TexasCHLforum.com

That area is evolving from rural to suburban. Only time will tell. Google it.

- Jim

Good. To each his own.

- Jim

The rules are not necessarily CLEARLY stated. They are frequently subjective, and the HOA board members interpret them capriciously.

BTW, I would not live in a place that has an HOA. I would rather have a little chaos than too much regulation, and that is exactly what I have.

- Jim

http://houstoncrimemaps.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is useful, but you have to look past the raw numbers. As a resident, crimes like shoplifting, wife-beating (a.k.a. domestic violence), and forgery are not going to affect you. You need to look mainly at robbery, burglary, and car theft.

Levels of these crimes will be higher in any area that has one or more large shopping centers, simply because wealth attracts thieves.

- Jim

Welcome to Texas, and good luck with everything.

We rented for two months when we moved to Galveston. It gave us time to shop carefully. The whole situation worked out well for us.

Look into PSC. It's not exactly a hop, skip, and jump from where you are living; but it is an excellent range run by great people.

- Jim

That, too.

- Jim

It's always a question of where to draw the line on property rights.

No one wants their neighbor to burn tires or raise pigs on a small lot in town, but how much power do you want an unelected zoning board to have?

- Jim

WildBill wrote:I had almost forgot about the lack of zoning laws. This was quite a shock to me when I moved to Houston and found that you could, literally, have a company build a chemical plant across the street from your house.

While this is true in principle, it doesn't happen in the better neighborhoods. Property values are too high to allow residences to be turned into a junk yard or concrete plant, and many parcels have deed restrictions.

The flip side of those master planned communities is that the homeowners association is sometimes run by people who would make soviet commissars blush with shame. They will land on you like a ton of bricks for painting your front door the wrong color or installing some prohibited item like a birdbath or sandbox.

- Jim

TLynnHughes wrote:I'd never sue you!

Thanks, but I meant the O.P., in case he moved to Braeswood and it turned out to be a pit. I just think it's a fascinating neighborhood.

If I wanted to live in Houston, I would want to live in Rice Village; but I would have to be several times richer than I am.

Jim

TLynnHughes wrote:No argument from me. It is a parking lot. Most of them are, but isn't it still closer than The Woodlands?

Sure, but I wasn't recommending The Woodlands.

I'm something of an urban pioneer myself, and that southeast neighborhood seems like a good opportunity. I could be wrong. Don't sue me.

- Jim

Venus Pax wrote:I've heard the Heights in Houston isn't too bad, but don't know from experience. I hear that area is pricey, but not sure how pricey.

The Heights have gone over the edge of yuppiedom and excessive prices. Years ago, actually.

- Jim

TLynnHughes wrote:Some areas of Pearland are quite nice and you can drive up 288.

Don't mean to be argumentative, but look at this map at 8 or 9 a.m. on a weekday. 288 is a parking lot.
http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/layers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

I don't live there, but along Braeswood east of 288 seems decent and close to where you will be working. This is a good time to buy a house.

You don't want a long commute in Houston (or probably anywhere).

- Jim