Blackfield

Thanks for the insights and link, they are very informative. Although I realize there is always such unfortunate stories everywhere, your friend's story makes me think twice about buying townhome. I have to give this some serious thoughts.

I am done with the club life, . It is nice to be close to restaurants and Memorial park. What kind of daily amenities on the west side are you referring to, that are lacking at Rice Military? Perhaps, grocery store? I don't mind driving a little bit far, so it's no big deal for me.

I think that's not a deal breaker. I would be at work during the day anyway. Anybody can give me more insight to my original questions regarding townhome?

jm1fd, Thanks for the insight. The loud train sound, was that from the horn sound or the actual sound of the train passing by? If you could hear the train passing by, it is pretty bad. Can anybody give me an idea how frequent the train passes by during the weekday, weekend, and the night? I am easily awaken as it is, I do not need train noise to make it worse, .

One of the reasons I narrowed down to these two areas, is because the approximity to Memorial and Terry Hersey park. I would love to live close to either park. I do not have a family yet, otherwise, Rice Military is probably out of the question. Although I see many couples in their 50's live there. The reason that I consider 77079 is because of the reasons that you mentioned above. I will check Nothingham Forest, east of Dairy Ashford. If I remember correctly, there are couple of houses listed at HAR, however it is out of my budget. It's on the 350K range. How about this house? http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y

Hi Musicman, Train noise is a concern, so I am looking at south of Washington area. Would you be able to hear the train, let's say from Feagan st? I realize how the two areas are so different, I am still going back and forth on the location, .

Thanks KatieDidIt, , yeap, I meant west of the Beltway, 77079. I realize that my budget is lower than the average price, thus, it makes it difficult to find good candidates. Based on your responses in the past, I know that you live there and know the area really well. What do you think about the neighborhood close to Rummel Creek high school (north of Memorial drive)? I saw a listing at HAR with asking price of $275K. I know it is closer to I-10, so the noise is probably bad.

Greetings, This is great forum, I am glad I found it. I have been following home prices in Houston with great interest in the past couple of years. Finally the wait is over, I am finally ready to purchase my first home. The areas that I am interested in are Rice Military and Memorial-77079 (east of Beltway). They both close to I-10, which is one of my criteria and within my less than 300K budget. Due to my budget, I believe my choices are limited on both location. I realize the two areas are opposite to each other, one is a dense area with townhomes, the other is houses with big yard and mature trees. Currently, I am leaning towards Rice Military, partly because the thought of taking care of house with yards is daunting for me. The townhome is newer, so perhaps, it is easier to maintain. It is also closer to places that I usually go as well. This brings up to my questions. 1. For townhome, do you own the land? I believe so, however I would like to confirm this with you. 2. If townhome shares wall and rooftop and there is no maintenance fee. How do the owners fix their homes in case of issues? My concern is this could potentially cause an issue with my neighbor. 3. From HAR.com, I notice that Rice Military's price/square foot has fluctuated over the years. Is that the trend that you see in the future as well? Although this is going to be my only home (thus people say it is not an investment), I still would like to see decent appreciation in years to come. 4. Townhome quality. I understand it varies between townhomes. When I see townhome, it looks like it is not build as well as house. I am not a structural engineer, so this could be well off. I am wondering if a townhome could last 50-70 years easily just like a house, with proper maintenance, of course. 5. How do you find exclusive buyer agent? I learn a lot by just reading this forum, and I intend to continue learning from you. Thanks in advance.