First timer Houston House Hunting! (The Woodlands, Spring: renting, first time home buyer, neighborhoods)

[odiego]

Hi there,

My wife and I are relocating to Houston from Chicago next Spring. We are escaping the cold, heading to one of the greatest cities in the US! We are both in our early 30's and working to start a family in the coming years, so we plan to stick around for a while, this is not a flip situation.

I've done a lot of reading on this forum (thank you all for the help), and we've decided it's time to stop renting the purchase a new home, we're planning on building from dirt.

As first time home buyers, I'm being very cautious with my budget as I don't want to be 'house poor'. We have a few questions about builders and locations. I've narrowed down to 3 builders and 4 neighborhoods. Our target budget is $215k with upgrades & options.

I created a Google Maps so you guys have an idea the area I'm looking at: http://goo.gl/8RE0AY

The builders are: Plantation, Brighton and CastleRock

Any feedback, suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Lbjen]

Do you have jobs to go to? No point in locking down a place to live if you end up getting a job that's going to mean a 2 hour drive.

[cheryjohns]

Brighton

[odiego]

Originally Posted by Lbjen

Do you have jobs to go to? No point in locking down a place to live if you end up getting a job that's going to mean a 2 hour drive.

I'm an IT consultant, so will be on the road a lot. The wife will be downtown.

[odiego]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

Brighton

Thanks!

[jojobeans2]

Have you visited these neighborhoods in person?

[odiego]

Originally Posted by jojobeans2

Have you visited these neighborhoods in person?

I've driven through several different areas around Spring (east & west of 45), Woodlands and Tomball. I'm open to suggestions though..I've heard great things about Cypress, but also horror stories about 290 traffic, at least until the construction is completed.

[cheryjohns]

Cypress to Downtown is a headache - don't do it.

Kingwood looks as far, but 59 moves, unlike 290. I would do Kingwood before The Woodlands because #1) prices escalating in The Woodlands, due to Exxon, which makes it hard on that budget and #2) I think 59 moves faster than 45 to Downtown.

[crono_clone]

The neighborhoods you marked on your map aren't too bad. The ones bordering the Woodlands are a little too closed-in for my taste, especially if you're commuting, since the nearest highway would have to be I-45. The neighborhoods closer to Hwy 249 are a little more bearable, but eventually they also merge into I-45.

[odiego]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

Cypress to Downtown is a headache - don't do it.

Kingwood looks as far, but 59 moves, unlike 290. I would do Kingwood before The Woodlands because #1) prices escalating in The Woodlands, due to Exxon, which makes it hard on that budget and #2) I think 59 moves faster than 45 to Downtown.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll be checking out a few places in and around Kingwood, I like all the tree lines streets (thanks Google StreetView!)