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Braeburn/Maplewood Areas - Buying

11,339 Views | 119 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Diggity
Mose Schrute
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We are currently looking to buy our first home in the Braeburn/Maplewood area and would love to know the Tine boards thoughts on buying and living in the area.

Saw a couple posters mention they lived in this area on the blue angels thread and thought I'd ask

Specifically interested in flooding experiences, what the hood is like, etc. Any thoughts appreciated!
Jackal99
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I live in Maplewood. I grew up in the neighborhood, and we found a good house that we bought from some family friends (knew the history of it, etc). We love the area. There's a great pool and park, and Parker is a pretty good school (there will be haters, of course, but whatev). We have a first-grader who's done really well there, and love the music program.

That said, our house did flood in Harvey, about six months after we moved into it. It was the first time ever that the water got high enough on our street to flood houses. The street on the north side of us (closer to the bayou) has flooded a few times, the street to the south of us (further from the bayou) flooded a little in Harvey but not much, and streets south of that seemed to stay flood-free. So it really just depends, I guess. If we flood again, we'll likely elevate rather than leave the area, unless it's just awful.

Happy to give more info, and feel free to PM if you'd like.
Mose Schrute
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Thanks for the info. From looking at houses it looks like there are pockets that did and didn't flood, some just got lucky.

The neighborhood seems fairly quiet, but entering through Bissonnet isn't the most appealing. Have you noticed/experienced crime? Not something I'm terribly concerned with, other than that the neighborhood seems great from the surface.

May PM you in the future, thanks!
Jackal99
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Mose Schrute said:

Thanks for the info. From looking at houses it looks like there are pockets that did and didn't flood, some just got lucky.

The neighborhood seems fairly quiet, but entering through Bissonnet isn't the most appealing. Have you noticed/experienced crime? Not something I'm terribly concerned with, other than that the neighborhood seems great from the surface.

May PM you in the future, thanks!
I'm near Hillcroft/South Braeswood, so a bit further than the Bissonnet area. It's a pretty quiet area, and I've seen it go from more-older people when I was little to more families with young kids now. Not a lot of crime in our neighborhood. There were some prowlers a few months back that were breaking into cars parked outside overnight, but they caught them fairly quickly. We have a contract with the constables, so there's an almost-constant presence around.

If you like variety, within walking distance there is...an iconic Jewish bagel shop, a pretty good Chinese place, a Russian general store, and Vietnamese-owned donut shop and liquor store (not by the same people, that could be weird).
Diggity
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I would look at Westbury as well. Similar houses but less flood prone.
Mose Schrute
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Good to know. I've looked around a bit, but haven't toured any houses. Will be looking at more houses in Braeburn this weekend and may have to drive thru Westbury to look around.


ETA - wrong emoji :/
KDubAg
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We just moved into the Braeburn Valley neighborhood before Thanksgiving. Wife and I lived in the general area for the past 13 years and now in Braeburn Valley. Wife grew up in Braeburn Acres. There are some nice pockets here and a few Aggies on my street. We had been eyeing this area for years. What I like the most are the cul de sacs (less traffic).

There are some areas in Braeburn that flooded especially around Braeburn Country Club.

As far as the hood goes, we have been navigating it without any problems for years. But it is Houston. We normally come down Bissonnet/Gessner and or Fondren from 59. From 610, we'll go down Braeswood to the neighborhood.

If you need some help with house hunting over here, let me know.
DantheAggie
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I have a house I'm about to put on the market in Marilyn estates, just south of the jcc (phenomenal facility with gym, pool, lecture series, great daycare center,and awesome summer camp for kids). The wife and I bought the house in 2007. Great neighborhood, easy to get on 610 either way, bike trails on the bayou, etc. Our house did not flood in any of the recent Houston floods. PM if you need more info.
aTm_bomb
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Lived in westbury since 2013 right by Parker elementary. the neighborhood didn't flood during the memorial day, tax day or Harvey events. Seems like the area boxed in by Willowbend, w. Belfort, hillcroft and chimney rock is slightly higher than some of the other areas. Crime has been minimal and easy to get to most anywhere we need to be.

New Parker building is super nice and hoping the middle school gets a similar treatment in the next few years..

Now if we can get some dang restaurants around here...
Diggity
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Definitely a weak spot. I've just resigned myself to driving elsewhere for food.
TexAg2001
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I guess I never realized how many posters lived around here. We bought in Maplewood South about 9 months before Harvey. Water came up the yard some, but we were high and dry. We are South of Braeswood and just West of Hillcroft, near St Thomas More. No homes in my pocket of Maplewood flooded.

We love the neighborhood. Good mix of young and old, quiet, very friendly. The constables have a strong presence in the neighborhood, which adds to a feeling of security.

Maybe you aren't as picky as us, but It took us about 2 years to find our house. We were looking for a renovated home. Most of the homes were built in the 1960's and look fairly similar from the outside, but the level/type of renovations vary greatly in terms of quality and style. At the time we bought, there were a lot of flippers in the area doing really quick renovations that made the homes look amazing, but did nothing to address the aging plumbing, electrical, foundations, windows, etc. For us, finding a home that was renovated by the homeowner was key since they tended to address those potential issues.
jaggiemaggie
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Another vote for Westbury. We live just a few houses from Diggity and really like the area. Noticing that there are a lot more young families moving in. Going on our daily walks, we've met at least 8 families that either have a kindergartener or a first grader going to Parker next wall
TexAg2001
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Diggity said:

Definitely a weak spot. I've just resigned myself to driving elsewhere for food.
Concur. We have a few great options in Maplewood/Meyerland/Bellaire, such as NY Bagels, Saltillo, 401, and a few others. Luckily, it's usually a quick drive to other parts of Houston with great food options.
Diggity
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yeah, it's really not that big of a deal because Bellaire has stepped up quite a bit lately, along with Rice Village and the Galleria area. What I like about Westbury is that you're about 15-20 minutes from nearly everything when it's not rush hour. The only hassle is trying to get north to 1-10.
Mose Schrute
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Appreciate the replies! The more we look in the area, the more we like it, and your comments are encouraging.

Might need to expand our search to Westbury as well.

Thanks!
aTm_bomb
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Diggity said:

yeah, it's really not that big of a deal because Bellaire has stepped up quite a bit lately, along with Rice Village and the Galleria area. What I like about Westbury is that you're about 15-20 minutes from nearly everything when it's not rush hour. The only hassle is trying to get north to 1-10.


In 5-10 years, that'll be fixed too!

I would love to see the food truck park be successful but I'm not holding my breath...
Diggity
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Yeah, me neither.

jh0400
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I don't see how that food truck park will ever do anything. Outside of the farmers market on Saturdays there is no reason to go to that shopping center.
Diggity
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you don't like a poorly run Subway (is that redundant?) and mediocre BBQ?
TexAg2001
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jh0400 said:

I don't see how that food truck park will ever do anything. Outside of the farmers market on Saturdays there is no reason to go to that shopping center.
The farmer's market is pretty good and I'm glad it happens every weekend. It's good to see something happening in that shopping center.

Due to flooding concerns, I doubt the old HEB space will ever be occupied by another anchor tenant. I know people would love to see a Trader Joe's (or similar) go there, but the old Belden's space on the other side of the Bayou is probably better suited for that.
Diggity
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I would agree. Not sure what the heck Brixmor is going to do with that land
TexAg2001
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Mose Schrute said:

Appreciate the replies! The more we look in the area, the more we like it, and your comments are encouraging.

Might need to expand our search to Westbury as well.

Thanks!
I know a great realtor who has lived & worked in the area for 30+ years. If you don't have a realtor and are interested in talking to her let me know and I'll send you her contact info. Real estate seems to be moving a little slower these days, but for a long time, the most desirable homes were "sold" before they ever hit the market and it was important to know a realtor in the area who had their ear to the ground.
aTm_bomb
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My big idea was turn that HEB into a food hall. Have permanent local places along the walls with seating in the middle. People like the Pad Thai couple from the farmers market who make stuff fresh

It'll never happen but that seems to me to be the ideal usage of all that space.
Silky Johnston
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The guy that runs the farmers market and food truck park seems a little kooky. I try to hit up whatever food truck is there, but he doesn't do a great job of posting information and I don't drive by there regularly.

Keep spending money at Watershed and maybe we'll start to see more restaurants.
Diggity
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yeah, he's got kids at Kolter and the teachers hate him.

He also likes to start fights online with his customers.
Jackal99
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Yeah, he's a little ***** on NextDoor. I give him credit for the market, I didn't think it would last. But the food truck park, I figured that was a bad idea from the beginning. He obviously started it with little planning. With a little more work, he could have had it in great shape before even getting a truck in. I sort of feel bad for him, but he seems pompous and full of himself, so **** it.
Diggity
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I always laugh when I'm stuck at that light and get to see what new piece of secondhand material he's lugged over there for the food truck park.
jh0400
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Silky Johnston said:

The guy that runs the farmers market and food truck park seems a little kooky. I try to hit up whatever food truck is there, but he doesn't do a great job of posting information and I don't drive by there regularly.

Keep spending money at Watershed and maybe we'll start to see more restaurants.


I had to Google Watershed. I didn't even realize it was there.
Jackal99
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Try it. Watershed is pretty good.
TexAg2001
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Jackal99 said:

Try it. Watershed is pretty good.
Watershed's owner's live on my block. Great people. They are sincerely grateful for the suppport they've received.
AgLiving06
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Watershed is good.

I don't like their pretzel bites (not really a pretzel bite imo).

Their different sausages are legit.

My wife likes their burgers.
aTm_bomb
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I haven't been but its on my list. The Catch I have heard mixed reviews...
AgLiving06
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I've had the Crawfish Poboy and it's good. The biggest downside is how slow they are.

Another option is Calliopes at Belfort and Fondren. Great poboys and cajun food. Don't get their boiled crawfish though, they boil it in oil.
Silky Johnston
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Watershed needs better signage visible from Post Oak.
Charismatic Megafauna
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Y'all been to tapesters?

I'm in park west, previously in westbury on willowbend almost right across from Parker since 2011, suspect I've met a couple of y'all at or walking to the park with my 2 boys
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