What is the best neighborhood to live?

[Rio Grande Valley]

I will be attending U of H and will be living in the dorms for the first two years. But after that, I will have to find an apartment or small house to call my own. Could you guys give me your opinions of what is the best neighborhood in Houston to live.

[musicman]

I will be attending U of H and will be living in the dorms for the first two years. But after that, I will have to find an apartment or small house to call my own. Could you guys give me your opinions of what is the best neighborhood in Houston to live.

If you're living in the dorms for the first 2 yrs, i'll bet you'll make up your own mind by the time you need to move.

[TheNiche]

I will be attending U of H and will be living in the dorms for the first two years. But after that, I will have to find an apartment or small house to call my own. Could you guys give me your opinions of what is the best neighborhood in Houston to live.

Are you sure you want to live in dorms for the next two years? As luck would have it, I'm probably going to need to rent out the one-bedroom condominium where I currently live (Almeda @ El Paseo / Holly Hall), and if you'll stick around for a good long while, then I'd be glad to give it a makeover and lease it out.

PM me if you're interested.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Not to spoil TheNiche's condo deal, but I would recommend staying in the dorms your first year or two before venturing off campus.

You'll build a great network of friends in the dorms that you won't get if you're living off campus. You make lifelong friends in the dorms.

Good luck at UH. I graduated from UH 10 years ago, and I lived in the dorms for my first 1-1/2 years. My best friends today are the guys I first met 15 years ago in those dorms. I loved my time at UH, and I still give back as much as I can, and I'm a season ticket holder for football, basketball and baseball...so I'm back on campus very regularly.

Of course, if you can, get into the Quadrangle. They're much preferred to the Towers. Although I forget that they've built several new dorms since I graduated.

Musicman is right...you'll figure out what part of town you like in those first two years in the dorms. Some places nearby UH to look at are the Med Center area (Almeda/Holly Hall), 2nd Ward (right across the Gulf Freeway from UH), 3rd Ward/Museum District (you can find some decent rental houses in the area), Montrose (you used to be able to find affordable rentals there when I was in school, but they may not be so affordable anymore).

Good luck again at UH, and if you've got questions about anything (outside of schoolwork, that is), just ask!

[sevfiv]

along the same lines as everyone else so far, the best neighborhoods will reveal themselves to you after a while.

i would venture around and explore while you are living in the dormitories (for however long that may be).

and niche, if rio doesn't take you up on it, how many square feet, and how much will you be asking?

[lilyheights]

Welcome to Houston. I enjoyed my time at UH and hope you do too.

Staying in the dorms won't cramp your style. Not having a car might. Hope you have one.

Drive around. Check out all the city's museums, big and small. Grab a Houston Press and see what looks like a fun activity. Just become familiar with what's around town inside the loop and then work your way out. You'll soon learn what you like and find a neighborhood to match.

We all lived in houses turned apartments around West Grey when we went to school. Now, it is a bit too pricey for your average college student. I'm sure that there will be plenty of people on campus to show you the places to live off campus. Just ask around.

Edited May 6, 2006 by lilyheights

[TheNiche]

along the same lines as everyone else so far, the best neighborhoods will reveal themselves to you after a while.

i would venture around and explore while you are living in the dormitories (for however long that may be).

and niche, if rio doesn't take you up on it, how many square feet, and how much will you be asking?

Not to detract from Rio's thread, but...

The 600sf, 1BR/1BA unit, leases at-my-cost, which equals the mortgage payment and taxes ($394.68) plus HOA fees ($167.98), or $562.66 per month. Security deposit is equal to only one month's rent. The HOA pays for water and cable TV, which is what really makes the unit a good deal aside from its location. Appliances include W/D units, ceramic-topped stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher. Amenities in the One Montreal Place complex include tennis courts, pools, covered parking, and a perimeter fence with a guard on-duty at night.

This complex has a whole lot of medical students in it and a few UH and TSU students here and there. There is also some middle-income medical staff (large Asian/Indian population) and a small elderly population. Not too many kids, except for within the Asian population. If you've got kids, the neighborhood is zoned to Lamar HS and is also very close to the Medical HS.

The one important caveat is that if an appliance breaks or there is damage to the unit, I will replace/fix it, but will also have a depreciation schedule as part of the lease agreement so that the tenant shares in the prorated replacement cost in a fair and equitable way. That is to say, if the appliance breaks one month before the lease is up, only one month's worth of depreciation is due. If the tenant would prefer complete certainty about their level of rent throughout the lease term, that can be arranged, but it'd probably cost them more when all is said and done because I'm not an actuary and would have to build a little cushion into the figure so as not to put me in a cash crunch if money needed to be spent at a time that was really bad for me.

If the lease were to happen, I'd probably be moving out within about a month from now once I close on the home in Morgan's Point and would need a little time to remodel the unit (new wood or tile floor, fixed toilet handle, resurfaced shower, fixed railing to the sliding glass door at the patio, new plants in patio area, a little paint here and there, etc.). So the move-in date would be about four to six weeks out.

If you or anyone else is interested, please PM me.