Houston has a plethora of affordable neighborhoods from $200K to $300K. Since Norhill Realty is located in and primarily focused in Houston’s near-town neighborhoods, I’d like to focus on those neighborhoods for the purpose of this post and this series. I hope all of my suburban friends won’t feel left out. Feel free to send your input if you think I missed one or two.
Shepherd Park Plaza
Shepherd Park Plaza isn’t a big neighborhood, but it is certainly one of the best. This neighborhood sits just north of Houston’s Inner Loop. Located next door to the upscale Garden Oaks community, Shepherd Park Plaza makes for an affordable alternative to its pricey neighbor. Great parks such as Candlelight Park and Shepherd Park dot the area. There are plenty of retail options in the area along 43rd Street and Shepherd Drive.
Most of the homes in the neighborhood are a minimum of 3 bedroom 2 bath with a 2 car garage. Several 4+ bedroom options set it apart from neighborhoods of comparable age. Furthermore, you’ll find many homes over 3,000 SF for those looking for a little more space. The lot sizes are over 7,000 SF, which offers plenty of room for your family to run around. Home prices range from $225,000 – $450,000 with many options in that $200K to $300K range. Most of the homes are single-story ranch-style homes, but you’ll also find many 2-story homes in varying architectural styles.
Located in the NW Inner Loop, Shady Acres is an up and coming area near Houston’s very hip Houston Heights. In the past several years, there has been a plethora of new townhome and single family homes pop up in this fledgling neighborhood. There are two distinct varieties of properties that have been developed, small townhome communities with a shared, common driveway and front facing single family homes that sit on lots under 4000 square feet. This development style has provide a wonderfully affordable option for those homebuyers that want to live in a close-in, “inner loop” neighborhood.
One of the things that makes this neighborhood so desirable is the growing number of restaurants and trendy watering holes that are popping up through-out the neighborhood. From the upscale taqueria/tequila pub, El Gran Malo to the well-known Corkscrew wine bar, Shady Acres is fast becoming a great destination for food and fun.
Maplewood
Located adjacent to the affluent Bellaire and Meyerland neighborhoods in Southwest Houston, Maplewood has become one of the most sought after communities for young professionals. Like Shady Acres, this community has become very popular with up and coming professionals that want to live and work without the long commutes. Braes Bayou Trail cuts through the entire neighborhood and provides a wonderful public green space for bike rides, jogging, and long walks.
You’ll find many single story ranch style homes with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Prices range from $175,000 to $375,000 depending on the extent of updates. Like its cross-town neighbor Shepherd Park Plaza, this neighborhood has great sized lots with many exceeding 7,000 sqft.
Westbury
Of the four neighborhoods identified here, Westbury is probably the most affordable. In recent years, young professionals from the Galleria and the Texas Medical Center have flooded this area for the affordable homes and the close proximity to town. Many buyers and investors have been buying homes in this neighborhood to remodel, but the majority of the homes in this price range will have original finishes or older updates.
Like its near neighbor, Maplewood, Westbury has some great public green spaces, such as Braes Bayou Trail and Hager Park.
The size of homes in the neighborhood range from 1500 square feet to upwards of 2000 square feet. The homes are generally single story, ranch style homes that were built in the 50s and 60s with a few mid-century modern homes mixed throughout. Like Shepherd Park Plaza and Maplewood, the homes are generally of brick construction which makes them very efficient and great homes for modern renovations.
This is only a sample of affordable neighborhoods located near Houston’s Inner Loop. There are a also some fantastic neighborhoods in Houston’s suburbs that might be worth consideration. Use this web post as a starting point, but consult with your Realtor about the other options available in the market. If you need some advice, feel free to contact one of our Norhill agents. The easiest way is to either use the chat function at the bottom of this website or calling us direct. Happy hunting!
