skwatra

I'm pretty smart.

United has 5 direct flights to Cancun on Monday-Friday, 8 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday.

Southwest has 2 direct flights to Cancun most days. Given they just started this service, I assume they may expand it depending on traffic.

Anyone living in a condo now, how are the noise levels from your neighbors (above, below, next door)?

I lived in a 3-story condo complex for 5 years, built in late 2007. I was on the top floor and never had any issues. At one point my neighbor was dating a girl that would wear heels around his place and i could hear her footsteps, but not that bad. The person below me never complained, though he was pretty chill and traveled a lot. The person below my aforementioned neighbor did complain about the loud footsteps.

With that many units I'm sure there will be drama between neighbors. I assume one major demographic will be younger people that go out and party, and there will be others that may not appreciate that.

Another unrelated thought - i wonder how many people will buy in as an investment (with high hopes on the east end) and sub out their units?

$100k mortgage runs you $500/mo + $150/mo HOA + $300/mo property tax. Could you rent out a 300 sqft studio in the east end for $1000/mo?

Interesting thanks. I owned a condo and paid $200 for 1000 sqft that covered insurance/trash/grounds/water/parking. There was no pool or major amenities though.

How much are condo fees usually? If we're talking about 500-750sf units there's no way they're charging 500-1000 per month, probably not even 250.

 

...

 

I'm not saying buying is the better option (I mean, it is), but it's not for some people.

 

Plan on moving to another town in the next 10 years? Rent. Can't keep $5000 available in some savings account for random breaking crap? Rent. Want to move every year/year and a half to a new place? Rent. Can't plan more than 1 week out from today? Rent.

5001 Woodway which I happened to be looking at for other reasons has a monthly condo fee of $700 and it was built in 1975. I have no idea what amenities that comes with (i know there is a pool and two parking spaces), but I was blown away. And it was for a 1500 sqft two bedroom place and I don't know how many units they have total.

I don't disagree with anything else you stated, my point was its not as straight forward as: apartment=throwing away money vs condo=equity

Lots of other factors and fees to think about. 10 years is a no brainer in a normal market (buy vs rent), i just don't see the demographic for people wanting that size place in that location for the type of people that are settling down for 10 years.

Thanks, I'm not as familiar with Uptown or the latest in the rental market. That building does look amazing, but keep in mind the smallest studio is 534 sqft. Someone quoted Ivy as having the smallest units at 300 sqft, which is an appreciable difference.

The units are very small, but M5259 in Uptown charges $1,700 a month for studio of similar size.

Some people like having smaller spaces to take care of. Let's say you don't really cook that often, and go out a lot, you could have nice views and amenities while not paying rent.

If I were single I would probably consider this, along with a storage unit, would be nice to not throw money away on rent.

You can get a ~750 sqft unit in Metro Midtown for $1300, and one in Post for $1500. I have no idea what M5259 is, but a studio at that cost in Houston seems crazy for me...

Also keep in mind, even at lower price points, we have no idea what the assessments/HOA will be. Could easily be $500-$1000/month that is being thrown away just like rent. Also will the charge to lease a parking spot? So that on top of mortgage/title fees, 6% realtor fees at some point, property tax, I would hope on some type of returns and have a good gut feeling that I could sell the place.

(Yes I am aware that there are also tax breaks that will offset some of that).

Smallest units are 300 sqft and start in the $100's? Even at $100K that is $333/sqft. I just don't see this succeeding in Houston.

Though I'll be rooting for them...

And the first two rows, absolutely wouldn't pay money for.

I am ok with the second row center, at that price point given the rest of the amenities. Its a little close but the vantage provides full immersion for me, i can still see the end of the screens without dipping in to my peripheral vision. And I didn't feel like i was having to look up too much to the point where my neck was uncomfortable in any way. My thinking is I will check iPic for the limited good seats at the lower price point, then if I don't find what I'm looking for go to Sundance. Keep in mind that Sundance was bought out by Carmike, hopefully they keep the same level of service and upkeep of the theater as Sundance has shown.

Went to iPic last night, and overall had a very positive experience. They have a lot of work to do before 11/6 construction wise. The front entrance was not open, you have to go in from the garage (north end just north of Cartier). Their scanner wasn't working (to scan my QR code on my phone) so they had to go print our tickets which took a few minutes. They were apologetic but it wasn't a big deal. We had the non-premium tickets that don't have in-seat table service, so we were directed to iPic Express which currently has a limited menu. As part of the mock trial we were able to pick one food item, one (non-alcoholic) drink, and a small popcorn. I had the sliders which were good. The food did take 10-15 minutes to come out, they provide a buzzer. The staff was very friendly, professional, and helpful - and also they outnumbered the patrons. This will sound strange, but make sure you check out the bathroom! The main restaurant and bar was open as well, but we didn't have time to check it out. The staff at iPic Express said that this was the limited 'mock' menu and it would be expanded to offer more gourmet options that are in the main restaurant.

My only issue with the setup - the first two rows which are the only premium seats ($12-$16) are pretty close to the screen. I don't mind the price point, we normally pay around the same amount at Sundance and enjoy the amenities - good food and drink and the biggest advantage in my perspective - a reserved seat so you can show up right at show time. But the front row is very close and low, and to have a good vantage point you would need to be near the middle. I understand that it is a higher end theater and they want to have mode 'premium plus' seats, but to me ~$24 for those seats, especially since my wife would probably just fall asleep with the recline, blanket and pillow! The premium plus seats are also designed for dates (pods of 2). I was expecting every seat to be a good seat, given its a smaller intimate theater.

The first thing that came to mind for me was the cramped midrises you find in the Bronx and Queens. Will they really sell here?

Maybe things are changing, but when I graduated and came to Houston most of the apartment dwellers in midtown were in their young 20's, non-committal, and paying back loans. When they did have some money saved up or were ready to settle down, they moved on to bigger places either in the neighborhood or close by. As of late unfortunately many of my friends have been fleeing to the suburbs (30's now with kids thinking about schools). I guess we'll have to see what the price point is, but when you can get townhomes in the 300's close by, wouldn't the majority rent an apartment or just go for the space and better resale ops with a townhome?

My friend found a local number and verified that they will have the restaurant open. No mention of freebies.

Will report back tomorrow!

I wonder if their food service is up and running?

Thanks for the tip HAIFers! I'm going to go see Citizen Kane tomorrow, which I've been meaning to watch for a while...

Looks like this week is filling up, take advantage while you can!

I stopped by on a bike ride on Friday. Made a couple of circles and got friendly waves from security. Still a lot of work going and only saw a couple of potential customers (though they could have been working at the retail), but it was 10am on a Friday. I felt uncomfortable just being there haha - way to high class for me. But it does look nice, and I'll be checking out movies and restaurants for sure. I didn't even see where iPic was going...

Noted that the street parking in front of the shops was metered at $3/hour and they have valet. Is self parking in the garage free?

Ok, now for a real review of Rico's since i actually ate there. Went Saturday morning around 9, and took our time there. For the hour or so I was there, most of the tables where full and several people came and went. Mostly young people (20's), several with dogs just hanging out having breakfast. There was a group of 4 guys that got beers with their food.

Breakfast tacos were all solid. The potatoes i think were just their fries but cut up and cooked a little longer, it worked really well. Chorizo and bacon were good too. A little pricey for the size (i ate 3) but I guess for the location, you're paying a little for convenience assuming you are just walking there. Though I can walk to La Mexicana about the same distance away which I prefer (killer carnitas).

I assume when I try the burger it will be after 2am, so it will most likely have a very favorable and biased review.

An article i read stated the doors will open with an obstacle as close as 12" away.

the $132K price tag is disappointing. I guess the masses will have to wait for the Model 3.

Haven't seen any activity on this site since they knocked down the Good Neighbor Healthcare signage...

Someone put up a sign advertizing the new townhomes going up down the street (south on Taft) right on that corner but outside the fence.

Also looks like the owner of the vacant lot catty corner (NW corner) is getting more serious to sell. Previously he had a 'for sale by owner' sign that you buy at Home Depot up, now it looks like he has a commercial realtor.

Do yourselves a favor and grab some late night food at Rico's in the midtown park. Seriously impressed last night, and open till 3am should do good business.

I wasn't impressed by the look of the menu when I walked by. Mainly burgers and dogs... I guess I was hoping one something more unique. I was interested in trying their breakfast tacos given they are affiliated with Cyclone Anaya's. Will give dinner a shot though.

I only use it when its designated as an actual lane. on the weekends I will pull in to it to avoid hitting the brakes for a right turner in front of me, if there is no oncoming traffic.

anyways, back on topic: did anyone here attend the public meetings? Any plans or minutes released?

wish they would remove the suicide lane that's sometimes one way and go for complete streets by adding separated bike lanes. I know they won't though, it's a 2 lane road that is considered a 'major arterial road'.

I love the "suicide lane". I take it outbound often around 5:30pm, and love playing chicken with people who try to use it (knowingly or out of confusion) to take illegal lefts that are coming the other way. I always have an out for myself of course.

Nourish is open.

The end spot has a permit up, it says "TC by MS FIELDS" and i saw some architectural drawings inside that had both TCBY and Mrs. Fields logos on it. I didn't even know TCBY still existed or that Mrs Fields bought it.

Probably but I thought i read an article about them finishing up the lake and drain.

I'm wondering if the water in the Lost Lake was all rain water and they hadn't finished work, so they had to drain it?

^^^ thoroughly discombobulated!  although, it seems exciting, i cannot tell what is going on....

those renderings caused so much discombobulation that monarch failed to center his text!

I think its best we ignore those for the time being for everyone's sake...

Maybe the owners of the Maple Leaf. They are doing pretty good and like hockey.