MiDTOWNeR

Not sure who to go with for internet/cable...any suggestions? Thank you.

WOW, sounds like a shitty realtor if it took a certified letter to communicate with him.

Plus 1 for one cash, brother. Christ, people act like I'm a drug dealer to use a $100 bill in a transaction.

That reminds of the days in the barrio when everyone gets their checks and are shopping at Fiesta. Im the only one without the 100s.

BTW, I did file the complaint and I can look to see if I still have a copy of it you could use for small claims court.

That would be excellent! Thank you.

Thank you for all of the info provided thus far. I will say that we are not crappy landlords nor have we been during their lease. We have every intention of returning their full security deposit should the home be in good condition given normal wear and tear of course. They have indicated that they will be moving out on Aug 16th...so the eviction process-we know- would be right in the middle of that. Our thought process was that since they flat out told us they would not be paying the rent, that indeed when we do not receive the rent that at that point the eviction process was a way for us to cover ourselves legally for when to go to court over the issue. So instead some of you are saying just forego the eviction process, and just wait and see if their are things that we need to fix that would come out of the deposit and just go after them for that part if need be? I like the idea of going in now taking pictures since we will be showing the house before the lease is up. That is great! Thanks again everyone, and anyone else who can chime in, please do.

I would go after them both ways. Of course, you do run the risk that htey will trash the place once you start eviction proceedings. And for the next tenant, get the last month's rent in addition to the deposit.

So 3 months rent for someone to move in? Is that common in Houston?

So our tenants lease is up Aug 30th. They have advised us that they do not intend on paying their rent for August, and that we can use their security deposit in lieu of the rent. This obviously is not allowed per the lease agreement. Can anyone suggest what our next step should. Is there anything we can do proactively or do we just have to wait for them to not pay their rent. At that point do we even bother with the eviction process, or go after them in small claims court for the unpaid rent.

That's correct. They are supposed to either be closing or have already closed on the home. The two decoy homes are just ones that happen to be for sale at the time of filming. That would explain the abundance of (1) furniture "included in the deal," and (2) why you can't believe they chose the worst home of the bunch (because the better ones weren't on the market at the time they signed the contract!).

Something to consider when watching House Hunters is that when they show the folks going through the various houses and making comments, they have actually ALREADY decided on the house they want or have already closed on the one of the homes. It's not as if they looked at only 3 homes and chose 1 house amongst the 3. They probably looked at many homes and for some reason these 3 made the best combination to show during the show or were still available to go back to, to tape the wandering through parts. So a lot of the comments/objections/criticisms they make are just to throw the viewer off as to which house they actually chose. So a lot of the comments will be contradictory from one house to the other vs the comments on what they want during the show opener. Or they will say stuff to make their ultimate decision seem best suited for them.

I would have written another response earlier, but I've been at Summerfest.

Some of you have taken what I've said personally. It really confuses me. All I've tried to say is that many Houstonians don't appreciate the city the way the rest of us do. Don't think its true? If it wasn't, then "Houston It's Worth it" wouldn't be necessary. Think about that. How many other major American cities need to convince their citizens that "It's Worth it"?

And I don't need anyone's acceptance. But also, I don't think wanting people to respect our city for its cultural and entertainment offerings is selling out or superficial.

And all this Austin bashing is ridiculous and smacks of insecurity. Austin does certain things right, and Houston does things right. Ranting and raving against another city is thousand dollarsing stupid.

They have turned your comments around on you to steer the discussion, so that Houston's real problems and mediocrity don't see the light of day. They maintain the defensive tone to merely keep the discussion away from why Houston simply cannot compare in quality to many other US cities. Even if you were not dissing Houston, the mere mention of anything in Houston being a problem or something that can be improved suggests that Houston has problems or is subpar, not good enough etc...and therefore should not be discussed-even in a civil well-intentioned manner. As soon as i read your first post, I wondered how long it would take for someone to respond with the, "I don't care what people think" response, and sure enough....the 2nd post! It is this refusal to accept and value legitimate criticism that keeps this place form really being a great city.

The outside of these places look like a lot of what you see in central america and mexico...only these have glass in the windows.

The outside just looks bland

Saying it's third world is just asinine and not even worthy of an argument.

The question of the thread was "What's YOUR Houston?"

And for me, third world country sums it up. Is it "literally" a third world country? Of course not. But the overall quality of life here is compromised enough that my colorful way of describing Houston is as a third world country. I don't have an axe to grind or an agenda like many on here. Just simply put the city is not as nice as it could be or as the locals seem to think it is. My criticism seems to be met with such resistance it's as if I am revealing some deep dark secret that those who have not been further than east texas have been shielded from. So those with knowledge of the outside world vehemently decry my "third world country" label. "OMG MiDTOWNeR" is at it again! QUICK get spin control on this. We can't have them figuring out MiDTOWNeR has got it figured out! They Might start demanding zoning, smoother roads, NO PARKING along Washington Ave from Studemont to Westcott, a decent system of paved walk/bike paths, and OH GOD light rail to the airports!"

There are several big crappy US cities-such as Detroit, Newark, Miami, New Orleans, and Houston. Just my opinion. Oh, and perhaps Philadelphia and Cleveland. Again, just my opinion.

Read the press release again, it will cost roughly $6 for coach class.

The TV is suposed to cost $6, but the email/internet whatever will be free.

Our city has improved(and improving) our transit system,we have more entertainment venues, hotels, and are (or will be) on par with San Diego, Miami, San Fransisco, and L.A.

LMAO!!!

prejudice against our city

Gee, I wonder why one would not want to come here over some other possible cities.

With a lot of hyperbole, seemingly. Either that or you're just an ornery tightwad. Probably the former.

Wow, the third world comment must have really struck a chord. I'm surprised you even bother responding to what I have written. Perhaps I am on to something with how bad Houston really is.

Nah, I've been to a couple 3rd world countries. Houston pretty handily beats them. And if Mexicans' trucks are larger than your house...wow. I mean, if you have to live in the ghetto and in a house that is at most about 150 sq. ft., then how the hell can you afford an internet connection?

Really man, get a grip on things.

Gosh, I know, I ever do I manage?

Yeah, if you live in the Near Northside, I can see where you're coming from. But you decided to live there...if you don't like poor Mexicans, you can always move to The Woodlands.

I think you can see where I'm coming from regardless of where in town I live. Third world country sums up this place.

From what I can see, these Mexicans aren't so poor. Their trucks are bigger than my house. I don't mind them so much... better than the whitebread rednecks who think Houston is the best place on earth.

Maybe, but it's not the "worst thing" Houston has to deal in regards to it's image. Cities boast size all the time.

For Houston though, it's the size that partly contributes to locals thinking there is something special about this place.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I went by Fit Athletic on W. Gray yesterday and really think that gym meets my needs. New, clean, friendly staff, lots of equipment, classes, great location to home and work, and good promo prices (corporate rate). Think I will be joining in the next few days!

Was it a "hard" sell? Just curious. When I see peole taking tours, I don;t get the impression the fit folks are hard selling them. But I do not get to overhear the conversations in the cafe area.

The worst thing for Houston and it's image perception is being labeled "4th Largest US City"

This seems to conjure up grandiose ideas about this place amongst the locals... that simply do not exist in this town. "Well hell, we're the 4th largest city, that must count for something?!" Now technically, when looking at population within "city limits" I guess it is is the 4th largest city, but the buck stops there! Sort of like, I thought at one time I had heard that Oklahoma City was the largest city in square miles...IF that is the case, it is the same scenario. The buck stops there. Whoopie, it's the largest in square miles. Does not mean that is great and fabulous.

This is seen all over, though. Not just in Houston and Texas or the city for that matter.

Typical response..."Oh yeah that, that happens everywhere." Of course it does. But The whole reason I mentioned it is because in the Houston area it is much much worse than elsewhere. That is what is funny on here, is that whenever someone mentions a negative, it often gets that "This happens everywhere response. When in fact the reason it is mentioned is because of how much worse it is here comparatively speaking in the posters experience. But like much that is wrong with this town, noone wants to admit, "Hey, they may be on to something here." And do something about it.

Houston is like being in a third world country.

The roads and infrastructure are horrible.

Customer service is horrible almost everywhere you go.

English does not seem to be the predominate language.

The air is pretty unhealthy

Many areas of town smell of sewage

Yep, not much different than Mexico City...just fewer people.

I agree....He was not a fear monger and would give you the facts without manufacturing drama like Billigsley does. Tim Heller looks like a robot to me so I can't get my info there. Anyway..I'm glad they did not bring Chuck George back to Houston for this job.

BTW, whatever happend to radar the weather dog?

I miss Chuck George!

Houston drivers! They SUCK!

The insistence by so many Houston area drivers to drive slowly in the fast lane is beyond comprehension.

Houston drivers tend to be incredibly slow to react to changing conditions on the freeways.

They are simply the worst!!

Driving in Houston sucks! Not to mention the horrid condition of the roads and stupid highway systems such as the major freeways going down to 3 lanes each way when passing under or over 610, and that downtown 59 spur/split deal is laughable! Who designed that cluster%@#$? The frontage road speedways where one can exit the freeway at 50+ miles a hour only to come up on someone coming to a near stop to make a right hand turn into a parking lot let alone those having just pulled out of a parking lot onto the frontage speedway.

The roads are a mess, the drivers are a mess.

Good to see. Mattress Giant at 11th and Shepherd was over a mile from my house. Plus, we needed another so we can get competitive pricing. My monthly mattress purchases were starting to crimp my budget.

But there is plenty of space in existing houses for more and more illegal immigrants. They are the ones fueling the mattress market in this neck of the woods.

Sounds like good ole "UL"