back to Houston pretty bad. I hope you can find what you want!

Thanks Parrot! At least we really learned this year what a home Houston truely is and how much we dislike being away from "that big bad city" as Woodlanders term it, and fear it. After two years, when we exited onto Woodway, hubby and I sighed in relief........at that point we knew life in Pleasantville wasn't going to be for long.

We tried to do the right thing and find the "perfect" situation (schools house "enviroment" ), but we learned that there is no perfect so you may as well love the place you live and make do with the rest. We are slow learners! But the bulb is finally glowing.

[sttombiz]

my parents havent landed on a place just yet. There were some homes in Wilchester, Briargrove Park, and Enclave that look interesting though. they are looking to downsize from a two to a one story home but basically in the same area. we have seen some out in cinco but that is so far. commuter rail!

I believe that my friends did rent next to Stratford. Yea Spring Woods vs Memorial Parkway is toss up between locale and schooling. I liked MP, but there are other schools that you can petition for such as Beck or Garland. Im saying this bc I dont know the quality of MP anymore, but when I went there it was great. Taylor has always been a great school as well. Looking back though, it could have been harder. Well, I wish it was harder. Supposedly they have increased curriculum at the schools though. In spring branch, it would have to be closer in at Memorial middle. I still believe it is closer in travel time though.

Our HOA is pretty nice. if youre one to not mow your lawn or leave trash out early, than you would not like it. haha. also BL HOA was the one to stop METRO from extending the park and ride to south of the freeway (now where BP plans expansion). so that was an excellent win. I do think that our HOA also pushed the judge to final ruling of the erotic establishments being x number of feet away from schools. we had trouble that you could see them from the wolfe playground when I was a kid. but thats in the clear now.

also our HOA is working with BP for long term planning of the area. BP doesnt have to talk to us but they have been most generous as our neighborhood has a high per capita of BP employees.

It too is likely that the north wall of BL will be replaced with a uniform brick fence. When that happens the HOA might take ownership of the wall though. It now belongs to the homeowners. BP says they will finance a portion of it but what portion we do not know.

I dont know how much youre interested but BL and likely the other neighborhoods have women's and men associations inside the neighborhood. In order to get to know one another better and have some downtime from work, etc. They are get togethers at local country clubs and the houses in the neighborhood. A newsletter is issued every month for BL regarding what all is going on in the neighborhood. It is also posted on the website. Also if you live out here you must join the Westlake Club or Memorial Athletic Center. Well you dont have to but if youre into fitness nothing beats it.

The security patrol in our neighborhood is awesome. for the fact that I can call them to help me with a battery jump for my car or walk my house/take care of pets when we are on vacation. All the guys that have worked for the neighborhood have been great. Especially when I was teenager and we used to hang out with him at the front of the neighborhood and pay him off with pizza to look the other way when we were throwing parties or doing stuff that kids do.

Fleetwood and Memorial Thicket have roaming patrol as well. Memorial Thicket is more secure with the single entrance and the same goes for the first Fleetwood with backs up to BL. Though I have seen the Fleetwood patrol guy sleeping it up on occasion, but likely they all have once or twice. The only houses that I would watch out for/avoid in our area are the ones on the far west side of the Fleetwood south of Memorial. They are really huge but Kickerillo did a number on those houses and they have all had problems.

From what I know, BP plans to build a new child development center that will likely encompass a full time elementary school. BL and other residents are petitioning to be able to join even if they do not work at BP. And garbage pickup is every Wednesday and Saturday by a private firm. Theres also heavy trash and recycling days as well. I know there is no restriction on whether a resident should put out bags or have a trash can.

I can go on and on about BL. But it is nothing if you dont actually see the houses and drive the neighborhood to see that everyone here is riding their bikes, walking, or jogging at all times of the day and always with a smile on their face.

[KatieDidIt]

We are just taking things real slow and are in no hurry. We know the general areas we like and will go from there. Last time we put a house on the market it sold the next day, for asking price, and we hadn't chosen a house yet. It was a security blanket nightmare. So we just want to make sure where we are going before we bail completely.

Hubby is set firm on the idea of Wilchester West. However, there are no listing in the interior and few listings overall. BUt since Houston doesn't really go on the market until close to the end of the school year, we hope listings will pick up in April. Maybe Memorial Pines/West Bunker Hill if the right lsituation comes along, but asking prices there are a little on the crazy side right now.

[Erick]

My parents purchased a great house on Apple Tree in Wilchester West - 5 BR, 3 1/2 Bath on 1/4 acre - for $50,000! Of course, that was in 1970.