sohomod

Hi Lowbrow,

I actually looked at 4004 b/c of your raves about it and I agree, it is a great location!

The unit we saw was a front corner, about 1900 SF 2BR. It was really nice. Private roof deck, 2 story atrium, great layout. I guess the fees were so high b/c of the square footage. Take a look! Not sure if I remember correctly but it was not that $$, maybe $170K? But that $600 condo fee and the possibility of it going higher if there needed to be more work which we heard rumors of...

Sohomod,

Can I ask what unit in 4004 Montrose you got to look at? I just sold my two bedroom there and surely miss the locale. I'm suprised at the fees you mentioned. My 1220 sqr footer only rated $385 a month (which does make a $160k condo feel like a $200k one).

Best of luck in your search.

Bon question. Here's my really long answer.

First of all, weather was gorgeous, people were fabulously friendly, and Mr. Mod himself, Robert Searcy, is surely the best, nicest, most knowledgeable realtor out there. I had no idea realtors were allowed to be honest, decent and pleasant. He was even patient with the baby. We loved him!

Day 1: We visited Norhill, Brookesmith, and vicinity, I guess the eastern fringes of the Heights. Small but charming bungalows, but for what we'd like to spend ($200K), usually a bit too small, a bit dowdy, vigorously Home-Depot-ized, or in a somewhat questionable location.

Day 2: duplexes in Montrose/Museum, with the idea of living in 1 and renting out the other. For the most part they were just pricey enough that the numbers wouldn't work out for us. Rent on 1 duplex wouldn't cover 1/2 the mortgage. Also, while I liked the neighborhood I was a little confused by the patchiness of it. We did love a condo in 4004 Montrose, though, which was nearly perfect in every way except for a $600 common charge and rumors of construction/repair issues.

Day 3: Eastwood. Loved it. Much more for the money than Norhill et al, and nicer streets too. But the lack of schools/parks/stores/restaurants stopped us short. With a little kid, it's hard to be away from conveniences. Then on to Glenbrook Valley. Wow it's nice down there. Winding green tree-lined streets of well-kept houses. Robert alllllmost had us with one of his listings... a 5BR on a huge piece of land. But Jarrett snapped out of it and started screaming. It was way too burby for him. Too much of a shock after living in Manhattan for so long. I *think* I could do it, but Jarrett couldn't sleep that night, it made him so nervous!

Day 4: Breaking out of the loop... While Robert closed on a deal, we spent the day exploring Piney Point, Bunker Hill, Memorial, the Galleria area and lots of other areas we can't afford. Just to get an idea. Boy, after seeing Central Market and all those stores, Jarrett's words were: "God bless Robert, but he's got a tough row to how, trying to lure people to the east side!" And we're not even shoppers. Just saw at once the convenience of having anything you need right there. Poor Robert!

Day 5: Spring Branch mods, Memorial townhouses. Spurred in part by a Houston Press cover story on the best high schools in the city (Spring Branch #4), we go with Robert to check out Spring Branch. SB has a lot to recommend it: in addition to the great schools, much more racial/cultural diversity, and proximity to shopping. And we see a beautiful mod that has been nearly but not quite ruined by renovation. On a beautiful block, for a good price, and very close to lots of Korean groceries and restaurants (a big plus for us, as we're 1/2 Korean!). But this is the burbs for real, and Jarrett isn't sure he can lump it, good schools or no. Again for schools, we check out townhouses in the Memorial area, zoned for Frost. Not bad, not great.

Day 6: Westbury: another great mod, another great school (Parker). And it has a pool! But boy, it sure looks like any suburban block anywhere. Gives Jarrett the willies and a severe case of anomie. And I have to admit, me too.

2 WEEKS LATER: Well, we're back in freezing (literally - 31 degrees) grey New York City. I am looking out at the gorgeous historic cast iron building across the street (studio of fashion photographer Arthur Elgort), one of dozens here in SoHo. Houston had so much to recommend it, but I still can't wrap my mind around the construction there. We're so used to huge brick/limestone/stone/cast iron buildings that ranch houses don't seem quite real to us. We were disappointed in the neighborhoods. The Heights didn't seem really neighborhoody. People were nice (we were regulars at the Hgts Blvd playground and lots of families chatted us up), but if those 3 blocks of 19th Street are the primary retail it doesn't really cohere. It's more like blocks of houses than a real neighborhood. Montrose even more so. Occasional blocks or 2 of cute buildings but everything bisected by big faceless boulevards and weird patches of who knows what-all.

It's funny, we liked Houston a lot more than we thought we would (it's much greener and prettier, for one thing, and more diverse than we'd heard) but on the other hand we came away with issues we hadn't foreseen. I had hoped that the Heights would be something like Park Slope or the West Village here, and it was nothing like. It made me wonder where those people shop or hang out, where were the neighborhood cafes or bakeries? Yale Blvd seemed too impersonal and large in scale to serve as the neighborhood corridor, and all around I saw fewer mom-and-pop shops and restaurants than I'd hoped.

So we are a bit lost. As Jarrett says, Houston is still very much on our radar, not least in part b/c Robert and the people on this forum have been so incredibly helpful and friendly that it augurs well for meeting great people should we move there. However, it isn't everything we had hoped for. I have a suspicion that we will never find everything we are hoping for. I doubt such a place exists. Is it affordable San Francisco with good schools? Ethnically diverse Portland with good weather? Smog-free affordable L.A. w/o the LAPD and all those actors? Affordable NYC w/o the craziness? So we have to figure out our priorities and adjust our expectations accordingly. We may also have to take another look at the budget and see how the picture changes if we increase the housing budget a bit.

In the meanwhile, I will admit, it's nice to be back home. Any time any of you is in NYC give me a shout out and I'll show you around!

Sohomod. Did you ever take your visit to Houston? How did it turn out? I would like to know what areas you liked.

But we have expanded our search to include craftsman bungalows, 30s traditionals, 1950s ranches, 1970s contemporaries. Basically anything that does not smack of soul-less mcMansion tract developments. All for our budget of $200K. The exciting thing about Houston is that we are finding lots of things we like, but since we don't know Houston at all, it's hard to know if the neighborhoods where we're finding them are bad or good. Here in NYC if you find beautiful buildings you know it's a good neighborhood but things seem different in Houston. So I'd love to hear some frank assessments of the following areas so we're not barking up the wrong trees: Eastwood, Washington Terrace, Norhill, Lindale Park, Sunset Heights, Timbergrove, Meyerland, South Bellaire.

I've heard there are some unsavory apartment complexes in the SW part of town, so I'm worried about the nice Mods I'm finding there. And some of the cute bungalows in Eastwood have bars on the window, which does give one pause. And yet I'm hearing on this board that Eastwood is pretty safe so are the bars from an earlier, more crime-ridden era? A big reason for this relocation is to give our toddler a nice green place to play outside so a good neighborhood is key. Our other ideals are a walkable community (i.e. stores and restaurants on local "Main Street"-type commercial streets), good schools (not as important as our daughter is not yet 2 and we could go the magnets route), a good sense of community and nice families, so she can make friends and playmates.

I suppose as long as I'm asking all these questions if someone would be so kind as to tell me how much private school tuition is, just so I could factor it into the equations. This board has been not only invaluable but very encouraging. It's great to know there are such friendly, helpful and like-minded people in Houston. Thanks so much!

I've been browsing around the Third Ward (Washington Terrace/Riverside Terrace) area but have also noticed this in parts of the Heights and elsewhere, these awful listings that show a cute little house in need of work and then -- apparently as a selling point????!!! -- photos of hideous new townhouse developments in the area. I'm glad the realtors put them up b/c they function as an unintentional warning to me. Would hate to be across the street or god forbid next door to one of those. Often the listing description will actually come right out and promote the property as a tear-down, even when it looks to be in mostly good condition.

Could someone please explain this to me? Why would people pay more money to live in an ugly box in a row of boxes than in a real house with a yard and character? This is not a rhetorical question. I am honestly curious and really want to know. If it is just the newer fixtures/kitchens/bathrooms, why not "update" (a word I am starting to dread seeing in the listings) the older house rather than tearing it down? We don't have townhouses here in New York, so I just don't get it. No one here, in their right mind or not, would tear down an old brownstone or prewar apartment building to build something new. Ever. As for landmarked or historically significant buildings, the zoning codes and community boards are such that you would have to mount a real campaign just to change the paint color. A little exaggeration but I really wish more Houstonians valued their architectural heritage because it looks as though you have some great neighborhoods there that are being blighted by careless development. Okay, didn't mean to rant. It's very late (1:44AM), baby didn't nap today, I am exhausted and hope I haven't offended. Off to bed.......

Thanks, a fantastic answer to the question of Austin vs. Houston. I am copying this to my husband at once!

This is exactly my impression of Austin. We have about a dozen friends of friends there (vs. knowing basically no one in Houston) and I feel that they are all tattooed roller-derby-enthusiast vegan bloggers. Which is fine, as far as it goes, but feels a bit limiting and clich

Exactly. Also, though SA is pretty big population-wise, people told us that there's not much there. Jacksonville is way too white (no offense!), St. Louis never considered honestly but got the feeling that it was not thriving, in the same way that Pittsburgh, while full of gorgeous old brick homes and cultural institutions, is dying rather than thriving. And Kansas City, while full of gorgeous cheap craftsman bungalows, is the home of my mother in law!!!!!!! Also, very very white. Actually, there is some black population there too but it is so segregated that I visited for years before I saw one apart from my mother in law's cleaning woman. Tells you something, eh?

Did places like San Antonio, Jacksonville, Kansas City, or St. Louis not make the list due to low cultural diversity?

Raleigh, NC

Asheville, NC

St. Petersburg, FL

Fayetteville, AR

Little Rock, AR

Santa Fe, NM

Atlanta, GA

Los Angeles, CA

We decided the first 6 were too small and for the most part too white or white/black. We really wanted a city with a very visible Asian minority. Atlanta has a surprising # of Asians and seemed progressive, interesting and well-priced. We just decided that in the end we'd rather be Texans than Georgians. There's something about the openness (physically and other) of Texas that appeals to us. Something about preferring Western over Southern, to put it reductively. Just a hunch. Also we both love Mexican culture and liked the infusion of that into the mix. Los Angeles we love. It's another city that people say has no soul but that we think has it in abundance, if you seek it out. We are hoping Houston is the same. Of course LA is also up there with Houston on the pollution and traffic, and in addition is astronomically expensive. So is NYC but the whole point of relocation is to scale back, calm down, and get out of the rat race a bit. We almost think of it as "getting back to the land," which is of course funny considering it's Houston we're talking about, but it seems like a place where we can live a simplier, gentler, less stressed, less competitive, more family-centered life without all of the harshness and nastiness (MidtownCoog aside) that is sometimes here in NYC.

I'm curious, what other cities made your short list?

Maybe it sounds crazy but what we did was take our criteria (affordable housing + good arts/cultural scene + ethnic/cultural diversity + big enough to be interesting + warm sunny weather + good schools) and come up with a short list, which we then winnowed down by doing a lot of research. And came up with Houston. It's maybe not a perfect fit (i.e. we're very politically liberal and like to walk everywhere) but it seemed like it may work.

No relatives or friends in Houston. One acquaintance, a banker who was transferred there 2 years ago. And another who doesn't live in Houston but who teaches at the UoH one semester every year. Oh and someone I met once who lives in Beaumont. We are both Northerners, Midwest born and East Coast educated, and long-time New Yorkers. We were going to be brave and strike out into unknown territory. Honestly, everyone we've told is absolutely incredulous. They've heard of people moving to Vermont, London, L.A., Raleigh or even Austin. But never Houston. We just had an idea that there were lots of good things to be found in Houston and that it was an underappreciated city with bad press (v.s. an overappreciated city with good press, such as Seattle).

Are you moving to Houston strictly for the cost of living & warmer climate? Is there any Houston-specific reason you are moving here like family or a childhood home?

Oh Lordy, it's all falling apart. My husband took a look at air/water/soil quality reports online and now thinks Houston is a mire of toxins. Never mind that we have lived for the last 15 years in Manhattan, not exactly anyone's idea of green meadow. At this rate we're going to be living in Glacier National Park. He looked up Austin's pollution levels too and now's he's saying we should be looking there instead. Although I've been told it's 2x more expensive than Houston. Any other reasons I should give him for Houston over Austin? We've bought our tickets, so we're going to be in Texas for 9 days regardless. Just trying to persuade him to look at least half that time in Houston as now he's convinced the whole place is a big oil refinery and besides we'll constantly be stuck in traffic just to get groceries or take our daughter to school ...

http://www.har.com/search/engine/indexdeta...=0&backButton=Y

Okay here is an example of what looks from the front and back to have been an adorable house... description says may have been a William Floyd design. Anyway, whatever mod cuteness this house may have once (until very recently, I'll venture) possessed has been completely stripped. Much money has been spent to denude it of any charm and turn it into a gleaming generic white nothing. Yuck yuck yuck. Not as bad as all that Tuscan/Saltillo country tile but super shiny cherry flooring! Black granite everywhere! Call Bret Easton Ellis, stat! When I think of what it probably looked like before I am very sad indeedy. I would totally have bought it. Doesn't anyone leave their house alone before putting it on the market? Too many people are watching too much H&G TV in Houston!

Whew.... have had my head buried deep in Westbury listings all night long. Cross-referencing crime/parks/schools/demographics/conveniences.... this is hard work.

Re Parker Elementary: Don't know how far $2500 is going to go (could buy about 5 clarinets, eh?) but that is good news... I have my heart set on Twain or Roberts. Aside from rating exemplary with magnet arts programs they have pretty high %s of Asian kids. I grew up in the blonde blonde Scandinavian midwest and while I had a lovely childhood we are trying to give our daughter a more diverse environment.

That house on Willowisp is one of our very favorites so far, not least because it has not been "updated" with the hideous faux-Tuscan Home Depot designer tile that looks to be spreading through Houston like a plague. That tile is killing my husband. I'm afraid to show him any more photos of houses with it... he may just cancel our plane tickets. Anyway, it is certainly no Eichler but the entrance is cute, and the big LR in back has potential. Send any more you see my way!

And by the way, we love Robert and are looking forward to meeting him (are you reading this Robert?). He obviously works hard, knows his stuff, seems to be a very nice person, and most importantly, may be the only realtor in Houston who doesn't come from Bizarroland... those descriptions boasting of "decorator colors" (i.e., periwinkle and magenta), "gorgeous new tile" and "live in now, build new later" of charming albeit little bungalows, are giving me real estate headache.

We did love the look (and price!) of those Eastside bungalows but once he saw the bars on the windows and doors my husband put the big kabosh on that neighborhood. We were more willing to be real estate pioneers when we were childless but now it's all about safety. After I get done sorting through Westbury will head over to Oak Forest and then try Montrose/Museum again, this time looking at condos. Although our dream was a house and yard... Trying to sort out what our priorities are if we can't have it all: good schools, walkable conveniences, yard. Our ideal was exemplary schools right in the neighborhood; stores, library/YMCA/community center to walk to; green yard with mature trees. I'm beginning to think that's not possible for $200K, is it?

Parker Elementary in Westbury/Meyerland area is a Music Magnet. I don't know much about the school since we don't have kids, but in 2002 they won a grammy:

Parker Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District has been selected by the GRAMMY

Parker Elementary in Westbury/Meyerland area is a Music Magnet. I don't know much about the school since we don't have kids, but in 2002 they won a grammy:

Parker Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District has been selected by the GRAMMY

You got me. A lifelong Northerner (from all the way back -- my parents are even North Korean, although of course back then it wasn't its own country). I see that was a silly question. Here where to put all the boots, mittens, hats, scarves and big down coats is always an issue. Hardly anyone in the city (except for the filthy rich, and yes, I do wish I were one of those, just forgot to amass wealth when I was young and childless) has enough storage for all the winter paraphernalia and let's not even get into strollers, little red wagons, tricycles and the like.

That's exciting to hear about Godwin Park (well, not the murder). We have found some possibilities in Westbury and will definitely look into them when we visit. Maybe my 20-month-old daughter will meet your 18-month-old at the park when we're in town!

That's exactly the kind of question a northerner would ask! I won't say it never gets cold here, but be prepared for mild winters!

As for kid-friendly 'hoods, I'll put in another good word for Westbury. I've got an 18-month-old daughter, and we often take her to nearby Godwin Park in Meyerland (yes, the same Godwin park where a BHS student was recently killed in a botched drug deal, but...) and there are always lots of families with kids there. My section of Westbury is zoned to Kolter elementary, which is allegedly one of the best in HISD.

Actually, a friend's sister who lives in Pearland said this. That if you go to the playgrounds they are like graveyards. Not a kid in sight. That would be depressing... I love the casual and random interaction you get in public spaces. I've also heard the same about Hermann, that it is lovely but the main difference b/t Hermann and NYC's Central Park is that Central Park is FULL of people on weekends, families and joggers and picnickers and kids and polka-dancing Ukranians and disco-dancing roller skaters. But that Hermann is barely used. I think that's what's driving us to look at the teeny tiny bungalows in the Heights, an impression that it is more of a neighborhood-y neighborhood. But for $200K you get a 2BR/1BA needing work or with distressing Home Depot "updates" on the edges of the neighborhood, near 610 and/or Shepard, which does not seem ideal.

We are definitely renting first. As a matter of fact, for our week in Houston we're subletting a little cottage in the Heights to get a feel for the nabe. And we'll do the same when we get to Houston, before we buy. Don't quite understand it all but am definitely starting to understand that the burbs in Houston is entirely different from what I'm used to. Traditional outside/mod interior is what we do here in Soho also. Our loft is in what's called a pre-war here, built around 1910. Pressed tin ceilings nearly 12 feet high, very elaborate crown molding, with an Eames pedestal table and chairs, arc lamp and Scandinavian platform bed. I think the current issue of Dwell Mag has a story on this theme. Do you find that the bungalow is large enough to live in? I'm concerned about the lack of storage, walking in the door directly into the living room. Where do coats and shoes go, for instance? Our loft is small, but high ceilinged and completely open plan, and some of those bungalows look rather claustrophobic by comparison.

If you move from SoHo to Katy, you'll be miserable. Freaking miserable.

We live in the Heights. There are plenty of peripheral neighborhoods around here that are up and coming. We would have loved a nice mid-century ranch as well, but have a bunglow. Traditional on the outside; mod on the inside. That's what we had to do.

What I always recommend to anyone and everyone moving to Houston: Get an apt, sign a 6 month lease and get to know the city. There is no way to really, truly get the kind of info you need to make an informed decision about where to live from message boards. The concept of "suburbs" in H-town is very different than it is in the northeast. I just don't think you can make a decision and an investment without really being here and seeing/learning the character of the different neighborhoods first hand.

From heat or boredom? If the latter, might the same be true of Glenbrook? Northampton? Memorial NW? They also look far out there...

The whole reason we were looking at the Heights in the first place is b/c my husband is afraid that we'll die of loneliness and isolation. NYC is composed of many little villages, and ours, albeit in the heart of SoHo, is a very friendly and cozy one. We walk everywhere and the man at the fruit stand says Hi, and the people at the grocery store all greet us and offer the baby treats, we know families in the playground by name, and it's a very lovely situation. That said, it is loud, dirty, crowded, and insanely expensive. The competition for schools is unreal (parents standing in line at 3AM for APPLICATIONS) and I can't believe that the kids are unaffected by the craziness. I won't even tell you what we pay to rent a one room apartment here. It is ill. We're looking for a saner, quieter, greener way of life. But not so quiet that we go crazy...

The description of Memorial Bend sounds amazing, with all the parks and stores within walking distance. Will look there on HAR. Only a week in Houston... I have a feeling we're going to be running ragged...

By the way, the MCM idea is quickly falling by the wayside. After looking at all the mods in our budget on HAR and then even the ones double our price, my husband has gone from mod renovation enthusiast to mod renovation unenthusiast. With an active toddler and cross-country relocation to deal with, gutting one of those hideous Home Depot-"updated" kitchens and ripping up carpets may be way more than we can handle.

If you're moving here from SoHo, absolutely positively don't move out to Katy, Kingwood, Sugarland, etc. You'll wilt... don't do it.

Wow, came home to all these very informative replies. Such a wealth of leads. Thank you! I lie when I say I've never been to Houston before; we spent about 12 hours in the city years ago, to visit the Menil Collection and Twombley House, and that's when we discovered that Houston was not in fact a vast featureless smog-encrusted wasteland. Furthermore, every single person we encoutered during that brief trip was unbelievably pleasant and helpful. Shoot to 5 years + baby later. We've got to get out of NYC and put together our criteria for where to live: cultural/racial diversity + cosmopolitan atmosphere + less stressful lifestyle + affordable housing + Asian population & food (I'm Asian and our daughter thus 1/2 Asian) + warmer climate + good schools + culture/art/music/theater -- and were shocked when the equation popped out Houston! So here we are.

For the most part we won't have the usual commuting issues as we are both freelancers -- a writer and a painter. I will be working from home and my husband will be looking for a place to rent as a painting studio in an industrial/artists' area (is there such an area?). My husband drives, and in fact we have a car (such as it is -- a 1987 Volvo) right here in Manhattan, which is rather rare. He will drive us around for the most part and I can drive too, just would prefer to have at least some amenities, especially for our child, like playground, YMCA, community center, small food store, etc. within walking distance. I am imagining that if our daughter goes to a magnet and we end up in a different neighborhood she'll have to be driven everyday, at which point traffic/commute may become an issue.

Whew! Relocation is involving a HUGE amount of research, but the fun part is that there are actually a good number of places we can afford in Houston, as opposed to NYC, where $200K will buy a studio apartment in a very sketchy neighborhood, and I have found this fabulous resource online with all this neighborhood/architecture discussion! Will expand search to Timbergrove and Westbury. The stuff up by the Woodlands and Katy look great but I'm hesitant to go so far from the city. We'll see how things look when we get there. My dream is an MCM but so many of them have been "updated" with horrible Home Depot kitchens and baths and in our price range they can quickly go from inspiring spaces to dowdy ranches. I am terrified of feeling stranded in the burbs but Glenbrook Valley is awfully attractive, as you get so much for your $$ and the lots are huge. Coming from NYC a huge yard with patio, mature trees and even perhaps a jacuzzi seems the height of luxury... Oh, and coming from NYC, I am afraid we are quite recklessly liberal ourselves, so a liberal neighborhood is probably fine with us!

We will have a car but would love it if I could have days without driving. Right now we live in Soho and I regularly walk a mile to the playground, half a mile to the grocery, etc. but I'm getting the impression that distances are not all of the picture. Is this because in many areas there aren't sidewalks or safe crosswalks?

Here's a schools question, as long as we're on the topic. I love the look of some of the magnet/gifted schools like Roberts and Twain. How hard are they to get into? In NYC no matter where you live if you test in you can go to any of the best publics. I read on the HISD site that in theory it is the same in Houston but how well does this system work IRL?

If you don't mind my asking, what did you like about Glenbrook and are the schools the major reason why in the end you didn't buy there? Also, is there no problem with the airport being so close? Thanks so much! We are overwhelmed by all the research. There are so many areas of Houston to explore and the whole suburban/subdivision thing is all new to us. That said, we are LOVING looking at all the photos of room after room. Closets, yards, trees... it will be wonderful, especially for our daughter. A playroom to put her toys and not see them as we entertain adult friends... seems a fantasy!

Just have to do a lot of research now so we can see what we need to see in our week in Houston... So far for neighborhoods to explore I have the Heights, Glenbrook, Tanglewilde/Westbury, Oak Forest/Candlelight Estates? What about Katy or Pasadena? Any other ideas? If money were no object we would really be looking at Memorial, as you mention, Braeswood and the like, but we're an artist and writer, with a child, so money IS an object.

"Oh yeah.. The biggest culture shock is going to be the fact that nothing is within "walking distance" here - no matter how close it is!"

Oh no... what I'm most worried about. I haven't driven in 20 years, since I moved to NYC. It's actually the main reason why we're looking at the Heights. Have the impression that one can go about one's daily life (shopping, lunch, errands, etc.) w/o a car? Or is that a delusion?

We may have to forget MCM under $200 if that's not possible. Where else would one find a reasonably attractive home in a reasonably safe and convenient neighborhood? All the cheap "traditional" French/Tudor/unidentifiable other" construction is really getting us down on HAR. Very few contemporaries that we can see, although I've found a coupole in an area called Ponderosa Forest.... or is that also ghetto? Very confusing for us to see photos of a house with big yard and trees and hear that it's a bad neighborhood. Seems so counterintuitive to us, coming from NYC.

Hi, we're relocating from NYC and after all these years of living in a SoHo loft, excited about owning one of your gorgeous Houston mods. Love the look of Glenbrook Valley but wondering how safe it is, whether it is well served by stores, playgrounds and other amenities that have become so much more important now that we have a toddler, the state of the schools, and any noise or other impacts from Hobby Airport. Also, would love any other recommendations for neighborhoods to explore (Sharpstown, Meyerland, Bellaire West, etc.?). Our budget is $200K.

I've never lived in the burbs before so I may be in for a rude shock as far as proximity to stores, libraries, YMCAs, etc. So I'm thinking the closer in the better. We are also considering Houston Heights but $200K won't go very far there and I do have this dream of an adorable Mod. We will be visiting Houston for a week at the end of February, just a week to narrow our search a bit as we have never visited before, so any pointers to use our time best while we're there would be great. Thanks!