danny

Hello,

I don't live at The Amalfi, so I cannot comment on the property itself. However, it is owned by Archstone-Smith, and I have lived at Memorial Heights (a MUCH older Archstone property) for the last 7 years. As a management company, they could not be better! I have not had a single maintenance issue that wasn't resolved right away. We had a leasing agent named Caroline who always took great care of me, and was a pleasure to work with. She recently transferred to The Amalfi property. I am certain you would be pleased living there. Good luck!

WoW! Thanks you guys!!!

Hi everyone,

I have been trying to view houses in First Colony on HAR, but haven't had any luck. Can someone please list some of the individual neighborhood names within the First Colony area?

Thanks!!!

Danny

Man... gunshots every weekend? That's a little too scary for me! There seems and awful lot of pedestrians all over the place late at night on Antoine.

How widespread is the flooding in that area? I drove through a part of Inwood with very large houses sitting on the golfcourse, but half the lots were empty. Are these empty lots from flood-damaged homes, or were the lots never developed to begin with? I think due to the large houses and somehwhat close location the neighborhood may someday start to get better, but it seems like it will first go through many more years of decline.

Does anyone know if all of the units have the rooftop patio space, or is that just for the ones on the top floor?

Another thing I liked about this place: There is an incredible feeling of privacy despite this being a high density complex. The staggering of the walkways, exterior shapes, and multiple levels make each unit feel like its own building.

I know a couple who lived in that complex. Their unit was a very unique multi-level floorplan. The complex also features very interesting private rooftop terraces with beautiful views of the UST campus. The experience is similar to being up in a tree house. The 2nd floor swimming pool has windows built in the sides of it, so when you are underwater, you can look through and see the sidewalk outside. Very cool.

Unfortunately, they did lose both of their cars in the underground parking garage in the aforementioned flood. However, I would imagine this could happen in any underground parking situation.

Another plus: walking distance to Kroger, Walgreens, and several other little shops and restaurants on Montrose.

Let us know how you like it!

Danny

Nice pics! I especially like the lettering on the HL&P sign... I'll have to drive by and see that one myself

-Danny

Hey everyone,

As I mentioned in a previous thread, I drove around on Sunday looking at some of the Eastside neighborhoods. I liked Lindale Park the most, mainly for its location north of I-10. Thanks to all who responded and took the time to suggest some addresses. I do still need to check out Glenview later in the week.

I did notice something I had to ask about. Even on the nicer streets, a number of homes have extensive fencing, grillwork, and bars over the windows. I even noticed several that had their carports completely enclosed by iron bars. While this is true of many inner-loop neighborhoods (including the Heights), I wanted to know if these are a meant as a visual deterrent to burglars, or if they are truly necessary for safety. I don't have much in the way of fancy electronics or jewelry, but I still wouldn't want my home broken into.

As the area continues to improve (as I assume it will), do you think these bars will still be necessary? I can tell from driving the streets in Lindale that there are many active homeowners that care for their homes very well. I wondered if the bars were leftovers from a rougher period of time in Lindale and the Height's history.

Thanks,

Danny

Thanks to everyone for your replies!

It is nice to see there is opportunity for a 1st time home buyer to live near downtown. I had started to lose hope after looking at prices for the Heights and Montrose areas... I am going to do a little exploring out in the car this Sunday. Any Eastside neighborhoods that are must-sees? I am definately checking out Idylwood, Forest Hill, and Pineview. Riverside Terrace had some amazing homes, but I haven't seen many for sale.

Danny

No, that is not true.  The practice of "redlining" was outlawed years ago, I believe in 1968.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Looks like I need to brush up on my history a bit... Thanks for the reply

Hey everyone---

Please excuse me if I am way off here:

I have heard that certain areas of towns can be 'redlined' by mortgage lenders, meaning that the property can be considered too high risk to loan money for. Is this true? If so, does this apply to any areas of the East End of Houston? Many of these neighborhoods have such obvious potential. Though, I wonder if I would have better luck getting a loan for a property in the Heights?

Anyone have a thought on this?

Thanks,

Danny