Urbannomad

Those makings look to me like the location of utilies for digging (811) not boundary surveys. Orange = gas and red = power. You can see the orange gas main and the service lines to the homes. Also the red power line from the utility pole to the street light at the dead end. I don't see blue water lines marked, so hope they didn't hit a water main! A little off topic maybe, but locating utilities was one of my first jobs so I have a fondness for those markings. However, "generally" power poles are placed on the property lines, so the location of the pole in street view might indicate where the actualy boundary line lies.

It kills a few minutes of lunch and takes me back to high school; so there is still some value here I guess. After checking this forum, I like to ready the chron comments. People sitting at their computer making a real difference on society.

The haif declines continues. I stopped following this site a while back but thought I'd check back in... same old people with the same old chips on their shoulders, fighting back and forth for no reason, and no one else even cares. This grew tiresome for the vast majority of people a long time ago, but a couple of really bored people seem to still have nothing better to do that troll around and argue on haif all day. Sad...

"Offical" FIRM maps here. The HC Flood Control District mapping tool here. The rate depend on how much you want to insure, and the elevation of your first level relative to the base flood elevation at location. If you have a mortgage the lender will probably require you to insure at least the amount of the improvement, and often no less than the amount of the loan depending on the lender (in the 100yr zone). Otherwise, it's up to you the dollar amount you want to insure.

I guess it all depends... but I've found, so long as you aren't a jerk about it, HCAD & the ARB are pretty fair so long as you have actual evidence to present (ie the values across the street, etc). But you never know who you will get when you protest, and often people have very different ideas of their property's value for tax appraisals than they do for its list price when they want to sale (myself included)!

Just a guess without looking at, but you probably already answered your question. HCAD values are determined by "computer assisted mass appraisal" (CAMA). In your example your property lies within a particular neighborhood and across the street is in another with lower comps. The algorithm is doing its calculations at the neighborhood level not the individual street level. If you protest with a human being they will likely notice this and consider it, whereas the computer program doesn't. Again, just a guess, but I bet it's that simple. CAMA is great for large, uniform suburban subdivision; but for more urban areas where values can fluctuate block-by–block not so much.

Oh great... get ready for this one. Read it, now going to ignore it while the same 4 or 5 people have their petty argument.

"The work performed must be at a cost of at least 50% of the assessed taxable value of the historic structure or improvements (not land value)." That's quite a bit of costly work just to even think about qualifying. "If" you did qualify you would then only get a break of 1.1567% on the value of the new improvements, not taking into consideration that the percentage difference would be even lower with a homestead exemption. If you are going to do the work anyway then it may be worth it, but it's not like the city is going to pay the cost of the improvements. My guess would be this is geared more for well-connected investors of high dollar commercial properties. With millions of dollars at stake, and it being solely a business endeavor, those numbers start to make more sense. I believe the majority of properties with this exemption currently are commercial buildings in and around downtown. For the typical homeowner it may soften your tax bill a bit, but it's not going to make a huge difference. My opinion from how I interpreted the city’s website.

Not until we get an Indian restaurant!

I'm no expert on all of this, but I can tell you about my situation. I live in the100-yr/AE (or 1% as they now like to call it) zone. My house was built above the BFE by about 2' and I have an elevation certificate stating this. My mortgage company (and all of my neighbors) did still require the purchase of flood insurance. However, being above the BFE I qualified for the "Preferred Risk" rate as if I was not in the 100-yr zone and my lower premium reflects this. Your regular insurance company will "setup" the policy, but all of your coverage and paperwork comes via FEMA so the price is the same regardless of what company you use, and you don't need to worry about moving the policy if you switch general homeowner providers. Sorry, but you lost me a little at the end with the B, A, X, requirement questions. Hopefully I have cleared up some of this for you. Feel free to send me a pm if you have any questions. Here are some sites that I found useful: http://www.harriscountyfemt.org/ http://www.msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/info?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&content=floodZones&title=FEMA%20Flood%20Zone%20Designations http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/flooding_flood_risks/map_changes_flood.jsp http://www.floodinsights.com/floodlookups/floodzon.htm I would also recommend giving an insurance agent a call and they can explain it all to you, plus give you a price for flood coverage with your elevation certificate. Despite all of my rambling it's pretty straight forward.

I would agree that it generally tends to hurt the bottom line of existing businesses and mostly dissuades new business from locating to the Heights... but I also think that for many residents that is exactly the point. For the record I think the rule is silly and I live in "wet" Shady Acres. Edit: By businesses I mean primarily restaurant/grocery type retail

I hope all of this is clear for you sifuwong. Most new developments in the area will have at least a "paper" HOA. Meaning the paperwork for an HOA has been filed with the county when the developer platted the subdivision, but no one is actively managing, or caring about it. This is the case for our homes (unattached new homes with shared private alleyway). I couldn't give you numbers; but from looking at HAR and talking with neighbors a lot of new subdivision where the homes are not attached AND there is nothing like a automatic entry gate have no active HOA committees/fees. But where there is something like an access control gate or attached homes you will almost always find an active HOA and fees involved. Like RedScare said, each property will be different so make sure to do your research. And most importantly, if there is a fee, make sure it is in-line with the amenities provided and try to verify how "strict" the HOA is concerning what you do with your property. Also, consider how much more house you could afford if you put that monthly fee into a tax-deductible, low interest 30 year mortgage. There are pros and cons for both circumstances, but any HOA will only cover the few homes in the same platted subdivision, the rest of the area is a free-for-all regardless!

The short answer is... yes it could happen if you live in a recently platted "sub division." This came up in my small development of new homes. Depending on what has already been filed at the county, and what it says, generally it will take a 2/3 majority of property owners to enact an HOA and collect dues. We opted to not go forth, but the issue could be brought back up at any time. edit: Maybe it's 3/4 vote I don't remember exactly. As far as maintenance goes, each property owner takes care of their own "stuff." Most areas inside the loop don't really have any shared or common spaces. At most maybe a driveway, and if it needs repairs we just work it out between ourselves (similar to a fence along a property line). Having HOA dues without any real amenities can hurt your resell value, because that amount of money put into a 30yr mortgage can be quite a bit of additional buying power. But if the neighbors in your development really suck I suppose you might need it. Or for true, attached townhouses it is necessary because of shared structures, utilities and insurance.

I won't pretend to fully understand all of this, and of course it's inherently political, but in addition to the politics I think the Voting Rights Act has a lot to do with the process of redrawing. I'm not trying to make any type of statement or start a debate on racial/ethnic politics, instead I am only laying it out the way I understand it. In a nutshell, I think the Voting Rights Acts says the city council must look like an accurate representation of the racial/ethnic makeup of the city's population. Obviously District H was becoming a "white district," whereas it had been a Hispanic district. Therefore, it had to be redrawn both politically and legally. Now District H is clearly Hispanic again, and the new District J is clearly the White/Non-Hispanic district which takes in the majority of the recently gentrified areas. I think it only takes a few seconds to look at this map and determine "who" the district is suppose to represent. The new map more clearly matches the current racial and ethnic makeup of the city. This also explains why some districts barely stretch through other areas before engulfing entire neighborhoods again. District H being the best example of this in how it takes in the "Hispanic north side," barely slips though the "Black 5th ward," and then reemerges to take in the "Hispanic East End." A fair population size is achieved without "diluting" the Hispanic or Black representation on the council. Again, I'm not trying to be controversial, or say if this is right or wrong, but I think that it fits with the requirements of the Voting Rights Act and the reality of politics. Of course I have not ruled out the possibility that I am completely wrong here either. Here's some more info for anyone interested: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/2011/ (the voting right act info can be found near the bottom under "Redistricting Criteria:")

Not sure the name, but I use the place on Shepherd and 43rd in the strip mall next to Bally's (not the heights, but close). I've always been happy with their work and they seem reasonably priced and friendly.

Doug's Barber Shop on 11th. http://www.yelp.com/biz/dougs-and-dons-barber-shop-houston

This is Shady Acres, NOT the Heights, pretty much anything goes here. Bring on the burgers and beer!

Seriously??? All of this is ONE person, not people, complaining. EVERYONE I have talked with in the neighborhood is excited and ready for Hubcap to open, they are not trying to stand in the way at all. "@Hubcap_Grill Ricky Craig" needs to get over it and open already! All of this childish drama is beginning to turn-off those of us who are excited about a new, cool place to eat and hang out.

Not only that, but the location seems pretty strange (if not outright terrible) for a restaurant. It's not visible from any major streets or even the larger neighborhood streets (Beall, Bevis, 20th, 19th)?? And if the whole "no liquor license" thing still holds true that seems even worse for a Mexican "Cantina." It definitely appears that the owner has dropped a lot of money though, hope it works out for him and his neighbors.

26th and Couch? It's going to be a Tex-Mex restaurant. Don't recall the name of it, but it's been "in the works" for a number of years now. Looks like it may finally be getting closer to finished. I think the people up there were fighting it for a while to no avail. Update: Looks like the name is La Hacienda Cantina Here is a link to an old civic club discussion on the property: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:YycSLx0cN44J:www.shadyacres.org/index.php%3Ftopic%3D53.0+26th+and+Couch+restaurant+shady+acres&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

I go to, and really like, Dr. Neshan on 20th. She and the staff are great and it's always easy to get in and out. Very nice dentist and they don't try and push any "extra services" on you. http://www.innovativedentistsofhouston.com/

"Heights West" what a joke. Ella... not a chance. Shepard yes. The historical boundary stops midway between Durham and Beall right where the alley ways end and the old acre lots of Shady Acres begins (with the exception of the last few blocks before 610 where fiesta liquor is). And of course to the south of W 16th there is the Houston Heights Annex where, though not originally included, the area was annexed by the Houston Heights while it existed. Here is a link to a portion of the original Houston Heights plat of the John Austin survey from 1824. This is the 800 block of W 18th St. At this location Nashua is now Durham and the "No Street" is now a continuation of W 18th in Shady Acres from midway between Durham and Beall. Sorry to get all technical, but I work in cadastral mapping so I look at this stuff all day long and getting it right is sort of a pet peeve for me. http://books.tax.hctx.net/v020/AE1997_19-20_0426.jpg If you are ever bored (and nerdy) and want to find out the true, technical boundaries of a "neighborhood" just do a search at the county here: http://www.tax.co.harris.tx.us/Property/blockbooks/default.aspx#RSearch This is a great resource for historical work, but new subdivisions are not indexed. All that said, I still think the name is cheesy!

Everyone negotiates. Most builders don't like to negotiate the sales prices because that will lower the comps for subsequent sales; however, they almost always will give you upgrades, closing help, etc... anything that won't hurt the sales comps. At least that is what I've seen. That being said, if they are truly overpriced and not willing to budge look elsewhere. There's still a lot out there. I don't know any specifics about InTownHomes, sorry. I'm sure others here will be able to help you.

HCAD usually doesn't send out notices until April (maybe late March) which is why their site still shows your 2009 value... then like everyone has said, once you get that notice you can protest your 2010 value.

There is a good handyman that I use to do things like that. You just have to pay for the supplies (he'll buy them if you aren't sure what is needed) and then his labor cost. He does an excellent job and not very expensive. Here is his website: http://www.houstonhandyman.com/ You might want to use a wire to hold the insulation in place, but stay away from "chicken wire" because you don't want animals nesting in it (so I was told). Hopefully you will have better results, but our builder insulated under the house and it's still like walking on ice in the winter... but the a/c bill is almost non-existant in the summer (not a bad trade-off for a place like Houston). Send me a message if you want more info.