Mr. Smarts

Avalon Terrace is a nice alternative to Silverlake/Sunrise Lakes/South Hampton etc., without any chance of MUD taxes since it is the city limits already. It is same distance to 288 and and the Beltway via Cullen. They seem to have done a good job with their amenities as well. As for the HOA, it's about the same as mine in Silverlake. The home pricing is just about right for the area, and Weekly and Pioneer are reputable enough. Looks like a good investment for new homes on the West end of town.

Thank you for the input.

My parents live in Silverlake but their HOA doesnt monitor the alarm system, what are are you in?

I'm going to take another look at Avalon Terrance tomorrow, got any input on Autumn Lake?

Well, to a certain extent this isn't true anymore with the use of "modern" building materials, but one of the arguments for the high cost of building churches has always been the longevity of the structure.

I can certainly see that. Some of the newer churches like the one of 59 north, La Luz something, looks like it was made by the Greeks. It looks nice.

I was just at the Property Commerce website and there are several food spaces listed, but no Chick-Fil-A is shown. The ORIGINAL site plan, which is still posted on the Woodland Heights website listed the Chick-Fil-A....but if you compare that site plan to the one that is on the PC website that was updated just a couple of months ago, there are many many changes, and one of them is that Chick-Fil-A is no longer listed...

you're right, it was there a few weeks ago, on the very same site plan. I saw it on their website, PDF format. I guess it fell through.

Don't you guys think it is weird that there have not been any other official announcements about other stores opening in Sawyer Heights Village other than Target? Everything else just seems to be stuff people are hearing...nothing official like press releases, etc.

Target is two months from opening and I am sure that area is getting lots of action from potential stores, restaurants, etc.

well, the chick-fil-a is in their official site plan.

But the same can be said about office buildings, shopping centers, restaurants, airports, performing arts centers, museums, hospitals, stadia, convention centers, etc etc etc.

Well, all those are used to generate money..... but I guess the same can be said about churches.

Bummer. That was one of the last places on the Bay where regular people could hang out.

just curious redscare, but what do you mean by regular?

I visited it this past weekend and it looked like a nice little community. David Weekly is making half of the homes there and look pretty nice, Pioneer is making the others. The homeowners association is 510 a year but it includes monthly alarm monitoring.

Any input on that small section of the Pearland area?

Depends on your particular tastes.

The Houston region is at the crossroads of a number of environmental zones...do you have a particular affinity for pine trees? If so, then the northern and northwestern suburbs are nice areas. Although easily overlooked, I'd personally lean more toward the northeast if you want pine trees...the commute into downtown via the Eastex Freeway is very easy. If you like coastal prairie, look in Friendswood (fairly good prices), Pearland, Katy, and Sugar Land.

If you like living near water, then you've got a few options, most of which depend upon your tolerance of heavy industry and your preferences regarding that your neighborhood be 'new'. Clear Lake, League City, Kingwood, Atascocita, Highlands, La Porte, Morgan's Point, and Baytown are your primary options.

Prefer something multicultural? Try Alief/Sharpstown and points west.

And of course, if you like uber wealth, look no further than Memorial, West U, or Bellaire.

If you can better define "nice", I think that us HAIFers can point you in the right direction.

nice post.

This might be out of line, but I dont understand why churches like Lakewood and the new catholic church in downtown spend millions upon millions to build their churches. Seems to me that a simple church with adequate facilities would serve the same purpose as a mega church with expensive architectural designs to it.

They sure look pretty though.

i guess that seals the deal on my search for suburbia... if we make a move, it will be pearland... close to the in-laws (but not too close)... close to the city (wrt suburbia)... close to the beaches (galveston or surfside)... decent schools... and a town center (and hopefully a town center affect that is positive.)

that is, if i can't find something in maplewood or the like that fits my criteria and budget...

I say whatever works for you is what you should do.

I must scratch my head at the part about a younger lady knowing about style. Seems to me you ought to buy what you (and possibly the fiance) like, not what some realtor says the hip crowd likes. Last time I checked, you pay the mortgage, not them. It also doesn't sound like you plan to stay in this house very long. Style changes quickly among the young. If you buy a house based on what is stylish to the young, you'll be hurting when their fickle tastes change.

I would suggest figuring out what appeals to you, then tell your attractive realtor to look for homes that match your tastes, not hers...unless of course, you've got the hots for her. Then, by all means, go with her tastes.

Your right about looking out for what I want. The reason I say I used a "younger" realtor was because I'm 28, a couple year ago when I was looking for homes, I was 26. I started looking for homes with a real nice realtor, she was probably in her late 50s. Most of the homes she showed me had older characteristics to them. Which just didn't do it for me.

I know this is almost impossible to ask for, but I wanted someone who could read my mind and know what I wanted. Knowing thats impossible, I decided on finding a younger realtor who possibly had the same tastes as I. Given, it might be harder to resell certain properties that only appeal to certain buyers. But then again, so do the older homes with weird color schemes and green appliances.

What I did with this realtor was tell her a little about our life and what we wanted in the home and from the home. Maybe if I would have been more direct with the other realtor, she would have found us more properties. Or maybe she wouldn't have understood what is was that we wanted.

Cherry just raised and leveled the house next door to us...raised it about 2 ft (it's pier and beam).

Did excellent work, in and out in just a few days, and very clean.

We may switch to them next time we need our house leveled.

Do you know how much they charge? I have a house I might want moved. Its a small rental.

That's interesting...so you support age discrimination?

I thought your fiancee was a real estate agent? (per this post: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...indpost&p=85931)

What makes this agent better than your soon-to-be wife?

I want to hear THAT reasoning

OR is your fiancee an "old lady"?

So are you seriously telling us that your real estate agent AND your licensed real estate agent fiancee are NOT the same person???

well. my fiance isn't exactly a realtor yet.. Shes taking her courses.. She doesnt have the hang of things yet, so we both decided it was best to find someone who could dedicate their time to us..

Although I must say the realtor we are using is very visually appealing

That's interesting...so you support age discrimination?

I thought your fiancee was a real estate agent? (per this post: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...indpost&p=85931)

What makes this agent better than your soon-to-be wife?

I want to hear THAT reasoning

OR is your fiancee an "old lady"?

So are you seriously telling us that your real estate agent AND your licensed real estate agent fiancee are NOT the same person???

concerning the age discrimination. I look at it as "taste" discrimination. As long as i'm not an employer I can pick who I want and why I want them.

Good thing I'm not a boss, I'd be a bad one.

I'm currently on the market to purchase a home or condo. I went out looking with my fiance and found most sellers try to be to aggressive. I dont mind that, but its does get on my nerves when they tell me exactly what it is I need.

A couple of years ago I bought my current home with a realtor, its on the outskirts of The heights, an area I wasn't even looking at. But sure am glad I did. When I "hired" or picked my realtor I wanted someone patient to find me a home and willing to spend weekends with us and show us different places.

This is how and why I picked my real estate agent and why I called her earlier this week to find me a new place.

-First of all, I knew that I wanted to take my time in finding a home. I wasn't in a hurry and didn't want to feel pressured into buying the 10th house I visisted. I figured that I should look for a younger agent who generally isn't as busy as an older and experienced agent. The older folk tend to be swamped with work and have assistants call your back or never return your emails because they aren't into that "thing."

-I wanted a young lady because they tend to be more into style and know what the younger working crowd is looking for in a home. Nothing against the older ladies.

After considering this I made my choice and picked a solid agent. I've never sold with her but I will probably sell my current home with her and have her look for our new place.

Plus given the fact that I can go with her to looks at new model homes and not have to be bothered by the selling agents. They deal with her and I can look and ask her questions.

What do you guys think about my reasoning?

urbanliving? no.

Has anyone moved a house before? Who does this thing? I've seen Historic Houston moving old houses, but the house I'm trying to move is not a historic one...

The only houses I've seen moved are the ones on blocks. I asked a worker once about the cost associated with that, he said it was a couple thousand..

Sorry that I cant be more helpful.

I've heard for a while there was something about a "Quiet Zone" in this area. I can't find much info on it. There's an old HAIF Forum here, and a realtor-biased article here, but they are outdated.

This seems to imply that the Quiet Zone may be in place by the end of May.

HOWEVER, my friend is buying a house in that area, and her realtor showed her all kinds of articles about the Quiet Zone and told her it was a "done deal." The realtor did say that there is "one guy" that is defiant of the new law (which she claims was in place as of April 1), who still blows his horn.

She moves into her house in a couple of weeks, so we'll see.

There doesn't really seem to be a definitive answer anywhere, except from those who actually live there!

One thing is for sure, they still blow there horn during the day. I was there this past weekend near heights and washington and those trains sure where blowing as hard as they could. I could barely carry on a conversation with a neighbor in one of those condos.

If its a quiet zone it might between night hours. 10pm-7am, just a guess. I haven't researched anything.

GOODNESS you read a lot in that post. It would actually make quite a bit of snense for them to move the tracks or lower them below grade. Ghet off your high and mighty boxcar.

lol. I felt the same way, but I didnt want to get snappy with anyone since i'm new here.

I just saw the sign for this last night. The map is wrong. It is just to the WEST of I-45 on Quitman. It is on a bluff overlooking the wooded area next to White Oak Bayou.

Kind of spooky at night, I must say, but the view is probably spectacular.

When I go into har. Most those units have pending on them or is it pending sale PS. Cant remember.

Mr. Smarts,

You might also check the Yellowstone Street Townhomes by Urban Lofts, located at Yellowstone and 288. They're selling 1,800 - 2,200 sf townhomes for $185k - $200k. It's a bit bigger TH for the price.

The location is great...it'll keep you inside the Loop, save you from the 20-mile commute, and keep your wife within 10 minutes of the Heights.

Thanks guys. I'm going to check out that link.

My price range is 160k-200k. I could go a little higher but I want to be able to comfortably buy a nice car in the near future and also invest some of my money.

Two roomies and I have been renting a townhome off Washington since last summer. We'll be searching for something new once this yr lease expires.

The biggest issue I've faced is parking.

Like that first picture you posted... lots of homebuilders are doing this one alley services 6 or so garages thing.

Trust me.. you don't want that. You'll always be forced to park in your garage. It basically equated to having no driveway.

We're a three-car household.. so we automatically eliminated these alley driveway properties when searching.

Visitor parking is also a hassle. More so on the north side of Washington I've found.. but the streets are narrow with big drainage ditches on either side. Makes street parking iffy.

We eliminated lots of townhomes in our search due to zero street parking nearby.

Also.. someone already said it.. but the train. If you live in that zone between I-10 and Washington.. it will wake you up every night if you're a light sleeper.

The parking is a really bad downside, even a couple would have 2 cars, which would automatically fill your parking area. I like to have friends over to watch movies and hang out, I would hate for them to park by the ditch on a rainy day. From the input you guys gave me, I will probably either look for a real house or find a bigger condo with better parking. I like the smart answers I get on this board compared to other boards.

Mr. Smarts,

What is your price range? You could probably get into a nice home, although it may be smaller and older than what you think you want, very close in the area. Have you looked in Timbergrove? I think you can still get in there for under $200K. Try Oak Forest. Seach HAR.com in as many ways as you can. Drive the neighborhoods that interest you. Everyday on your way home from work, take a different route. Just please, whatever you do, exhaust all of your options before you buy. I looked for almost a year before I found the house for me (although, I was lucky and didn't have to find a house and move right away).

The easiest way to lose money is to buy something, and then decide in a couple of years that this is not what you want or need. All the money you spent on closing costs, inspections, and the INTEREST which comprises the majority of your payments for the first 5-10 years (depending on your loan), will be down the drain.

My fiance is a realtor, she has been helping me look for place. But her input is skewed because she really wanted the urban life in a condo. I'm going to search HAR for those places you mentioned.

Thanks.

Oh, I agree about the horns. It took two weeks for me to learn to sleep through the night when I moved here.

But as for the tracks "lowering property values" - the tracks were there long before the townhouses. That's why the townhouses are comparitively cheap. Don't buy there if you don't want the noise.

It's like people who build on cheap land near the airport and then lobby to change the flightpaths because the planes are too loud.

Wow! Thanks for all the replies.

I'm interested in finding a company that will build me 1 home on my own lot. Be it a condo style home or a specialty home.

My family and I also want to develop this land into urban homes, this would be about 5 years down the road. We are trying to get the most out of the rental homes, then move them out and build. We have connections with several contractors and builders. But we haven't spoken to them concerning this issue.

We hope to contribute to the urban development that is going on in the inner loop. Love it or hate it..

Why on earth would they move the tracks? Lots of trains use those rail lines, and many of those warehouses back there use the rail to ship goods. Just because the area is becoming more attractive for townhomes and condos doesn't mean the hard industry is going away. Anyone who buys a place on the north side of Washington had better get used to the sounds of locomotives all night long.

I'm not wanting them to move it because of me, but I've read a lot about the city of houston closing down certain tracks and making them into jogging routes or bike trails. All in all, train tracks are an eye sore and lower property values around them. But on the other side, they are necessary.

I own a couple lots that currently have homes on Them. They are on blocks, so it wouldn't be too hard to get a moving company and move it to another lot of mine. But these are the questions:

How time consuming is it to track down a good builder, a good architect, and a good construction loan to get everything done. Time isn't an issue, It could take 2 month-1 year for it to get done. I just want to get the best quality and build. The lots i own are in the outer areas of the heights, brookesmith to be exact. My father owns about 7 full lots there, I own 2 lots and my brother owns 2. We are a close family, so it wouldnt be a problem moving over 1 of my rentals over to their lots.

Anyways, whats the first step. Also, are the savings considerable? Anyone have experience they would like to share?

It did feel great seeing those kind of prices, until I saw the property tax. Of course, people keep telling me not to worry since I don't have to pay income tax.

What kind of property taxes are there in CA.. Paying 5k a year seems normal to me now.

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. If you and your fiance decide to start a family in a few years and look to move to more spacious quarters, I think you will have a difficult time selling this for what you paid for it. There will be more, newer townhomes all around you in the next 5 - 10 years.

perfect answer.. I was thinking almost the same thing. Only that I thought that it actually might sell faster because of the different styling it had. The other condos there, like the ones by HHN are really cookie cutter. Not that these aren't.