Houston Travel Forum

Hi all.
Being as I am in the midst of new job hunting and probably going to DC, I just came across an opportunity for a job in Houston I would like.

So this brings up many issues.

I need to know where I would probably want to live. I'd be looking to buy a place and want to keep it affordable with an eye towards resale in 3-5.

I know next to nothing about this part of Texas so let me know what you think.
Thanks
Chris

You'll want to be as close to where you work as possible. Houston is an extremely large city with very bad traffic.

What area of town is the job at?

Marc

Agree with Rider. If you could live in a nice part of town, and are used to NYC prices, I would buy something inside the 610 loop, and then fix it up, or at least hold it. West University is a great little place where people are trying to buy up the land so when rich people who want to live in the loop come, they like to buy, tear down and build a McMansion.

It depends on your price range and where your job is. If you're working in the suburbs, you should live at least relatively close to those suburbs. It also counts whether or not you have school-aged kids, because the Houston school system isn't very good in a lot of the more desirable areas of the city.
If you want to live central though, inside the Loop, West U is a good suggestion but that's very, very expensive. There's a little community adjacent to it called Southside Place which is even more desirable and expensive. Bellaire is a similar story where people have bought up the old lots and rebuilt huge, out-of-place houses, but there used to actually be some lots still available. Not sure if that's the case. I worked that region delivering pizzas in college, and most everything that I've encountered that wasn't already rebuilt was in a pretty sorry state. And this was several years ago.
You may also want to look at The Heights, which is similar in that it's a nice community, but also the neighborhood has done a much better job of maintaining the architectural integrity of the area. Oak Forest is just outside the loop (north), but a very nice area. Garden Oaks is also going that direction, but not quite there yet.
There are also quite a few good neighborhoods along Braes Bayou between 610 and the Medical Center, but those have always been very expensive.
Otherwise, plenty of good suburban areas to choose from: Sugar Land, Clear Lake, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Cypress, etc.
Good luck though.

I lived in Houston between the ages of 11 and 13 due to my dad's job - we moved from the UK. My parents chose Kingwood and, although I was too young to know much about prices and what they were comparing it with, what I can say is that it was a great place to live.

In terms of transport, there was a shuttle bus system which got the commuters into work, which I believe was pretty much almost the only public transport into the city. A big difference from Europe where we're used to buses, coaches, trains, but it seems to have been reliable.

I didn't see on your pages whether you had kids, but if you do or are considering it, I'd really recommend Kingwood. I have nothing but good memories of the place and the woodland trails especially are great for children. I (and my brother) had really positive experiences at the local schools we went to as well.