j810

Wow! Thank you everyone for your input. Houston is a big city to try and learn right off the bat, I appreciate your help.

I will drive past some of the areas you mentioned and see what we think. Some of those listings were just too small for our needs right now, but I will continue to check the areas to see what else comes on the market.

We are not afraid having to update a house, but I am a little concerned about the transitional-ness of a neighborhood. I've never lived in a "pocket neighborhood" before and don't know what to expect. Some of the crime stats look a little scary. It would have to be one of the tamer neighborhoods, I think. But I assume those are the neighborhoods that ones we can't afford, right?

In that case, are there any more established suburbs that wouldn't be a hideous drive and would have real trees and maybe something other than brick cookie cutter houses? Many, many people have mentioned Pearland to us... but it just looks like a bunch of houses someone built in a field to me. It doesn't speak to me. Are there more established areas of Pearland that would be different perhaps?

What other areas/options do we have? We liked Quail Valley, but after researching the sale of the golf course, decided that it just wasn't worth the financial risk to buy out there while the fate of the course was still so up in the air. I don't care about playing golf, but I would hate to lose money because property values go down.

I'm sorry to be so difficult. Thanks again for your thoughts.

Hello, all-

I've been lurking on this forum ever since I found out that we would be moving to Houston. Now that we are here and have begun the house hunt in earnest, I need some advice.

My husband got a job in the medical center. But we're not doctors and absolutely can't spend over $200K - actually we'd rather it be more like $180K.

We would like a good sized home (3-4 bedroom) with a little personality and a decent to good sized yard for the dogs. And we're looking for somewhere that would make the commute as painless as possible for him. We're hoping to start a family soon, so a good school district would be nice but I guess isn't essential since it will be a few years before that would become an issue.

Everything that we're seeing either has crime stats that scare me or is a community with nothing but cookie cutter brick homes with no trees. Is it possible to find a safe place with a little style in our price range?

We found a place in Quail Valley that we are considering, but there is talk of them selling the golf course and that concerns me. (I posted about this in the Sugarland forum.)

I guess we have champagne tastes and a Coca-Cola budget. Are we doomed?

Any advice that you may have would be great. Thanks so much!

Thanks for the pictures! There are some great shots in there. I just moved to Houston from SA, and you found several things I'd never noticed before. There are so many hidden photo opportunities in that town. If you haven't made it to the missions, definitely worth a trip.

Hello-

I am considering buying a house in Quail Valley but have heard rumours that the country club is in trouble and looking to sell off the course. Does anyone know any details? I like the mature trees and feel of the community, but I would hate to buy something for a serene golf course view that won't exist in a few months or years.

Also, any thoughts as to how all the new developments nearby (like Sienna Plantation, etc.) will affect property values in QV in the future?

Any and all insight is much appreciated - thanks!