Furchild

Did you end up moving over here? I moved to Riverside Terrace last fall and really like it. The neighbors are nice and my commute to the med center is 2 minutes. Can't beat that.

Wow. I've gotten a few second looks when I take walks through the neighborhood, but I think it may have to do with my dog as much as my relative paleness. All the neighbors that have spoken or waved to me are really nice. Sorry you had an encounter with the paranoid exception. I personally like it when people check out the nighborhood and appreciate the beautiful historic architecture. If more people would move in to save and renovate the the few empty houses, it would save them from being torn down or turned into townhomes.

In the same complex there are 1680 square foot homes for ~210k. Anyone know any brand new 3 story homes in Rice Military or Midtown for that price? That's why I'm considering it. 280 is out of my price range.

That's a really reasonable price for that location, evening considering the neighborhood is on the edge of the redevelopment. I think it will continue to improve over there, but I don't know how long it will take to see a return on an investment in a brand new townhome. If there aren't many upgrades you can make to it directly- you are gambling on the neighborhood improving in order for your investment to grow. How long are you planning on living there? I feel confidant enough that it will improve that I moved just south of there this year, while expecting my first child.

As far as quality of life in that area- The access to Montrose, 288, 59, 45, the Musuem District, and the Med Center is instantaneous. I used to live in Montrose and drove about 15 minutes to work in the Med Center because of traffic. My commute is less than 5 min minutes now and there is no traffic at all. The neighborhood is definitely different, with more sketchy foot traffic.

My best advice is to drive around there are night and check out the noise from around 11pm through 2am before you buy though. Make sure there are no clubs that attract vehicles with altered mufflers or souped up radios within a few blocks of your potential home. Other than this, make sure you have an alarm system or a dog, and a secure parking area with good lighting. If all those things are in place, you have very little to worry living over there. Most crimes in that area that could potentially affect you are of opportunity. Mostly it is just drug use that leads to the shady foot traffic I mentioned before.