Let’s face it, Houston is awesome. Whether you’re new to Houston or just moving from one part of H-Town to another, you’re in a wonderfully diverse city. Depending on where your career has taken you, you’ll most likely find yourself living in one of these 5 stages. It’s the natural progression that many of us locals have followed moving here out of college. Take a look around, see what stage you’re in, and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that we’ve all been there.
Stage One: The “Galleria” apartment
Stage One: Galleria Apartment
This is your first Houston apartment out of college. You’re pumped about your new job and chose a place that’s affordable, not too far away and near high-end shopping. Of course, I’m talking about the far west side of the Galleria (where people are really stretching by calling it the Galleria).
What you thought would be a fast commute isn’t because you have to drive all the way down Westheimer. And your social life is a little lacking because you’re not around the bars your friends visit for happy hour. Plus, your affordable apartment in Houston comes with roommates of the bug variety, so your friends don’t exactly love the idea of coming over. And who could blame them? It might already be time for you to move on to the next stage of living in Houston.
Stage Two: I’m going where the action is — Midtown here I come
Stage Two: Midtown Apartment
After toughing it out through your “Galleria” lease, you deserve a reward, maybe in the form of housing with newer appliances and better amenities. But most of all, you just want to be a short walk or $5 Uber ride away from bars, clubs and trendy brunch spots.
The congestion and crappy roads by your new place don’t bother you because you’re just having so much fun being so close to all the action in your Midtown home. And not surprisingly, your social life is thriving.
Stage Three: Every day isn’t Saturday, but I still want to be “in the loop”
Stage Three: Heights Townhouse
In this stage of living in Houston, you want to get away from the party… but not too far away, you know? It turns out being in the middle of all the action is a little too loud for your tastes now. Sure, you like the walkability of being downtown with access to a million coffee shops and restaurants, but you’d like to go somewhere a little quieter like Montrose, the Heights or EaDo.
You’ll most likely even expand your space and try to rent in a duplex or a town home, complete with a tiny yard. You’ve got your local breakfast taco spot nearby, and life is just good right now.
Stage Four: My career has progressed, and I’m so over throwing away money on rent
Stage Four: Garden Oaks First Home
That’s right, you’re ready to buy your first home in Houston. You’re done paying someone else’s mortgage, especially when the amount mysteriously goes up every year. So you’re jumping on HAR or Zillow, setting up alerts and trying to find that perfect but affordable place that’s as close to the loop as possible.
After all, the distance outside the loop is in direct correlation to your anxiety…so you’re buying nearby. You’ll probably try to grab a place in Garden Oaks or a condo off Post Oak. These aren’t quite what you wanted and might need work — requiring plenty of elbow grease and weekend trips to Home Depot. But hey, it’s yours, and you’re as close to town as you can get.
Stage Five: I need space and good schools
Stage Five: Suburbs, Second Home, Better School District
One of two things (or maybe both) has happened: You can’t stand living in close quarters, or your family is expanding, and you want to move where the better school districts are. Either way, you’re growing up. Congrats!
Basically, in this stage, you’re excited about a backyard for the dog, a good school district for the kids, and the fact that the local grocery store is so damned close. Crushed it! Places that match this stage fit into the suburbia category, which means you need to look at Sugar Land, Katy, The Woodlands, Pearland, Friendswood and any other growing Houston suburb.
Regardless of which stage of Houston living you’re currently in, you can count on 3 Men Movers to help you move. Contact our Houston location today for a free quote.
