Ragoo said:
we are in the early stages, waiting on an internal offer to be presented and negotiated before accepting, but where should we be focusing our housing search? 32 y/o with 2 kids under 2. my wife would apply to the midland isd for teaching positions.
Just about every neighborhood is going to have 30somethings with kids. Grasslands is probably going to be your best commute option to Odessa. Woodland Park is a smaller, newer version of Grasslands, but a little longer commute to Odessa.
I don't think your wife is going to have any trouble finding a teaching job with MISD, but you'll probably want to send your kids to private school when they start Kindergarten unless MISD makes a serious turn for the better. There's lots of transient, blue collar labor here and most of their kids are in MISD schools. Kids can still get a good education in MISD if the parents are involved, but many are not.
I live in old Midland and work downtown, so I don't know what any commute times are for the neighborhoods outside the loop. I really like old Midland (I call it Cuthbert to Golf Course, A st. to Garfield) but you're going to pay up for that neighborhood compared to the newer neighborhoods. Another great, more established (read expensive) neighborhood is what I call Warwick (Golf Course to Neely, Garfield to I St.) There aren't any really bad neighborhoods north of the tracks and west of Big Spring Street though. These neighborhoods seem to hold their price or appreciate even in the bust cycles.
No idea what your price range is but I'd look at:
Old Midland
Warwick
Solomon Estates (1+ acre lots, $$$)
Woodland Park
Grasslands
Rock Point
Great House area
Los Patios area
The housing market is absolutely crazy here. Find a good Realtor. Seller typically pays all commissions in Midland. I've used Craig Aldredge and he's good for Old Midland and Warwick which are usually off market listings. I haven't used her, but DeLaura Gammage is supposedly good for the remainder of Midland. If you're looking for sub-$500K houses, I've heard they're under contract in less than a day if they're priced fairly. If you see a house you kind of like, be ready to make a full price offer.