Native Kate

Don't buy in here for the look of the established neighborhood. In 5-10 years it will GONE. All the houses (and a lot of the mature trees) being torn down and huge (and mostly hideous) Garage Majahl McMansions lacking any real character or interesting architecture (all grandiose/in your face style) going up. I would rather see the original homes rehabed and expanded, but, money talks. The area has a lot of BAD apartments surrounding and is bordered on almost all sides by homes directly abutting 610, Stella LInk, etc-which has hurt the neighborhood as nobody wants these-or they go for a deeply discounted price to people that don't keep the homes up. Most middle schools in Houston are questionable (with very few exeptions), but, as middle schools go, Pershing is good-relatively speaking. The area is also zoned to Bellaire high, which is also good. there are several good private schools in the area as well. I am a native Houstonian and lived in Linkwood for a time back in the late 60's. Very nice until they built up too much multifamily housing around it-which after a time, usually gets run down. As newer apartments get built, the rents get lower, the riff raff moves in and the schools go down as a result-and the neighborhood follows. Standard houston real estate. Location is the only thing that saved this area. Westbury which is slightly southwest of linkwood, woodshire, etc used to be very nice-now a war zone, for the most part. Is coming back to some extent, but, it is sad to drive through there. If you buy one of the older ranches, I wouldn't put a lot of money into it, as it will eventually be worth lot value-driving through there it appears that disinvestment (which is the inevitable effect of teardown/McMansions) has set in. However, if you want location close to med center, this area is one of the few affordable left. Maplewood and Maplewood South (a little further south on Braeswood, between the loop and Hillcroft) is a nicer area, imo-some parts are zoned to Bellaire High. Meyerland which is slightly more expensive in general is also worth checking out. not as sketchy, imo, as the areas around Linkwood, Woodhsire, Westwood, Woodside, etc...Good Luck.