Heights

The Heights area is located North of I-10 and and inside the loop 610. If you’ve gone up North of 610, you’ve gone too far and are now in the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest area (lovingly referred to as the “GOOF”).

The Heights is named so because it’s actually the highest elevation in Houston. For this reason flooding is not as frequent as perhaps in other areas of the city.* Homes in The Heights area were by in large all originally built between 1900-1940. Original homes here are mostly pier and beam, as that was the preference at the time. Smaller more modest homes range 850-1200sqft, and larger more opulently designed homes can range 1500sqft+.

This area has undergone an incredible glow up since about 1995 to present day. Pre mid-1990s the area was rundown and most houses were in a pretty sad state of disrepair. The first signs of notable regentrification became noticeable around the 2000s. Around this time, you could have picked up little original bungalows for $30,000-100,000! Prices have since only skyrocketed into the stratosphere, which further illustrates the future projected values.

Here in the Heights you can find a colorful, unique, and vast array of home choices and styles: Original condition needing a complete renovation, partially renovated several times over the last 50-100yrs, completely and very well renovated (but original footprint), completely overhauled with a large addition in the back, or the original house was long ago demolished and a large & brand new super beauty stands in its place.

When buying a home in this area, keep the following questions in mind:

1. State of plumbing/piping?
2. If looking at a renovation: what updates and work have been done to the electrical wiring?
3. Most of the original houses are wood siding. What is the state of the siding? Wood rot? Termites? Does it need paint or replacing?
4. For pier and beam: Is the house level? How is the drainage under the house? Are there any animals that have taken up residence underneath?
5. What is the parking situation? Do you have a driveway? If the subject property is a remodel or an original condition property, is there a garage? Some of the original condition properties were built with no consideration for a garage, and sometimes a stand alone garage would have been added later. 
6. Is this a historic home? If you are wanting to do renovations and a remodel, what are the historic requirements and regulations? Will you need special permitting? 

Some of this probably sounds scary, but I promise there is a solution for everything. It’s also noteworthy to add that these houses were absolutely built to last, that’s why they are still standing after 80+ years. Every old house will have its quirks and hardships! My theoretical crystal ball says that this area will retain value, and only continue to appreciate over time.

You can expect the following if you choose to make The Heights your home: 

1. Always great restaurants!! The Heights continues to draw new and fabulous restaurateurs, so there is usually always something new to try. 
2. Great bars! This area is still very trendy which also in turn supplies a notable demand for craft cocktails with a unique spin. 
3. Close proximity to Downtown, several major freeways, and easy access to below I-10.
4. Loads and gobs of personality, spunk, and charm everywhere you look. 

*Please keep in mind that my flooding spiel is always, “If you live in Houston, you could flood at any time during any storm”. It is always best practice to have flood insurance.