Houston Suburb home prices

Don't know if this is necessarily related, but Houston is the largest city in the United States without formal zoning regulations.

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so the property taxes negate the private school savings ?

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how much is private school?
also, no state income tax in texas.

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what does the prop tax look like on a $200k home ?

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$3600 or so i think

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Why are they so cheap ? Have they always been this cheap ?

or is Baton Rouge just that expensive ?

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Are they significantly cheaper than the Baton Rouge suburbs (i.e. Denham Springs, Gonzales, Zachary, etc.)?

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2.5% tax rate - 20% of home value with homestead exemption.

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well there ya go

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Texas property taxes are so high, no one could afford an expensive home


Even with the money they are "saving" by not having a state income tax?

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I ran the numbers a while back. Assuming similar incomes and house (size and amenities, not price), the state income taxes you pay in LA roughly equal the increase in property taxes you pay in Houston.

So your private school savings in Texas goes in your pocket.

And yes, Houston suburbs are cheaper than comparable BR suburbs.

The Woodlands isn't exactly "just outside of Houston" either. From downtown its about 30 miles (using google maps). Never driven into the city down 45, but given the clusterfrick that occurs at 45/I-10 and that being one of the older/narrow interstates in the city, I can't imagine its pleasant either.

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If this was the case, why do many people I talk to that live in the Houston area think The Woodlands is so expensive?

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I got a great deal. I could probably get ths same house for about 75 outside of the woodlands or less for a slightly older home.

I work on the north side of town so the commute is only about 30 minutes. 15 minutes to get to the interstate, 15 minutes down the interstate if traffic is reasonable. Can easily go to 45 minutes total during jams.

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I ran the numbers a while back. Assuming similar incomes and house (size and amenities, not price), the state income taxes you pay in LA roughly equal the increase in property taxes you pay in Houston.

So your private school savings in Texas goes in your pocket.

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This is what I always assumed. It gets annoying hearing complaints about the property taxes in TX.

Many of the production builders throw together pretty crappy houses in some areas....like the far eastern suburbs, for example.

Prices are still very good there even for higher end homes.

My brother bought a beautiful place at one of the nicer parts of Fall Creek (north side) for a steal. There are great deals out there, and plenty of inventory.

Property taxes are very high, and commute times are terrible....but there is a good selection and a strong economy.

Houston seems to embrace sprawl and has a near-endless supply of flat land to develop. New highways are constantly built.