What People Really Want

[pineda]

HOMEBUYERS SEEK SHORTER COMMUTES, WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Realtor.org)

[Guest danax]

That confirms the evidence here with the inner-loop townhouse/condo trend that's in full swing, except they get almost no lot with the townhouse and nothing with the condo. I know there are a lot of people that really don't want to have grass to cut every week and all that but I think that, once this trend slows down, as all trends do, a lot of these people are going to scratch their heads and wonder why they paid 300K for a glorified apartment and decide that they really want a single family house. A lot a these people don't realize that there are homes, not townhouses, for under 100K inside the loop. Mainly East End, Forest Hill, Pecan Park and Mason Park. Older homes that need some work to be really nice but much more potential than a townhouse. If they want to step outside their door and go 1/2 block to Starbucks then, it's not quite that, although we got our first Starbucks a few months ago, but sidewalks and nice trees and close to everything. It is not ghetto here, I think that's the prevailing impression, although there are still some spots. We just had our neighborhood barbecue here in Pecan Park and we had a record turnout. The Metro Rail has a proposal to run a line right through the middle of Mason Park and Pecan Park but few people know that. I'm plugging our neighborhood because we are on the upswing but we need some more good people to join us. I didn't join this forum for the purpose of advertising our neighborhood but because I enjoy the subject matter but I also see that we are in a state of obscurity to most Houstonians. The website is www.ppca.50megs.com.

[jm1fd]

A lot a these people don't realize that there are homes, not townhouses, for under 100K inside the loop. Mainly East End, Forest Hill, Pecan Park and Mason Park. Older homes that need some work to be really nice but much more potential than a townhouse.....It is not ghetto here, I think that's the prevailing impression, although there are still some spots.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've been searching listings online from all kinds of sources (MLS, Chron, BuyOwner) several times a day for the past few months looking for a house. I usually drive through my favorite neighborhoods on the weekends to see if I've missed anything. No 'hood has been left unturned. Anything I find under 100k meets one or more of the following criteria:

1. It is in the ghetto

2. About to fall the fluck over

3. Already sold

If you know of some houses for sale that are under or near 100k that don't meet any of the above criteria, please, let me know.

[20sGirl]

Looks like you're destined for the burbs, my friend.

But, Realize that just because the neighborhood looks shabby, it may be on the verge of a comeback. Years ago I was looking for an older affordable house near Almeda and OST area. I thought the neighborhood was too ghetto-ish. Now look at that area. Sigh.

Good luck to you.

[midtown_resident]

That confirms the evidence here with the inner-loop townhouse/condo trend that's in full swing, except they get almost no lot with the townhouse and nothing with the condo. I know there are a lot of people that really don't want to have grass to cut every week and all that but I think that, once this trend slows down, as all trends do, a lot of these people are going to scratch their heads and wonder why they paid 300K for a glorified apartment and decide that they really want a single family house. A lot a these people don't realize that there are homes, not townhouses, for under 100K inside the loop. Mainly East End, Forest Hill, Pecan Park and Mason Park. Older homes that need some work to be really nice but much more potential than a townhouse. If they want to step outside their door and go 1/2 block to Starbucks then, it's not quite that, although we got our first Starbucks a few months ago, but sidewalks and nice trees and close to everything. It is not ghetto here, I think that's the prevailing impression, although there are still some spots. We just had our neighborhood barbecue here in Pecan Park and we had a record turnout. The Metro Rail has a proposal to run a line right through the middle of Mason Park and Pecan Park but few people know that. I'm plugging our neighborhood because we are on the upswing but we need some more good people to join us. I didn't join this forum for the purpose of advertising our neighborhood but because I enjoy the subject matter but I also see that we are in a state of obscurity to most Houstonians. The website is www.ppca.50megs.com.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

danax...I think it's a bit much to tell people who spent upwards of 300k that they essentially didn't do their homework and that they will want something different in a couple years...i.e. scratching their heads. I don't know anyone who buys a house so that they can just 'step outside their door and go 1/2 block to Starbucks". I think you're putting a broad label across a large group of people who have purchased townhomes (including myself) and should probably step back and take a more detailed look at the varying reasons they did so.

I'm glad you enjoy your neighborhood and have the civic pride that you demonstrate. Likewise, so do i, and i'd recommend you spend a little time learning and understanding why i like my neighborhood as much as I do...before drawing the broad conclusions that you have made.

[Guest danax]

I've been searching listings online from all kinds of sources (MLS, Chron, BuyOwner) several times a day for the past few months looking for a house.  I usually drive through my favorite neighborhoods on the weekends to see if I've missed anything.  No 'hood has been left unturned.  Anything I find under 100k meets one or more of the following criteria:

1.  It is in the ghetto

2.  About to fall the fluck over

3.  Already sold

If you know of some houses for sale that are under or near 100k that don't meet any of the above criteria, please, let me know.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you'ld like you can email me at danax44@io.com and I'll send you some current listings that I dug up around here. The trick is to see past some dumpy looking aspects, cars parked on lawns, cement or astroturf front lawns, stolen shopping carts sitting around, etc. and take a small educated gamble because once it's already really nice, the price will reflect that too. Also, Midtown Resident, I admit I haven't considered all of the reasons that you and others have bought close-in townhouses and I'm not saying that they're necessarily going to be bad investments. I'm the one scratching my head and I guess it's just a matter of preference, a close-in traditional type neighborhood or a modern townhouse neighborhood, which is really kind of a new phenomenon. By 1/2 block to Starbucks I didn't necessarily mean literally but meant to be in within walking distance of upscaleish shops, entertainment and eateries, probably what Midtown is becoming, which is nice. I looked at a few townhouses a few years ago, those corregated metal siding ones in Midtown and more recently, these ones over here at Gulfgate by Perry Homes, Midtown ones were nice but the Perry ones feel small and character-less, and at 120K-150k, there are older houses nearby for 30K-60K less. Not everyone wants an older house, not everyone wants a lifestyle that involves repairing or restoring a house so there are a couple of good reasons that I failed to cover. After I finish this post, I have to take my front door off and finish stripping it, not much fun, but I like the ultimate satisfaction of beautfying in this way, but most of my friends couldn't care less. Bottom line, I would enjoy living in your neighborhood because there are people like you that care and I'm hoping that my neighborhood continues to become as yours already is.

[SpaceCity]

Sometimes stores that ARE in walking distance we drive to anyway.

If there were some parts of Houston where people gave up their cars for a pair of Nikes, we'd be a truly urban city.

[dbigtex56]

After I finish this post, I have to take my front door off and finish stripping it, not much fun, but I like the ultimate satisfaction of beautfying in this way, but most of my friends couldn't care less.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You deserve better friends.

Cheers, applause and a pat on the back. The sweat equity that people put into older houses is greatly appreciated; it gives me hope.

[siding]

Do you have problems with siding and roofing or you are looking for new one[i]?......deleted spam........ and....more deleted spam.......

Edited by moderation staff.

[YakuzaIce]

What is the point in spamming this thread. I doubt any of us live in philly.

[midtownguy]

Danax,

I respect your opinion and I REALLY respect and admire your civic pride. But you make some major assumptions that I don't think are fair.

1) You're assuming that those of us who don't want to spend every saturday refinishing our doors lack civic pride. We do. We love our neighborhoods and houses just as much as the next person. Some people just want a lower maintenance home than others. What's wrong with that?

2) You're assuming that people who buy townhomes or condos are idiots who will regret their decisions in a few years. Isn't it possibe that there are some people who really don't want to mow grass?

[Guest danax]

Danax,

I respect your opinion and I REALLY respect and admire your civic pride. But you make some major assumptions that I don't think are fair.

1) You're assuming that those of us who don't want to spend every saturday refinishing our doors lack civic pride. We do. We love our neighborhoods and houses just as much as the next person. Some people just want a lower maintenance home than others. What's wrong with that?

2) You're assuming that people who buy townhomes or condos are idiots who will regret their decisions in a few years. Isn't it possibe that there are some people who really don't want to mow grass?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's quite an old post of mine you're calling me on but I didn't mean to infer that townhousers had no civic pride. I'm know a lot are excited about the neighborhood they live in, obviously Midtowners (or whatever the latest name is) are. I am too and don't even live there. I was really wanting to point out that there were inner-loop alternatives to the purely indoor at-home lifestyle that I felt were not considered, namely, single-family older homes, such as those in my neighborhood.

I see the townhouses bunched up with tiny balconies and I sometimes scratch my head. Not to say the owners were idiots, just that some might get disillusioned after the initial excitement wears off with no place for their dog etc. Maybe I'm wrong to assume that. Any townhouse owners out there who really wish they'd bought a house instead?

I guess my point in a nutshell was, for those who really would like a house and yard inside the loop but feel that they can't afford anything but a 200-300K townhome, I'm here to say that there exist, on the East End in particular, older, "smaller" homes for 80-150K and that they shouldn't be afraid of the neighborhood. Why settle for 1500 sq. ft inside when you can have that plus another 5000 sq. ft. of landscaped loveliness surrounding it and have money left over? These homes have a lot of nice features like hardwoods etc and, while not normally in turn-key condition, offer the potentially satisfying and frustrating adventure of restoring them and, at the same time, designing one's own personal environment while still being "15 minutes from anywhere worth going to".

[RedScare]

Some of what danax says is true, in that some townhome/condos buyers follow the urban trend without putting enough thought into whether they will really like close-in living. I had a neighbor at my old condo that thought she was just the hippest urban chick there was, yet she constantly carped about noise, parking and condo living. I finally suggested that maybe she was more cut out for the burbs.

That being said, I believe most intown buyers do a little more research than that. I bought in the Heights because the house fell into my lap, not because I liked mowing the yard, although I found that I do enjoy it. I strongly considered a townhome, because it gave me a garage and no downstairs neighbor, but not a huge yard to maintain. For many people, the American standard of a suburban house on a quarter acre just doesn't cut it anymore.

Unfortunately, it is still a smaller percentage than we need.

[ferronsfunctionals]

Danax,

I respect your opinion and I REALLY respect and admire your civic pride. But you make some major assumptions that I don't think are fair.

1) You're assuming that those of us who don't want to spend every saturday refinishing our doors lack civic pride. We do. We love our neighborhoods and houses just as much as the next person. Some people just want a lower maintenance home than others. What's wrong with that?

2) You're assuming that people who buy townhomes or condos are idiots who will regret their decisions in a few years. Isn't it possibe that there are some people who really don't want to mow grass?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

dude....get off his back....I think he covered that a couple of messages ago....basically, everyone has their own desires. Shoot, right now I am in a condo that I am completely refinishing the interior on. After that, if I can make some money, I will sell it and move....you know where I would move? to a townhome with a tiny patch of grass - just big enough to BBQ on.

I think the issue is really that Houston isn't a walking city. Not only because of the planning, but because of the culture and the heat. There is a certain percent of the year where nobody really wants to walk anywhere. I think this makes it very difficult to create a walking city.

I personally would love to live in a true walking city - problem is, the only areas I like are very expensive.

[midtownguy]

I"m not "on his back." As I said, I respect his choices and really admire his civic pride. I was merely pointing out that not everyone who choses to buy a townhome is an idiot who comes to regret their choice. That's all.

Ultimately, though, Danax makes a decent point: there are places inside 610 that are affordable. They may take a little work, but they are reasonably priced. I just think it's a matter of personal choice whether one wants to spend time rehabbing a house. Some do, some don't.

[VicMan]

This is why my dad chose to live in Bellaire (and later inner loop west Houston) in the 70's. If the Houston ISD schools were not good enough, he would have moved to the Spring Branch area. But the HISD schools in his area were (and still are) good enough.

Also, there are tons of below 100K houses in or near the zip code 77023 in the East End - The Eastwood area will gentrify soon.

[sandrak]

dude....get off his back....I think he covered that a couple of messages ago....basically, everyone has their own desires. Shoot, right now I am in a condo that I am completely refinishing the interior on. After that, if I can make some money, I will sell it and move....you know where I would move? to a townhome with a tiny patch of grass - just big enough to BBQ on.

I think the issue is really that Houston isn't a walking city. Not only because of the planning, but because of the culture and the heat. There is a certain percent of the year where nobody really wants to walk anywhere. I think this makes it very difficult to create a walking city.

I personally would love to live in a true walking city - problem is, the only areas I like are very expensive.

I have two words for you...Austin, Texas.

[YakuzaIce]

I have two words for you...Austin, Texas.

I have to agree with torch, there are a few walkable areas in Austin, but not enough to classify it as a walkable city. For total area of walkability, I would say Houston easily has Austin beat.