HedwigTramp

Absolutely... I am investing in this fire sale. But opportunities must be inside the loop and close to proposed rail lines. And to repeat the obvious..... it is LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. Cheap is not necessarily a good deal. And it is interesting how the "Hot" areas have changed over the last 18 months. The 3rd Ward was hot as heck in early 2007. A tent on a 5000 sft lot would sell for 3 times the HCAD value. I looked at several houses where the criminals had stripped every bit of wire and pipe from an empty house. The 3rd ward has a lot of long term potential but some areas are VERY hard core (i.e. N of Elgin). During 2007 I bid and lost 4 "reasonably" priced properties in BAD 3rd ward neighborhoods (bidding full price on the 1st day on MLS). Asking Prices in the 3rd Ward have since dropped 20-50% and now the prices are more in line (or under) HCAD values. The near east end continues to gain momentum but there is very little available for the average investor (at a realistic price). I would avoid buying outside the beltway in lower-middle class neighborhoods unless you have a very sweet deal. There are lots of foreclosures in the Aldine & Alief areas, and the asking prices for foreclosures are dropping. Not a good sign. Currently, the Blue collar areas appear to be the best bet for landlords (Pasadena, Deer Park) I wish you good Luck with your investing!

THERE IS A SANTA CLAUSE!!!!!!!!!! YEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!.... I-10 West is now one of the least congested freeways in Houston during rush hour (at least to Beltway 8). Today, I left the center of downtown at about 4:50pm and exited at Blalock at about 5:05pm. I kept my speed below 65, but I could have easily gone 70+ without danger. There are lanes everywhere, and they reinstated the HOV lane for car poolers (but they probably got stuck behind a bus that was only going 55. I know today was Columbus day, but there are TWICE as many lanes available. Now if they can just correct the recent backlog (post IKE) where I-10 headed east merges with I-45 and the downtown exit Ahhhhhhhh..... A happy camper!

I don't think so. Looks like it will get worse before it gets better. "The closing of the Katy Freeway High Occupancy Vehicle lane will be postponed until Sept. 1, the Texas Department of Transportation announced today." "During September and October, McWashington said, workers will demolish the HOV and complete the new westbound main lanes. They will also install tolling equipment in the four managed lanes in the middle of the freeway, which will be used by Metro buses but not carpools during this period." http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/5955843.html

It looks like they have completed the finger painting project for the Harrisburg underpass. I am not that impressed with the paint job, but the landscaping they are doing adjacent to the underpass looks very nice and extensive. I am impressed they are putting that much effort into it. But will all this work be destroyed when they lay the rail? From the latest metro map http://www.metrosolutions.org/go/doc/1068/181488/ it appears that the LRT will be laid in the same ROW they are now landscaping. Am I missing something, or is just a typical lack of Government planning. Another question: There are numerous mid-sized trees planted along the north side of Harrisburg in front of the Coffee plant about +/- 5 foot from the curb. They have orange netting around each one like these trees are staying. That would be great.... but I cant see how they can maintain the four lanes of traffic, add 2 rails, AND keep those trees without tearing down the Coffee warehouse on the other side. Has anyone seen the proposed layout of the road/rail from the Brown line?

Homeless facility threatened despite powerful support Some Eastwood residents oppose plans for project to house 220 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headli...ro/5900326.html

I enter I10 at Blalock!! But I still have to go home. It made a huge difference.

I have been working downtown for twenty years and have never felt threatened (get asked for money 2-3 times a week but "No" does the trick). I actually miss some of the more entertaining Whack jobs. The vocal Wacos that used to be on the corners yelling at a trashcan, or the preachers that would yell obsenities at the congregation while quoting the bible. Remember the bus that had loudspeakers dissing Second Babtist? My commute requires me exit I-10 and turn south onto Echo/Blalock into the Memorial Villages. The north side of this intersection must be the motherload for panhandlers. There is a group that seem to rotate (guess they reserve spots). The wife was washing her car at the Chevron on the south side and saw one of the more frequent "Cripples" hobble across the parking lot in her wheelchair. After making sure no one was looking, she got out of her wheelchair and carried it the final 100 ft to her car hidden behind the carwash. She probably lives in the Villages.

I am a Houston native and De Soto east of Antoine wins hands down. Its not bad, its scarey. Close second: 3rd Ward north of Elgin. Future posters: Please give street references.

Throw us a bone TXDOT!! There are all these lanes on I-10 between the west loop and the beltway, striped and ready for traffic, but I have heard nothing about opening them up to traffic. Why not give us a couple of the lanes to reduce the awful traffic. Do we have to wait until the end of the project? PLEASE!!!!!!

If you are referring to the 5600sf Spanish style , it closed in April of this year for $360k. A far cry from the original price of 500K last year. BTW: It is currently appraised at $541K on HAR. When I first saw that house I thought "Talk about overbuilding the hood!!!!"

I was trolling the East end and stumbled across a future McMansion in a very unlikely area. The location is the corner of Sydney and Lovejoy. Please excuse the quality of the pic. It was pouring rain and the shot was taken through the windshield.

I have not been able to find anything that provides information about the construction plans or an artist's rendering of the East end line. I was looking at the survey markings yesterday, and it appears that they will be widening the equivilant of 2 lanes (20 ft) c to the north. That seems about right since I understand 2 rails will be added and 4 lanes of traffic will remain. Assuming Metro had to purchase the entire lot (100 foot deep), I wonder what the plans for the remaing 80 feet are. What did Metro do on the red line?

Does anyone know where I can get an artist rendering or construction drawings of what Harrisburg will look like after completion? I am interested what it will look like along the Coffee factory. I have a property one block off Harrisburg close to Milby, so I will post some pics of the construction.

I have an investment property two blocks from this house, and have wondered about the history. Thanks for the enlightenment. When I drove by this weekend I noticed it now has a Realtor's "For Sale" sign out front, but it is not listed in HAR. It would be a real chalenge to restore the beast, and the location sux being sandwiched in between the concrete walls of two rather shabby businesses. Here is another house that (now Pending) was advertized as "Possibly the oldest privately owned home in Houston in need of complete renovation. " Built in 1856 it is located at 1518 Weber.

It went under option on January 25th and closed February 8th at a sales price of 161,500 (16K over the asking price).

Yep. The house sold for $575K on December 28, 2007. Here a couple of the pics from HAR archives.

Looks like the Harrisburg underpass just east of dowling is getting the same treatment as we speak. Did somebody's 3 year-old pick the colors? Or someone having acid flashbacks? As for freeway noise. I live in the Memorial villages, probably one of the quietest neighborhoods in Houston. I-10 is about 1.5 miles to the North with large heavlily wooded lots between. At my house which is at the end of a 1/4 mile private drive, the biggest factor is the Wind. If there is a North wind, I can barely hear the big trucks, but with a prevailing SE wind it is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. (It also helps that all the neighbors are very quiet). I am currently rehabbing an investment property on the near east end (just north of Eastwood) and that neighborhood is nothing but noise. Load music from houses and cars, and the standard mode of announcing that you are there is to blast the horn. No gun shots yet though....

Not sure if this is the right section for this question. If not please move it to the correct section. I have guests from overseas and want to show them some Christmas lights. Which neighborhoods are the best for viewing lights?, and I would appreciate recommendations for specific streets that have the WOWWW!!! factor. Thanks

Where are the Realtors? I am certain that you know how light rail will affect your market. Please let us know.

Actually I meant "most". I grew up in the East End (Pecan Park) 50 years ago and have been very impressed with the recent changes to the near East End. My 93 y/o dad sill lives there. Pecan Park will have it's day, but frankly most of the houses don't have a lot of historical "charm" (they are boring), but they are still functional and not yet ready for the bulldozer. I am really glad to see Eastwood get recognized. I have been watching that area for 30 years wondering when it would come back, and it is on fire today. It used to be only McKinney looked nice, now all the streets look great. I think the Griggs area is a sleeper. The Med center is driving an Easterly resurgance along OST that should continue down Griggs with Rail. It has a LONG way to go, but watch property values start rising at a healthy clip. I am not saying it will turn into Bellaire, but there is potential for large percentage increases in property values. Face it.... If the third ward can get cleaned up, ANYTHING is possible. Another area that is seeing HUGE increases in property values is along the proposed North line from the Intermodal to Northline mall. The area just north of DT has undergone one of the fastest transformations I have seen. 5,000 sq ft lots are selling for 160K. 500 sq ft shacks sit next to 600K townhomes and Hardy yards will be the icing on the cake. Drive that area for a shock. Further north along Fulton (the proposed LRT route), teardown houses near that route are selling for twice the teardowns along the Harrisburg line and University line in the 3rd ward. Will the East side see the same gains? I hope so I should disclose that I recently purchased a property 1 block off Harrisburg in Brady Place (just north of Eastwood). Also about to close on another in the 3rd ward. I am betting my $$$ that rail will have a positive impact on some overlooked neighborhoods.

uhlaw. Thanks for the link! Still looking for comments on how LRT will affect the surrounding hoods. I think the two areas with the most to gain are near north Harrisburg and the area along Griggs. I am interested to see what the Elgin route will do to the third ward. Will it will act as sort of a barrier between the upcoming UH expansion activities and the rather seedy area that is currently north of Elgin?

Metero has published proposed locations for some of the lines (University line comes to mind), but I cannot find anything about the proposed number or location of stations on the others. Where do you think the stations will be located for the : Southeast Corridor? East End Corridor? North Corridor? Uptown Corridor? Which neighborhoods do you think will be affected the most by LRT (positive or negative)? And how long do you think it will take for LRT to have an impact on the neighborhoods? 2 years? 5 years? longer? I look forward to getting the facts, and hearing your opinions.

I am a new member, but I have been monitoring this Forum for a while. It is a GREAT resource! I grew up as a wharf rat in Pecan Park (on Japonica street), but I now live in Hedwig Village in a remodeled ranch. I have been monitoring the East end neighborhoods for years, and I am convinced that the BRT on Harrisburg will jump start the transition of the area. I am looking to invest in Real Estate along the rail line. I would like to acquire one of the old Victorian houses and restore it. Other than Eastwood, what other east end subdivisions have the classic Victorian houses? Also, does anyone know where the train stations will be located along Harrisburg? Thanks!