$250 aint getting much anywhere worthwhile in houston or its suburbs anymore...

bump it to $350 and you have alot more options.

You can get ~3000 sq ft and 5 BR in Kingwood for (well) under $250K. I know; I live in it.

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You can get ~3000 sq ft and 5 BR in Kingwood for (well) under $250K. I know; I live in it.

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STFU!! Kingwood sucks!

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You can get ~3000 sq ft and 5 BR in Kingwood for (well) under $250K. I know; I live in it.

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STFU!! Kingwood sucks!

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Agreed, Kingwood sucks. Pearland and Sugarland are way better

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You can get ~3000 sq ft and 5 BR in Kingwood for (well) under $250K. I know; I live in it.

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STFU!! Kingwood sucks!

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Agreed, Kingwood sucks. Pearland and Sugarland are way better

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Best suburbs in the state.

Woodlands is basically a $300k+ suburb now. Seems like the majority of homes are high 300s to high 500s. I think there used to be a discount because of the commute but now a lot of people are able to live and work in the area...ridership on the Woodlands Express is down despite the population growth in the area.

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Woodlands is basically a $300k+ suburb now. Seems like the majority of homes are high 300s to high 500s. I think there used to be a discount because of the commute but now a lot of people are able to live and work in the area...ridership on the Woodlands Express is down despite the population growth in the area.

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So a fortune 100 company building a campus for 15,000 employees in your neighborhood will make property values go up?

No. It was the Whole Foods and Nordstrom.

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Woodlands is basically a $300k+ suburb now. Seems like the majority of homes are high 300s to high 500s. I think there used to be a discount because of the commute but now a lot of people are able to live and work in the area...ridership on the Woodlands Express is down despite the population growth in the area.

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So a fortune 100 company building a campus for 15,000 employees in your neighborhood will make property values go up?

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Maybe.

But a Fortune 2 company definitely will.

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You can get ~3000 sq ft and 5 BR in Kingwood for (well) under $250K. I know; I live in it.

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STFU!! Kingwood sucks!

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Agreed, Kingwood sucks. Pearland and Sugarland are way better

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Best suburbs in the state.

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Talk about your tallest midget contests.

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I think there used to be a discount because of the commute but now a lot of people are able to live and work in the area...ridership on the Woodlands Express is down despite the population growth in the area.

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What? You mean to tell me I paid a crazy amount of money for this house in the Heights to avoid my commute downtown and to brag to my suburb friends about how cultured my kids are because I take them to museums, hipster restaurants and the zoo daily and not everyone in the Woodlands is miserable and commuting 2+ hours per day! The outrage.

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Not to mention you can get the 2 for $20 deal just down the street.



Look at the craftsmanship on those steak grill marks.

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$250 aint getting much anywhere worthwhile in houston or its suburbs anymore...

bump it to $350 and you have alot more options.

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You can get an updated 2200-2400 SF, updated home in Cochran's Crossing which is a nice part of the Woodlands.

I'm not cool enough to live in the Heights. I don't have a man bun or wear skinny jeans.

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I think there used to be a discount because of the commute but now a lot of people are able to live and work in the area...ridership on the Woodlands Express is down despite the population growth in the area.

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What? You mean to tell me I paid a crazy amount of money for this house in the Heights to avoid my commute downtown and to brag to my suburb friends about how cultured my kids are because I take them to museums, hipster restaurants and the zoo daily and not everyone in the Woodlands is miserable and commuting 2+ hours per day! The outrage.

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Not to mention you can get the 2 for $20 deal just down the street.



Look at the craftsmanship on those steak grill marks.

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Reading the fine print...it's only available at the 610 and W 18th location.

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$250 aint getting much anywhere worthwhile in houston or its suburbs anymore...

bump it to $350 and you have alot more options.

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You can get an updated 2200-2400 SF, updated home in Cochran's Crossing which is a nice part of the Woodlands.

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Not to start a debate, but a friend of mine bought a not-updated ~2200 sq ft house in Cochran's Crossing for about $250k...3 years ago. You can still find some houses like what you describe, but they won't be updated. Or, you can look in the 77389 and 77375 areas and find a little bit larger selection (although, the prices in those zip codes have increased significantly, too).

The price per sq ft range for the average house in this area is about $130-$150. More if the house has been updated.

This is a pretty good example of what you can get for $250k in that area. 2000 sq ft, built in 1989, and I wouldn't necessarily call it updated.


http://www.har.com/186-n-village-knoll-cir/sale_15939675

If the high school is the only factor, I'd pick up something in Panther Creek and gut it. I've seen some nice remodels on houses in that village. You could get a house in that area that needs a good facelift for under $250k

Here's something to consider. Buy a townhouse in Memorial. Zoning to a great high school and you can choose to keep and rent or sell when you move on. This is in a great area, just be cautious of monthly association fees.

http://www.har.com/u/1Da4e52B

I was talking about what you can get today, not 3 years ago.

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Woodlands is basically a $300k+ suburb now. Seems like the majority of homes are high 300s to high 500s. I think there used to be a discount because of the commute but now a lot of people are able to live and work in the area...ridership on the Woodlands Express is down despite the population growth in the area.

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So a fortune 100 company building a campus for 15,000 employees in your neighborhood will make property values go up?

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Maybe.

But a Fortune 2 company definitely will.

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Technically they are a Fortune 5 company this year if you look globally instead of just US based companies.

The Fortune 500 / 100 / 5 , etc consists of only US companies.

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I was talking about what you can get today, not 3 years ago.

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And my point was, what you described was what you could get 3 years ago. Today, add $50K+

Are any of the Spring Branch elementary schools zoned from north of I10 any good?

And regarding HISD...how easy is it to get into another school? We're very close to Travis Elem but not zoned there. Would be REALLY nice if we get ours in there in a few years...

I wish I could afford a short commute but I'm lolpoor so I commute.

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And regarding HISD...how easy is it to get into another school? We're very close to Travis Elem but not zoned there. Would be REALLY nice if we get ours in there in a few years...

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You have to apply for transfers. The most common way is to show up at the school you wish to go, have a smile on your face & pledge to be a big volunteer; fill out the proper forms (for some reason, there are parents who fail to do this). Helps if your kid makes good grades and never is absent from school. The principal might see fit to bump you to the top of the waiting list....there usually are waiting lists for the popular schools. If you're applying for vanguard transfer, might help but will be a waiting list as well. If you apply other magnet transfers (e.g. arts, language), then it might also help. Use any angle you can....
Other less scrupulous options that I've heard about? Not totally cool, but people have done these: Rent a garage apt for cheap that is zoned to where you want to go and use the utility bill as proof you live there. I know some have used grandma's house address (if she lives zoned to where you want to go) to claim proof of being zoned there.

You actually can get that today.

Is there any value in getting involved with the school early (before kids are even of proper age)? That would be blatant ass kissing, of course...but it wouldn't be out of the question to avoid having to move...

there definitely is. go ahead and hang around the playground during recess and after school and try to get real friendly with the existing students.

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Is there any value in getting involved with the school early (before kids are even of proper age)? That would be blatant ass kissing, of course...but it wouldn't be out of the question to avoid having to move...

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up to you....claim you're moving to their zone in 6 months as an excuse to get involved. But the principal may see through your scheme and take you for the obvious ass-kisser you are!

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You actually can get that today.

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A quick search of HAR in zip code 77381 (which includes Cochran's Crossing) at $250k or less shows ONE house with 2104 sq ft for $243,900. There are another three with just over 2k sq ft (but less than 2100). The rest are all under 2000 sq ft. I personally wouldn't call any of them updated, but someone else might. But, it's misleading to tell the OP that he can get an updated 2200-2400 sq ft house in that area for under $250k.

Live near where you work, it's not worth your soul.

I'm basing my comment on a couple of recent closed transactions.

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The Fortune 500 / 100 / 5 , etc consists of only US companies.

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I like seeing my company on there so I use the global ratings they do, but I was just being a smartass more than anything

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EDIT: NMVD

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I'm basing my comment on a couple of recent closed transactions.

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IIRC, you are an agent, so you must have access to some super secret info. Because HAR shows 7 houses in that area that have sold within the last 6 months for $215-250k. One house was 2656 sq ft, and it was definitely NOT updated. In fact, the listing specifically said it was great for investors/contractors because it needed updates/repairs and was priced accordingly.

The other 6 were all between 1818 and 2098 sq ft.

I live in The Woodlands and work here. Even on a bad day my commute is only 25 minutes. There is NO WAY I would even consider the commute to/from downtown for what $250k or less currently gets you up here. I'm thankful everyday that I bought in early 2013...there is no way I could get anything even comparable to what I have now in today's market for the same price.

Not trying to argue, just trying to let the OP know what he would (potentially) be sacrificing with that move. As I understand it, there are plenty of other burbs where you can get a lot more for $250k and a comparable commute.

If you're going to live in/near The Woodlands, completely avoid any area that requires you to go through the 2978-Honea Egypt/1488 light. Had to go out that way yesterday around 5 and what a clusterf* that is.