Best Places to Buy a Home in Houston
July 10, 2022
Houston has emerged as the top-rated city in Texas, owing to the booming industries, increasing job opportunities, developing city borders, and growing population. In the past years, the city has come a long way, becoming the cultural and educational hub of Texas. Perhaps, this is why the place attracts so many people not only within the country but also from other parts of the world.
If you are new to Houston or want to move to a new place within the city, you must first connect with one of the best Houston realtors. There are many firms with whom you can collaborate to find the best house to meet your requirements easily. But this is not the end of your journey to find the best house because you must choose the neighborhood first.
With so many attractive places to stay, it’s best to have a heads-on on these locations before you decide. After all, there is no point in moving ahead with the same location if you don’t get enough facilities or if the crime rate is high. So, let’s find the topmost places suitable for dwelling in Houston.
West University
Located in central Houston, the West University has become one of the top-notch places to live in. It is known not only for the peace and serene ambiance, but it also boasts a rustic charm that will make your stay worthy in this region. In addition, the residents here are quite welcoming and friendly, accepting every new face with wide-open arms. Although it is an autonomous suburb in Houston, the community has attracted many visitors in the last decades.
Who can live here?
Located only 18 minutes from Downtown, you can easily choose the area as a working professional. From children to elders, the community is bustling with energy and vitality. People love to enjoy every moment, sharing food or organizing local events.
Houses in West University
Coming to the homes you can find here; all properties represent classic old-school contemporary designs. Not only do they boast a unique appeal, but they also help many residents to connect with their roots. The classic thatched roofs with white painted or exposed brick walls make the properties worth considering.
The properties present here are divided into three categories- townhomes, single-family homes, and condominiums. Every property has a private garden or lawn separated from each other through fences or bushes. Thanks to the mix of contemporary and ethnic architecture styles, no residential property stays vacant for a long.
Additional facts about West University
- One of the major attractions of this place is the West University Elementary School for parents who are not yet ready to send their children to high school.
- With some of the best eateries and restaurants, you can grab a quick burger to start the end and a pack of pasta for the night. Apart from this, a few luxurious restaurants are also placed to give every resident an unforgettable experience.
- The local recreation center houses a large swimming pool, pocket parks, gyms, and other amenities for relaxation. In addition, the recreational house organizes different events to keep the spirit super high.
- If you are up for spending some time in peace, Friend’s Park or Colonial Park will be a great option.
Top recommended places to eat at West University
Apart from sporting a vibrant community, West University is the beacon for foodies. From local family-run cafes to elite restaurants, you will find a lot of eateries here, like:
- Dave’s Hot chicken: Considered one of the best fast-food joints, do try the delicious and juicy sliders with crispy fries.
- Nobie’s: If you are looking for surprising your partner with a perfect dinner, Nobie’s is certainly the best restaurant.
- Trendy Dumpling: True to its name, Trendy Dumpling is one of the best places where you can devor some of the most delicious soups, dumplings, and other dishes from Asian cuisine.
Best places for entertainment at West University
West University is a cultural hub, with so many pubs, bars, nightclubs, and several other entertainment places.
- Rooftop Cinema Club: Considered the entertainment hub, the Rooftop Cinema Club is a perfect place to socialize with your favorite drink in hand and an exquisite view from the rooftop.
- Palace Social: From a busy dining area to a bowling arena, video games, and theaters, Palace Social will keep the weekends busy.
The Heights
From the name, one may think The Heights is one of the best neighborhoods in Houston to buy a house. The entire community is believed to be a safe place to stay. With appropriate measures and jurisdiction, the local police managed to reduce the local crime rate and make the neighborhood welcoming and free of any mess. In addition, it is extremely close to Downtown, with a mere distance of 10 minutes by car. So, this secluded area won’t come in the way of your work life.
Who can live here?
As you will get a wide range of options for dwelling places, ensure the property chosen can meet all your daily requirements or not. Almost 70% of the houses have multiple rooms you can use as bedrooms, study rooms, etc. These properties are best-suited for families, couples, and groups. Since Downtown is much closer, you easily reach your office on time. If you want to live alone, choose smaller properties because the price rate of the larger ones is quite high.
Houses in The Heights
The Houston Heights neighborhood is known for its rustic charm and vibrant contemporary vibes that captivate the onlooker’s gaze. All properties are quite spacious, with tall trees surrounding them like a cocoon. So, getting wind and sunlight will become much easier. The architectures resemble the history of this entire place, ensuring all upcoming generations can know about the tales. Living in this small suburb come town will make your days much better and more peaceful.
Additional facts about The Heights
- The neighborhood houses the famous Harvard Elementary School, ensuring every kid can receive the optimal education without any hassle.
- All historical sights and other areas are maintained based on the rules and protocols issued by Houston Heights Association.
- The properties here have undergone lucrative appreciations in the past time, ensuring your investment can have wonderful returns after a couple of years.
- You can easily access the gallery and the movie center to have maximum fun without any problem.
- The three accessible regions open for every resident in Houston heights are the Historic Heights City Hall, Donovan Park, and Marmion Park.
Top recommended places to eat in The Heights
The Heights community is full of restaurants, cafes, bar-come lounge, and bakeries. These places are buzzing with the crowd, thanks to the heartfelt ambiance, polite behavior, and vibrant culture. Some of the best places where you can pamper your taste buds are:
- Squable: Known for a mixed cuisine, Squable is for everyone. You can try out their special poached snapper or toffee cake.
- Mastrantros: With a chick interior and world-class services, Mastrantros attracts a lot of people every day. From Ragu Bolognese to 3-way Brussels, you can enjoy a full-course menu with ease.
- Blue Sushi Sake Grill: If you love Japanese cuisine, the Blue Sushi Sake Grill is definitely a place you shouldn’t visit.
Best places for entertainment in The Heights
Are you worried about being cooped up in your house on holidays or on free weekdays? If yes, then The Heights has stored a lot of surprises for you, thanks to the entertaining places in this community.
- Fitzgerald’s: From happy hours to local bands performing their self-creations, Fitzgerald’s is definitely worthy of a visit.
- The Heights Theater: If you are up for the senior chorus performing or a classic stage drama, The Heights Theater is a true attraction in the community.
Midtown
If you are searching for a location close to Downtown, no other location is as good and appealing as Midtown. Also known for its vibrant culture and lively vibes, you will enjoy your stay in this neighborhood. The locals are so hospitable and warm that you won’t feel like an outsider. The entire neighborhood has undergone several changes to match the jolly lifestyle. From nightclubs to wonderful recreational areas, the place is packed with interesting things you might not find anywhere else.
Who can live here?
Midtown is best suited for both families and individuals. You will get properties of different sizes so that you can choose your dream home. The real estate market in this neighborhood is quite lucrative, ensuring your investment won’t go in vain. All you need to do is walk around the community and try to fit into the culture. Once done, you won’t feel left out, no matter whether you are new to this area of Houston.
Houses in Midtown
Like any other Houston neighborhood, Midtown is brimming with family houses, townhouses, and condominiums. Although the types of residences are limited to these three only, the designs and architectures are varied, ensuring your needs can be met easily. Most houses are located along the main lane of the neighborhood, with a front-facing lawn and fenced walls surrounding the main architecture. If you want a luxurious place to live, go for condominiums, as they represent penthouses within an affordable range.
Although Midtown has a rich historical background, the houses exude a contemporary and modern vibe. For example, some properties highlight the elements of Victorian architecture by mixing and matching elements of modern styles. Similarly, condos are mainly known for their sleek, modern interiors.
Additional facts about Midtown
- Midtown is the connecting neighborhood for Downtown and the Texas Medical Center, which is one of the main reasons for its high popularity. Owing to such a wonderful location, you won’t face any trouble reaching either place.
- It is quite popular for its wonderful nightlife. This is one of the rarest neighborhoods where people do not like to stay in their houses after sundown. Instead, they visit the clubs and local restaurants to have a heartfelt time with others.
- Thanks to the vibrant community, people socialize with each other throughout the day; hence, you won’t have any problem becoming friends with your neighbors after shifting through this location.
- Whole Foods Market has recently opened a new branch here in Midtown, offering the residents a wonderful opportunity to have fresh ingredients within hands’ reach.
- Midtown Park is open to everyone, and people can come here for some recreational activities like jogging, walking, playing, and so on.
- A special Puppy Park is made solely for four-legged pets so they can enjoy themselves freely without worrying about anything.
Top recommended places to eat in Midtown
Midtown is one of the largest communities in Houston and also considered as a cultural hub. From parks to fresh produce farms, you will find a lot of amenities here; and the restaurants are bonus.
- The Gypsy Poet: If you are craving pizza, The Gypsy Poet is the best place you should visit in Midtown. With a rustic charm and bustling interior, this place offers some of the most delicious food items like Cappellone, Pepperoni Madness, and Dream Catcher.
- Nua Thai: With a classic Thai menu, this restaurant brings you some of the most comforting and exquisite dishes. When you visit this restaurant, you must try out the Pad Thai, Tulip dumpling, Thai chicken wings, and Drunken noodle.
- Gloria’s Latin Cuisine: With spicy Mexican dishes and rich, bold Latin cuisine, this eatery has become one of the most recommended eateries in Midtown.
Best places for entertainment in Midtown
From bars to shopping malls, Midtown houses several locations where entertainment is maintained at the peak. If you are in love with karaoke music, Spotlight Karaoke is a must-visit. Apart from this, you can also enjoy yourself at the 77-degrees rooftop club.
Spring Branch
Located to the west side of Downtown, Spring Branch is one of the best neighborhoods in Houston to buy a house. Its name is in complete harmony to the entire community arrangement. It houses about 40 miles of roads with trees planted on both sides, creating a marvelous picturesque. Apart from this, you will come across a great deal of green spaces in the form of parks, lawns, and so on. As the entire neighborhood is located between Downtown and the famous Energy corridor, it is the ideal residential place for employed people and families.
It has a rich history, which is one of the main alluring reasons for the growing settlement. The first residents of this area were Karl Kolbe who built a home near the Buffalo Bayoa Bay in 1836. Although initially it was a German community, the residents welcomed people with other ethnicities and cultures with wide open arms. Another outstanding reason to opt this neighborhood is the affordable rents for different residential properties. The real estate market offers much lesser quoted prices than other neighborhoods in Houston.
Who can live here?
There are no restrictions on residential accommodations in the Spring Branch. However, about 40% houses are occupied by families with kids. Young people and employees also chose this location because of its close distance from Downtown and other industrial and business zones surrounding the neighborhood. You can also rent a property here based on educational purposes because the community comes with some of the best colleges and universities in Texas.
Houses in Spring Branch
Spring Branch is a vibrating neighborhood where you can find both rental and owner-occupied properties. So, if you are permanently moving to Houston, it’s better to buy a permanent residence and get it registered under your name. As for people who want a temporary residence, rental properties are also there in this community. All properties are well-maintained, offering a spectacular view of the surrounding lush greenery. The entire community is constructed in a manner that the houses don’t form a clutter.
Although you will get small houses with 2 bedrooms maximum, you can find extraordinary and lavish properties with 3 to 4 bedrooms. Kitchens, lounges, porch or patio, and other such amenities are present in almost 95% of the properties in Spring Branch. You can also find condominiums and apartments in this community. As several new properties are constructed till date, you won’t have any crunch in your options.
Additional facts about Spring Branch
- Most of the houses, apartments, and condominiums are vacant, ensuring everyone can easily get the best dream residential property for themselves.
- Spring Branch is quite popular for the myriad of educational institutes, from elementary schools to the high schools.
- Education is kept at top priority because most teachers are highly educated and the schools use the latest technologies and approaches to conduct teaching.
- Interstate 610 is located in vicinity of Spring Branch, allowing people to commute without any hassle.
Top recommended places to eat in Spring Branch
With so many local cafes and restaurants, deciding the best place is not easy. So, let’s have a look at the most recommended eateries.
- La Cantina Mexican Grill: For some delicious Mexican dishes, do visit this restaurant and enjoy the Chile Con Queso, Shrimp cocktail, Las Flautus, and Coyote Special.
- Bori: Known as one of the best Korean barbeque restaurants, you can delve deep into this special Asian cuisine and relish the Kimchi Fried Rice, Kimchi stew, and so on.
Best places for entertainment in Spring Branch
If you want to have some adventure in Spring Branch, The Escape Game building is definitely something you wouldn’t miss any cost. Apart from this, the Kirby Ice House is also another common bar where you can reconnect with others.
Conclusion
Houston is one of the best places to reside. The city has become quite successful in recent years, owing to the industries, offices, and new educational centers. Therefore, more and more people are settling down in this city. If you plan to shift here, try out the neighborhoods we have discussed here. These places are not just residences but mini-worlds where you can be yourself.
Hello! I’m Jay Thomas, a REALTOR in Houston, Texas. Chances are you and I share a similar passion, Real Estate! I also have a passion for building businesses, working out, inspiring others, technology, sports, and people. Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram!
Hello! I'm Jay Thomas,