Northwest Houston - pros and cons? (The Woodlands, Spring: real estate, apartments, foreclosure)

[rlmans]

We're moving to Houston from the Midwest. After some initial searching, we have been looking at homes in the northwest part of Houston (Spring, Champions area, etc.). Currently, we both work from home but that could change over time and one or both of us may have a commute to work downtown or some other area in future. We have a large family including older teens and a mother in law living with us so a large home is important. We also want an area that is safe and has good resale prospects. What do you think of the area? Why is the real estate there cheaper than in other areas of Houston (e.g. Katy)? Should we look somewhere else instead? Thanks for your insights.

[Lost_In_Translation]

I can't predict the future of Spring-Klein, but in my opinion currently its a wonderful family area which some of the best deals for large houses in Houston. The downside which might be driving that affordability is that it is the farthest suburb away in terms of commutes (1hour+ to downtown/galleria/med center/etc). However, the Klein school district is top notch and the nieghborhoods are wonderful and affordable.

[fnh]

Places like Katy and The Woodlands are attractive because of their affordable and family-friendly newer planned communities, good schools, and direct freeway/HOV access to the city center. There is just no easy way from the Champions area to downtown, limiting its attractiveness. Also, the 1960 corridor is very crowded and unattractive, and the Klein district is not held in as high regard, justly or not. I know several people who have left Klein for Tomball schools - even further from downtown but with easier access to the city via Tomball Pkwy/Sam Houston/insert freeway here.

We live in Northwest Houston (inside beltway off 290, not as far as Champions) and are very happy here. I love the trees!

[Cabot]

Originally Posted by fnh

Places like Katy and The Woodlands are attractive because of their affordable and family-friendly newer planned communities, good schools, and direct freeway/HOV access to the city center. There is just no easy way from the Champions area to downtown, limiting its attractiveness. Also, the 1960 corridor is very crowded and unattractive, and the Klein district is not held in as high regard, justly or not. I know several people who have left Klein for Tomball schools - even further from downtown but with easier access to the city via Tomball Pkwy/Sam Houston/insert freeway here.

We live in Northwest Houston (inside beltway off 290, not as far as Champions) and are very happy here. I love the trees!

Don't agree with all of this. It depends which part of 1960 you are talking about. The Kuykendahl area, sure, but there is nothing wrong at all with the Champions area. Traffic on 1960 can sometimes be a problem (we are in Houston so it goes with the territory) but you soon learn other routes which misses it without any trouble and does not take you out of your way. It is easy to get to 249 from here (my husband does it every day) and to the beltway. One of the reasons we moved here (Huntwick) was because of the convenience, value for money in a very nice established neighborhood (larger houses, lots of trees) and shopping. We are very happy here. I don't have school-age children anymore and my son did go to Tomball but I have always heard Klein is one of the top rated school districts in Harris County.

[crone]

I have lived in Champions for 12 years. Also lived in Ponderosa. We walk our dogs at midnight with no fears.
1960 has never been attractive. There will soon be landscaping in the medians. Neither was Westheimer or many other streets in Houston.
Freeways were designed to move traffic and for retail. There are not hidden away as in many states. The feeder streets to the freeway, i.e 1960 are retail. Next to them are apartments, townhouses, then single family.
The northwest area is changing. Some of the school district have had to go from farming, to bedroom communities to urban in 10 years. Some did it better than others. Klein has one high school, Klein that is still where Wally and Beaver go. The other three are changing daily. My little red headed neighbor will go to Klein Forest next year. She will be in a 10% minority of wasps, and loving it. Depends on your families needs. Her daddy's job, EOM sends them all over. She can get along with everybody.
The houses are cheaper due to schools and ease of transportation. DH worked in Bellaire. It took him about an hour to get there. His boss lived in The Woodlands. It took her 45 minutes after she got to the tollroad, which she finally confessed, took another 45 minutes.
We are trying to downsize. I would buy in Ponderosa or Greenwood or Huntwick in a NY minute.

[cheryjohns]

Use 249 to get downtown and it will be fine. For some reason, people try to take I-45 or 290 downtown. I am not sure if their map omitted 249 or not.

Homes are fantastic for the price. Huge and surrounded with trees. There is nothing wrong with Klein.

Cinco Ranch in Katy spends tons of money marketing itself. That's why people hit town thinking about it before they even see Houston. How are individual subdivisions elsewhere going to compete against that?

[Lost_In_Translation]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

Use 249 to get downtown and it will be fine. For some reason, people try to take I-45 or 290 downtown. I am not sure if their map omitted 249 or not.

Homes are fantastic for the price. Huge and surrounded with trees. There is nothing wrong with Klein.

Cinco Ranch in Katy spends tons of money marketing itself. That's why people hit town thinking about it before they even see Houston. How are individual subdivisions elsewhere going to compete against that?

249 becomes a regular major road inside of the beltway and joins up with I-45 north of the shepard bend (where all the worst traffic is on I-45 aside from the 610 interchange). I used to use it when I worked at an office at the corner of 290/610 and take side roads into work, which was just fine, but there's no easy way to get downtown using 249. The only thing you avoid with it is the Greenspoint area and frankly the congestion there isn't nearly what the shephard bend is. You could veer off from 249 onto W. Montgomery, but there's more stoplights that way and not timed for traffic AFAIK.

Edit: I should clarify that if you live closer to 249 than I-45, its a nice shortcut to the beltway, but then you have to decide between 290 or I-45 for the direct shot into town or put up with alot of stoplights which may or may not be faster.

[crone]

Another neighbor who works at 610 and 59 just uses International Alley to Shepard to Kirby. It is better than nuts on the freeway.
Champions Forest to North Houston Rosslyn to Beltway 8 takes 12 minutes from my house. Most inmates up here stay away from Willowbrook by using Cypresswood to Mills to go west on 1960.
TC Jester goes over the creek now, and the underpass at Kuykendahl moves traffic much better. If the state ever gets any money there will be an underpass at Stuebner and 1960.

[modster]

For those that know that area, how is Greenwood Forest holding up out there? When I was growing up out there Champion Forest wasn't open yet and Greenwood was one of the "it" places, but now it seems the prices have really stagnated compared with Champions, Huntwick, Champion Forest and Memorial Northwest.

It has that small "estate section" on Champion Forest. I recently saw one of the biggest houses, around 8,000 sq ft and cornering on Champion Forest and Theall, sell as a foreclosure in the mid $200's. That seemed kind of sad to me that a house like that would only fetch that kind of money. Of course it needed a lot of work.

[saggysock]

[SIZE=3]Personally I like it a little further west (cyfair ISD). Commute was on my list of things to consider when buying but in the end it wasn’t as important as the neighborhood, $/sqft and schools. [/SIZE]