There are questions to ask when moving to Houston
There is much to know when moving to Houston. From the very onset, people have a lot of questions about the city, and the type of home, community and lifestyle they can expect to have once they get here.
When moving to Houston as part of a corporate relocation, newcomers generally have a team of people working together to assist them in finding a place to live.
That assistance usually starts with the real estate company’s relocation department.
Pattie Huey is director, business development and relocation for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene. In her role, she often speaks with large groups of people who might be moving to Houston as part of a corporate relocation. As such, she said there are several common questions people tend to ask.
“People always want to know about taxes and unique fees,” Huey said. “Since every state and city is different in terms of how residents are taxed, people want to know how our tax rates are broken down. So, they need to know the different taxing entities and how they will be taxed.”
For example, property taxes in Houston are often much higher than people might be used to when moving here from out of state. At the same time, Huey said that newcomers don’t always realize there is no state income tax in Texas, which can offset the higher property taxes.
Huey said people also have a lot of questions about the affordability, lifestyle and culture of Houston, so that they can compare it to their current city.
“We have to ask a lot of questions before we can define affordability. We need to know where they live now, what their lifestyle is like, how far they drive to work and when they bought their home. Once we get a sense of what they have in terms of their community, we can at least anticipate what some of their costs might be,” said Huey.
She added, “If it’s their job that is bringing them to Houston, then we have a better idea of area of town based on what they tell us about their lifestyle, and how far they plan on driving to work. Then, we can better define affordability.”
For people who are moving here with children, Huey said that the choice of area or neighborhood always goes hand in hand with school selection. So, questions also arise about the many schools and school districts in the Houston area.
Thomas Claffy, a Realtor with Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, said schools are also what drive real estate prices in certain areas of Houston.
“Spring Branch is a perfect example,” said Claffy. “A property that is zoned to Memorial High School in Spring Branch ISD can be substantially more valuable than one zoned to a different school.”
He added, “I have some clients right now, and even though they don’t have children, they still want to be zoned to the right schools, because they think that is an insurance policy for property values, which makes a lot of sense.”
Claffy also said that oftentimes people who are relocating want to see several areas and ask questions that help them to compare and contrast.
“I grew up in Clear Lake, and I’ve lived inside the Loop for many years, so I can see the value of both. For my clients, it’s a matter of what fits best. A lot of the suburban areas offer comparable features, so it’s just a matter of finding the one that is geographically desirable and going from there,” Claffy said.
He said that one of the issues that comes up a lot today with his clients has to do with flooding in different areas of Houston, especially in light of Hurricane Harvey.
“People are asking about flooding in the Heights and other areas that historically have never seen water. Memorial is another example, because that’s not an area that typically floods, but it’s something that people are really paying a lot more attention to now. I tell people that flooding can happen anywhere in the Houston area, so everyone needs flood insurance,” Claffy said.
According to Huey, if relocation clients are concerned about previous flood damage to a home, the best thing for them to do is to make sure they have the property properly inspected.
“We tell our clients to make sure the inspector is capable of signing a CMDR (Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation) from the Texas Department of Insurance. Even if a home didn’t have any water, you want to hire an inspector who has the capability of signing a CDMR in case you need it,” Huey said.
Michelle Sandlin is an award-winning writer, journalist and global mobility industry expert. Her work is frequently featured in Worldwide ERC’s Mobility magazine, and in various business and industry related publications and corporate blogs. Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheMichelleSandlin and on Twitter: @MichelleSandlin. Also visit “On the Move” at blog.chron.com/onthemove.