I've been doing a fair bit of research on Woodforest - both on TexAgs and beyond.
Not a whole lot of current opinions that I can find. Is everyone out there THAT happy with the neighborhood???

I'm looking for opinions on building a house there. The wife seems pretty set on that area. (I would post a pic of her for everyone's benefit, but I suck at this.)
No, we're not concerned about distance from downtown either.

Opinions on the Woodforest neighborhood?
Yes, we have young kids. Montgomery vs Conroe schools?
What's the Forest Island pool area like?
Better off just adding a pool to the building plans? Looks like there are plenty of private pools already. (We have a pool now and really like it for our kids).
Opinions on Builders: Westin, Highland, Perry, Gracepoint, Empire... any thoughts on those?

#2 above!

Taxes are ridiculous in Woodforest. Like 3.2% as I recall.

MUD taxes alone add like another 1%

Conroe high school has a B rating. what makes it so crucial to avoid?

Is your wife aware that the Woodlands is nearby?

PeekingDuck said:

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Is your wife aware that the Woodlands is nearby?

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You can get a much newer and bigger house for your money in Woodforest. And I know people who've moved up there specifically to get their kids out of The Woodlands High School (but they opted to be zoned to Montgomery, not Conroe).

I'm not in Woodforest, but I'm close by. All the same builders are building all the same houses as what's in my neighborhood. Of the builders up there, I would opt for Highland or Darling. All of them have gradually started cutting corners since I bought my house 6 years ago, but are still charging the same price per square foot. If you're building from the ground up, you'll have the ability to pick nicer finishes and keep an eye on the process as opposed to buying a spec home. The spec homes in my 'hood have become embarrassingly cheap looking for the $150-$200/sq ft that the builders are charging.

Conroe? TAKE IT TO THE DALLAS BOARD!

I got in-laws in Montgomery county, really makes you think...

Commute? Not really an issue. I would have to decide if it's worth it to drive even further to Hobby for the satisfaction of flying Southwest, or just suck it up and become a United Airlines devotee again.
Most of my local customers that I occasionally visit are in Pasadena/DP/TX City and so on (southeast). Plus that's never a daily thing anyway.
What will suck is not being able to jump in an Uber and go wherever I want on the cheap.

I moved to Woodforest last year to get into MISD. I don't think CISD is worse, but they are overcrowded with no funding approved for new schools..( I think that is still true.)
I don't know if there are any lots available in MISD unless it's in the recently opened section.
WF water bill is out of sight and only one option for internet.
Welcome!

I moved to Woodforest last year to get into MISD. I don't think CISD is worse, but they are overcrowded with no funding approved for new schools..( I think that is still true.)
I don't know if there are any lots available in MISD unless it's in the recently opened section.
WF water bill is out of sight and only one option for internet.
Welcome!

Check out High Meadow Estates...I have a client that loves it out there. They may be ready to open up a new section.

We live in Woodforest, moved here in 2013. Doing it all over again, I don't know if I'd move here. As others have mentioned, the tax rate is high. We could pay off our house and still pay $1500/mo. The MISD schools are fantastic and is the biggest reason we haven't looked elsewhere. I commute down to I-10/BW8 on west side of town and if you leave early enough (i.e. before school traffic) I can be down there in just under an hour. The neighbors are great, lots of young families with young kids so it fits the bill for us. The HOA is still run by Johnson development and First Service Residential. I'd read through the HOA rules before you decide. We have a .5% fee due to the foundation when we sell our house, which is something I missed when we bought. I'm fairly certain the developer is using HOA funds to "beautify" the neighborhood so they can sell more houses.

Housing prices/ sq ft was really attractive when we moved in, however our house appraisal/tax value has gone up around $60K in the last few years. I'd love to get out to someplace else yet stay in MISD, except we love the house and neighbors, and I hate moving.

Took a trip up to Woodforest to visit a couple of weeks ago. It was midday though, so I can imagine what the traffic on 1488 looks like in the mornings and afternoons.

The neighborhoods seem great, though CISD is certainly the remaining option it seems. I don't know how much of a concern that should be. (???)

I looked at High Meadow Estates online. Maybe I'm finding the wrong information, but it seems like it's out of our price range. (<$500k). $600k and up is what I took away from High Meadow Estates.

Any flooding up in Woodforest today, particularly Fish Creek area/Central Pine St?

Nope!

RingOfive said:

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Username checks out.

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I feel like I've finally made it!

RingOfive said:

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Two bits of advice:

1. Stay away from the creek.
2. Absolutely make sure you're in the MISD part. If you're in the CISD part then you'll be zoned to Conroe High School. You don't want your kids going to Conroe High School.

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That creek is brutal. There's a reason all that swampy bottom land between 1488 & 2854 is the last be developed. If taxes are higher because of drainage improvements to stop flooding, then maybe that's a good trade off.

JSKolache said:

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RingOfive said:

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Two bits of advice:

1. Stay away from the creek.
2. Absolutely make sure you're in the MISD part. If you're in the CISD part then you'll be zoned to Conroe High School. You don't want your kids going to Conroe High School.

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That creek is brutal. There's a reason all that swampy bottom land between 1488 & 2854 is the last be developed. If taxes are higher because of drainage improvements to stop flooding, then maybe that's a good trade off.

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Agreed, while I can't confirm personally, I've heard from several residents living closest to it of a lawsuit against Johnson Development for what they call "convenient timing of the 100 year flood plan being modified" which allowed the houses to be built there, and which then flooded in Harvey.

Houses are now being built on higher ground/foundations.

TXTransplant said:

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PeekingDuck said:

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Is your wife aware that the Woodlands is nearby?

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You can get a much newer and bigger house for your money in Woodforest. And I know people who've moved up there specifically to get their kids out of The Woodlands High School (but they opted to be zoned to Montgomery, not Conroe).

I'm not in Woodforest, but I'm close by. All the same builders are building all the same houses as what's in my neighborhood. Of the builders up there, I would opt for Highland or Darling. All of them have gradually started cutting corners since I bought my house 6 years ago, but are still charging the same price per square foot. If you're building from the ground up, you'll have the ability to pick nicer finishes and keep an eye on the process as opposed to buying a spec home. The spec homes in my 'hood have become embarrassingly cheap looking for the $150-$200/sq ft that the builders are charging.

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Bigger house? Sure. But you pay more taxes and live in a worse area. I did the same thing in Spring (Auburn Lakes) before moving.

The only reason I see people leaving Woodlands HS is to help their class rank in a less competitive school.

Assuming out of pocket is the same, you can have a bigger house for the same money in Woodforest. As for a worse area, I don't think there is anything that points to that. Yes taxes are a .5% higher on average.

Regarding people leaving The Woodlands High School, I would agree. It's likely for less competition in school (scholastics or athletics) than education. TWHS is one of the top rated schools in the state.

Aggielax1 said:

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Assuming out of pocket is the same, you can have a bigger house for the same money in Woodforest. As for a worse area, I don't think there is anything that points to that. Yes taxes are a .5% higher on average.

Regarding people leaving The Woodlands High School, I would agree. It's likely for less competition in school (scholastics or athletics) than education. TWHS is one of the top rated schools in the state.

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Yes, the people I know who wanted their kids out of the Woodlands High School was for less competition (in sports, but it applies to academics as well). We wound up in Tomball ISD (just couldn't find anything suitable in the original part of The Woodlands when I was looking), and I'm glad my son doesn't attend a school with 4000+ kids, so I think just sheer size may be a factor as well (although, that is what causes the competition).

What about magnolia ISD? Seems to be a mixed bag there but looks to be a result of 2 things. Open enrollment and mandatory ESL classes which both affect test scores.

We are looking in a new development called magnolia reserve right off 149 and 1488

WelchAg said:

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What about magnolia ISD? Seems to be a mixed bag there but looks to be a result of 2 things. Open enrollment and mandatory ESL classes which both affect test scores.

We are looking in a new development called magnolia reserve right off 149 and 1488

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I'm sure there are other ways to look into the schools, but a simple way for me is to use the HAR app or go to www.har.com and search the houses in the area I want. The schools are rated in each listing based on the STAAR test scores and gives some other good info on each school (elementary, middle, and high schools)

We moved to Woodforest a few years ago. We wanted a neighborhood that was active and kid oriented, we're not disappointed. Forest Island is nice, but having your own pool is a better way to go. It's also the only pool amenity (2 pools) for 7500 people. Our kids go to MISD schools, that was on purpose.

I would look at living in the middle to northern part of the Woodforest. Not sure about the new developments behind Kinderwood that are a part of Deerborne Ridge... it's looks like higher elevation, but you're getting to the very back of the neighborhood.

There is commercial development going on at the north entrance with a few strip centers, convenient for restaurant, workout and grocery selection. On the downside, there is an apartment complex in the master development plan.

If you want an active neighborhood with more conveniences, Woodforest is a good option. If you want a smaller neighborhood and larger lots, look at Lake Windcrest, Crown Oak, or Grand Lake Estates.

Updated opinion on Woodforest (as well as Crown Oaks and Grand Lakes)? House prices are stupid compared to when this thread started, but trying to make a move this summer to MoCo schools.

HOA is a PITA. If you are particular on schools look up the zoning map and be mindful. Generally the stuff on Fish Creek Thoroughfare and closer to the golf course is Montgomery Lake Creek zoned, the back (east) of the development is Conroe.

We love it here. Lots of kids, active community, grocery store nearby is convenient. I commute to JFK/BW8 daily for work and drive is reasonable for the distance. Prices have gone crazy but would probably still buy here again if given the choice even with the increase in values since we originally purchased in 2020

We have friends in all 3 of Lake Windcrest, Woodforest, and Crown Oaks. It sounds like Woodforest and Crown Oaks have more of a neighborhood community than Lake Windcrest. The major complaint from friends in Lake Windcrest is the lack of kids around the age of their youngest (he's 11) and we rarely see kids riding bikes or even golf carts around the neighborhood and not even playing outside. Crown Oaks & Woodforest seem to have a lot more of that.

Agreed on Lake Windcrest. Lots there are huge. Nice to have a course to play that isn't stupid expensive (Woodforest GC initiation fee is up to like $30k). Overall good development IMO and would have no isssues living there.

My wife grew up in Lake Windcrest and her parents lived there until about 3 years ago. Growing up she had a lot of friends living in the neighborhood but think that has changed over last 10-15 years as values have increased, kids grew up and moved out, etc.

No experience personally with Crown Oaks but realtor SIL is not super high on it relative to some of the other developments in the area

Crown Oaks seems to be a little more "rednecks done good" IYKWIM. At least based on our friends there and their circle of neighborhood friends.