I put in for a transfer

[-Ray-]

I'm thinking the office will be close to have access to Silicon Valley as well as oil industry manufacturing.

[tchr49]

Do to, Ray. I'll stay here and shovel snow.
Seriously though, I think it would be a great life opportunity.

[TonyKarter]

Crazy8 never spoke truer words. Rent for a while. Get a handle on the commute times from different people that will be in the office. See if you can shift your hours forward to say, 5am to 2pm. That will allow you to live farther from the office and keep your commute time down. Do not shift them later than 7: once the traffic starts in Houston it is on all day. Telecommute? If so, then the world is your oyster. Chewy is right too: you will be shocked how little an awesome home with land costs in this neck of the woods. However, with property taxes and insurance costs the real shocker will be the ongoing cost of ownership. Ray, if at all possible, do not buy in Harris or Fort Bend counties. Insurance costs are VERY high in both, and potential insurance markets available to you are limited. I now rep for 21 insurance companies that sell home insurance. Only three will write a policy in Harris or Fort Bend counties, and with very stringent underwriting guidelines. Montgomery county north of Houston is not much better, but if I HAD TO buy I would only buy in Montgomery county. Specifically, look in the 77389 zip code area, about as south and close to where you work and still be in Montgomery county. That is a FINE neighborhood. The back half of it is in Montgomery County. I insure a very good friend in the front half, in Harris county by only two blocks. I showed him how much less expensive the same home would insure for if he had only bought in the Montgomery part of his neighborhood: about 40% less. I'm looking at his policy right now: $3,066/year. He works not far from your area too. You can access Beltway 8 real easy from this neighborhood too. Great property owners association, with FINE pool. Just over the tracks from the school too.

Ideally, Buy 5+ acres in Montgomery county. Build a 40x80x20 metal building on it. Take in 20 feet on one end, two stories high = 1600 square feet. No windows, just a door, and as many roll-up doors you want. Build what you want in that 1600 square feet. Put sliding glass doors on the inside walls and build a big deck the length of the second floor on the inside of the barn to expand your living space...makes an awesome party barn! The three sides next to the metal will be no less than 8" thick. Radiant heat barrier sprayed on the metal, then 8" of insulation: Thermal efficiency will be that of a meat locker. Electricity costs will be nominal. Solar panels on the roof. Drill your own water well. If over 5+ acres you will be taxed as ag property, rather than residential, about an 80% tax savings. Federal income tax agricultural breaks available to you yield a reduction of $45,000 spread over three years for capital improvements (which include construction costs!)on the property that are farm related, so there is a free $45,000 towards building it right there!. Low, LOW city and County AGRICULTURAL tax rate. This is what so many people are doing down here it is unbelievable. If they don't know it is a home they can't tax you at residential rates. No state income tax, but they make it up on the State, County and City property taxes, and we are their bitches. We are tired of paying taxes on unfair property valuations that you cannot successfully challenge. That is what I am going to do.

Or...just buy you a nice big fifth wheel and don't pay any property taxes!

[smso966]

What Tony said!

If you have kids, look into the schools. The Woodlands, and Spring have good schools. Magnolia is up and coming. Expect no yard and don't expect to be able to drive a vehicle in the back yard you do have if you choose to move into one of the huge developments in the area.
I would much rather live in Mogomery County, Atascocita near the lake to be specific. Expect a 1 hour to 1.5 hour trip to get around the city not during rush hour. Buy a TX toll tag the first day here. The constables and HCTRA will run you broke without one.
My Corporate office is on Aldine Western Rd. right off the beltway. Message me when you get in town.

[-Ray-]

There are no school age kids. We have one kid teaching school in houston. My daughter is moving to Houston from SA to attend school. She is 28 and working a masters degree.
I understand the insurance costs and will call you ray when I find out where the office will be located. Right now I'm gathering information.
I appreciate your support.
Office job is 8-5 with 1 hour lunch. The office is for prospective customers so that can't be changed. I can stay late though. Lol

[todds87ss]

Ray, "Barndominiums" are all the rage now. Get some land, and start with one. If the wife finds that life untenable, you can build a house after the fact.
As to the "ag exemption", it's not always all it is cracked up to be. There are requirements to maintain that exemption, including harvesting so much product, selling so many cows, etc.. Look into it prior to going that route.
As for me, I grew up in Spring - went to high school there. Land just outside the Woodlands would be where I'd go. Great schools, access to lots of shopping and activities, etc.
If you buy a place on the east side of the highway, you will have easy access to the Hardy Toll road, which almost always is a smooth ride into downtown.

Or you could come down on the coast with me... about the same drive - just a slower pace of life. And we have a Mosquito Festival!!! I've seen your fishing hat...We could have a time on the water!!!!
Either way, if you need someone to be on the lookout for property, let me know - the wife used to be in real estate, and knows how to spot a bargain!
Best of luck.

[TonyKarter]

Ray, Todd has a plan. The Woodlands area is hard to beat for the quality of life. Worth the expense. I think most of it is in Montgomery County too!

Todd, you hit the head on the nail: As long as the wife is not paying the taxes and the $150/month POA fees out of her income and I am paying it all, she is not feeling the pain, and is not moving. Her: I'm not living in a barn!"

Yes, I'm afraid I simplified the math a little too much! There are significant requirements to obtain the $45K. My step brothers are rice farmers in Winnie, and the tax paperwork they must file requires the assistance of a tax professional with a strong emphasis in farming. I was planning on about 10-20 acres in the Livingston/Diboll area. I did in fact want to run a few cows and chickens, and have a large garden from which to can, and then sell the rest on the curb. I LOVE eating out of a garden. She loves living here, and eating out of cans.

The sad truth in our state today is that as long as there are two strong incomes per family you can afford to live large. When retirement age approaches you see the continued escalation of the cost of living curve and you find that unless you made significant retirement plans that the current standard of living is unsustainable into your late 70's and beyond. The house in a barn with land concept helps mitigate some of the various costs of living. If it were just me I could live in a septic tank.

Ray, call me at your convenience. My time is yours. And ask your real estate agent to find you a barn home to consider. I know of one for sale right now, yet too far away to serve your requirements. The problem then becomes does the county find out about the home from the registering of the deed, and if so, do they tax as residential from then on? Also, can they back charge, and if so, who is responsible to pay those back taxes? I would say you would inherit that debt.

[STL_G8GT]

Love the info/support here. Good luck Ray.

[JimmyJazz]

I don't know what it's like in Lebanon. Houston=lots of HUMIDTY!

[-Ray-]

It's frozen at the moment.