Inside the loop - Houston

U

utmb

25+ Posts
Is it just me, or does the price of a decent home inside the loop Houston seem outrageous?

West U and such areas are absurdly overpriced for what you get. $300 per sq foot!?

I realize that suburbs like Sugar Land and the Woodlands are not for everyone - but you can get a hell of lot better home there for the money they are asking in West U.

Small homes on small lots in West U are going for $ 1 mil. Just nuts if you ask me. I mean this is Houston, not Manhattan.
 
I'm currently looking inside the loop in Houston, and there are plenty of nice areas that aren't $300/sq foot. Sure, River Oaks and West U are outrageously high. But the Upper Kirby district, the area near Westheimer and Montrose, and the Rice Military area all have houses and townhouses more reasonably priced. Compared to other large cities Houston is a very inexpensive place to live.
 
Garden Oaks/Oak Forest are JUST outside the loop. Can still get a good deal (for now) and do a rebuild. Lots of it going on. Garden Oaks is getting up there in price. Lots of "tear downs" in Oak Forest. There is plenty of new build going on. Those two neighborhoods will look different in 5 years.
 
Better move quick on Oak Forest. Land values for 'premium lots in desireable sections' have nearly doubled in the last 2 years. As you can see from the name I live there and wouldn't move "inside the loop". Oak Forest has larger lots big trees and strict deed restriction on muti-family housing on single family lots. Take a look and I'm sure you will find a tear down or a referb that you will like
 
You get what you pay for. West U, Southhampton, Highland Village, etc. have always been expensive. Always will be. I live in a townhouse near Shepherd and West Gray. I'd like to have a house with a yard and a pool, but it's hard to justify for only one person. You couldn't pay me to live in Sugar Land or The Woodlands.

You only get "more house for you money" in the suburbs if you ignore the cardinal rule of real estate: location, location, location. If Sugar Land and The Woodlands are OK, why not get even more for your money in Rosenberg or Magnolia? Location matters.

Bernard
 
yep

i've been in rice military since 2000

i'm hoping to flip this house in the next 5 years and put a chunk down on something with a yard...inside the loop.
 
Rice Military is great for what it is-- primarily for its proximity to Memorial Park and downtown/Midtown, etc.

It's the first place in my price range I'd consider if I was currently living in Houston and looking to buy.
 
Living in Sugar Land ain't all bad, actually, but the nice areas of Sugar Land and the Woodlands ain't exactly cheap, either.

If I was rich, I'd live in the Villages area.
 
Isn't this just same as most downtown areas? Land values aren't just bad in California and New York City. We considered buying here in the Seattle area when we moved. It was outrageous what was available.
 
read something recently about the east end neighborhood making a comeback. close to uh, downtown, etc. not sure if the houses have been remodeled, but lots of charm.
 
I have said this before. The east end will be the next Montrose or Midtown 5 years from now. I am seriously thinking about buying in this area within the next few months.
 
A friend of mine in the real estate business mentioned that he thought the Almeda corridor along Hermann park would be the next booming area in Houston. Apparently, they are already building a massive high rise condo in the area.

Back to the original question - is the quality of life in West U THAT much better than the 'burbs to warrant such high prices. I like the idea of urban living, but the lots of so small and the prices so high.
 
just did a quick search. In West U you will pay about $250/sf for a $1mil house - houses range from 4000-5500 sf in that price range, lots from 5000 - 7000 sf. In the Woodlands you'll get about 1000 more sf of house and a much larger lot.

It's a question of where you work and what is important to you. If I'm a doc in the med center or an executive working downtown/galleria/greenway plaza, I would probably rather have a much shorter commute than 1000 more sf of house and a larger lot. 1000 more sf of house does nothing for me, and last I check, you have to pay to cool or heat that space. A larger lot also does nothing for me - you can fit a pool on a West lot. I'll take the hour less per day (minimum) commute, and all the other advantages of West U - proximity to restaurants, arts, sporting events, etc.
 
"quality of life" is a very vague term and can mean a lot of things.

I know people in the burbs who have the means to live "inner loop" but they have established themselves in their community, and by that I mean they like their neighbors, their church, their kids are in specific dance/music/soccer, etc. programs, blah blah blah

so, while they may be further from the Rockets/Astros games than someone in the med center, they find other things impacting their home life much more important.

I guess my point is, quality of life takes on many nuances as you grow as a family, and really the proximity to restaurants, etc. while nice, don't have as much an impact as you might think.
 
Has anyone seen the film "Hot Town Cool City" which shows off some of Houston best places? Here is a link to their accompanying website which lists about 100 of the cool places that, to me at least, make Houston such a great place to live. Guess where the vast majority are located? Link

Bernard
 
I know people in the inner loop who have the means to live in the nicest house in the burbs but they have established themselves in their community, and by that I mean they like their neighbors, their church, their kids are in specific dance/music/soccer, etc. programs, blah blah blah

so, while they may be closer to the Rockets/Astros games than someone in the burbs, they find other things impacting their home life much more important.

I guess my point is, quality of life takes on many nuances as you grow as a family, and really the desire to have a larger lot, etc. while nice, don't have as much an impact as you might think.
 
MAROON,

Completely agree, it works both ways. I assume that was your point? "Community" is a valuable commodity and it can be found just about anywhere, with a little luck, and certainly people I know in Memorial, West U, Meyerland, etc. feel as strongly about their neighborhoods as we do about First Colony and others do about the Woodlands, New Territory, Cinco Ranch, etc.

I thought the larger lot addition was kinda stupid, but I'm sure you thought you were funny.
 
yep - what I was trying to say was that both places have community. For instance we've got the largest Little League in the country in West U and one of the largest soccer and girls softball programs......nothing really different...except for the lot sizes
smokin.gif
 
majority of our kids are zoned for Lamar, about a 1/4 to Bellaire. If all our kids went public, Bellaire and Lamar would be amazing....they're already very good. A large percentage of the players go to Episcipal(state runner-up), St. Thomas (won state) and Strake. If all those kids stayed at Lamar, they would be amazing.
 
our little league splits between Elkins and Clements, 2 really good programs who put a lot of kids on college teams, plus there are a handfull at FBBA
 
I get the point about community. But, for someone moving to a place for the fisrt time, it is difficult to identify where one would be more likely to form a good community.

For example, I could care less about little league, but to others this would be very important.
 
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