I've finally disposed of the last remnants of debt--thanks mom & dad for college, and CB&I for an expat assignment--so with a year left overseas and more proportional savings ability than I'll have at any time living in the states, I'm looking at first time home buying.
In the foreseeable future I'll be revolving around Houston. Oil & Gas construction is centered there (who'd've thunk?) and O&G has been good to me so far. Last time around I lived in Midtown on Gray St: a great spot for a 20-something lifestyle partier. I can't say it sounds attractive in the long term, but I am pulled in that direction. Perhaps somewhere in walking distance?
A quick search on Trulia puts Midtown out of my price range ($400k for a first home...nope). The Montrose/Neartown area is more promising, but we're talking small townhomes with a carport. I really want a garage...tinkering around on random projects needs a garage. There are foreclosures that seem promising, but it's a while out yet so there's really no reason to look at them. I looked at a few foreclosures in Atlanta a few years ago...yeesh. The houses should have been condemned. I suppose if you're getting a place for a rock-bottom price you can't be too picky. You get what you pay for.
It seems like inside the loop (I-610) it'll be tricky to find a single-family home in my price range. I'll have to keep shopping, and maybe settle on one of the formerly dilapidated neighborhoods that have gentrified into trendy hotspots. Midtown used to fit that description, though it has developed enough that you have to be on the lookout for remnants of its shoddier past. Anyway, I still have a year plus to go, so no rush yet.
