so what do you think of The Heights neighborhood?

Where about in the heights?

Have you considered Bellaire or West U as well?

 

The Heights can be fantastic. However, it can depend on where you're at in life (do you have kids in school?), the area of the Heights that you're looking at, and of course, what's important to you in selecting a neighborhood. We lived off of 23rd and Yale before moving to Austin and really enjoyed it. We still have a number of friends that live in various spots in the Heights and not a single one of them would consider leaving. However, they all have their kids in private schools, and are okay with smaller-footprint houses, and the occasional property crime that occurs in the area.

What part of the Heights are you looking? What are the primary cross streets?

2cam

 

It all depends on the street you are looking at and if you have or are planning on having children. We lived at Harvard and 13th and loved it...until we had a child. We then moved to West U. You should look there as well.

 

For living in houston I'd consider your commute pretty strongly. I live in sugar land, mostly because my office is nearby and Its about the same drive to either airport. For the heights, if you work nearby I think the neighborhood would be a lot of fun! If it adds an e try hour to your commute much less so.

 

The Heights is actually one of the first "planned communities" of Houston.

Of course there is no Zoning per se anywhere in Houston.

It contains a lot of our surviving Victorian homes, from the original build and much of the newer homes mimic the style, if poorly.

Still, as noted there's a lot of poorer condition properties that are getting replaced daily.
The newer home lack yards, trees, even proper turning radius to get into your garage!

So, an older original property..probably "yes".
The newer 6 pack stacks, on the original plat...maybe not so much.

And the values have gone thru the roof, since the past 20 years.

I have watched one house on the western edge, go from $140K long ago, to $350K this year, and it is probably now a candidate to be torn down completely to yield the desired square footgae of the newer homes.

You ought to meet Jay Stoneburner.
He is quite the character and could help your decision.

 

My understanding is the reason it's called the heights is that is does not flood when the rest of the town does. At least back when they named it the heights. Maybe flood control has gotten better. So it's got that going for it.

We looked at it but there is only one elementary school that is ok, the rest, middle & high schools are private school rated.

 

I've lived in the Heights for almost 8 years and have never regretted the decision. It's a real community where you can get to know your neighbors and walk to places. There are bike trails through the neighborhood and connecting to downtown. And there are numerous parks sprinkled around. The location is great because you're close to downtown, Midtown, Memorial Park and the burgeoning East End. Plus, if you do need to commute to work, you're reverse commuting and going the opposite direction of traffic.

We previously lived in the Galleria area, but had to leave because the traffic got so bad. That's also starting to happen in West U, Bellaire, Upper Kirby and Montrose. For now traffic isn't bad in the Heights because we have good access to three freeways (45, 10 and 610).

And don't worry, you'll get all of the gentrification that you can handle. Your lifetime? It's happening on a daily basis with renovations, new housing and more upscale restaurants and retail going in all of the time. Property values have been rising for years with no slowdown due to the drop in oil prices. In fact, the prices/square foot (which can be slightly misleading because the houses are smaller by Houston standards) are past $350/ft2 with occasional spikes > $375/ft2 for really cool old houses.

When it comes to lack of zoning and neighborhood association rules, I consider that a huge plus. I just can't understand the mentality of living in these planned communities where all of the houses are the same colors, you're told how many and which kinds of trees you can plant, whether or not your kid can have a treehouse that's seen from the street? That kind of bland monotony would dull my senses to the point of suicide.

The thing to worry about for building or renovating is the Historical Commission. Areas in the Heights are historically protected on a block-by-block basis. So decide first whether you want to be in a protected area or not and then choose a location accordingly.

I would be careful about choosing a location as far south as 4th because of the I-10 freeway noise which is pretty much 24/7. It won't be bad if you're an inside person, but it will definitely interfere with a peaceful cocktail on your patio. Personally I prefer north of 11th Street and even closer to 19th and the old downtown shopping area where a lot of new restaurants are going in.

Lastly, don't believe all of the doom and gloom you hear about the low quality of the schools and the crime, it's not nearly as bad as people say. Those things may have been true 10 years ago, but not anymore. Do your own research, do not rely on anecdotal stories passed on from year to year and probably had their origin with those who needed justification for their own white flight.

 

Another plus, it's also not too far from Alara Garage where you can store your cars.

 

Summarized....the Heights is over priced and over hyped and over priced and over hyped, did I just stutter? There are shacks, and I mean houses that are just fire wood, that are going for $300-$500K. The yuppies who work in the energy industry and want to ride their $1K bikes to their office have been then downfall for the past 20+yrs.

Cynical....yes. Realist....indeed.

The bubble will eventually burst. Smart money would be an investment in acreage and lease the property out for farming while retaining the foliage and habitat. Heck one could also gain income from hunting (while retaining the aspect of culling and rejuvenation).

PS, Ross does this mean I might get a ride in your F40 for my 51st on Independence Day?

 

There isn't a bubble in the Heights. Is it over-priced for what you get? Depends on how you look at it. IMO, you're not buying a house as much as you're buying convenience and a lifestyle that promotes walkable, sustainable neighborhoods. That particular lifestyle is growing significantly in popularity across the country and can be best witnessed in the number of mixed-use developments that are being built across the U.S. including the Houston area. The Heights is the real thing and its prices are in line with other similar neighborhoods in other major cities. It does have its issues, but in balance it's a great place to live and I can't imagine the demand dropping significantly in the next 20 years given a number of demographic trends taking place both in Houston and overall in the U.S. Plus, given the demand for the area and the fixed supply of properties in the Heights, I think that the prices will maintain and continue to increase.

As for investing in acreage, that's probably a good idea as well. Just make sure you get the mineral and water rights along with it.

2cam

 

I do not agree with this at all. Certain parts of the heights are fantastic.

You seem to contradict yourself..... Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Ross is in the energy industry. So now you are begging a "yuppy in the energy industry" for a ride in his F40?

Absolutely no disrespect to you Ross as I am a "yuppy in the energy industry" that walks to work.

 

Ross, I think the heights is great. Especially with that particular area. I think it has a huge potential for increase in investment vs. the typical nice areas (memorial, west u, riveroaks, tanglewood, etc etc.)

 

I completely and utterly disagree with this as well. And I didn't stutter.

The Heights is an interesting, diverse (people and architecture), walkable, charming, really great area of Houston. Anywhere desirable inside the loop in Houston is getting much more dense, because many people don't want to sit in 1+ hour commutes each way to work just to have a larger house out in the far suburbs.

Many of the newer homes in the Heights are in the "classic Heights" style, more of a New Orleans/Southern style (forgive me, I'm not an architect), with the porches in the front on both stories. And, they are building them with environmentally friendly materials and methods such as reclaimed wood. (A few years ago, I looked at buying a house there, and I was very impressed by what the builders were doing.)

There are many areas of town that have been undergoing the same "transformation" as the Heights. Rice Military and the Washington corridor. All of the "Wards". EaDo. Yes, lots of high density townhomes, but that's how you meet demand.

Heck, even my own neighborhood of Bellaire (inside the loop) is having pretty much the last of the older bungalows/single story ranch homes torn down and replaced with modern homes. Sure, some of them are very "McMansion", but most are tastefully designed. I do like the charm of the older houses, but most of them were never meant to last 50+ years anyway.

And, finally, Houston never really saw a housing bubble like most of the country, either up or down. It's just been a steady upward trend, driven by the growth of Houston.

 

There's farmland in the Heights???
I think that's a high line easement, for the transmission lines.

Sorry I could not join you last night in your walkabout!
Onion Creek is right there in that area.

Although I end up at Hickory Hollow or Porch Swing Pub south of I10 to eat.

Value escalation for this part of Houston is pretty steady, at 8% a year.
Timbergrove (to the west) and Garden Oaks/Oak Forest (to the north past Loop 610 are exactly tthe same.

 

QFT!

I think the principals in this conversation are on the back side of "yuppie"...


I'd be killed, taking my bicycle OR the Ducati to the office!

 

Would you expect anything less.

 

Ha!

We still need to grab that beer!

 

Show more than one 8+ rated elementary school in the heights. When we looked two years ago there was just one. Anything less is private school territory with all the cost and transportation hassle. That is why the burbs explode around new schools.

 

Sorry ross, I'm not sure about it,but I think the heights have typically faired fine during storms like these.

I would add that to your list of things to look for, a topography map so you can see the highs and lows.

 

Yep..they are pulling flooded Audis out of the water so they don't damage the bridge pilings.

Darn yuppies......

That's why it's the Heights!

I went to work without even glancing across the street at the bayou.
the lady upstairs could see it.

She stayed home.