SE Texas property

[LOL!]

OK, I live in the neighborhood, so I have to comment.

First, anywhere SE of Houston is not prime real estate. The area is where most of the chemical and petroleum plants are. They explode from time to time and smell bad all the time.

Katy is now a suburb of Houston. It is not prime real estate either. There is no compelling reason to live in Katy unless Grandma lives further out in say Bellville or LaGrange. It is sprawling non-descript low-paying jobs cheap housing strip shopping centers hot humid blech!

Home prices in the suburbs of Houston have gone up about 2% a year for the last 10 years. That is, they have not even come close to matching inflation. There are no good investment opportunities in the area.

Since Galveston was mentioned, I have to comment on that as well. We never go to the beach in Galveston. The beach is across Seawall Blvd and jammed down below the sea wall and jetties.

OTOH, south Texas beaches have the best sand-castle building sand in the world. The fine grain, little bit of silt, as well as the mixed in tar and oil make this sand stick together, so tall structures are easily built.

As I type this, I am on vacation at a south texas beach. Gotta go work on my sand castle now. If you want photos, I'll post them later.

[JPatrick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo! Don't you mean "demented Herefords"?*

Thank you for that expert testimony.* There is a little Aggie in you afterall. 8)

[Sam]

Guys, stop bashing Texas.* It's not perfect, but it's my home!

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Guys, stop bashing Texas. It's not perfect, but it's my home!

...thanks for the set-up....

It's my home too, and I want everyone to know that anyone who thinks of moving here should first consider the scorpions, rattlesnakes, mosquitoes, fire ants, wild hogs, rabid skunks, opressive heat & humidity, bleak desolate scenery, dirty beaches, polluted air, frequent tornadoes & hailstorms, recurring floods, wildfires, water shortages, rednecks, unbelievably high property taxes, and lack of real estate appreciation before packing the moving van. (And it's a red state...)

Take a hint from JPatrick, who couldn't wait to get the heck out of here.

[Mwsinron]

Yes dont forget about the wild fierce Texas mule deer.... For you great hunters out there...lol

[AltaRed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam I like swimming in crystal clear blue water, and such thing does not exist anywhere in Texas.* Everything is murky.

Saw lots of real nice blue water from about Corpus down to South Padre every time I was down there. The current bringing sediment west from the Mississippi delta doesn't go down as far as Corpus.

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AltaRed Saw lots of real nice blue water from about Corpus down to South Padre every time I was down there. The current bringing sediment west from the Mississippi delta doesn't go down as far as Corpus.

AltaRed,

You're right.* From Corpus Christi down, it does get a litte better.* I was in South Padre island a few times, and it's good.* But it's all relative, and relative to "crystal clear blue", it's not quite there yet.

[Mwsinron]

"Home prices in the suburbs of Houston have gone up about 2% a year for the last 10 years. That is, they have not even come close to matching inflation. There are no good investment opportunities in the area."

thanks LOL for your input. Do you have anything backing that up? Or is that something you have come across in your own home value?

[eridanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mwsinron thanks LOL for your input. Do you have anything backing that up? Or is that something you have come across in your own home value?

http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/19/real...price_declines

"Counting inflation, the average Houston home, which cost just $159,700 in 2004, is actually worth less now than it was 22 years ago."

Ouch.

[Mwsinron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eridanus http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/19/real...price_declines "Counting inflation, the average Houston home, which cost just $159,700 in 2004, is actually worth less now than it was 22 years ago." Ouch.

Thanks, looks like good property to retire too but dont think about investing in it. Appreciate the respone.

[LOL!]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mwsinron "Home prices in the suburbs of Houston have gone up about 2% .... thanks LOL for your input. Do you have anything backing that up? Or is that something you have come across in your own home value?

Thanks for the link eridanus. I had not read that before, but I guess I didn't have to because we have lived it.

In my neck of the woods, there have been some home listings where the asking price is identical to the sales price of six years ago. Also, each year the Houston Chronicle newspaper publishes a section on the value of homes based on actual sales price all broken down by neighborhood. It is not a pretty sight. But home prices spike up a little each time a few Californians move in during nice weather in October or March and forget that this is Texas, so they overpay.

Overall, not a bad place to retire since the area is quite cheap ... it may be cheaper living here than in Mexico.