SilverJK

Sounds like a plan! What should i do as far as avoiding my taxable value increasing after i finish restoration? I mean i know its technically worth more, and that is fine, but i don't want the rate to skyrocket like 30% or more. Does the 10% cap thing work with restorations?

I'm going to be in the market to purchase a rehab home this coming summer. If the home is not livable, and rennovations take several months to complete, how does this affect my property taxes. I will be living in an apartment until September, so I'm hoping to buy something in May/June so i have a few months to rennovate it before moving in. Is this going to kill me as far as paying taxes on a piece of property i'm not even living in? more information: The house will be a bungalow in the Heights area. thanks, Curt

I was too full by the time i got there as well, but it did look pretty tasty, and there seemed to be a good crowd there. Can't wait for it to open up.

When i go to TOPZ it costs like $8! I think i get the 2nd size burger. I always go to the one on travis though. It IS a great foodcourt, not by design but because of the vendors. Doozo is freaking crack, that line is ALWAYS crazy long but it moves fast enough to prevent long wait times. Potbelly and Drubi are also really good. Can't say i like Otto's, but the other three i mentioned are fantastic... especially doozo. mmmmmmm

I had a great time. It does really suck that the city blocked the free beer/wine on 19th. Studewood was definitely happenin. Maybe next year the Brazilian Arts Foundation will have some samba going on (they are next door to Decapos). I personally wore all white linen, and found the heat to be a non-issue. The white made a world of difference.

awesome. I see those every day and have thought heavily about it. I work just accross the rail. I agree that once the dollar store shuts down, the bums that just sit around will probably shift away a few streets, but the ones begging for change will still be around because that is where the handouts are. (unless new businesses push them out). On a sidenote, i've seen the redbull truck, and the mentos car as well as other groups there on your corner giving stuff away on many occasions. yay for guerilla marketing!

hrm... maybe try going again??? I saw a guy shredding out there the other day. Wasn't shaun white riding out there when it opened? I mean, your not going to see a 900 or a darkslide or anything like that, but there is some solid skating going down there.

I work at 1000 main st and every single day i am asked approx. 4 times for cash on my walk to and from the bus stop to work. The same guy everyday "can you help me out??" on mckinney and travis. I look them in the eyes and say i don't carry cash. 99% of the time they look away and say god bless you as they walk off to the next person. I have been verbally accosted 3 or 4 times in the 2 years i've been working downtown. There are always homeless people infront of my building next to the fountains on main.

Like aggie said, they have been using this in the commercial world for a long time. Using smart meters to charge peak time rates is good because it will flatten the demand curve thus reducing the amount of power needed. (if you use the same amount of power, over a longer time rather than a short time it cost a lot less, and requires less power generation capacity which is good for reducing the emissions of the power generating facilities). Japan has these meters with three lights on them. I'm not certian of what the patterns are, but different patterns mean you are being charged a different amount. I believe it is 1-8 times the normal rate. You better believe when the lights are up to the pattern that means energy costs 8x the normal price, people shut down everything they can. learn to read the meter, that will save you money now and in the long run.

anybody know about those condos on White Oak. The grounds are awefully nice, i went and looked at a unit and it seemed to be pretty good. I'm wondering if anyone knows of inherent problems that they may have? This would definitely be the cheapest option for me. Thoughts?

if there is no risk in doing a sport... then whats the point?

Basketball claims the knees of many a people. I managed to tear a bunch of tendons and ligaments in my ankle due to a basketball injury. I found my old Zero board in the attic, maybe i should brush up my skills and hit this place up!

Yeah, it is really important to me to be able to walk to 11th and Studewood. I have been thinking about Oak Forest, but the neighborhood just isn't quite living enough for me. I know redwing is kinda off kilter for the heights, but it is in the middle of everything i like. I'm still in the mindset "save a bungalow" but am still considering all options. Any other suggestions of nearby places that are less expensive. The condos on White Oak, are they okay? I think they are in a flood plain???

I've seen a few of these on HAR lately, and I was wondering what everyone here's thoughts on them are. They seem to be decent. I believe they were built by Perry Homes. I don't know too much about them. Although i'd much rather buy a bungalow, i'm looking for cheaper alternative so I can move to the heights area sooner ( i freaking hate my commute from Kingwood). So i want to here as much negative stuff as you can dig up about this place = ] Thanks, Curt

but could you really get a citition for public intoxication, if you were in the club? Regardless of whether or not the club was open legally/illegally. I mean, you could state that a cab was picking you up, and dropping you off at your house. Club isn't public, cab isn't public, your house isn't public, but I guess you would be outside for a minutes or so in transit... I know if i was in club drunk, and it got raided and i was arrested for public intoxication... i'd be getting in touch with my lawyer. Of course i don't associate with drug dealin after hours types...

I'm still baffled at the public intoxication charges for patrons of a club... I'm thinking the city, yet again wasted a bunch of taxpayers money to botch a job that they are just going to get sued over, and nothing will probably stick to the ones that truly are guilty. The club should definitely be in trouble for operating after hours though.

There are several natural sinkholes or "senotes" in Mexico. They are pretty cool because the ground is rock and creates caverns and etc.

What is everyone's thoughts on the area east of main, north of calvacade, and west of airline. I was driving through their yesterday, and it looked to be a nice area (for some reason i thought it was rough there and never really looked). There is also an insane amount of contruction in that area. This area seems to be a little more reasonable too. I see these houses in the area are labeled under several subdivisions, such as Sunset Heights, Stude, and a few other names, what input on these areas can you pass along? I saw one house over there for like $135k that looked to be in pretty good shape. http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...s=1&sType=0 Thoughts?

i actually drove by micheaux on white oak last night around 9:15 or so, and they had it blocked off. The police did seem pretty relaxed, so i'm assuming the whole thing was more of a formality rather than a serious standoff. Construction is coming a long nicely on Studewood and 9th or 10th. Anyone know what businesses will be there? Any update on that cajun restaurant?

I frequently eat at that subway next to the massage parlour, and there are some really high end vehicles parked outside of it. I've seen aston martin's, bmw M6s, masarati's, and a ferrari up there. I didn't know what it was, but it appeared to be some sort of high end "spa" type place. Didn't look suspicious though. I wonder why it was raided. Anyone know?

Yeah i noticed that the lawerence one went to 165k. Hopefully something similar will be available when I start actively seeking to buy (january). I WILL be moving to the 'hood' as soon as possible though (looking to rent starting in august).

I would love to see some pictures of your construction if you dont mind. What you are building actually sounds exactly what i want. I can finish the apartment that wouldnt be a problem. (sheet rock, floors, trim, paint, etc.) might hire someone to float cause i hate doing it.

i own some expensive tools, and i also drive a 08 Jeep Wrangler, so having a garage is pretty much a must ( with good weather i like to leave the top off the jeep). I'll also have a jet ski and project car that will need to be garaged (the jeep is so short wheelbased that i'm sure they could all fit in a 2 car garage. So yes, I GOTTA have a garage = ]. My wife will make more money than me, so once she starts working, our price range will be a lot more flexible. I could probably get away with not having a garage for a while if I had to, but then the cost of buildings one would be a new part of the equation. (which is what brought the question up). I meant 600 sq. ft apartment actually, not sure why i wrote 800. I was thinking 20ft x 30ft would be perfect. Are there any good sites to look at garage w/ apartment floorplans? So here is my plan for now, let me know what you all think. Keep looking heavily in the heights for the right oportunity purchase. (starting in August) Try to find a livable home that is in my budget (150-180k). (that most likely means west heights, no garage) When my wife starts working, build garage w/ apartment and really start the rehabilitation/ rejuvination of the house If i don't find the right house at the right price, i'll just wait until my wife is out of school and then purchase a home (probably up to 275k) that maybe has a garage and doesn't require as much work. This site is awesome.

another question! What kind of cost (i know this will vary widely depending on materials and etc. but i'm lookin for a rough estimate) to build a garage (2 car with a little workshop space) and maybe a 800 sq. ft 1BR 1 BA apartment. I would definitely want to keep it within the theme of the heights, but i gotta have my cars under cover, and some of the houses i've seen don't have garages at all. If i can find a livable house in the heights for close to $150,000 I'll be able to make it happen this summer, otherwise i'm waiting till my wife starts working in May 09. Is this a ridiculous wish? I saw a house on Lawerence for 170k, thats pretty dang close.

i went and looked at one of the small studios here and let me tell you, you can't live in it. At like 500 or 600 sq. ft. or whatever it was, they managed to waste about 100 sq. ft of it. It was a 2 story unit, but basically you open the door, and then you have a stairway to the room, and there is a little room around the stairway. This sucks because the main part of the apartment has low ceilings, while the foyer/stairway has super high ceilings. To bad it isn't the other way around.