Housing is Pricey, HOA Regulations are Uber-Strict
-
4/16/2016
We bought a house in Kingwood four years ago. In those four years, the appraised value of our home increased about 40 percent. It's great if you're planning to sell but not so good for long-term home owners. The taxes are excrutiating. What we did not understand before buying a home here is that, while we purchased a home based on the usual rule about how much home you can afford, most people here are spending maybe 5-10 percent of their income on housing, which makes a big difference in terms of affording upkeep. Also keep in mind that the HOAs are brutal--we once got a nasty-gram because a few pieces of grass had grown over the front curb. Virtually all changes to the exterior of your home and/or yard must be pre-approved. Our neighbor said he had to have his back yard pergola professionally built three times because the HOA said it didn't meet guidelines. You are also required to have a certain number of trees in your yard (yes, really), and expect a fight if you want to change the color of your shutters.
Angela | Houston, TX