Making Houston Affordable (Again)

[lockmat]

Firstly, I borrowed the topic name from Erin Mulvaney in her tweet: (https://twitter.com/erinmulvaney/status/547444864283983874)

Is Houston no longer affordable? When you're finding ways to make it so, it seems that is indeed the case.

So how can we make it affordable again? In the link below, Cite gives nine ways. My take: you can't.

Does a BIG DENSE first world affordable city exist? I'm no urbanist expert, but I'd be willing to bet no.

The only way I can think of creating an affordable city is by creating a new one with a urban grid and only allow multifamily dwellings with height restrictions and no parking garages. Houston needs a Fort Worth (30-40 miles away) that fits this description.

http://offcite.org/2014/12/19/nine-ways-to-make-houston-affordable-again

Edited December 23, 2014 by lockmat

[Montrose1100]

Firstly, I borrowed the topic name from Erin Mulvaney in her tweet: (https://twitter.com/erinmulvaney/status/547444864283983874)

Is Houston no longer affordable? When you're finding ways to make it so, it seems that is indeed the case.

So how can we make it affordable again? In the link below, Cite gives nine ways. My take: you can't.

Does a BIG DENSE first world affordable city exist? I'm no urbanist expert, but I'd be willing to bet no.

The only way I can think of creating an affordable city is by creating a new one with a urban grid and only allow multifamily dwellings with height restrictions and no parking garages. Houston needs a Fort Worth (30-40 miles away) that fits this description.

http://offcite.org/2014/12/19/nine-ways-to-make-houston-affordable-again

We do, It's called the Spring/Woodlands/Conroe/Magnolia. Compared to the place I'm current staying at I could get an extra 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom for the same price up there. I'm not talking about having some million dollar loft along the waterway, but once you reach the suburbs and just outside of the "central" hot market zones of City Centre, The Waterway, and other luxury areas Houston is really affordable. 

Edited December 23, 2014 by Montrose1100

[lockmat]

I guess the main argument is about within the city limits.

[arche_757]

^But overall Houston is less affordable now than it ever has been.  Obviously new housing development(s) will help with the costs somewhat, but the average price of a new home in Houston jumped some $80,000 (maybe a bit more)?  Inner Loop Houston is not affordable.  It isn't.  While we love all the High Streets, River Oaks Districts etc, those developments have erased garden apartments that were affordable just a few years ago.  The good news is other areas will start to see the influx of people who can't afford a $600,000 townhome, or $2,500 a month in rent (which is $30,000 a year) moving into and helping transition other inner loop neighborhoods into more welcoming/livable places.  Areas around UH, the East End etc. will see this happen.  Yes, its gentrifying the area(s) by forcing the poor out - but many of these places were middle income neighborhoods originally - odd how things come full circle.

 

I find in interesting that "Inner Loop" means just the areas west of 288, and west of I-45.  There is a lot more land north, east and south of those areas that is inside the Loop!  Many Houstonians seem to forget that.

Edited December 23, 2014 by arche_757

[samagon]

Houston has never been affordable if you insisted upon living in the expensive neighborhoods. The number of expensive neighborhoods has expanded, but there is still plenty of opportunity for cheap living. Even inside the loop there's still cheap living. Go outside the loop and it gets even cheaper, go outside the beltway and there's droves of cheap, big houses.

[lockmat]

Houston has never been affordable if you insisted upon living in the expensive neighborhoods. The number of expensive neighborhoods has expanded, but there is still plenty of opportunity for cheap living. Even inside the loop there's still cheap living. Go outside the loop and it gets even cheaper, go outside the beltway and there's droves of cheap, big houses.

But doesn't the cheap living come in a house that needs to be heavily renovated? And even then is it efficient?

[IronTiger]

Unfortunately, you've made the same fallacy that a lot of others do and taken "Houston" to mean "Inner Loop Houston". Unless you want to start gentrifying 3rd Ward or 5th Ward, right now, Inner Loop Houston isn't really affordable. In the past, the Heights and Montrose were affordable, and unless you want to take part in the slowly but surely dwindling number of 1960s/1970s/1980s garden-style apartment complexes, the Inner Loop isn't really affordable unless you had that sort of cash.

I'm sure there's plenty of Inner Belt homes that are both affordable and in decent neighborhoods.

[Montrose1100]

But doesn't the cheap living come in a house that needs to be heavily renovated? And even then is it efficient?

There are some options in the Eastend (newer build), 2b 2b townhomes for less than 200k. Older ones in the wards. There are older homes and newer as your stretch out to and past the beltway. Based off the pictures on HAR some of them look to be taken care of.

 

I'm curious though for how most reno jobs in Houston homes that were neglected are. I would assume moisture plays a big role in damaging homes if left un-maintained. 

 

I don't know how much the average renovation job is in this town. Of course you could also compare structural vs. aesthetics. Most affordable older homes might be charming enough to keep the current insides if cleaned and repaired. I know everyone is dying for quartz counter tops and HGTV ready homes but that's not really feasible in the betlway on average affordable salary. Unless you're extremely handy, know people in the industry, and can budget very well. 

Edited December 23, 2014 by Montrose1100

[Slick Vik]

There are areas in the loop that are affordable it's just that most people are scared to live there. Fifth ward plus the quadrant north of 10 and east of 45 plus parts of third ward. Plus the areas around telephone road north of 610. When people say in the loop they aren't including all of that area.

[lockmat]

There are areas in the loop that are affordable it's just that most people are scared to live there. Fifth ward plus the quadrant north of 10 and east of 45 plus parts of third ward. Plus the areas around telephone road north of 610. When people say in the loop they aren't including all of that area.

And even those areas are slowly being gentrified.

It just is what it is. It can't be stopped, nor should it.

[UtterlyUrban]

I'm sure there's plenty of Inner Belt homes that are both affordable and in decent neighborhoods.

While I haven't done the math, I would bet that you could own a nice, reasonably updated, 3 bedroom brick home of about 1500 -1700 sq feet in Sharpstown Country Club Estates or Country Club Terrace for a mortgage of about $800 (or less) per month.

I consider that quite good.

Edit.... I have now gone and looked at HAR. There are a dozen very nice homes with updated kitchens and Stainless appliances and granite to be had for $150-$250k...... Call it $175k..... Roughly $800 per month mortgage with 20% down.

Edited December 24, 2014 by UtterlyUrban

[LTAWACS]

While I haven't done the math, I would bet that you could own a nice, reasonably updated, 3 bedroom brick home of about 1500 -1700 sq feet in Sharpstown Country Club Estates or Country Club Terrace for a mortgage of about $800 (or less) per month.

I consider that quite good.

Edit.... I have now gone and looked at HAR. There are a dozen very nice homes with updated kitchens .

Couldn't qiote the wjole thing.

Don't forget insurance, closing costs, pmi, warranty, taxes, etc, etc.

[brian0123]

This topic always drives me nuts. There is a ton of affordable property within the loop that's east of 45. People that complain about affordability are looking at the nicer and hip parts of town when they complain. People need to get over their fears of "the spooky parts of town" and realize that their are tons of affordable areas waiting to be revitalized.

[UtterlyUrban]

Couldn't qiote the wjole thing.

Don't forget insurance, closing costs, pmi, warranty, taxes, etc, etc.

I didn't.

But, keep in mind those costs and all cost related to home maintenance and upkeep, are tablestakes to home ownership. Houston was, and remains, a very low cost major city with well constructed homes (often of brick) within 15 miles of Downtown.

[mollusk]

It wasn't that long ago that the Heights and Montrose were pretty skeevy neighborhoods.  

[htownproud]

It wasn't that long ago that the Heights and Montrose were pretty skeevy neighborhoods.

Agreed. And I'm not sure I would say the heights has moved past that . . . .

[samagon]

It wasn't that long ago that the Heights and Montrose were pretty skeevy neighborhoods.  

 

Right, and the people who are complaining that the Heights and Montrose are too expensive to live in wouldn't have wanted to live there when they were armpits. Schools play a big part in this though.

[kdog08]

There are still some pretty interesting areas (which is subjective) that are affordable on the western part of Houston. I'm talking about the Westheimer corridor, around Gessner, Hillcroft, Dairy Ashford, and Kirkwood, which contains relatively affordable apartments in relatively safe areas that have access to a lot of retail and jobs.