Christine65

Looking for any info on these in Katy-- Seven Meadows, Cinco Ranch, Grayson Lakes,Woodcreek Reserve, Firethorne, Kelliwood. We are looking at least 4000 sq ft, 5+ bdrm, 400-650K, 3 car, prefer new construction but willing to look at others. If any of you live or know of someone--how do you like it--pros/cons--anything you can give me!!!
Need to start narrowing down our options so we can make a househunting trip, we'll only have a week to look.
Husband will be working somewhere near the Galleria.
Katy is our first choice(mainly due to schools) but may also look at Sugarland,Friendswood,or Kingwood.
Thanks!!!

volcanogirl

Christine, my husband and I looked out in that area when we were house buying. The Cinco Ranch area had loads of amenities like multiple swimming pools, golf course designed by Jack Nicholas, their own waterparks, etc. We decided it was a bit far out for us, but it's extremely popular and building like crazy.

Have you had a chance to check out har.com? It's a great site for Houston real estate. You can plug in your price range and any subdivision name, along with your parameters on number of bedrooms, etc. and all your matches will come up. If you want to be a little closer in, I'd take a look at the Memorial area - Wilchester, Nottingham Forest, etc.

dfr4848

We have friends and co-workers that live in Cinco Ranch, Sugarland, Kingwood (and The Woodlands and Clear Lake - which you didn't mention but which I'd include. The Woodlands is in a beautiful setting and has great outdoor facilities). All of them like their areas very much and the schools are good - although some schools within a district can vary so get detailed info. None are overly fond of the commute - most work downtown but some in the Galleria area. The areas that get the most enthusiatic comments generally come from friends in Kingwood, Clear Lake and The Woodlands.

Regardless of the area, make sure you ask specific questions about deed restrictions and homeowners association rules. Some are extremely restrictive which may, or may not, be to your liking. Ex., some areas determine what plants you can and cannot plant in your yard, the color of your house, what can be attached to your house (like awnings), etc.

Also, get detailed info about school boundaries - which have nothing to do with city or neighborhood limits. For ex, Kingwood is in 2 different school districts, one of which has a much better reputation than the other. District boundaries can literally run down the middle of a street, so get exact details if you're targeting a specific district and/or school.

Good luck.

memejw

Christine,
If traffic is any kind of consideration I'd urge you to look at other areas of the city than Katy.

Sugarland is nice but growth is tremendous. You need to be really careful about schools there, there are good ones and not so good ones.

Just curious dfr, which districts are you referring to in Kingwood?

rkkwan

The commute will get better. The rebuilding of the Katy Freeway is ahead of schedule and should be finish sometime in 2009.

Christine65

Volcanogirl: I've used har.com alot--really helpful!

I think we like Katy because it looks like the school district is really good. I love all of the amenities--we really have nothing where we live now.

The Woodlands--I'd love to have all of the trees and it seems the lots are a little bigger.

We're pretty picky when it comes to good schools/ will probably buy a house based on what school district it is in.

We'll have a week to househunt so will try to hit Katy, Sugarland, Kingwood, and Woodlands, and maybe Clear Lake try to narrow down as much as possible and hope we find something!!

Thanks all for your input!!

volcanogirl

A lot of people in my office live in Kingwood, and they love it. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to pass them along. It has a very hometown feel despite being so close to Houston. I think the school districts there are Humble and Kingwood.

dfr4848

Just a clarification - Kingwood is in either the Humble ISD or New Caney ISD, depending on what part of Kingwood you live. Kingwood doesn't have its own school district.

longhorn55

I would definitely check the boundaries for the various school districts. My sister lives in Houston (very near I-10 and the Eldridge exit), yet the children in her neighborhood belong in the Katy school district. It seems like a long way from their homes to Katy, but apparently the parents enjoy living in this part of Houston (which is very nice and family-friendly) and yet get to send their kids to Katy.

rkkwan

Not just check for general school districts, but also specific school that a property is zoned to.

Also property tax.

Statia

I understand that Pearland is growing by leaps and bounds and is also an area where a lot of corporate people are relocating in Houston. Might be another option to look into.

volcanogirl

dfr, which of the school districts has a better reputation? I had heard that as well but didn't know which one was better.

rkkwan

Shouldn't one pay attention more to the actual schools a property is zoned to, rather than the general school district? I mean, there are Lamar and Bellaire High in HISD, and I'm sure there are plenty of highschools in HISD that you won't put your kids into even if they pay you.

dfr4848

Our friends in Kingwood like Humble ISD better, which is where Kingwood HS is located. And yes, I'd certainly look as well at zoning for specific schools.

Christine65

rkkwan: very true--if you use the har.com site to research schools there are some within a district that are better than others. I look at the district first then the individual school. The har.com site usually lists which schools a particular home address attends.
Property taxes: We pay 17K/yr now!!!