Where are the people coming from

[Breedlove]

Last weekend DW and I were hitting the backroads in the Mustang. We see these signs ( Texas Grand Ranch ) . We decided to check it out , only about 10 miles from our house . This a new development between Huntsville Texas and The Woodlands Texas . One acre of land 59,999 must buy 2 on the billboard. We stop to see Uhhh we are sold out of the 59,999 land you have to buy 99,999 , and you must buy 2 acres. Ok call me crazy this is 40 miles from Houston in the woods but they have sold nearly 2000 acres so far . ( or they say ) So I figure 2 acres of land 200K plus your house , must be 2500sf (110.00 sf ) Quickly these are million dollar homes in the woods . Where are these people coming from to live in the woods at this price . Oh by the way they did say that RTE 45 is going to be improved to six lanes from Houston to Huntsville .

 

[REWahoo]

My first reaction to the thread title was,"We really need to do a better job of sex education in our public schools."

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

It's pretty simple, actually... and they won't "be out in the woods" for long!

This rapid growth increase was mainly caused by a decreasing death rate (more rapidly than birth rate), and particularly an increase in average human age. By 2000 the population counted 6 billion heads, however, population growth (doubling time) started to decline after 1965 because of decreasing birth rates.

My first reaction to the thread title was,"We really need to do a better job of sex education in our public schools."

Birthrates have actually decreased, so this isn't the primary reason.

 

[COZICAN]

45 year mortgages w/ low down pmt

 

[Teacher Terry]

California retirees?

 

[aja8888]

California retirees?

More like evacuees rather than retirees.

Breedlove, I am in The Woodlands and there are 15,000 new homes on the books for this area in the next 5 years (Willis, south of 242 and east of I-45). Every piece of ground here is being paved over.

Edit: I didn't mention what's going in in Magnolia which is nuts.

 

[NW-Bound]

The OP asks "Where are the people coming from".

This reminds me of the song Eleanor Rigby.

Ah, look at all the lonely people
...
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?​

Sorry for the sidetrack.

 

[travelover]

...........
Birthrates have actually decreased, so this isn't the primary reason.

I think you missed the joke.

 

[Another Reader]

Californians pushed out by foreign buyers with fistfuls of cash. Take the money and run!

 

[aja8888]

Heck, it's getting so crowded here in Texas I believe we will move to Florida!

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I think you missed the joke.

I did, not realizing what the OP had titled the thread. Some days I am slower than others...

 

[W2R]

More like evacuees rather than retirees.

Breedlove, I am in The Woodlands and there are 15,000 new homes on the books for this area in the next 5 years (Willis, south of 242 and east of I-45). Every piece of ground here is being paved over.

Edit: I didn't mention what's going in in Magnolia which is nuts.

Magnolia? You gotta be kidding me! OK, I haven't seen Magnolia since before I moved to Louisiana in 1996, but still. At that time it was out in the middle of nowhere and it was far from a hotbed of new construction (to put it politely). I just can't even imagine.

The things we learn on the ER Forum! I guess I should go look at Magnolia on Google Streetview, and get up to date in my perception of it.

 

[aja8888]

Magnolia? You gotta be kidding me! OK, I haven't seen Magnolia since before I moved to Louisiana in 1996, but still. At that time it was out in the middle of nowhere and it was far from a hotbed of new construction (to put it politely). I just can't even imagine.

The things we learn on the ER Forum! I guess I should go look at Magnolia on Google Streetview, and get up to date in my perception of it.

5 year old growth report on Magnolia:

https://myrealestateexpert.com/magnolia-texas-expanding/

Predicts population goes from 1,500 to 50,000 in ten years.

 

[marko]

Californians pushed out by foreign buyers with fistfuls of cash.

And taxes.
Seems half of NY, CT and NJ is moving to FL for that reason.

 

[AnonEMouse]

And taxes.
Seems half of NY, CT and NJ is moving to FL for that reason.

So that's why FL is sinking!

 

[COcheesehead]

Same thing is happening in Colorado. Housing prices in most, not all, areas has taken off. The highways are jammed. There are a few pockets of peace left here, but I am not telling anybody where. LOL.

 

[MichaelB]

It seems to me we are seeing signs of prosperity, which should be no surprise after 10 years of sustained growth. Our portfolios have benefitted as well.

 

[Red Badger]

And taxes.
Seems half of NY, CT and NJ is moving to FL for that reason.

A lot of stragglers never get past NC. You're welcome to come get them. Nothing against the people, just a concern that the transplants will enact the same policies that turned those states into the tax hell holes that they are (just like my new neighbor from NY that expressed those exact sentiment to us).

 

[Andre1969]

I'm seeing a lot of growth in my area of Maryland, as well. Over the past 4 years or so, they started developing this one area into a 55 and over community. it was a backwoodsy area that I thought had a lot of wetlands, and never imagined it would get built up the way it did. In fact, years ago, I mildly entertained the idea of one day buying a house on one of the back roads that went through that area, thinking it would never get built up in my lifetime. Boy, was I wrong!

Makes me wonder, too...where are old people getting all this money?! I have a friend whose Mom bought into that neighborhood. She sold a nice 4br/3.5ba colonial for around $535K in 2015...but whereas most people downsize in retirement, she went up...new house was around $611K. And, she struggled with it, initially.

Some of the houses in that area are going for north of $700K. I've jokingly said these types of over-55 communities are designed as a way to fleece the Baby Boomers out of what's left of their money, so the future generations won't inherit it. I've also heard that most people don't retire TO Maryland...usually when they retire they want to get the hell out! But, it seems like they're selling every one of these houses they build, and they're constantly breaking new ground.

I guess if you hear all the doom and gloom about how the Baby Boomers can't retire, this is why...they're buying $700K houses late in life!

 

[COcheesehead]

I'm seeing a lot of growth in my area of Maryland, as well. Over the past 4 years or so, they started developing this one area into a 55 and over community. it was a backwoodsy area that I thought had a lot of wetlands, and never imagined it would get built up the way it did. In fact, years ago, I mildly entertained the idea of one day buying a house on one of the back roads that went through that area, thinking it would never get built up in my lifetime. Boy, was I wrong!

Makes me wonder, too...where are old people getting all this money?! I have a friend whose Mom bought into that neighborhood. She sold a nice 4br/3.5ba colonial for around $535K in 2015...but whereas most people downsize in retirement, she went up...new house was around $611K. And, she struggled with it, initially.

Some of the houses in that area are going for north of $700K. I've jokingly said these types of over-55 communities are designed as a way to fleece the Baby Boomers out of what's left of their money, so the future generations won't inherit it. I've also heard that most people don't retire TO Maryland...usually when they retire they want to get the hell out! But, it seems like they're selling every one of these houses they build, and they're constantly breaking new ground.

I guess if you hear all the doom and gloom about how the Baby Boomers can't retire, this is why...they're buying $700K houses late in life!

If you have been in the RE market, you rode the wave. Some markets went up more than others. We saw almost 50% appreciation on our house in less than 6 years. We parlayed that equity into the next house that we paid cash for.

 

[Breedlove]

This particular area I am talking about is like the boondocks . Aja is right on Magnolia , I remember when people looked down on anyone from Magnolia or Willis . There used to be a saying that if you dated a girl from Willis they never had any teeth . Now 100K an acre to those toothless folks . Some of these big cities have got to the point that they need to just pave everything and paint lines and let people drive everywhere. Just like a big anthill.

 

[NW-Bound]

5 year old growth report on Magnolia:

https://myrealestateexpert.com/magnolia-texas-expanding/

Predicts population goes from 1,500 to 50,000 in ten years.

I just went on Google Maps to find out where this bitty town of less than 3 sq.mi. is, then look at Zillow to see typical home prices (still inexpensive).

It doesn't look too bad. Lots are of decent size to allow one to have room for many kWs of ground-mounted solar panels. You just cannot have too many solar panels.

 

[eytonxav]

It appears this will be the place to relocate to when Houston goes below sea level and is under 20 feet of water. Hopefully we are safe in north Texas.

 

[W2R]

Magnolia? You gotta be kidding me! OK, I haven't seen Magnolia since before I moved to Louisiana in 1996, but still. At that time it was out in the middle of nowhere and it was far from a hotbed of new construction (to put it politely). I just can't even imagine.

The things we learn on the ER Forum! I guess I should go look at Magnolia on Google Streetview, and get up to date in my perception of it.

This particular area I am talking about is like the boondocks . Aja is right on Magnolia , I remember when people looked down on anyone from Magnolia or Willis . There used to be a saying that if you dated a girl from Willis they never had any teeth . Now 100K an acre to those toothless folks . Some of these big cities have got to the point that they need to just pave everything and paint lines and let people drive everywhere. Just like a big anthill.

See, this is what I like about Texans! They come right out and say what they mean. I was a little too timid to say what Breedlove said about Magnolia, but that was my impression too. At A&M we had a football player who grew up in Magnolia, and everyone who heard that would look stunned and whisper, "oh my gosh, how awful that must have been for him to grow up there" or something like that. Not that I'm meaning to insult residents of Magnolia, but right or wrong, my recollection that this was the general perception of what that town was like, according to those I knew in College Station. As I mentioned, I never saw much of Magnolia myself, except just driving by on the way to someplace else now and then.

 

[NW-Bound]

How does this little place called Magnolia get such reputation?

Surely, there are a lot of little towns like this in Texas, and many would be worse.