Life Outside The Loop: The True Cost

[XLR8]

Many great suggestions. If an apartment is what is needed now. There are lots around the med center with shuttle buses provided by the big apartment complexes. On the cheap the inner/outer loop route on Metro takes you from the front door of many of the hospitals on to the heights via Shepherd. Stuff along the light rail too.

I have worked at MD Anderson for 6 years and used to live at Shepherd / Richmond and could get to work on Metro in about 30 mins.

Now bought a house in Westbury 4 East and love it. When I drive in it's 30 mins from my front door to parking at Garage 10 in med center and then walking and sitting down in my office.

It's very quiet out here and all my neighbors are retired or have very young children. I have 1960 ranch with 2100 sqft home on a 17,000 sq ft lot (all back yard) that I am slowly updating. It's got mature trees that go completely over the house. Many of my coworkers are my neighbors.

You can find decent houses in Westbury starting around 120 and if motivated, modernize as time permits and you should easily get your investment back and then some when you sell.

[Barre]

Many great suggestions. If an apartment is what is needed now. There are lots around the med center with shuttle buses provided by the big apartment complexes. On the cheap the inner/outer loop route on Metro takes you from the front door of many of the hospitals on to the heights via Shepherd. Stuff along the light rail too.

Sheesh, I haven't found anything yet! I sat in front of my monitor on Friday trying to convince myself that a vanpool to exurbia may not be such a bad after all - guys, I need an intervention! Maybe an apartment for the next 6-12 months will give me more time to decide where I want to settle down over the next few years... Is there a general consensus here that townhomes from Perry and the like are not a good purchase? I see they're putting up some more in the museum district, which would be mad convenient for me.

[shady 75]

Sheesh, I haven't found anything yet! I sat in front of my monitor on Friday trying to convince myself that a vanpool to exurbia may not be such a bad after all - guys, I need an intervention! Maybe an apartment for the next 6-12 months will give me more time to decide where I want to settle down over the next few years... Is there a general consensus here that townhomes from Perry and the like are not a good purchase? I see they're putting up some more in the museum district, which would be mad convenient for me.

What kind of budget are you looking at? No...I would try to stay away from Perry if possible...they make too many that look a like and are very hard to resell.

[Barre]

What kind of budget are you looking at?

I'd really like to stay under 200k - way under since I need furniture!

[WesternGulf]

It depends on what you are looking for inside the loop and if you are looking at decent areas. Unless you are looking for these townhomes that have been going up lately, it is hard to find anything over 2 bedrooms inside the loop under 200K in decent areas of course.

[2112]

Just my 2 cents. I used to live between the belt and the loop. I liked the compromise between being 15 minutes from downtown, and 20 minutes from work (which was further out towards the bay). I really liked being somewhat in the middle between downtown and work, for the most part. Except for one thing...my theory about "being 15 minutes from downtown" was bogus. I always thought that If I got layed off or something, and ended up working downtown, I was set because of the short distance. The reality is that traffic during rush hours was so bad, that it didnt matter that I was "15" minutes, because at 6:30 to 8:30am, I would be sitting in a parking lot, every day, twice a day. In other words 15 minutes was really 45 minutes. I would have probably driven to the nearest Metro Park and Ride, and gone into downtown that way. Once I realized that, then the only thing that really matters is that I be close to a Metro Park and Ride. When it was time to move into a bigger house, one of the criteria was that I be somewhat close to a Park n Ride (which I am). I dont know if your line of work is condusive to being without a car between 9:00 and 5:00, but if it is, the Park n Ride idea opens up possibilities through out the city.

Thanks for joining us, and, welcome to the show.

[Barre]

I dont know if your line of work is condusive to being without a car between 9:00 and 5:00, but if it is, the Park n Ride idea opens up possibilities through out the city.

Thanks for the alternate point of view, 2112 - I need my car between 9 and 5 only about bout once or twice a week. As a matter of fact, our employees are encouraged to participate in the company subsidized vanpool - alternate work hours are even arranged for those that have to catch the van (imagine working 7 to 3:30!). So even if I lived in Pearland, Katy, Mo-City, etc. the farthest I'd have to drive is the point where the van picks up (usually a park and ride or strip mall parking lot) - also, being on the vanpool means that you can borrow a car from the motor pool for lunchtime meetings in town... so, like you, my longest commute would in theory only be as far as the nearest park and ride.

[PMR]

Just my two cents, but we bought a house under 200K (barely) in Timbergrove (well east of White Oaks bayou) which did not flood. Granted, it's smallish (1500 sq ft), but was in move-in condition and is in a great location (between 11th and 18th)_

[MarthaG]

I'd take a look at Oak Forest. I'm just 1 mile outside the loop. There are plenty of houses for sale and lease right now and the prices are decent.