Not Texas as a whole. Just that specific part of Texas (neighborhood wise). There are wide varities of prices for homes even within one Metropolitan area (for example, an identical new home in Plano would be more expensive than the same house in Arlington, generally speaking). That same house in another neighborhood could be worth far less.
My parents and I used to live in a house that they bought for 120k. 1.2 acres, 2500 sqft, etc etc...not a cheaply built particle board house either. Then again, we live in extreme NE Texas.
Texas has one of the lowest cost-of-living in the nation. Even in large cities such as Houston and Dallas, the cost of living is much lower than similar places elsewhere in the country. Of course if you live in podunkville, you'll pay even less... I equate podunkville to the folks in Fort Worth ('sup Surfguy! ). You can get 2500 sq. ft. houses out there for around $100-$130k. You can get 1800-2200 sq. ft. houses out in Wylie and Sachse (suburbs of Dallas) for probably under $100k. I believe those numbers are right... I haven't looked at home prices in a couple of years, so I may be remembering wrong.
There's no such thing as a 600 sq. ft. house. Somebody lied to him - he's living in somebody's closet.
It depends on three things: - Layout of the house - a house with 2 bathrooms is in huge demand and anything with a decent size closet and/or garage/apartment in the back immediately increases the value. Also, a second story (even if it is just a converted attic like in this case) is a biggie. - Location. Every street differs. If you are on a nice street with good neighbors and decent homes, the value jumps but this is the least important factor if the house is big - a big victorian always gets money even with an auto shop across the street. - Upkeep - if the house is in good shape and/or recently remodeled (as is the case with this house), it automatically increases the value. New fixtures, wood floors, new exterior/interior paint, upgraded kitchen and/or bath, converted attic space, new driveway, etc. All those things significantly up the price of older homes. Manny: Houston still ranks near the bottom in home costs for major metro areas in the US. Last I saw we were ranked 24 out of 25 cities in terms of house costs meaning our housing costs are extremely low compared to most of the nation. But, like any other place, build a house in an historic neighborhood near a growing downtown area in a metropolitian city, it can get expensive. By the way, check the chart below. Out of the 10 top neighborhoods for increases in home value over the past 5 years, four of them are in the Heights area including #2 and #3 - North Norhill, Sunset Heights, Woodland Terrace and Houston Heights. <img src="http://images.chron.com/content/chronicle/business/homedata/2002charts/gainer/gainer2.gif">
153 bucks a square foot, anyone that pays that for an old fixer upper is a fool. I thought it was bad here in Austin with 100 bucks a square foot, but 1500sq ft for 230k... My god that is a ripoff, do you at least get a free foot massage? I am happy that your house has almost doubled in value Jeff, you know what they say...you got to know when to take the money and run. 1500 sq ft may be nice for you and Mrs JB, but wait until you have kids, then 1500 sq ft is not nearly enough. DaDakota
hmmm... when's the last time you were in the Heights? The Heights is spotty at best. Good areas and bad areas (as with just about anywhere in the loop)....you can have a $300,000 home next door to a dump with cars on blocks! It really amazes me! I wouldn't call it the "nicest"... you want nice and inside the loop, try River Oaks. (you didn't say affordable!)
I like the spottiness, that's why I think it's the nicest. It's all charming and pretty and there are interesting-looking houses and great shops... River Oaks is OK but sort of snobby and bland to me...
Yes, actually. Foot massages are in the standard home sale contract. Most home buyers just don't know to ask.
I should have put a at the end of my post. While the Heights thing is not my "cup of tea," I think it's a neat neighborhood. There's no doubt about the property value. Having said that, there's bound to be a ceiling to what some of these places can go for--and in my opinion it should be below $230,000. Of course, I don't live in Houston anymore, so I haven't been to the Heights in at least five years.
Jeff- The area seems VERY similar to Hyde Park here in Austin. Lots of cottages many with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath in the 200's, which is very reasonable given the neighborhoods characteristics, history, and location. Most of the houses were built in the 40's. Personally I would much rather have a smaller house that has character and depth and huge oak trees that provide actual shade, than have a cookie cutter, generic slab house out in Cedar Park with "0" personality and 1 baby tree in the front yard held in place by string.
1. Calling someone a "fool" for their choice in homes is an asanine thing to do. Some of my nicest neighbors paid that much for their home and are happy as clams and far from being fools. 2. Ripoff is in the eye of the beholder. You couldn't get a 1500 square foot apartment on Central Park West or in downtown San Francisco for anywhere close to $230,000. 3. Mrs JB and I don't necessarily plan on having any children but even if we did, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths would be just fine. Believe it or not, people have actually raised larger families in homes even smaller than 1500 square feet. I know it's hard to believe but I grew up in a 1600 square foot home and we managed just fine. My father and his 3 siblings grew up in a home that was just under 1500 square feet with ONE bathroom and they managed. The history of the American home is in fact built around small homes in near-town neighborhoods. The concept of the giant house in a suburban landscape is a relatively recent invention. Bigger isn't necessarily better. Mrs JB and I love it here. The only reason we would move out of this house would be to buy land in the country but we would very likely still live in a small house. We like them. They are easy to manage and have a charm that a McMansion never could. Maybe we're foolish or maybe we just have different tastes than you. There is a difference you know.
That's actually somewhat interesting to me. I grew up in a house that was approx. 3500 square feet, and I was essentially an only child. I didn't just have my own bedroom and bathroom. I had my own living room (which was huge), two televisions, workout room, wetbar (the wetbar was there, but it was alcohol-free), the works. The house was large enough that each member of the household could have 1 and 1/3 bedrooms, one living room and one wetbar each (I wonder why we had so many wetbars. Nobody in my family drank). If we didn't want to, we didn't have to spend any time together at all (which is basically how my family operated... thankfully.... if you met my step-mother, you wouldn't want to spend any time with her, either). So now, I feel like I need to have space. I'm sure 1,500 square feet would be enough for me personally, but I might start feeling a little cramped if I were sharing the space with someone else (and I do have two sons who visit from time to time, but that's not really much of a factor since they aren't permanent residents). Interestingly to me, my father's current house dwarfs the house I grew up in. It's roughly 5,500 square feet. I guess since there are four people living in the house now (my Dad and step-monster had two sons after I moved out to go to college), they felt they needed a much larger home. (I've not seen it, though. I don't even know the address, as the step-monster has decided that I'm not allowed at the new house and that my father is to have no contact with me and as little contact as possible with my 19 year-old sister). So maybe part of our adult preferences are based on what we grew up with. We can find comfort in things that are similar to what we grew up with.
If that house was in Seattle it would probably cost about 400,000. You Texans have it made as far as real estate is concerned.
Jeff, I think paying too much for a house is foolish, just my thought. However, the market bares what the market bares. I am happy for you guys, and it sounds like you have a great neighborhood. Personally, I like a bigger house with a good yard for my kids to play in...but that is just my taste. Also, the farther away I can live from that crappy Houston ship channel air...the better. DaDakota
That's probably a pretty accurate assessment. I lived in quite a few houses as my parents income level rose. We started in a crappy little duplex near downtown Detroit, and by the time I moved out at age 20 we were living in a 5,000 sq. ft. monster in Clear Lake with seven bedrooms and six bathrooms. I never felt at home in any of them. The two houses I did feel comfortable in were my grandparents' (they lived around the corner from each other -- that's how my parents met). They were small homes built in the 1940s in an older neighborhood near downtown Detroit. The feel of the place was very similar to the Heights which is one of the reasons I like it here so much. Because we moved often, my grandparents' neighborhood remained a comforting constant in my life. I guess I was hoping to recreate that feeling in my own home.
