Heights, Shady Acres, Sunset Heights, Montrose...bubble? (new house, buy)

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by EricFox11

Thanks! Yes I have pretty much the same strategy as you. Checking HAR every morning, during work, and before bed haha.

I am 24 so trying to stay around the downtown area. I also plan to rent out the other two rooms of the place for at least a couple of years. During these years I will pay a lot less for rent than I am now (as roommates will pay most of the expenses) and be building some equity in the house (albiet not much do to the zero down loan)

Have you set up alerts? You can use HAR's GIS tool and draw a polygon around the area(s) you are interested in, the max you'll pay, bedrooms, etc., then save it under a profile name. You can have several, and you will get email every morning anytime there is something new, or something changes, like price.

I used to drive around my lunch hour in the neighborhoods I was interested in; on weekends I'd go to Eastwood and around the Medical Center. I was not in a hurry, and I was always checking out homes, getting the flyers if available to guage the neighborhood, even if I was not interested, knowledge is your best negotiating tool.

All in all, about 3-4 years of waiting and searching! I got a great deal, one of those diamonds in the rough ones and by the time I am done with it, I'll easily be able to sell for nearly twice what I paid. At the pace of the current demand though, maybe even more. Be patient, but act fast.

[City Love]

Originally Posted by EricFox11

This question really caught my eye!

I am looking in the Rice Military/Washington Corridor/Heights area and am looking to spend up to $300K to live with myself and two roommates. Houses are FLYING off the shelves though. I had to set up to see today around 24th st and they are both in "Option Pending" status now. They were great homes.

I feel I am getting more and more desperate to buy (as I think it is a good time and the Houston market will continue to be stable with growing population and most of the population being in high paying jobs) and I keep raising my price range but things keep slipping out of my fingers...

It is very, very frustrating.

I think I know which ones you are talking about, I had those on my list as well to show a client. Definitely set up an alert system, or have your Realtor set one up through Fusion for immediate notification. Just be ready to act quick. You really have to make sure your agent is familiar with the area and fairly local to the area so they can make a same-day showing if necessary. If you or your agent drag their feet, then you could lose out on a home that you would of really liked. Don't be afraid to look at slightly overpriced homes either, because this will help you get a better feel for the appropriately priced homes and will help you make decisions easier.

Good luck! There will be more inventory come on the market, there always is!

[vegankris]

Originally Posted by cockermom

This wasn't your question but have you looked at Timber Grove? It's basically the same area as the Heights but not quite as expensive with some nice parks, trail and great neighbors.

I ride my bike through the Heights and Timber Grove often and I do not think they are at all alike. I like the Heights. Timber Grove on the other hand... gives me the creeps. It reminds me of some zombie apocolypse movie. Yuck.

[hougoblin]

Hey! Thanks for all of the thoughts, and the digression about coconut butter

We've looked a little bit at Timber Grove, but like the fact that there are a few more things (businesses, not just parks) that you can walk to in the Heights and Montrose. I'm working from home, so I'm extra needy on that front - otherwise, it does seem like a nice place for good value.

EricFox, good luck to us both! It is really fast-moving right now, so I guess we just have to stay on top of the listings (our realtor just got us set up on an e-mail every day of new listings, or like HooktheBrotherUp said, I think you can do that on your own with HAR).

I have to say, HAR's web and app tools are pretty great. They make the whole process a lot easier! I've seen far worse MLS listing browsers; their map and filtering tools are really handy.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by hougoblin

I have to say, HAR's web and app tools are pretty great. They make the whole process a lot easier! I've seen far worse MLS listing browsers; their map and filtering tools are really handy.

Maybe other cities have some nice tools, but I have not been able to find any that work like HAR; we are lucky to have it. I'm sure the exist, but some I have checked out often times give you all the information to get your interest, then want your complete information so they can contact you about it. I always hit the BACK button on those sites as I never give out information for free.

[City Love]

HAR.com is continuously voted as one of the best MLS system in the US!! We definitely have it good with HAR. Many cities rely on third party sites like Zillow, Homes.com, or Trulia. The bad thing about this is that search results are not always organic but rather pushed up based on the agents ability to buy advertising or not.

Stick with HAR everyone.

[EricFox11]

Hey guys, wanted to provide an update. Yes I have had all of the alerts through HAR set, and my realtor send me daily updates on the MLS system as well. My realtor is local and works his ass off for me. Always willing to move showings around if he can to fit me in.

Yesterday we went to see a few homes and one of them wasn't built yet. He asked if I was ready to push hard to get what I wanted at the price I wanted and I said yes. So we went to the company that owned the property that was building units on it and the first thing he said was we need $10,000 off the price of the front unit (single standing homes) to bring the price to $310K. They agreed. He then proceeded to get me all kinds of upgrades for free (wood floors in additional landings and the ENTIRE first floor wood, $4K in marble counter top upgrades) It was like watching art the way he negotiated this. They haven't laid slab on the property yet, but I think to get a brand new home, be able to pick out all of my stone, wood, cabinets, floors, etc it is SO worth the money. I've seen so many homes built between 2000-2005 for $300K or $310K, and this one is just so much better of a deal.

I guess the moral of the story is, look at new construction too

[EricFox11]

Originally Posted by coconutbutter

Sorry for the thread mini-hijack, but I had to answer. I LOVE coconut butter. I purchased some during my first Whole30, and my life was changed. Man, that stuff is beautiful. Fragrant. Blooms in your mouth. Truly the essence of coconut!

I'm probably going to stick to eating clean 80%-90% of the time after my second Whole30 ends on January 30.

Checked out the link, good info there. One thing I have found that helps me stick very strictly to the paleo diet is eating a little more fatty meats. At first I really only ate chicken...Now I eat a couple of steaks a week and a piece of fish or two. Really helps curb the cravings to cheat!

[coconutbutter]

Thanks for coming back with an update, Eric! I think a bit consideration towards buying a home is to keep an open mind and to explore all options. I initially was looking at condos, but my search evolved and dropped me into a nice small SFH. No regrets!

I did have problems with HAR when I was looking - even with alerts and status changes, I still wouldn't get them in my inbox, or I'd get them a day later. But being a HAR stalker, that was okay.

Anyway, I hope that home works out for you. Other people have posted about new constructions, so make sure you keep on the builders and also see where you can get the most savings. One complaint I've seen is that many builders offer 40K of upgrades, but with the markup of the upgrades, the 40K is spent in the blink of an eye.

RE: Whole30... It's day 18 for me, and I had a wonderful breakfast of eggs, BACON (but damn, sugar free bacon is hard to find...), homemade pico, 1/2 an avocado, and a clementine. Yum!

[EricFox11]

Originally Posted by coconutbutter

Thanks for coming back with an update, Eric! I think a bit consideration towards buying a home is to keep an open mind and to explore all options. I initially was looking at condos, but my search evolved and dropped me into a nice small SFH. No regrets!

I did have problems with HAR when I was looking - even with alerts and status changes, I still wouldn't get them in my inbox, or I'd get them a day later. But being a HAR stalker, that was okay.

Anyway, I hope that home works out for you. Other people have posted about new constructions, so make sure you keep on the builders and also see where you can get the most savings. One complaint I've seen is that many builders offer 40K of upgrades, but with the markup of the upgrades, the 40K is spent in the blink of an eye.

RE: Whole30... It's day 18 for me, and I had a wonderful breakfast of eggs, BACON (but damn, sugar free bacon is hard to find...), homemade pico, 1/2 an avocado, and a clementine. Yum!

Thats one nice paleo breakfast right there. I do not follow it to the T (meaning I buy regular bacon ha) but I will look into that. Avocado is a bigtime staple in my diet, love it.

As far as the home, the builder isn't really offering a set allotment for upgrades. The house already comes with wood, granite, moldings, etc that are very nice, so I don't think I need much on the side of upgrades. And for the price and in the market we are currently in, I think I am getting a good deal on a brand new home exactly how I want it.