re: Best area of Houston/DFW starter home

Herschelwood

Hobby Airport

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I currently live in DC and am single. Affording property up here will take forever or living on beans. I’m from the south, ready to move back. Tired of these winters and real estate prices. Houston or DFW are appealing from a job market, climate, and affordability standpoint. I could get into a larger mortgage but see no reason to, a starter home is all I need.

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Once again we'd need to know where your job is.

If you don't have one yet and are moving without one I' suggest getting a small apartment in the loop. Then when you get a job you base where you buy on the location of the job.

You don't want to be in a situation where you buy a house in Cypress or Katy and then have your job in Pasadena.

If it is downtown you'd be able to live in Katy, Cypress, Woodlands, etc and take the park an ride.

But if your job was in the energy corridor off 10 then you could live in Katy or Cypress and commute pretty easily. In that case Kingwood, Woodlands, Deer Park would be out of the question. If your job around where Exxon is in North Houston then Kingwood, Woodlands, and Cypress would be options. If you were in SE Houston then Kemah, Deerpark, Sugarland would be your best options.

Where you buy in Houston needs to be heavily influenced with where your job is.

For instance my job is right at 99/45. I live in a master-planned community off 99 in Cypress. While my commute is about 20+ miles, the time is only about 20 minutes because I strictly use 99 to get to work which is 75 MPH and generally minimal traffic.

Pearland is not the most exciting place, but it has everything you need and fits your budget.

HAR.com bro

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I currently live in DC and am single. 

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You also might want to look into condos. Lots of young hot poon for neighbors.



Or you could get some retirees, inspect the crowd on the showing

For that price range, nice condo might be your best bet

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I was making a joke about the usual question and response these threads get 150-250 will be tough for anywhere close

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I can't imagine that you can get much in most big cities in this price range that's not in the ghetto.

That will usually put you in a cookie cutter suburb which isn't terrible for your first home but seems like it would be boring for a young single dude.

Within the loop, nothing in a remotely desirable neighborhood is going to be 3/2 for 150-200. I saw a listing for a house that 2/1 and less than 900 square feet and it was pending at 350K. It was Heights adjacent, so not even in the Heights proper.

I think the condos in complexes are the closest thing to 3/2 and in the Inner Loop and the cheapest of those will be 300K. You will see those all over the place, especially in Montrose and Rice Military. There are far more that are 400-600K though, although those have a lot of square footage, sometimes 2500+.

Houston has a reputation for being cheap, but much of that reputation is because homes in Katy, Sugar Land, Cypress, Pearland, etc are 4/3, new, and under 350K while often being close to 3000 square feet. However, if you are working downtown or at the Galleria, or that area close to downtown on Allen Parkway with the AIG Building, or in Upper Kirby, all of those are going to be 35-40 minutes minimum in normal hours, and often 50+. If you have a high tolerance for traffic, then it might be worth it.

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OP: you aren't going to be able to get anything within an hour of the city in commute time for 250 unless you buy something that needs a TON of work.

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my coworkers home (that i've been to and doesnt need an ounce of work) is in carrollton. It's 3 bed/ 2 bath and was appraised for 240k last week.

Bushwick Bill just died...go squat in his old pad. It'll be fine.