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A lot of parents will bail on public schools after elementary school. Also, Travis is Vanguard. The Vanguard kids will often pick Lanier over Hamilton. And now that Black is turning around, they may also bypass Hamilton for that school. Otherwise, a lot of Harvard and Travis kids go to magnets like Pershing, Lanier or Pin Oak. It gets a little easier to get to a middle school magnet as families move out of the district or switch to private school. Thus, it takes a lot longer to turn around a middle school in HISD.

That is a price point that maybe 5% of the population can afford. Last I checked, things are called cheap because they are affordable to at least a majority of the population. A Lamborghini Aventador costs about $400k. When the economy was in the tank, you could probably find someone in desperate straits willing to unload one with super low mileage for $250k. That does not make it cheap. Houston's inner loop real estate is no longer cheap. Prices have spiked dramatically and will only continue if there is even a mild improvement in the economy. In two years, we will probably be talking about how cheap it was in 2013 when you could get a 1 bd in the loop for $1,500.

Actually, the few I picked from other areas are in very prime locations. For the scant 100 sq ft you lose, you more than make up in being in a very in demand neighborhood. 1200-1300 cannot easily be had inside the loop for 600 sq feet, unless you get the unit by the dumpster, HVAC or garage entrance. $1500 is the entry point for most of the decent complexes. And if "newer" to you means Memorial Archstone, that is old by Houston standards as the complex has plans to be demoed. $1,500 is not cheap.

You said you cannot get an apartment in the urban core for $2000. I showed that you can just by posting the first thing that popped up on the internet. You can get 600 sq feet for 1200-1300 if you live right by the highway or at an older complex that could get bought out and demoed at any moment. The new and newer complexes generally don't go smaller than 700 sq feet and are all starting at $1500+. Not cheap at all.

http://www.apartments.com/District-of-Columbia/Washington/Camden-Grand-Parc/22270?searchCriteria=Dy2hfU5rAXd7IxFaKtBPNxOFXed7T2UEI9u0CA0EAfydBPAxPAPXFwuIsmuQ1rK8805FxLecCevKChEhnqUGVTr2LViBHliOJNzo73e9wN6Z/j6u/cQQpyjjgAGcYo/OBa6JsfExlWu7HDlo7XnhtceYQaD7ydHsGiAWjl5rtfrFiD8ngfPAeJO/RYTGvabiAXr270fGQMqxG1759vYIcqN-|-|HVDa9cY&sid=f2132308-f67f-4825-910b-3040ce6ed9fe&stype=cityseo&match=4 http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartments/California/Los-Angeles/Hikari/75268/ http://www.columbusplaza.com/chicago-chicago/columbus-plaza-columbus-plaza/floorplans/ Yes, Houston is cheaper, but not cheap. That is my point. You are doing a nice job of trying to change the subject, but the fact is that Houston is not cheap. And $500 a month is significant except that in places like DC, San Fran, Chicago, and NY, you can get by without a car, especially now with the option of Zipcars and similar services. When you factor that in, Houston's price advantage becomes much less significant.

Plateau, yes. Peak. No. Things have leveled off because sellers are now pricing according to the current market. In the spring, a lot of sellers were pricing behind the curve and bidding wars erupted. As you noted, there is finally some significant new construction coming onto the market. In the spring, there just wasn't close to enough to keep up with demand. But if the demand continues unabated, the amount of new construction will bell curve and begin to fall off as flip-able land begins to become scarce. Cottage Grove, Shady Acres, 1st Ward, Sunset Heights, etc. are filling in very rapidly. Once the easy land runs out, prices will surge again if demand is still high. The only thing that would put a dent into demand is a bust in the economy that damaged the oil industry. Crime and schools have been issues in the Heights since 2006 and are always issues for urban neighborhoods. If anything, the neighborhood will become even more popular in the future as all the new retail/restaurant development continues to surge and amenities like the extension of the hike and bike and a potential park amenity at the Rutland detention pond emerge.

Yes. There is something that is more cherry picked than that. Using 2010 numbers to argue that the recent spike in housing prices in Houston have not affected the cost of living for Houston. In fact, calling that cherry picking is being too kind. It is just outright dumb. The very first post in this thread is about the most recent rise in housing prices. All the arguments about whether Houston is cheap or not are centered on the recent rise in housing prices. And you come in slinging your usual childish insults and tell us how the 2010 cost of living numbers show that the rise in 2013 housing costs are just my imagination. If you do not like the numbers I related for Cleveland, come up with your own and prove me wrong. However, this time you will need to use numbers that are actually from the relevant time period for starters.

Way to cherry pick data from 2010. I bought my house for about $80k less than it would get today back in 2010. If you would actually read some of my posts you would understand that my whole point is that the recent boom in residential housing has pushed Houston out of its previous comfort zone on housing costs. If you told someone in 2010 that they would have to pay 1500 for an apartment inside the loop they would tell you that you were nuts. Houston's housing costs have crossed a threshold and are no longer cheap. You can pretend it is still 2010 to try to find irrelevant facts. But otherwise the reality is clear to everyone else.

That all gets back to the study Rice did that debunked the Houston cost of living. You can get a great house out in Cypress with great schools, but your transportation costs and time spent sitting in the car negate the cost savings. In smaller cities, you can cut your commute time by a third compared to Houston and get the same house with great schools. Of course, you say that you cannot compare Houston's inner city to lesser metro's inner city, but that is probably what people say in NY, CHI, BOS, LA, San Fran when comparing their cost of living to Houston. And Houston isn't that much cheaper than comparable big cities anymore. $2,000 a month will get you an apartment in most of the comparable cities' urban core, save and except Manhattan. $1,500 a month in Houston is cheaper, but not that much. If trends continue, Houston will start to bump up against the other major metros and won't even be that much cheaper.

You have never been to the Midwest. Inside the loop, most of the new to newer apartment complexes want $1500 for a 1 bed. When I first moved inside the loop, $1,000-$1,200 was as high as anyone would dare ask in the newest complex. There were plenty of big complexes renting for $800-900. Now, $800-900 will get you into an old garden style junker. Most of the new and newer townhomes in Rice Military are $400k and up. A few years ago, $350k would buy you all the townhome you needed in Rice Military. And we all know what has happened in the Heights. In Cleveland, OH, a friend of mine just moved into the newest complex with a lake view, just off of downtown and is paying $1,000 a month for 800 sq ft. His sister bought a flipped house in Fairview Park (closer in suburb, 15 min to downtown) for $180k (2000 sq ft). Quiet neighborhood, no crime, great schools, walking distance to the Rocky River Reservation. That just does not exist within 15 miles of downtown Houston. Houston is certainly cheaper that the other major metros (DC, NY, CHI, BOS, LA, San Fran), but it used to be that Houston even compared well with the lesser metros. Now, Houston is definitely more expensive than the smaller markets. Houston is not cheap anymore. If things continue to appreciate at the current pace, Houston will definitely lose its cost competitiveness. All the cheap land is gone in Houston. If you own, it is a great time to be in Houston. If you are buying, better get in before things get too good.

http://ponderosaland.com/ Front page of the developer's website looks to have an updated rendering. Looks like additional parking on top of the non-LA Fitness side of the development. I would assume that World Market is also going to be a tenant. I doubt they would want their name used hypothetically.

It's down. Haven't seen any renderings of the new building yet. Getting enough parking on that lot to meet city requirements will be a challenge if they do a restaurant.

1606 Harvard was sold as is in 2012 and got renovated. Given the market, it may have sold before it listed. Realtors will still put it up on HAR to do a victory lap and get their name out. Per sq ft isn't a very solid metric for the Heights as there is so much variation from one property to the next and from one street to another. Harvard and Cortland get a premium. So do Woodland. Bayland and Highland. Slight discount if you are too close to Shep, Main or the highways. Harvard and Travis get a bump in price, but I have not seen much difference between homes between 20th and 11th in the EHD from those zoned to Harvard. Updated kitchen and bath with tasteful high end stuff goes a long way versus crunchy older house flipper junk. But prices are way up based on very solid demand bumping up against low inventory. Initially the spike in prices was more a result of pent up demand coming up against very little construction during the bust. But now investors are getting very aggressive and building where ever they can get property. Yet it is not enough to keep up with demand. It is not just the Heights. Sales in West U dropped because inventory is so low. Fact of the matter is that Houston is no longer cheap. But it is still relatively affordable. In San Fran, you need $800k just to get in the market. There is pretty much no such thing as a single family home under 1 mil in the decent parts of DC inside the beltway. I think prices have plateaued for the short term and the steep run up in prices will moderate just due to the fact that rising prices make the market more exclusive. But as long as Houston continues to grow, prices will not come back at all. If there is a big shock in the energy biz, we all lose our hats.

http://theheightslifehouston.blogspot.com/2013/08/undici-undici-studewood-piatto-comes-to.html Heights Life spotted a booze application for Piatto at 1111 Studewood. For what it is worth, Union Kitchen posted a booze app and still bailed. But, given the growth in the neighborhood, you would think that this one would stick, especially now that it looks like the three year odyssey of building a small multifamily condo building is finally coming to a close.

Yeah, again you nailed it. D'Amicos obviously lied about having problems with parking. They didn't make it because everyone in the Heights hated the food. They were just telling everyone they had problems with parking just to mess with you on your little message board. And you live over five blocks from those restaurants.

Yeah, you nailed it. There is no parking problem on White Oak at all. I was just pulling that out of my ass. Total exaggeration. Everything is just peachy on White Oak. It is not like any of the restaurants had to close because the parking was too difficult for their patrons to manage on busy nights. Of course you know the area much better than the people who actually run businesses there because you post a lot on HAIF.

You have never been there on Friday or Saturday night.

Last I checked, Tacos Agogo didn't have a valet, much less most of the businesses around White Oak and Studewood.

It is all fluff stuff to get traffic onto their website. But, for a beach that is within an hour's drive from a major metropolis, Galveston is a pretty good deal. I went to the beach in NJ this summer. While there are miles of beach, they restrict the areas that are swimmable due to the surf. You end up having everyone piled between two green flags, knocking into each other with every wave that comes in. The water is freaking cold and just as brown Galveston. And you do not dare touch the water in May or September without a wetsuit. I used to be pretty down on Galveston having spent a lot of time on beaches on great beaches Fl, NC/SC and Cape Cod. But the island is once again having a nice rebound from the last hurricane with some new restaurants and the new Landry's money sucking machine where the poor old Flagship Hotel once stood. In a much more nuanced way, I could see Galveston being a top beach in the US.

The Heights is primarily a single family neighborhood. We do not have to tear down every house and replace it with a pencil box apartment complex to be able to lay claim to "walkability". And density does not equal walkability. There are parts of Queens, NY that are built up with lots of huge low to midrise apartment complex developments. But there is no decent retail within walking distance. So, everyone drives everywhere or takes the bus. Couldn't have much more density and couldn't be less walkable. And walkability as a lifestyle benefit is just as important as walkability as a necessity of density. People I know who left the Heights for the burbs hate that they have no choice but to pile into the car every time they want to go to a restaurant. Also, walkability is beginning to become more of a necessity in the Heights. If you want to go anywhere on White Oak on Friday or Saturday night, you are better off walking than trying to find parking in the area.

Well, this one was penned by a Republican who was county tax assessor: http://www.chron.com/default/article/Sumners-Houston-should-stop-giving-free-money-to-4691548.php

Each individual district has its own enabling legislation. Midtown actually has an exemption from the exemption, meaning that the exemption in the Local Gov't Code for residential property does not apply to the Midtown Management District. However, for Greater Northside Management District, the exemption is reiterated in section 3812.157 of the Special Districts Local Laws Code and is actually broader that in the Local Government Code in that it includes multifamily and condos.

Not sure why emoticons come up in the text of the statute. Probably something embedded when I cut and pasted that I can't see, but gets translated as one of those stupid smiley things. Sorry about that.

No, that is incorrect. Management districts are a creature of the Texas Local Government Code. Residential property is exempt from assessments/taxes. The legislature recently amended the act to allow assessments on residential property, but only with approval based on the vote of the residents in the district or for "required" services, like water or sewer line. And that amendment does not take effect until Sept. 1, 2013. TX LOCAL GOVT § 375.161 (as amended by the 2013 leg.) Sec. 375.161. CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY EXEMPT. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (, the board may not impose an impact fee, assessment, tax, or other requirement for payment, construction, alteration, or dedication under this chapter on single-family detached residential property, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. ( This section does not apply to a tax authorized or approved by the voters of the district or a required payment for a service provided by the district, including water and sewer services. OPERATION, POWERS, AND DUTIES OF CERTAIN WATER DISTRICTS, 2013 Tex. Sess. Law Serv. Ch. 105 (S.B. 902) (VERNON'S)

Management districts cannot levy taxes/assessments on detached single family residences. Someone screwed up on your tax bill.