jakabedy

Thanks for the shout out. The blog magiccitymodern blog has been neglected, but I've started fluffing it up lately. Back in 2004 I was considering a job transfer to Houston and spent a week learning the city. That was when I really started to consider a classic MCM home. I never made it to Houston, but I did get my MCM home.

Funny you should say that, because that's an area I've started to look in. Some good-quality 1970-1990 houses in there that just aren't "new" so can be had for reasonable prices -- even the giant 5,000+ sft ones. It's too bad that HAR doesn't let you search by age of house (aside from the ridiculous 5-years-or-newer search function) -- it would be great to be able to do a search for 1950-1970 and see what comes up. A local site here (www.realtysouth.com) has that function. I do have some luck by limiting the search to 1-story homes . . .

No kidding. It just seems odd that it's "sold" but still active. Hmmm. I never saw the initial listing, but the initial poster said it was 199,000 at that time. If I get transferred to Houston, it would be a house to consider. My office would be in Greenspoint, so the commute wouldn't be as much of an issue as for the downtowners. Because, of course, one can't work in Greenspoint and have a nifty house without a commute.

It still shows on HAR as an active listing -- not pending. Is there still a "sold" sign? Also, when it hit MLS in December it was apparently 199K -- now its 220K.

Here's a link to another thread that discussed a doco film on the Third Ward . . . http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...&hl=third++ward

I saw those homes, too -- behind the corrugated townhomes. They are wonderful houses -- just look like folks without much money have owned them for some time. Deferred maintenance and "improvements" not too sympathetic to the historic homes. I saw one great big tudor over there that was simply boarded up. But I didn't see much for sale. I did some more research and learned that this is the old Third Ward, which has a historically black component to it. (There's a thread here on HAIF that discusses the area). I think some of the long-time residents weren't pleased with the developers coming in and doing teardowns (a la corrugated townhomes) and there is even a movement afoot to try not to sell the homes to "outsiders." I think, though, if folks who appreciate the homes for what they are and not simply for the ground they rest on, could move in and show an appreciation for the neighborhood, it would help.

I have found that to be the case in a lot of areas in Houston! There will be a new 800K mansion next door to a little cottage with a tree growing through it. It will definitely take some getting used to.

In my travels in Houston this week I didn't get to venture into this area (not enough time) but it seems as though there are older homes for low prices. It's not far really from the museum district, Montrose or Rice, so . . . . what's the deal? Is this an area with potential?

I am an "old house" person possibly relocating to Houston. I've checked out many of the old neighborhoods (thanks for the input in my earlier thread, by the way), but find that they might not suit my needs (price, location, condition and commute) so was wondering if there are any newer developments like this (smaller houses would be fine) anywhere in the area -- but not as pricy. http://www.mtlaurel.com/ I simply can't handle the brick-front, one bradford pear, 2-car-garage-with-house- attached neighborhoods that seem to run rampant across the country. So, anyone got any ideas? I'm hoping to stay under 200K, but can squeak up if necessary. Thank you!

I'm another potential Houston resident, and have targeted te East End for my home search. So, of the top 10 (11?) listed, what zip codes would I use when searching HAR?

This is my first post, so please feel free to redirect me if I am in the wrong place. I stumbled upon this board while Googling and found it to be very informative. I'm contemplating a job transfer to Houston and am looking for an historic neighborhood in the traditional sense. I was directed to zip codes 77008, 77009 and 77023, and on the HAR website have found some things. But, what concerns me is that a major selling point of most every bungalow is "new construction right next door!" Since when is that a selling point? Can anyone point me in a particular direction, or recommend a realtor sensitive to historic homes and neighborhoods? I'm in an under 200K price range, and schools are not an issue. I'm looking for something from 1910-1930 -- can be a bungalow, Tudor, Spanish Colonial, etc. It doesn't have to be "the" historic n'hood (as evidenced by my price range) and can be one that is on the verge of a comeback. I'm coming from a smaller city (Birmingham, AL) where we still have a lot of buildable property around the city. So this tear-down mentality hasn't quite hit us yet (save for a very few exclusive neighborhoods). Maybe I just have to get used to it? Thanks in advance for any input you may have. Edited to fix horrible spelling/grammar in title line, but found I was unable to do so.