MovingSoon Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 Dear HAIF members, I'll be relocating to Houston in December and still deciding whether purchasing or renting would be a good option. I am currently seeing a lot of townhouses/condos for sale around Holly Hall st area, east of Alameda. In particular I have been looking at Holly Hall Townhouses. The area seems to be very close to Medical center (my goal) and there is a shuttle service. Can any of the local share some insides about the area - how safe the areas is? Has condos in there appreciated or remain steady recently? Is the area generally going up or down in terms of new construction etc. Any other neighborhood around Medical center to consider in comparable price range? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 I don't know about the financial status of the townhomes and apartments, though some of the apartments look like newer construction.I know that the Holly Hall area west of 288 and east of Almeda is zoned to (Houston ISD) Whidby Elementary School, Cullen Middle School, and Yates High School. The apartments in that section may be less expensive than the apartments west of Almeda and east of Knight (zoned to Lamar HS instead of Yates HS) and the apartments east of the Astrodome and west of Knight (zoned to Bellaire HS instead of Yates HS) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsets Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 I work in the medical center, and know plenty of people who live in that area. I'm not sure about appreciation, I suspect it's not great, but that's just my gut feeling. I see fliers of condos listed FSBO at the end of every school year, and most of them seem to be asking 98K-$150K, depending on the age of the place. Friends of mine bought a condo around there, and they seem happy enough with it. As far as safety, I think it's pretty safe. There are plenty of shuttle buses to and from the medical center, so getting around isn't a problem. The only incident I know of happened to a co-worker a couple of years ago. She was walking through an empty lot near the Kroger, about 8 PM, when a guy attacked her from behind. He got her purse, but she got his shirt. (pretty impressive for a 5'3" Japanese lady). She was otherwise unharmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 Dear HAIF members,I'll be relocating to Houston in December and still deciding whether purchasing or renting would be a good option. I am currently seeing a lot of townhouses/condos for sale around Holly Hall st area, east of Alameda. In particular I have been looking at Holly Hall Townhouses. The area seems to be very close to Medical center (my goal) and there is a shuttle service.Can any of the local share some insides about the area - how safe the areas is? Has condos in there appreciated or remain steady recently? Is the area generally going up or down in terms of new construction etc. Any other neighborhood around Medical center to consider in comparable price range?Thanks!I live right near there in One Montreal Place. I can't speak for residents of other complexes, but crime issues tend to be vehicular around mine. Along the streets, there are a fair number of stolen cars. In the complexes, there are occaisional vehicle break-ins. I've been there for many years, and although I can recall having heard of a few cases of home intrusion and burglary, I am not aware of any violent crime. No assaults, murders, or rapes.There is plenty of new residential construction around the TMC, but almost all of the new stuff is going to be very much more expensive. The older stuff around Holly Hall is very well-located, has a huge number of medical students (good neighbors), and can only possibly appreciate as the TMC literally grows into the neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovingSoon Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 Thanks for the links and the info. I am having a second thoughts about condo purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Thanks for the links and the info. I am having a second thoughts about condo purchase.How long do you plan on being there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 If you buy a place make sure its not in a flood zone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 If you buy a place make sure its not in a flood zone.My hood doesn't flood. Even the street flooding was minimal. Also, the City is doing a major upgrade of storm sewers along Cambridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MovingSoon Posted October 31, 2006 Author Share Posted October 31, 2006 (edited) How long do you plan on being there?I will most likely stay in the Houston for 7-8 years or more. With time I think I would like to get 3bd single family home in nice neighborhood like WestU or Belair. However, what we'd want in the longer term 3-4 years from now is not what we need now. I believe 1-2bd condo/th is enough for us. 1bd are too hard to sell, so I am opting for 2 hoping to sell it without loosing money in about 3 years and upgrade for a single family home.Yes, I know they say you should not buy if not planning to stay there for 4-5 years. But it seems wasteful to buy property and pay interests and taxes from it considering that it is too big for youI have also been looking at Montrose area. It seems to be a nice area and the prices for condos are OK but.. WHY are the maitanance fees there are so big? $400/month for 2bd condo? And the photos of the grounds are not that impressive.... Edited October 31, 2006 by MovingSoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 I will most likely stay in the Houston for 7-8 years or more. With time I think I would like to get 3bd single family home in nice neighborhood like WestU or Belair. However, what we'd want in the longer term 3-4 years from now is not what we need now. I believe 1-2bd condo/th is enough for us. 1bd are too hard to sell, so I am opting for 2 hoping to sell it without loosing money in about 3 years and upgrade for a single family home.Yes, I know they say you should not buy if not planning to stay there for 4-5 years. But it seems wasteful to buy property and pay interests and taxes from it considering that it is too big for youI have also been looking at Montrose area. It seems to be a nice area and the prices for condos are OK but.. WHY are the maitanance fees there are so big? $400/month for 2bd condo? And the photos of the grounds are not that impressive....Yeah, a 3- to 4-year hold may not quite be long enough if you play it safe and assume zero appreciation, but IMO, its more likely to be pretty close to break-even one way or the other. And those maintenance fees aren't reasonable unless you're getting master-metered utilities, cable television, and possibly some other common benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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