Topaz

To the OP...I think you will likely need to...

1. Compromise on the wish list, or...

2. Increase the budget, or...

3. Have a great deal of patience to find the ONE amazing deal that comes along as a result of a distress sale or something and be prepared to make an offer immediately, perhaps the same day it becomes available.

Faced with a similar situation, we chose option #1 and bought a home in New Territory. Now that we've calmed down about compromising, we are actually quite happy.

A lot of homes here get sold through word-of-mouth. If you aren't getting insider info from your Realtor, you probably need a different one.

If Katy is such a waste land, why do urbanites spend so much time on its boards? I assure you, your fixation with suburbia is much greater than most suburbanites' interest in mundane details that go on inside the loop.

That is so true...I can never understand why all these Inner Loopers are hanging out in the suburbia threads looking for the opportunity to add some snark whenever possible.

It seems, though, that my question about whether First Colony is worth the money and hassle seems to be a resounding yes. No one who has responded has said that it's not.

Actually, I don't think First Colony is worth the money and hassle if you'd rather be in Telfair. And I have a more favorable opinion of Telfair than your wife and realtor seem to have. I think there is very little chance that Telfair is going to attract "downscale" buyers or renters, but I don't know what your definition of downscale is, so you might not be happy in either Telfair or First Colony.

Your home that you renovated is beautifully done, by the way, but I sympathize with the desire to spend your free time doing something else now instead of renovating another one! That's why I think Telfair might be a better bet unless you can find a home in First Colony where someone else has already done the work.

I think someone knowledgeable about Telfair's sales stats and inventory levels should post them here. Some of these comments sound like they are from people who have never been to Telfair and have NO idea what type of community Telfair is.

And no, I don't live in Telfair and I don't work for anyone affiliated with Telfair. I do drive through it twice per day as a shortcut to 59.

I'm glad that the City of Sugar Land was savvy enough to ensure that Minute Maid would be accurate in describing their corporate headquarters as located in Sugar Land, and $2.4M is probably a fair price to attract a corporate headquarters. I'm a Sugar Land voter and I'm willing to pay for jobs and good PR to come to my city.

Problem is, our realtor has just about convinced my wife that buying in Telfair is a bad decision because of the quality of buyers it will be attracting given the market right now (no matter where we look, my wife is very concerned about, ahem, demographics, much moreso than I am) and the risks that sometimes come from brand new construction. I just don't see how such a great location can be a bad decision.

What is giving your wife and realtor the idea that Telfair has problematic demographics? Telfair is as upscale as First Colony, maybe more so, isn't it?

I like Sugar Land Town Square but I do wish they would remove the parking in front of the restaurants and other retail down the main street in the middle. It would be a much friendlier vibe if that area was limited to pedestrians and all parking was limited to the garages. Otherwise, people will bring traffic to a dead stop and wait 10 minutes if they think someone is vacating a parking space. And then all the cars behind them are trapped until they finally park. It creates quite the mess.

I've heard that Sugar Land schools are excellent, and I've heard good things about a lot of different subdivisions in Sugar Land. I'm hoping someone can help me narrow my search a bit by telling me:

1. What are the BEST elementary schools (and high schools, for future reference) in Sugar Land?

One good line up at the elementary and middle school level is Walker Station Elementary plus Sartartia Middle School. Homes on the east side of New Territory are zoned to these schools. Brazos Bend Elementary plus Sartartia Middle School is another good combo...homes on the west side of New Territory are zoned to those schools.

I don't know as much about the high schools because my children aren't near that age yet.

Scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2009, phase two of the development will include the expansion of the existing Whole Foods-anchored shopping center and the addition of two freestanding buildings, providing room for an additional 43,539 sf of retail and restaurant tenants. Azuma Sushi & Robata Bar, Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Mission Burritos will all occupy space in this second phase.

lockmat, I've been driving by this corner every day wondering what is going in there. Thank you for posting this information! I've never heard of Azuma but the other two sound promising...

I live in the northeastern part of New Territory in Robinson's Landing and the train noise here is rather horrible. It has been increasingly loud lately.

I emailed the manager of New Territory and he says that funding for the noise reduction wayside horns is unlikely to be available until some time after Sugar Land annexes New Territory in 2017.

That was not the news I wanted to hear!

I'm not sure I would describe HEB as "upscale," but maybe it will be a fancier than normal HEB.

A grocery company is also on board as an anchor tenant, but the developer will not release the store's name.

"It's a very nice, high-end, well-known brand," says J. Troy Maxwell, a principal with Woodcreek Development Co.

Who do you think the grocery company is?

When is Grimaldi's expected to open? Their Web site just says, "Coming soon..."

What can anyone here tell me about the Sugarland area?Almost 3 years ago, my wife and I had twins and started looking for a house - knowing that our apartment wouldn't be big enough for the 4 of us. Now we still have our apartment (being used for storage and a place for our cat) but are living with my Mother until we find a home.We've looking in Houston, Pearland and Friendswood and now after hearing good things about Sugarland, we wanna look there too but first want to know what parts are safer.We're lookin' for a $200,000 - $275,000 home in a safe area with lots of kids for ours to play with. Peace

Wow, you've gotten some seriously unhelpful responses here! I can tell you that my husband and I chose Sugar Land even though he works closer to Pearland and Friendswood. We appreciate the zoning in Sugar Land...you won't find a tattoo parlor next to a Kindercare like I saw in Friendswood.

I don't find Sugar Land Town Square to be creepy...we like going there. Ignore the snotty anti-suburb sentiments from Inner Loopers because there are many, many families who choose the suburbs and are completely happy with their decision.

Most of Sugar Land is safe and extremely family friendly. Check out the Awards section of the City of Sugar Land Web site. There may be one or two older and less safe areas but believe me, you would know as soon as you drove into them that they aren't like the rest of Sugar Land.

Several of the schools in Sugar Land are exemplary. GreatSchools.net is my favorite site to research schools and read parent reviews.

If you like organic food, Sugar Land has a new Whole Foods Market...it is nice. It also has Lifetime Fitness with a lot of programming for families. First Colony and New Territory both have nice clubs and community activities for their residents. Lots of sports leagues and stuff like that for the kids.

Good luck finding the best fit for your family!