Relocating From Chicago

[iluvdogs]

Hello all!!!!!

Tired of the snow and cold temps in Chicago, my husband and I decided it's time to get out and relocate somewhere warm. Our house will be up for sale tomorrow and we're probably be gone by August or early September.

We are looking into starting a dog grooming/boarding/daycare business. I was wondering if you guys would suggest an excellent area where people spoil their poochies. We're also looking at buying a house in the city. We don't have any kids just 2 dogs and we don't want a HUGE house. We just want a 2-3 BR, 2 baths, and a backyard with lots of tropical plants. We're looking at the Heights area or the Galleria. We don't want to commute to far to and from work.

Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance.

[jm1fd]

Tired of the snow and cold temps in Chicago, my husband and I decided it's time to get out and relocate somewhere warm. 

Well...I hope you know....you're relocating to somewhere HOT....warm is an understatement.

We are looking into starting a dog grooming/boarding/daycare business.  I was wondering if you guys would suggest an excellent area where people spoil their poochies. 

I think you'd do well to locate the business out on the far fringes of suburbia near a posh subdivision....I suspect all the fru fru areas here in town have that business covered already.

[largeTEXAS]

Montrose, the Heights, or West University is where I'd say. Each neighborhood has beautiful, tree-lined streets and their share of pet owners. Montrose is best if you like the small bungalows or townhouses and if you might frequent coffee shops and like the bohemian lifestyle.

The Heights has beautiful houses and a nostalgic feeling. It feels like you're in a small town there with the pedestrian-friendly 19th Street and the great antique shops. Lots of pets there.

West U. is a family community. The local elementary is the best around and there are tons of kids and pets. It's close to the Rice Village that's great for shopping and eating.

That's my 2cents.

[Guest danax]

This brings up the thought, as the inner city densifies are we gaining people but losing pets, per capita? I would guess that we are. It seems like the old-style Leave it to Beaver neighborhoods all had at least one dogs but these new neighborhoods.....I don't know, I live in an old-style one.

Glad to hear you're coming here. You're amongst friends. This place is full of transplants from everywhere. I personally would much rather have tropical heat than arctic sleet.

[RedScare]

Welcome chicagoland. Man, I hope getting here in August doesn't scare you off. That is our hottest and muggiest month (muggy, you'll learn to love that word, kinda like drizzle is to Seattle). But, don't worry, from mid September to mid May is great.

As for a pet business, I think you could do well in areas such as West End, Midtown, and even the Heights. There is one place in the Heights, but it could use some competition. Anyplace that has lots of apartments or townhomes or singles (or DINKs) will do well.

Let us know when you get started. I'll bring my Valentina by to say 'Hi'.

[iluvdogs]

Well...I hope you know....you're relocating to somewhere HOT....warm is an understatement.

Yes, I know.  I am no stranger to Hot weather since I am origninally from the tropics (south pacific to be exact)  We actually were looking for a tropical heat type of temps.  Tampa, Fl is also one of our choices but it's not as metropolitan as Houston.  Also, properties are getting expensive over there and yet the city looks dumpy.

I think you'd do well to locate the business out on the far fringes of suburbia near a posh subdivision....I suspect all the fru fru areas here in town have that business covered already.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you're right that I will do well in the burbs but I love to be in the city. I'm not worried about the competition in the fru fru areas since I offer the best quality service and low volume. I don't plan to open a chop shop.

[iluvdogs]

Thanks all for the warm welcome and for all your valuable advices. We are looking forward to starting our new life in a new place. I will definetely not miss the snow and sleet in Chicago. The only thing I will miss here is my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's. I did a google and Houston doesn't have Trader Joes'. Are there any other organic stores in Houston besides Whole Foods?

[editor]

Hello all!!!!!

Tired of the snow and cold temps in Chicago, my husband and I decided it's time to get out and relocate somewhere warm.  Our house will be up for sale tomorrow and we're probably be gone by August or early September. 

I'd say "Wecome to Houston" but I guess it would be more appropriate to say, "Trade ya!"

I recently moved from Houston to Chicago, so I guess we've evened out the Census numbers.

Houston is great for dog lovers, and if you immerse yourself in Houston's culture, you'll have a ball. Enjoy yourself!

I think the best places for your pampered pooch shop would be Midtown, River Oaks, Montrose, Tanglewood, and the Galleria. If you choose to live outside the city, then The Woodlands and Sugar Land are safe bets.

Good luck! I'll eat your chare of Lou Malnati's and Eli's while you're gone!

[iluvdogs]

I'd say "Wecome to Houston" but I guess it would be more appropriate to say, "Trade ya!"

I recently moved from Houston to Chicago, so I guess we've evened out the Census numbers.

Houston is great for dog lovers, and if you immerse yourself in Houston's culture, you'll have a ball.  Enjoy yourself!

I think the best places for your pampered pooch shop would be Midtown, River Oaks, Montrose, Tanglewood, and the Galleria.  If you choose to live outside the city, then The Woodlands and Sugar Land are safe bets.

Good luck!  I'll eat your chare of Lou Malnati's and Eli's while you're gone!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey welcome to Chicago!!! How do you like it so far? Are you familiar with the city? Taste of Chicago is going on right now you might want to check it out.

Btw, we sold our house in 4 days. We had multiple biddings for our house and we were able to sell it higher than our asking price. It took us by surprise because we didn't realize you can sell a house that fast.

Anyway, I have a question, I am looking at some properties at Spring Branch. The houses are older (built in the 70's) but well maintained. Is this a good area? What if we decide to sell in 5 years, are we going to have problem selling it since it's an older house. Also, our Chicago house doubled the value in 5 years. Does this ever happened in Houston?

[skwatra]

The only thing I will miss here is my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's.  I did a google and Houston doesn't have Trader Joes'.  Are there any other organic stores in Houston besides Whole Foods?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

trader joe's is expanding quickly, hopefully we'll get one in houston soon.

rice epicurean and central market are two grocery stores you should probably check out as well as whole foods.

[RedScare]

To answer your last question first, Texas homes appreciated the least of the 51 states (DC) last year, at 3.8 %. This makes housing affordable, but not a replacement for a 401k.

Spring Branch used to be a very desirable suburb. Over the last 20 years, many original owners left, and Mexican immigrants took their place. Some pockets remain nice, but most don't consider it a great area any longer.

The general rule on selling for a profit down here is mainly, if you own a house in a built out area, you'll be able to sell for some profit. If you own in the fast growing suburbs, the proliferation of new houses being built tends to keep existing home prices down.

Remember, these are not hard rules. Many member of this forum could cite examples that contradict this general rule.

Good luck, and Go Astros!

[iluvdogs]

To answer your last question first, Texas homes appreciated the least of the 51 states (DC) last year, at 3.8 %.  This makes housing affordable, but not a replacement for a 401k.

Spring Branch used to be a very desirable suburb.  Over the last 20 years, many original owners left, and Mexican immigrants took their place.  Some pockets remain nice, but most don't consider it a great area any longer.

The general rule on selling for a profit down here is mainly, if you own a house in a built out area, you'll be able to sell for some profit.  If you own in the fast growing suburbs, the proliferation of new houses being built tends to keep existing home prices down.

Remember, these are not hard rules.  Many member of this forum could cite examples that contradict this general rule.

Good luck, and Go Astros! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the info. Btw, what do you mean by owning a house in a "built out area?"

[RedScare]

A built out area would be an older neighborhood, where new construction no longer occurs on a regular basis, thus limiting the supply of available homes. In the thriving subdivisions, new homes compete directly with older homes for sales. Due to the low cost of housing, this holds down resale prices.

The Houston area is building 30,000 to 40,000 new homes annually right now.

[jm1fd]

Also, our Chicago house doubled the value in 5 years.  Does this ever happened in Houston?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, that can happen in Houston, but I've only seen it happen in areas that are very ghetto, and close in...if you're looking to double your money in 5-ish years, your best bet is to buy on the east end (east of 45N/288) inside the loop. The closer to downtown and more ghetto, the better. If there's already townhomes sprouting up in the area, its probably too late for any major appreciation.

[tomv]

Btw,  we sold our house in 4 days.  We had multiple biddings for our house and we were able to sell it higher than our asking price. 

Also, our Chicago house doubled the value in 5 years. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow, you must be in heaven. Congratulations and welcome to Houston. I'm a native myself. As far as where to live and work, that's a very complex decision. There's so many choices. Good luck. Why don't you rent for a while to get more familiar with things?

[dalparadise]

Yes, that can happen in Houston, but I've only seen it happen in areas that are very ghetto, and close in...if you're looking to double your money in 5-ish years, your best bet is to buy on the east end (east of 45N/288) inside the loop.  The closer to downtown and more ghetto, the better.  If there's already townhomes sprouting up in the area, its probably too late for any major appreciation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I bought a 1000 sq. ft bungalow in The Heights (North Norhill neighborhood) in 1992 for $89,000. It was mostly remodeled and had no garage -- just a gravel driveway. I painted the front porch, all interior rooms, polished original oak floors and a couple of years later added approx. 900 squ. ft of den and master bath and closet space. In 2001, the house sold for $248,000 -- still without a garage!

Not exactly as great as the Chicago example, but not bad, right?

Many neighborhoods in the heights have appreciated at a rate of 12%-16% consistently for the past 8-10 years, though that has leveled off a little of late.

Appreciation in areas like Spring Branch have been bad for many years now and show no signs of doing much better anytime soon.

Welcome!

[ricco67]

Having lived in Spring branch awhile back, I don't see any problems with it if you decide to live in one of the nicer communities within it.

My only complaint about living in the area was the hassle of getting to I-10 to get there and running the Gauntlet of police officers' speed traps in Spring Valley.

[iluvdogs]

Wow, you must be in heaven.  Congratulations and welcome to Houston.  I'm a native myself.  As far as where to live and work, that's a very complex decision. There's so many choices.  Good luck.  Why don't you rent for a while to get more familiar with things?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi tomv....

Yeah we are ecstatic. Friends and relatives are trying to convince us to hold on to our house and that we're making the biggest mistake in our life. At this point, I am sick and tired of the brutal winter temps. I mean, Chicago is a beautiful city but everything is so expensive it's ridiculous. In terms of work, I'm a dog groomer and I am planning to open a dog grooming/daycare/boarding business perhaps in the Galleria/Montrose/Heights area. Yes, we are going to rent first and our priority is starting and building our business first. Thanks for your advice.

Ps. I can't believe the natives are soooooooo friendly and helpful. I noticed that when I visited last November. Everyone seemed to have time to say hello and chat a bit. Here in Chicago, people are RUDE. I am ashamed to admit that I'm from Chicago. It's not my kind of town.

[ricco67]

"Chicago! Chicago! It's not my kind of town."

Doesn't really have the same ring. Good thing you don't write lyrics.

Definately shop around for a location. There are a number of groomers/boarders here.

The biggest thing people are asking me for are "Doggy Daycares".

[iluvdogs]

trader joe's is expanding quickly, hopefully we'll get one in houston soon.

rice epicurean and central market are two grocery stores you should probably check out as well as whole foods.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

skwatra.....

you know trader joe's? I am addicted to that unique grocery store. I love their imported chocolates and all the desserts. I love their vegetarian frozen foods, pasta sauce, salad dressing etc. and wild caught seafoods. I shop at wholefoods sometimes but they're a bit overpriced compare to TJ's. Are there any fresh produce stores around the Galleria area? I've been to HEB and I think that's a pretty cool store too. I food shop for fresh produce @ least 3 times a week since I don't eat red meat or any process food. Ok thanks again for your advice.

[editor]

Hey welcome to Chicago!!! How do you like it so far?  Are you familiar with the city?  Taste of Chicago is going on right now you might want to check it out.

Yeah, I check it out every day whether I want to or not. I'm in a high rise overlooking Millennium and Grant Parks. Every night 700,000 tourists wander through my front yard wondering where they parked their cars before realizing they took the train in.

[iluvdogs]

Hi all!!!!!

We saw a property in the internet that we're interested in buying. It's a house near westheimer and highway 6 close to west oak mall. We're not familiar with the area but we like the house. The property is about 10 min away from Galleria. It's 1705 sq ft 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, swimming pool, 10ft high wood fence, jacuzzi etc. From the pictures, the house looks like it's well maintained. The owner is asking $126,900 (for sale by owner). Is that a fair price for the area? What if we decide to sell within 5 years, will the value increased? Is this a desirable location?

Thanking you ina advance! Chicago dog.......

[RedScare]

I haven't lived out there in over 20 years. The West Side is not considered a bad area, though. In judging home values, you can look up the taxable value on www.hcad.org. Harris County Appraisal District tries to appraise as close to actual market value as they can. They are usually within about 10%.

Some people are fans of ByOwner. I am not. A good buyer's agent will know home values, and can tell when a home is overpriced. Plus, the commission comes out of the seller's pocket. It doesn't cost you, so why not use a realtor? The only person who wins with ByOwner is the seller. Not being from Houston, I would never take the chance without someone to advise me.

Also, insist on inspections, before you buy. This forum is full of complaints about shoddily built homes with no recourse.

Good luck!

BTW - I don't think you can get to the Galleria in 10 minutes. More like 20-30, depending on traffic. You can't get anywhere in Houston in 10 minutes!

[jm1fd]

Hi all!!!!!

We saw a property in the internet that we're interested in buying.  It's a house near westheimer and highway 6 close to west oak mall.  We're not familiar with the area but we like the house. The property is about 10 min away from Galleria.  It's 1705 sq ft 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, swimming pool, 10ft high wood fence, jacuzzi etc.  From the pictures, the house looks like it's well maintained.  The owner is asking $126,900 (for sale by owner).  Is that a fair price for the area?  What if we decide to sell within 5 years, will the value increased?  Is this a desirable location?

Thanking you ina advance! Chicago dog.......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is NOT 10 minutes away from the Galleria. That is like 30-45 at rush hour. Will the value increase in 5 years? HAH! You'll be lucky to break even after the transaction costs. The far 'burbs around here typically see very little appreciation.

[tomv]

There is a new toll road that connects the Galleria with that part of town. You might be able to do it in 10 minutes if the home is located right next to one of the on ramps. That area in general is spotty. Alief schools do not have a good reputation, if the home is located in that school district. That will hurt resale of course. The Alief and Mission Bend areas, way overbuilt with too many cheap apartments, were hit hard in the 80's, with lots of folks unloading their homes and moving farther out to the Katy and Sugar Land areas. Technically, the West Oaks area is just to the north and to the west of those neighborhoods but it has some of the same characteristics.

There are plenty of nice homes and good values in the area though. Make sure you like the neighborhood before getting too excited about one particular property. In general, the further you go out the less the potential resale value because of all the new homes being built. The neighborhood east of Hwy 6 and north of Westheimer would probably have the best resale in that general area.

That's HISD but they just built a brand new high school nearby.

[bachanon]

welcome to h-town iluvdogs!

earlier in the thread you said that you would be renting first. this is a really good idea. it takes a couple of years to really "digest" houston and it's amenities. rent something in the area you'd like to have your business. btw, the west loop (610) in the galleria area is one of the most congested sections of freeway in the nation. the heights, montrose, museum district are great areas. i'm afraid if you purchase west of the galleria you may miss some of the charm of the inner loop areas initially. what i mean by that is, it takes awhile (or so i've been told from newbies) to get to know houston. inside or near the 610 loop has so much to offer that you might settle in sooner.

great to have you!

[texasboy]

first off, welcome.

i agree that montrose, heights, especially the museum district area are great places to live and I am always envious when visiting the areas. the good thing about houston is the inner city neigborhoods west of downtown usually have a better reputation than the burbs. for dog care i would definitley consider midtown/montrose/ or the heights. i say those areas because i do not think anybody has mentioned how high the galleria area is for leasing out or owning retail space. i use to live in midtown when living in houston and there was always leasing space, plus i found that the area has a lot of dogwalkers. you can find this out by just spending a day in the neighborhood around post midtown square, where leasing space is always available. good luck in both finds, and again welcome to houston.

edit: as for the $126K house out west. i'm not going to lie, you probably wont find that deal closer to downtown.

[iluvdogs]

Thank you all for the warm welcome. Oh my God! What am I going to do without you guys. Your wealth of advices are truly appreciated. I am so glad I found this website otherwise I'd be totally lost and perhaps lose alot of money simply because I didn't know and didn't ask.

Anyway, yes early on my message, I mentioned that I will rent but I saw that beautiful house for 1700 sq ft for $126900 I thought that was really cheap. I didn't want to lose the opportunity. I then realized I think I am rushing and I should stay focused and go back to my original plan. I should stop comparing Chicago real estate to Houston. Here in Chicago, the average price for 550 sq ft studio size condo with a view of your next door brick wall in a decent neighborhood is close to $200,000 and that's probably just a closet space in an average Houston house. You guys are right. I should take my time and get to know the city first before making the big decision.

Also, thanks for the advice on locations for my potential doggie business. I am going to go small volume like groom average of 5-7 dogs a day (I don't want to be known as a chop shop) offer daycare, doggie massage, dog walking and boarding.

I am so excited starting a new life in a city full of people with big HEARTS. Will I miss Chicago? Nooooooo!!!!!! I will miss my family and all my friends certainly not the weather but then again I am only 2 hours plane ride so that's not so bad.

I wonder if Mr. Editor is loving Chicago. Well, he's living in the prime area (downtown/ Michigan Avenue) where little itty bitty condos are worth millions of dollars. He's also walking distance from the new Trump tower. Hey, Mr. Editor, how'd you like the fire works at Grant Park?

Again, thanks all for your help. Chicago Dog

[rps324]

On the HAR.com site there is a "subdivision price trend" feature that can help give you some idea of appreciation of any given subdivision.

[RedScare]

Housing prices are not on fire here like on the coasts. Waiting a few months won't make a big difference. And $200,000 here will get you a 1500 square foot house in a decent neighborhood inside the loop.