Any members in the Houston TX area? We are considering a move.

[LRF]

I'm new to this forum but I was hoping that some members from the Houston area might be able to offer some assistance. Me and Tiffany are VERY seriously considering moving down to the Houston Texas area. She can easily take a transfer from Chicago's O'Hare Airport to George Bush in Houston, she works for United Airlines. I work completely from a home office so I don't have to worry about anything. We have been looking at homes in the Humble and Atascocita areas just West of Lake Houston. Seems that you get pretty much DOUBLE the house for the money compared to the Chicago area with lower property taxes as well. And from what I understand Texas does not have any state income taxes? We are both from the South (Florida) and are looking to get back down there as we really don't care for a cold climate, the Houston area seems that it would be a great choice.

Anything about these neighborhoods (good or bad) that you can pass along would be great!

We do not have any children so schools are not a concern.

We are well aware that most communities in these areas have annual HOA fees which don't seem too bad.

Any active NAWCC clubs in this area?

What is the sales tax rate in this area? We are currently paying 10.5% ! ! !

We are just trying to do a CBA right now in order to make sound decisions.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Stan

[Lisa]

Can't answer most of your questions, but will say my sister lives in The Woodlands, near Houston, and loves it. She works locally, but her husband makes the commute into Houston daily.

From visiting there a few times, I was struck by the congestion, heat and humidity... and bugs. But many positives as well - good shopping and dining and no harsh winters, for starters.

[azguy]

People seem to enjoy living there...but the humidity is more like Panama than the United States....maybe that will not bother you being from Florida..

[2th Dr]

Atascosita is a nice place! I would pass on Humble. A lot of people that work at Bush live in Kingwood, which is also very nice.

[gmh1013]

We moved from Phoenix to Houston in 2007 to be near my monther who is in real bad shape at 83 years old.
The houses are cheap....prop tax are just crazy expensive.....we paid close to 4k a year and that was with a discount for my wife being disabled.
In AZ our house was worth 270k and paid 1800 a year.
In Houston it would be over 5k a year.
I new It was a bad mistake for me the first week week moved there....huge roaches, bugs, so humid I could not walk outside.
The traffic was horrible and it took hours to get anywhere.
After 2 years I could not take it anymore and moved back to Tempe.
We still have a house over there that would not sell and fly back and forth to check on my mother a few times a year.
The few places I LIKED was The Woodlands far north Houston and inside the "loop"
again the prop tax would be as much as a house payment ...800-1000 a month.
I really liked West University Place but the taxes keep me from ever buying there.
Hurricane Ike was the last straw for me and I vowed never to live close to the gulf coast after that.
My advice is play close attention To MUD's and prop tax and flooding....you dont want to buy in a flood zone

[Dr.Brian]

The property taxes are high in TX, but there's no income tax. You have to pay the man somewhere.
I saw that you said that you don't have any kids. That's fine, but I would seriously consider the school district where you buy. We've had a few houses over the years, always in the best school district. When it comes time to sell, the school district does all the work for you.
The way to clean up in TX is to buy a nice house in the best area, but not the biggest house you can afford (ie 500k vs 750k, 750k vs 1m, etc) and then outfit it palatially. That's win:win. Lower property tax in a good area AND no income tax. Your house won't be the biggest in the area, but it will probably be better outfitted and you don't really need a library, game room AND an exercise room.
I think about moving to Dallas all the time. Great job market for me there. But we don't really know anyone else in the area.

[Tudor66]

Stan, it's all a matter of perspective. I live

[LRF]

Thank you everybody ! ! !
I will be going over all of your advise again with my better half later on tonight.
I've asked around about this in a few places and "The Woodlands" keeps on coming up time and time again so we are going to take a VERY hard look at that area.
Thanks again!

[BarkMaster]

The low cost of living here and jobs are a big draw.

There is no escaping the heat and humidy, except for relatively few days per year.

For the side of town where that airport is, the Woodlands and Kingwood would be my choice. You WON'T want to cross town to get to work. Up that far, hurricanes are not as big a deal as the Nasa / Clear Lake area since they are higher and further away from the coast and thus not in an evacuation zone. They are however, close enough to drive to the coast and enjoy all that has to offer.

As with most of the South, it's not one of the healthiest places for various reasons (pollution, cuisine, commuter lifestyle, oppressive outdoors, etc). If you have allergy issues, they wil get worse here. If you are in good shape, you will be in the minority. In areas like the Woodlands, there are plenty of opportunities to hike, bike and um... eat.

[gmh1013]

Originally Posted by BarkMaster

The low cost of living here and jobs are a big draw.

There is no escaping the heat and humidy, except for relatively few days per year.

For the side of town where that airport is, the Woodlands and Kingwood would be my choice. You WON'T want to cross town to get to work. Up that far, hurricanes are not as big a deal as the Nasa / Clear Lake area since they are higher and further away from the coast and thus not in an evacuation zone. They are however, close enough to drive to the coast and enjoy all that has to offer.

As with most of the South, it's not one of the healthiest places for various reasons (pollution, cuisine, commuter lifestyle, oppressive outdoors, etc). If you have allergy issues, they wil get worse here. If you are in good shape, you will be in the minority. In areas like the Woodlands, there are plenty of opportunities to hike, bike and um... eat.

If we could sell the house from hell in Houston....We talked about getting a two bedroom condo in The Woodlands....Thats how much I liked it.
Cant say that about the rest of Houston though.
The Woodlands has much to offer and lots to do.
If I remember right the Woodlands has two Rolex dealers there also....always a plus.

[2th Dr]

Originally Posted by Dr.Brian

The property taxes are high in TX, but there's no income tax. You have to pay the man somewhere.
I saw that you said that you don't have any kids. That's fine, but I would seriously consider the school district where you buy. We've had a few houses over the years, always in the best school district. When it comes time to sell, the school district does all the work for you.
The way to clean up in TX is to buy a nice house in the best area, but not the biggest house you can afford (ie 500k vs 750k, 750k vs 1m, etc) and then outfit it palatially. That's win:win. Lower property tax in a good area AND no income tax. Your house won't be the biggest in the area, but it will probably be better outfitted and you don't really need a library, game room AND an exercise room.
I think about moving to Dallas all the time. Great job market for me there. But we don't really know anyone else in the area.

Exactly, my good man! I pay over 5k/year on property taxes but I don't mind, considering I live very close to downtown. If I were paying state income tax, it would be a heck of a lot more! I LOVE Houston!!!!

[LRF]

ANYTHING would be better than living in Illinois right now ! ! !

State income tax: 5%
Sales tax: 10.5%
Property tax on a 2000sf home valued at $270,000: $6500.00 ! ! !
Gas per gallon last time I filled up: $4.40 for mid grade ! ! ! !

Moving out of Illinois is our TOP priority right now ! ! !

Thanks again for all of your help!

[gmh1013]

Originally Posted by LRF

ANYTHING would be better than living in Illinois right now ! ! !

State income tax: 5%
Sales tax: 10.5%
Property tax on a 2000sf home valued at $270,000: $6500.00 ! ! !
Gas per gallon last time I filled up: $4.40 for mid grade ! ! ! !

Moving out of Illinois is our TOP priority right now ! ! !

Thanks again for all of your help!

Damn....that WOULD suck.
I was in Houston about 2 weeks agao and filled up for 3.67 a gallon.
Houston did have some real good places to eat....I love Cajun food and
if I lived there I would be 350 pounds in a year.

[gmh1013]

have a look to them like 90 persent of Phoenix houses are stucco
This is close to the size of your house in Chicago....its 1985 sq ft
with a lot size close to 11k sq ft
Good luck in your house hunt and move if you do!

[FNFZ4]

nice place really... but it bores me

[LRF]

I'll take the heat and humidity ANY DAY over shoveling this driveway EVER again after a blizzard ! ! ! ! I'm only 40 years old and clearing the drive nearly killed me. You can barely make out Tiffany's Miata. This storm dumped 25 inches of snow in our town with drifts on the side of the house and back yard up to 7 feet!!!

I've just had it with the North ! ! !

[iamblue03]

I have moved to Houston for 5 years, and I love it here. Houston gave me a great job in oil and gas, a wife, a house. I really do not think heat, humidity and all other negative aspects people think about Houston matter to me. Honestly, Houston is a great city letting me to raise the family here.

Well, before you make any final decisions. Make sure you know what you are here for. Houston is not a fun city where parties happen every part of the town, and it is not the safest city in the United States. I am in my early 30s, and career means a lot to me. If I am not going forward, then I am going backwards. I am glad I have found the place where I really want to be, and my career has been fast forwarded because of my choice. Do I love Houston? Yes and no. I love it because of the job, and I dislike it because I was from California.

Lastly, the traffic is bad, but I had my choices to make my schedule. Working at 7:30 and leaving at 4:30 give me no headaches in traffic at all.
Good luck!

[fernandosmf]

I love Houston, living in the galleria area currently, but looking to move into the heights. Not a big fan of the out skirts, Katy, cypress, woodland, humble they are all kind of boring to be honest. I like being close to the action.

[Boardman]

Been here a long time, love Houston, love TX. Originally from Michigan. Couldn't go back to the snow for anything...ugh.

Woodlands is great. For an IAH bush job, very ideal.

Yes it's hot as balls here in the summer, but in December you're still golfing and wearing shorts. The economy here is strong, energy capital, insane amount of disposable income.

The best part though, most people are really friendly. Southern hospitality and manners. Really. If you make the move we'll go grab a huge beer at an Astros game, on me.

[etp095]

Stan
I use to live in the woodlands,great place to live.My cousin lives there,and they love it.I go back and visit her every year.You do get a lot of bang for your buck,in terms of housing compared to Chicagoland.Another plus is no taxes on food at the grocery store,and concealed carry.The only downside is selling your present home,if you own it,hopefully you don't.The woodlands consists of mostly newer homes,the community was started in the 70's,then in the 90's things really started to expand at a rapid pace.your wife's commute from the woodlands would be close to 30 miles,which will take about close to an hour.There is lots of congestion in Houston,kinda like the kennedy on a holiday weekend most of the time.If you do decide on the woodlands,i would try and find a home near the expressway(I-45).It takes quite a while to get from the back of the woodlands,where the newest homes are,to the highway.I lived there between 94-95,the population,building expansion really exploded since then.The woodlands is a unique place to live,when i first visited there,it wasn't anything i expected,it sure doesn't seem like your in Texas,sorta like suburban Chicago.I think the tax rate is in the upper 8's.
good luck to you

[HoustonRider]

Tough call..... as you can tell by my SN, I live here.... (just moved back after a 8 year relo)....

Hard to pick a spot, you need to get out and see it. Everyone likes their side of town. I prefer NW (I live in Cypress). I have a 9 year old, so schools and room, burbs were the first option.

the Woodlands, Spring or anywhere North is good for trees, but take caution in property taxes in all areas, and MUD (Municipal Utility Districts, you pay water ,sewage and PROPERTY TAX in addition to County/City/ISD, etc taxes) can screw ya big time (some neighborhoods have TWO)..... I just bought another home in March and tax rates on homes I looked at ran 2.49-3.74%.... do the math. and in a few ISD's the exemptions could be good (in Cy-Fair you're looking at a 20% (of Appraised value) PLUS $15,000 exemption for Homestead... thats HUGE.

Figure were you are gonna work, if you don't have a crazy commute, then its all your preference.

[2th Dr]

Originally Posted by fernandosmf

I love Houston, living in the galleria area currently, but looking to move into the heights. Not a big fan of the out skirts, Katy, cypress, woodland, humble they are all kind of boring to be honest. I like being close to the action.

Me too! I live in Midtown.

[BarkMaster]

Originally Posted by 2th DR

Me too! I live in Midtown.

We love to visit the "new" midtown! Some of our favorite places to go.

[sea-dweller]

Visited a few times and "it's not for me". If I moved to Texas, Austin would be my choice.

[gmh1013]

Originally Posted by sea-dweller

Visited a few times and "it's not for me". If I moved to Texas, Austin would be my choice.

Really... I never could find nothing to do when we lived there
nothing for my age group anyway
The most boring cities............................................ ...................

http://opentravel.com/blogs/worlds-m...ties-to-visit/

[Pilotwatch]

No state income tax, Great!

Property tax, OMG!!!!

First year I paid $15,000 for property tax on a home valued at $350k!

After several years of lawyer contesting, I now pay just under $10.

Prepare accordingly.

Steve
Spring, TX

[BarkMaster]

Originally Posted by sea-dweller

Visited a few times and "it's not for me". If I moved to Texas, Austin would be my choice.

I would tend to agree with this.

[sweepthelegnate]

In Houston, I'd always vote for the location with the shortest commute.

[betrezra]

We enjoy Houston. Is it Boulder, Co? Is it vail? Is it Monterey? Nope..... but if you're a working stiff in the working/building years of your career it has alot to offer.

We've been fairly insulated from the "recession or depression" due to energy and health.
There are jobs, and good jobs, and opp's to changes jobs 2 blocks away (at least in energy) for sign-ons and more money, etc....

We have a pro football team, pro basketball, baseball team, soccer (now), it's a good stop for major entertainers at toyota center woodlands arena, etc.... we have an INT'l airport so if you want some relief.... you're just a plane ticket from mexico shores... or beyond...... we have hill country to the north and S-West..... we have fabulous gulf coast fishing/hunting access..... great lakes/rivers for boating......

Decent dining places in town.... fairly decent shopping for the retail crowd.... big BIG interstate highways everywhere if you like to drive a performance car or just like to drive a truck....... oh you can own the biggest F350 with smoke stacks coming out the bed of the truck if that excites you ;)....

we have a road-race course south of town.... they rent exotics, or run you own car, or drive the shifter carts through the banked track.......

we have several drag strips which are national quality.... baytown dragway...1/4 mile if you like that sort of thing...... houston msport 1/8mile very good prep... with a 1/2 mile banked mini-nascar track in which you can participate...... sealy drag strip 1/4 mile with many events......

you can buy a ranch in south texas and maybe get lucky with some shale formations underfoot..... hunt hogs with machine guns from helo's.... (I kid you not)....... acreage is going up in price so bring your check book....

picking homes...... do your internet due dilligence...... schools #1 (as mentioned earlier this will sell your home)....... drive through the hood at night before you buy... just to get the flavor..... I'd stay away from anything with questionable strip centers around.... and foot traffic..... the basics..... you can check on -line for crime rates in a specific area...... beware of some places downtown... these are emerging but you will have higher rates of breakins, petty theft assult...... panhandlers that get a little aggressive.... not cool if you have young drivers or ladies driving.....

Humidity..... no big deal.... get a pool or lake house... problem solved. Also our mild climate allows me to jetski and mtn bike year around....... I have a thin wetsuit for buoy racing in the winter.... you can't do that up north.

Other perks:;: proximity to oil/gas/refineries.... gas prices seem to be on the lower end compared to the rest of the county...... no state tax..... sales tax 6-8% I seem to recall...... the sheer qty of outlets, retails shops, dealerships allows the motivated buyer to negotiate pretty good deals on luxury goods/automobiles, etc..... if you are patient.... you can see 3 bmw dealerships in an afternoon and work your deal... (if you enjoy such things).....

Oh yeah and a decent marina down in Kema (sp?)... if you like to sail or offshore boating... you can dock your boat there..... it's all valet style... you just call from your downtown office.... they will gas it up, put it in the water with beverages.... you show up and enjoy.... then drop it off at the dock.... drive your little sports car back to town and no muss no fuss....... or there are other more user involved options too :)

GL.

[mfer]

Where are the great public schools in Houston?