Home At 8127 Braesview Ln.

[millennica]

Does anyone know anything about the area of town where this address is located 8127 Braesview Lane, Houston 77071? I'd appreciate hearing anything about the neighborhood positive, negative, including individual opinions. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[Jeebus]

I've been in this neighborhood, but I'm not sure of the name. I know the neighborhood directly north of here is Braeburn Valley, which is chock full of MCM's. Maplewood to the immediate west is nice as well. There alot of ethnic Jewish people living in this area as well. You see men walking around in their traditional black suits with hats, beards and curly locks in the evenings go to their religous services (I mention this only to show that they feel safe to walk the streets of their neighborhood at night, even though its not too far from the dangerous areas) I also see alot of people using the Braes Bayou running trail in the evenings as well.

Mostly white. Well kept yards. Starting prices are around 200k I believe. The schools are junk. They're overran by the low-rent apartment renters. Private school is almost manditory. I think they have a contract with the Harris County Constable's office for neighborhood patrols as well.

Just stay away from Gessner, Fondren south of Creekbend, Bissonnet west of Hilcroft, and Braeswood west of Gessner. Those are the apartment heavy streets in that area.

Vicman can tell you the HISD schools zoned. Any specific questions? Thinking of buying?

[brucesw]

The neighborhood is Braeburn Valley Sec V, the last section built. My realtor, who'd been working in the area since the 50s, told me most of the builders went on to build custom homes. Management company is AVR. Very active HOA, got a little too active a few years back and I thought we were going to be one of those that wound up on the nightly news for some ridiculous harassment issue, but those people seem to have calmed down or moved on to the Super Neighborhood board, Fondren SW I thiink it's called, realizing there are a lot more serious problems to tend to in this part of town other than whether some little old widow painted her front door without filling out the appropriate paperwork first. One of the dustups came to lawsuits and claims of death threats.

Issues repeatedly brought up in the Association newsletter, parking on the street and trash (heavy trash, bags of lawn clippings) left on sidewalks for days. Traffic along S. Braeswood treats it like a freeway mornings and afternoons.

Jeebus is right about the areas to avoid, west of Gessner particularly is crime ridden, but they don't come into BV often; crime rate here is very low, according to the neighborhood patrol, Security Sure. There's a Pct 5 storefront in the Fiesta center at Gessner @ S. Braeswood and an HPD storefront on Fondren @ W. Bellfort. Twin Hills is a bad street for crime because of the run down apartments on Creekbend behind it and also a bad street for pass thru traffic. Fire station 68 is close by on Bissonett @ Gessner and there's another one close to W. Bellfort.

Annual fees $350 I think, covers pool (controlled access, you have to pick up the badges in person, they won't mail them), private garbage and recycling (Republic, very dependable), private patrol (Security Sure, a total waste), private mosquito spraying (nightly for about a month now, but because of heavy growth of trees and fenced back yards, it won't do much good on your patio; that house being on one of the alleyways may get passbys both front and back and side!) Aluminum wiring was probably the rule when the sub was built; a few have been rewired, particularly those who've lived here a long time. Many had early security systems by Security Sure, key-operated, and still have them. If that place has one, get it changed right away! I don't keep the flyers from the realtors but I think prices start around 170k and go up to the mid 300s. That's a little larger than average size for the neighborhood -- not that many 1 and a halfs. Per the latest flood control maps, only the houses along S. Braeswood are in the 100 year plain BUT CHECK FOR YOURSELF. I've never had water over the curb but almost had water in the house off the patio in back during Allison - a drainage problem I've taken care of.

Very quiet neighborhood; many retirees, many people who've lived here since the beginning. Not that many families with kids, at least not as many as you'd see in the suburbs. Jeebus is probably right about the schools, Fondren, Welch, Sharpstown Hi, probably. Valley Hills Elementary on Gessner may be okay. Orthodox Jews are mostly south of W. Bellfort; I've never seen any in this neighborhood. Lots of blacks have moved into the neighborhood, there are many orientals but few Hispanics that I'm aware of. One of my Black neighbors has reported some harrassment when they first moved in; I was totally shocked. Thanks to Tom Delay's tactics, your Congressman for the foreseeable future will be Al Green. State Rep is Dr. Alma Allen, State Sen. is Rodney Ellis. The neighborhood has been very politically active (liberal) in the past but is more mixed and less active now.

Many people walk the subdivision streets in the evening and before dawn; bicycle riders tend to be seniors. Braes Bayou Hike and Bike Trail along the bayou extends to the Medical Center area. Free fireworks show on the 4th courtesy of Braeburn Valley Country Club, north of the bayou, that is if you can see it through the trees (yours and your neighbor's, not the Country Club's).

Grocery stores close by - mediocre. Decent restaurants close by - 0.

I'm very happy here; have thought of moving closer in to a smaller place but I hate the hassles of moving so I'm probably staying put. PM me if there are more questions.

Edited April 27, 2007 by brucesw

[Jeebus]

Great follow up Bruce. I happened to know a little bit about this subdivision because I have a friend in Maplewood West. One day after visiting, I drove around. You were right about the Jews, I saw them on Braesridge south of Creekbend I believe. They seemed at ease walking through the neighborhood in the evening, despite the proximity to low-rent apartments on Fondren. I figured that was a good indicator of the neighborhood's stability & general safety.

South Braeswood floods pretty bad right before Fondren if you're heading east. You're right about the close proximity to Police, Constables, Fire, and EMS as well. That neighborhood seems to be nestled right in between them all.

For grocery stores, my friend uses the Foodarama at South Braeswood & Fondren. For other stuff he heads east to Westbury. I think they have a Home Depot, Kroger, and a Walmart all around West Bellfort & Chimney Rock.

This is another one of those areas I'd love to live in if I didn't have kids. Unfortunately, between the home prices and private school, I can't afford to live there. My friend in Maplewood West said he had to take a second job just so he could put the kids in school. He said it was worth it though because his parents live three streets behind him, in the house he grew up in - all before the apartments went ghetto.

Edited April 27, 2007 by Jeebus

[millennica]

Thanks Jeebus and Bruce for the detailed information about the neighborhood. My spouse and I want to move to Houston and are trying to learn about various neighborhoods from people familiar with them. We've seen houses we like in 77071 and 77096 and when I visited in January, I looked at some houses in Glenbrook Valley. We'll be visiting for several days in June and I'm trying to determine out which neighborhoods we should concentrate on while we're in Houston.

We don't have any children, so we're not worried about the quality of the schools. We'd be moving from the SF Bay Area and our housing budget is between 380,000 - 400,000. We're Black, which I mention only because Bruce commented that some of his Black neighbors had experienced problems when they first moved to the neighborhood. The ideal situation would be to have a place in Houston and another near the water (Galveston, Corpus, Aransas Bay, South Padre Island?) The price of the house at the address listed was 185,000 which made me think we might be able to buy a place in Houston and another at the beach. We're open to suggestions for both the Houston neighborhood and beach property. So if you (or anyone else) have any suggestions, please send them along. Thanks again.

[brucesw]

Great follow up Bruce. I happened to know a little bit about this subdivision because I have a friend in Maplewood West. One day after visiting, I drove around. You were right about the Jews, I saw them on Braesridge south of Creekbend I believe. They seemed at ease walking through the neighborhood in the evening, despite the proximity to low-rent apartments on Fondren. I figured that was a good indicator of the neighborhood's stability & general safety.

South Braeswood floods pretty bad right before Fondren if you're heading east. You're right about the close proximity to Police, Constables, Fire, and EMS as well. That neighborhood seems to be nestled right in between them all.

For grocery stores, my friend uses the Foodarama at South Braeswood & Fondren. For other stuff he heads east to Westbury. I think they have a Home Depot, Kroger, and a Walmart all around West Bellfort & Chimney Rock.

This is another one of those areas I'd love to live in if I didn't have kids. Unfortunately, between the home prices and private school, I can't afford to live there. My friend in Maplewood West said he had to take a second job just so he could put the kids in school. He said it was worth it though because his parents live three streets behind him, in the house he grew up in - all before the apartments went ghetto.

The supermarket @ Braeswood and Fondren is FoodTown, in a former Albertson's. Huge store, decent produce and beef, lots of Mexican items, long aisle of Mexican and Asian foods. Not fancy but good prices. I shop there regularly. There's a WalMart Neighborhood Market just off Hillcroft, one block s. of Braeswood that is quite nice for a Walmart - in a former Rice Epicurean Foods building. I go there a lot too. WalMart beef is awful but otherwise it's a surprisingly nice store and of course, good prices, though FoodTown beats it on produce, usually.

Small dismal Fiesta @ S. Braeswood @ Gessner, larger, still pretty dismal Fiesta @ W. Bellfort @ Fondren. Another WMNC @ S. Gessner @ Bellfort, not as nice but okay, a little iffier neighborhood. HEB @ Braeswood @ Chimney Rock - older store, lots of Kosher. Belden's across the bayou - more Kosher, nicer store, pricier. The nearest Kroger Signature is at W. Bellfort @ S. Post Oak -- not as nice as the one on Westpark but does have the Boar's Head Deli and a Kosher Bakery and Meat Shoppe. Otherwise, I avoid going all the way over to S. Post Oak. There are no Randalls left in this part of town that I know of. Home Depot is where Westbury Square used to be, or some of it.

Channel 11 had a recent feature story on neighborhood crime which focused on Ludington St. in Northfield, which is the subdivision between Creekbend and W. Bellfort. Might still be available on their website. There are some really nice, newer homes in there.

Edited April 29, 2007 by brucesw

[brucesw]

Thanks Jeebus and Bruce for the detailed information about the neighborhood. My spouse and I want to move to Houston and are trying to learn about various neighborhoods from people familiar with them. We've seen houses we like in 77071 and 77096 and when I visited in January, I looked at some houses in Glenbrook Valley. We'll be visiting for several days in June and I'm trying to determine out which neighborhoods we should concentrate on while we're in Houston.

We don't have any children, so we're not worried about the quality of the schools. We'd be moving from the SF Bay Area and our housing budget is between 380,000 - 400,000. We're Black, which I mention only because Bruce commented that some of his Black neighbors had experienced problems when they first moved to the neighborhood. The ideal situation would be to have a place in Houston and another near the water (Galveston, Corpus, Aransas Bay, South Padre Island?) The price of the house at the address listed was 185,000 which made me think we might be able to buy a place in Houston and another at the beach. We're open to suggestions for both the Houston neighborhood and beach property. So if you (or anyone else) have any suggestions, please send them along. Thanks again.

I had to drive by - couldn't place the house. I don't think it's been on the market for long. I haven't seen the inside but $185k sounds like a bargain to me. Be advised it can be quite pricey to cool the upper floor of a 1.5 or 2 story in Houston's summer heat. There's a Black family about 2 doors down from that house; extended family, it seems, G-Ma and G-Pa, perhaps, 2 teen-aged sons, maybe some smaller ones. I wave when I go by but have never met them. Check real estate prices @ Galveston, etc. for that beach house!, you may not be able to afford both. You could check Surfside, further south. About as accessible and probably a lot less pricey.

Did you check the original section of Braeburn Valley, north of the bayou, south of Bissonett? It's maybe 10 years older, some really nice 50s places in there, some big enough to be country estates. That's probably the priciest neighborhood around --- whoops!, I guess that's not considered part of Braeburn Valley!

Braeburn Valley HOA

Edited April 29, 2007 by brucesw