[bpang1234]

So I was applying for a job yesterday in Houston. They asked me what my salary requirements were so I went on the handy-'ol "Cost of Living Calculator" to compare Spokane to Houston. I was extremely surprised that the calculator only needed me to make about 9%-10% more in Houston than I do in Spokane...obviously I don't just want a lateral movement so I am expecting a significant raise on top of that.

So I went on Zillow and lo and behold, home prices are EXTREMELY REASONABLE in the neighborhoods that show good public schools (I found Katy, Pearland and Friendswood but I'm sure there are more).

Am I missing something? Is there some kind of high cost that I'm not finding from the two main comparisons I do (cost of living and home prices)?

I'm looking for this to be a long-term move for my daughter's sake since she is finishing up 2nd Grade I don't want to up-root her again while she is school-age. How's the quality of life for a late-30-something Single-Dad?

Any and all help / advice is highly appreciated.

[detltu]

Home prices are very reasonable. No state income tax in Texas as well.

Main issue is property taxes are very high I believe.

Traffic is a bear and there are quite a few toll roads but other than that it is a very reasonable place to live it seems. My dad lives in Kingswood and my in laws live in Katy. My company also has an office in Stafford Texas that I visit every once in a while.

[17txcamaross]

Live in Katy TX here. Great city. Lived here since I was 7 (less attending college).

My suggestion with Houston would be to find something close to your work. The commutes can be a killer. I live and work in Katy. My commute is 10-15 minutes each way during rush hour traffic. I feel for my friends and family that have to travel 1+ hours each way to work.

If you end up making the move then welcome to Houston and check out some of the car meets around the area.

If your here in time TX2K will be in Baytown. Tons of fast cars from american muscle, rice and exotics.

[mlee]

Originally Posted by 17txcamaross

Live in Katy TX here. Great city. Lived here since I was 7 (less attending college).

My suggestion with Houston would be to find something close to your work. The commutes can be a killer. I live and work in Katy. My commute is 10-15 minutes each way during rush hour traffic. I feel for my friends and family that have to travel 1+ hours each way to work.

If you end up making the move then welcome to Houston and check out some of the car meets around the area.

If your here in time TX2K will be in Baytown. Tons of fast cars from american muscle, rice and exotics.

^^^^ Good info here. 1st locate your work place and then your home. There are great areas North, South and West. I live North in The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe area. Lot's of our Camaro Club members live West in Katy and our club normally meets SouthWest in Sugarland.

Plenty of good places to live, but to answer your question the fee you're probably not figuring into your house is property tax. Since there is no state tax this is where you will pay for Schools, emergency services etc so you will find some places are higher than others and you should be able to get a general % number to add on. 4% is probably an average to add to your home price shopping.

Either way we love to have new Camaro enthusiasts down here and you will instantly have a large group of friends to help you out. Very kid friendly as well.

[bpang1234]

Thanks all!

My potential workplace is right across from Spotts Park.

1. Is the drive from the suburbs like Katy really a full hour each way? I do keep non-standard work hours (I'm a single-dad so I drop my daughter off to school and most schools don't let you do that until 8:30 AM so I get to work at 9:00 AM roughly and I leave work usually more like 5:30 PM or 6:00 PM)...would that help or is rush-hour reach pretty far?

2. My 67-year-old Mom moved from Hawaii to help me take care of my daughter...the problem is she has trouble with stairs, I'm seeing very few single-level places near my potential workplace and the ones I do find have pretty low graded schools. Any suggestions on where to look?

Right now, I am targeting Katy but of course I know VERY LITTLE about the rest of Houston. All I did was look for an area with good schools and "relatively" close to my potential employer. Any and all suggestions are highly appreciated.

Also, I love that there's a big car enthusiast presence there. Here in Spokane, there's a bunch of Subaru / Ricer people but they are all significantly younger than me. Then there is the domestic crowd but they seem to trend older. As such, I mainly hangout with the amateur racing crowd (autocross / track day people).

[mlee]

One thing for sure you're going to love the car scene here.

Now I see you are dead center. I10 can be a tough commute to Katy but there is the Westpark tollway to consider. My drive from Conroe is about 35 min in the morning with no traffic to downtown. Going him it's between 45 and 55 min to just North of The Woodlands. There is also the Hardy Toll rd going North that I take a lot as well.

I45 North is better than South. I10 has much better options toward Katy like you are exploring with lots to do, just like The Woodlands, but traffic is probably the worst that way.

And your right,,, inside the 610 loop you probably wont find a one story and it will be way more expensive too. They are building a lot of new homes along 99 (the grand parkway) which can be handy too.

[bpang1234]

Thanks!

Yeah I am totally fine paying for Toll Roads as long as they make the commute a lot easier.

I could buy one of those 3-story skinny houses in Rice Military but I'd have to get a chair lift or some kind of elevator installed. My Mom will kill my ass if she has to walk 3 stories all the time, she is legally handicapped.

[kttxz06]

The only 2 places worth living in is either Carlton Woods or Cinco Ranch. Every where else is a ghetto. Just saying.

[TheDocKlopek]

I moved down a couple years ago to Sugar Land, Texas from Northeast, Ohio. So far for the most part I really like it in Houston. It will take a little time for this place to grow on you but I do not regret making the move. I lived in Ohio for 30 years. As others have stated try and live as close to your job as possible. I have a 20 minute commute and no freeways involved so happy about that.

I have seen from a couple different sources that Sugar Land is one of if not thee fastest growing city in America? I do see construction all over and new developments popping up, but Sugar Land is a very nice city. Very clean and is a master planned city.

I would like to know where these meetups are though? I have not been to one yet but very interested if someone can share more info.

[mlee]

Originally Posted by TheDocKlopek

I would like to know where these meetups are though? I have not been to one yet but very interested if someone can share more info.

Here you go...http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104361

We also meet at Classic in Sugarland every 3rd Saturday at 4:30 and then cruise to dinner after. The forum and Facebook are very active around here and stuff gets posted every weekend. Come hang out with us anytime. No need to be a member.

[Bow Tie Affair]

Originally Posted by bpang1234

So I was applying for a job yesterday in Houston. They asked me what my salary requirements were so I went on the handy-'ol "Cost of Living Calculator" to compare Spokane to Houston. I was extremely surprised that the calculator only needed me to make about 9%-10% more in Houston than I do in Spokane...obviously I don't just want a lateral movement so I am expecting a significant raise on top of that.

So I went on Zillow and lo and behold, home prices are EXTREMELY REASONABLE in the neighborhoods that show good public schools (I found Katy, Pearland and Friendswood but I'm sure there are more).

Am I missing something? Is there some kind of high cost that I'm not finding from the two main comparisons I do (cost of living and home prices)?

I'm looking for this to be a long-term move for my daughter's sake since she is finishing up 2nd Grade I don't want to up-root her again while she is school-age. How's the quality of life for a late-30-something Single-Dad?

Any and all help / advice is highly appreciated.

Is there any chance your mother could home school your daughter. If so, this would save you a bunch of time and trouble.

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by Bow Tie Affair

Is there any chance your mother could home school your daughter. If so, this would save you a bunch of time and trouble.

Negative.

[cardog]

So the only place to live is Carlton Woods or Cinco Ranch? LOL. There are a lot of awesome places to live in the city. Only problem is that they are extremely expensive. The public schools in HISD are hit or miss. There are some really good ones though. Where you will be working is going to make things very tough to be honest. The commute from Katy can be an hour each way to be honest. Home prices are good out there, but some areas have crime and all the bad things you wouldn't expect to see in the suburbs. Houston is getting like that. Inside the city is very expensive, but getting really nice. The area around the Sam Houston tollway is hardcore hood. You have some very nice suburb areas, but they are not getting better. I grew up inner city Houston, bought a house in Pearland and moved back to the inner city (Garden oaks). I prefer inside the city.

You can still find good deals inside the city, but you have to be creative and have to buy in a transitional area. Good places to buy are Oak Forest West. Another good area is Spring Branch (but north of Long Point for value). Spring Branch ISD is very good. Some poor areas, but they are transitioning to more expensive housing. The area around spotts park is all multi floor condos on small pieces of land. Very expensive too.

If you insist on suburbs, my strong suggestion would be Kingwood, not Katy. Kingwood has the easiest commute by far. Very nice neighborhoods in Kingwood, which is a huge, master planned community.

[EDFHOBBIES]

Plenty of good places to live, Any of the good golf course neighborhoods Like he mentioned with the addition Golf Club of Houston, SugarCreek, tour 18, Royal Oaks, Champions.. there are Newer areas off of 99 and just north of 10 and west on 10 past Katy also some new homes going up near the golf club of houston.. though they tend to be spec homes vs custom might be a a way to stay 10 years and make money vs breaking even since they likely will raise in value more over a nice 30 years old home found in some of the old nice golf neighborhoods.

You will definitely Love the food.. Plenty of good fresh seafood, authentic mexican, Creole, Italian, Vietnamese, you name it!

Like Mike said the car scene is huge.. plenty of events, plenty of speed shops, A couple if race tracks..

I think the only downside is traffic and the violence... We came from Dallas and there may have been a shooting 1 time a week here its like 3 a day. The news is depressing here.. I'm sure its mostly in places you would not be in anyway..