brian0123

I disagree with your view regarding Midtown vs Washington. My wife and I almost bought a place last year along Washington, but went with Midtown instead. We first rented in the Washington area for a year, but got sick of it for several reasons. 1. Train Noise (but that sounds like it might become a non-issue) 2. Trains themselves (I got so sick of always having to wait for those stupid trains to drive by) 3. Non pedestrian friendly (I ride my bike a lot, and even though Washington has bike lanes, I almost got clipped several times on it. Also, there are no other major arteries to get around the neighborhood other than Washington. Sort of reminded me of FM 1960). 4. Industrial We went with Midtown because... 1. Pedestrian Friendly (Walking around Midtown is very easy and fast with the grid layout. I can walk anywhere in ten minutes. Plus, I can safely ride my bike anywhere. I ride down La Branch to Herman Park in 8 minutes. When I have kids, we can safely go on bike rides to the Children's Museum). 2. Location (Even though 3rd ward is on the other side of 288... which is starting to see development... we are close to the Museum district, Med Center, Montrose, and Downtown). 3. Metro Rail 4. Parks (Yes, Memorial is near Washington... but we have Herman nearby, and I'm right next to Baldwin) 5. The mixture of restaurants/clubs/grocery stores/churches/businesses/etc. 6. Grid layout where the roads actually tie into surrounding neighborhoods (As the neighborhood grows, it will actually be able to handle tons of people moving in and out of the place. I worry Washington could eventually become like FM 1960 as more growth occurs).

Where is this? Webster @ what?

I went ahead and called this place today to find out what is going on. The lady told me that they are just renovating, and will not be a public facility. They will continue to be a delivery place only.

Is the Intermodial Terminal the place that people keep thinking Greyhound could eventually move to?

I'm not sure about this. Despite a crumby economy... Houston is not like the rest of the country. If/when home prices do fall, price declines won't be anything like that in other parts of the country. Also, as soon as oil markets even think the economy might recover... oil will be going back up very quickly.

They will when the economy turns. Starting construction now will put them in a good position for when we start to recover in 2010.

Not sure if this has already been posted... but OPP now has some listings on HAR. Listing 1 Listing 2

Thanks for the laugh Niche! Although I must have some genetic mutation that has made me different from my species... My wife and I plan on raising our future kids in our townhouse in Midtown. In all seriousness (just like totheskies described) we prefer living near Museums, art galleries, sporting events, theaters, parks, zoo, etc.

Yep. And it smells awesome when they make the cookies. It's almost as magical as Willy Wonka's candy factory. Behold

Ha ha, I know. Although the guy was Vietnamese and his English was very hard to understand... so he might have said five...

I rode by again today and asked the guys (at 2901 Fannin) what they are working on. The guy told me it's going to be a new bar that will be open in 9 months.

And if they do... is it a stern warning or a ride in the back of a po po's car? I live across from 2950 Austin so I could hook up a hose for that location if needed. I don't know anything about building sidewalks though.

What is the "Guerrilla Sidewalk Project"?

I'm not sure. I noticed it the other day when I was on a bike ride. The place is 2901 Fannin (street view). They were carrying stuff in the door and I noticed that the inside was stripped to the studs. The building is attached to "Kim Marketing Company".

It's at Caroline and Dennis link Tuam and Fannin is being totally redone on the inside too.

I found the old flash file on their site containing the renderings. Go here to see it

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I noticed that they are working on the property next door. I've always found the two properties interesting because they just look creepy. So what's the story behind all of the junk and personal property laying around (i.e. the clunker cars)? Do you know what they plan to do with this building?

Ha ha, I know. The studio is The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company. Supposedly it's one of the best the city has. My wife attends classes there every now and then, so that's how I found out about it. They used to have info on their site about it, but it has been pulled. I called them this morning and the lady said they pulled it awhile back because they weren't sure if it would go through... but tonight their board is meeting and they will now approve it. She told me that the building is empty inside, and that within a couple of months we should start seeing demo on the inside (with a target move in for Jan 2009). They are going to poke holes in the concrete walls and insert windows. From what I saw of earlier renderings, it looked really cool. The first floor will be the studio, and on the second floor there will be offices/art studios/etc. She said they are talking with various artists/galleries and the goal is to make the place like a hub for artistic people. They will have a 30 year lease on the place, and the lady said they are very excited about the new location and are working with the MMD on ways to improve the area (hence, the cafe).

Well, I know there is a dumpster on the empty lot at Tuam and Fannin because they are redoing this building. The lot you describe might be for the new dance studio that is going to go in at this building right next to the empty lot. In fact, I just talked to the studio on the phone, and the lady told me that they might even have a cafe on one corner!

His sqft cost is $3 less than mine... so I understand that. However, why is it that his building is appraised at almost nothing, as if he just has a wood shed or something? The building is still crap... but I know it's worth more than just the land value. This is the block I'm in and love it. I'm a third owner, but have done more work on my home (and put more into it) than the prior owners. It's interesting hearing stories from the original owners on the block about what Baldwin Square was like ten years ago. Let's just say we've come a long way.

I took some pictures of this today. I didn't realize that this place was going to be so large... @ Milam near Tuam @Travis near Dennis @Travis near Dennis

This is 2910 Crawford. Is this up to code?

Yeah, I saw it from my window too. I found an online HPD police scanner at the time and between all the garbled mess it sounded as if someone tried to rob the place and ended up on the roof. This sort of thing happens a lot... so news doesn't always cover it.

I was thinking last night about 2910 and had an idea that I wanted to throw out to everyone. What if the MMD were to buy up properties in Midtown (like 2910) that are flop houses near residential areas? The MMD has been busy buying up properties on the other side of 288 (see the thread Midtown TIRZ & Mgmt District) Granted, the properties on our side of 288 are pricier... but shutting those places down would have a tremendous impact on Midtown. Would this be a good idea or a waste of money?

I only put 5% down and have done more to my house than the past two owners ever did. This is my first home, and my wife and I have tremendous pride in it. I know other newly weds in the area that are the same way. Plus, in today's economy, it doesn't necessarily make sense to put 20% down into an illiquid asset when you can instead use the money to purchase stocks at dirt cheap levels or save it for the rainy day that is sure to strike many more people before our economy turns. As for the HOA, I can only speak for my section of Baldwin Square. For us... roofs are not covered, but underground plumbing (sprinklers) and exterior painting (of the fences) are. Also, there are some communities that have community water, others don't (not mine). The insurance only covers stuff like someone getting pinned by an automatic community gate and suing. We also pay for private trash pickup so we don't have to put our trash onto the street.