Roberts Elementary School At 6000 Greenbriar Dr.

[s3mh]

I was in Montrose (the best "location" you can get, at least to me) and after having a couple of kids wound up in Old Braeswood.  Southgate was my top choice but we wound up sacrificing a fraction of commute time for a larger lot.  Anyway, the pricing of the Heights versus an area like Southgate just doesn't make sense to me.  Southgate certainly has better schools, I'd argue a better location (faster to Med Center, Rice, Rice Village, museums, midtown, Montrose, Hermann park, zoo, ~comparable to downtown).  I can see the new construction point but why on earth pay $870K for this (glorified townhome?)

 

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=41218795&v=s

 

When you could get this for $820K

 

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=44539834&v=s

 

Sure, maybe the 2nd place needs some updating but you could do quite a bit with $50K and wind up with an actual house/lot in a great location...  I will admit Southgate in general is priced higher, but I would think it will always be

 

It's funny, my brother isn't from Houston but all of his friends that have moved here are going to the Heights.  Neither of us can figure out why but we always joke about it (in a positive way.  "Let me guess, the Heights?").  These aren't West U-type earners by any means, but they are certainly professionals with decent earnings.  My best guess is that people view it as some sort of compromise between Montrose and West U?

 

You have picked houses that are on opposite ends of the spectrum for each neighborhood.  East of Kirby is Roberts Elementary.  Good school, but Poe is where everyone wants to be.  Also, being in the shadow of Rice's football stadium isn't as attractive as being a hop and skip away from 19th st.  So, the Southgate example is on the low end of the spectrum for that neighborhood.  Most everything west of Kirby is 1 mil+.

 

The new construction on 18th is way on the high end of the spectrum in the Heights per sq ft.  It is a fancy custom builder who will put in all the high end stuff.  The house will probably sell for $800k.  2900 sq ft houses from an inferior builder have been getting @730k in the neighborhood.  869k is not going to happen, but 780-800k will.  Lots of great stuff happening on 19th st. adding value to that area.