Houstonsoon Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Hi,It looks like there is a good chance I will be moving to Houston soon from the NYC area. I am planning on renting an apartment for at least 6 months before I buy anything and had a couple of questions...I will be working downtown, so I am planning on living inside the loop. How firm/soft is the apartment market these days? I had heard that Katrina victims had absorbed a good portion of the available apartments. Is this true? I will be looking at "higher end" apartments if that matters (compared to NYC Houston prices are amazing!). If I see an apartment on the internet or in an apartment guide listed for 1500, how likely is it that they will be willing to take less, say 1350? How easy is it to get a 6 month lease? Are there any areas or complexes that I should stay away from? Anything in general I should know about Houston housing?I am really looking forward to moving to Houston, and I appreciate any advice anyone is willing to give!Thanks,BD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 (edited) Don't worry, none of the apartments you'll be looking at have been taken over by Katrina evacuees. When it comes to complexes to avoid, you'll probably just have to ask here on the forum about specific ones, so that different posters can chime in. As for price negotiation most do, but to what extent varies.Good Luck, and welcome to Houston! Edited February 26, 2006 by Jeebus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 (edited) Assuming you are mainly looking at large developments run by the big guys (Post, Camden, Sentinel, Gables, etc.), the prices on the internet can be misleading because they may or may not taken into account discounts provided by the complex. I think those discounts vary by month (if they need to make their occupancy goals) and unit.If you are looking at individually-owned properties, then most likely the price you see is close to the price you will pay (maybe a small discount). I don't think the individual owners have had any pricing power in the past number of years and their rents have been generally flat while their property taxes have been increasing. I have a couple of friends who own nice duplexes, and they haven't increased their rates (around $1/sq ft) since 2002 to compete with the big companies' deeper pockets.I can't answer your question about length of lease, but I think they all want 1-year leases and if you want less, the rental price goes up.BTW, if you work for a large company, the larger developments here might have a special deal for you (no deposits or fees, shorter lease terms, etc.). You definitely want to ask... Edited February 26, 2006 by travelguy_73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shady 75 Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 What area of town are you looking at? Midtown, Heights, Rice University, Montrose, Rice Military...these are all very popular areas near downtown. One thing to keep in mind in Houston is that in that price range you can look at homes as well in that price range. You can rent smaller homes in the Heights, etc. near downtown in the $1500 range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 One thing to keep in mind in Houston is that in that price range you can look at homes as well in that price range. You can rent smaller homes in the Heights, etc. near downtown in the $1500 range.Or a downtown loft in an owned buildinghttp://www.har.com/search/engine/indexdeta...=0&backButton=Y Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiDTOWNeR Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Hi,It looks like there is a good chance I will be moving to Houston soon from the NYC area. I am planning on renting an apartment for at least 6 months before I buy anything and had a couple of questions...I will be working downtown, so I am planning on living inside the loop. How firm/soft is the apartment market these days? I had heard that Katrina victims had absorbed a good portion of the available apartments. Is this true? I will be looking at "higher end" apartments if that matters (compared to NYC Houston prices are amazing!). If I see an apartment on the internet or in an apartment guide listed for 1500, how likely is it that they will be willing to take less, say 1350? How easy is it to get a 6 month lease? Are there any areas or complexes that I should stay away from? Anything in general I should know about Houston housing?I am really looking forward to moving to Houston, and I appreciate any advice anyone is willing to give!Thanks,BDCheck out apartmentratings.comYou will find a lot of the same B.S. about every complex...bad management, walls are paper thin etc. But you may also find which complexes may have taken on evacuees because there will be posts complaining about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsets Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 If you want to stay away from the complexes and rent a garage apartment or a house from a private landlord, Craigslist is pretty good. We also wanted a 6 month lease, so we e-mailed the landlords of properties that looked interesting, even if they stated they were renting for a 1 year lease. Some were willing to rent for shorter periods, though most wanted a little more a month for the inconvenience. As was mentioned above, if you find a place you're interested in, the people here can give you a better idea of what the surrounding neighborhood is like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 It is also possible to buy and renovate a home inside the Loop for 2/3rds of your price. Our monthly note (PITI) is less than $1,000...for a 2,500+ sf house inside the Loop. Of course, you won't be in the most popular neighborhoods (Heights/Montrose/West U/Bellaire/Rice Military), but you won't be far from them. Just something to keep in mind, if you're interested in eventually owning a home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 (edited) If you plan to have children, you may want to see this info: When you buy the home, if you are in Houston ISD boundaries, find out what school you are zoned to: http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/abcx_tool/search.asp Other area school districts include: * Alief ISD * Aldine ISD * Alvin ISD * Clear Creek ISD * Conroe ISD * Cypress-Fairbanks ISD * Dickinson ISD * Friendswood ISD * Fort Bend ISD * Galena Park ISD * Huffman ISD * Humble ISD * Katy ISD * Klein ISD * La Porte ISD * Lamar Consolidated ISD * New Caney ISD * North Forest ISD * Pasadena ISD * Pearland ISD * Santa Fe ISD * Sheldon ISD * Spring ISD * Spring Branch ISD * Stafford MSD * Tomball ISD If you want reccomendations on public schools, be free to ask Edited February 28, 2006 by VicMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houstonsoon Posted February 28, 2006 Author Share Posted February 28, 2006 Thanks for all your great replies! I really appreciate it. I am still snooping around on the internet but I am sure that I will have a ton of questions after a bit. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlt1988 Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 (edited) You can learn a lot about Houston neighborhoods here: http://www.westurealestate.com. Edited February 28, 2006 by jlt1988 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houstonsoon Posted March 5, 2006 Author Share Posted March 5, 2006 Any comments on the following apartment complexes? I haven't visited any of them yet, but based on an internet search they looked interesting. Any first or secondhand experience is appreciated!Sabine Street LoftsPost Midtown Square1200 Post OakLofts at the BallparkCalais at Cortland SquareGables AugustaneVerandah at MeyerlandMemorial TowersPost RiceHumble TowerThe River OaksGables Upper Kirby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shady 75 Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Post Midtown is close to downtown and is a lively up and coming neighborhood....restaurants, nightclubs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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