Texas markets and Visiting next week (Mostly Houston, Austin, and Dallas)

[Trace Martin]

I am looking into Houston and Dallas mostly, but other parts of Texas as well.  What are the best strategies in these markets and what do y'all like about the market and the city as a whole to live in.  I am looking to visit next week M-F (11th-15th).  What should I do in these towns to understand the market but more importantly the city to see if I would want to live there after I graduate college? If anyone wants to meet up in these cities next week, feel free to reach out.

[Bruce Woodruff]

No San Antonio?

[Trace Martin]

@Bruce Woodruff I am looking a little bit into San Antonio as well. It's not as appealing to me as a place to live as Dallas and Houston, but that area is a good market and would like more information there too if you've got it.

[Bruce Woodruff]

Quote from @Trace Martin:

@Bruce Woodruff I am looking a little bit into San Antonio as well. It's not as appealing to me as a place to live as Dallas and Houston, but that area is a good market and would like more information there too if you've got it.

I don't have much info, I just know that I hear about it a lot here and a guy I'm mentoring with likes it....

[Jeremy Rosen]

Let me know if you're interested in the STR method. You could house hack a duplex with STR and either self-manage or look at a property manager/cohost like "Your Home Away Management, LLC".

[Carla Gordon]

Hi Trace, I'm in the Houston market. I invest in STRs here and flips. I'll be out of town visiting family in New Orleans during those dates but otherwise would have loved to meet up! I'd be more than happy to share pictures and the numbers for my STR triplex and the triplex I'm currently rehabbing to flip

[Mo Karim]

@Trace Martin - Dallas is a huge area and neighborhoods vary depending on what kind of lifestyle you want and your budget. Do you want to be in the suburbs or be in the city? I can recommend some neighborhoods for you to drive.

[Trace Martin]

@Jeremy Rosen I am a little interested in STR but have concerns about occupancy rate, chaos from being in the same building as the renters, and the capital to not only buy, but also, furnish the STR. I've thought mostly about getting a place with multiple beds or multiple units and doing rent by the room. Interested in all methods, but I am a little more weary about STR.

[Trace Martin]

@Carla Gordon That would be great! I am a little interested in STR, so any information on tips & tricks as well as your experience, numbers, and photos would be great. It would have been great to meet you, but if I do decide Houston maybe we can try again.

[Trace Martin]

@Mo Karim Thank you! I am looking for an urban to suburban area that it would take less than 20 min to get to the heart of Dallas or Ft Worth. I feel like the closer to the city the better investment as long as it's within a reasonable price and safe. But I'd appreciate hearing about some of those neighborhoods and if they would not only give a good ROI, but also be a good place for me to live.

[Bruce Lynn]

House Hack is probably the best strategy.  Buy a 4-5 bedroom if your budget allows and rent rooms.

I have another strategy I can share with you in person as well.  Never seen anyone do it or talk about it, but has potential I think, especially for a new investor like you.

Can you work from anywhere?   DFW and Houston are both huge cities, so I often say find the work first and then find the place to live.   Buy on the wrong side of the city and you might have 1 1/2 hour drive each way if you have to go to the office.

If you visit Dallas, I would plan to do some driving....to get a taste of the city.   Drive Greenville Ave from downtown Dallas area to Richards, then North on 75 to Sherman and Denison and drive around both downtown areas.  Then take 82 to Preston Road and drive back to downtown Dallas.  Take the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge to West Dallas...this turns into Singleton Blvd, drive to Inwood and then go north to Mockingbird...then east to Loop 12 in East Dallas.  Then back down Grand Ave and drive over to Corinth Street...drive thru the Cedars to 8th Street and go West to check out Bishop Arts.   Eat Breakfast at Cafe Brasil in Deep Ellum, lunch at someplace in downtown Denison, stop for coffee at Sandwich Hag in the Cedars (Dallas) and then have dinner at Lockhart BBQ in Bishop Arts.  That will give you a great taste of some of the areas of DFW.  Maybe the next morning drive up and down McKinney Ave in Dallas, have breakfast at Breadwinners, and from there stay parked and get out and walk a mile on the Katy Trail.

Dallas seems to be real estate meetup central, so if you let me know what days you will be here, I can try to point you to some of the meetups.  If you are here on 3/14 at 6:30pm-9pm there will be an excellent presentation by former JP about evications in North Dallas.

Judge Al Cercone, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 1 (Retired), " Realities of the Courtroom for Investors and Landlords "   The latest on small claims and landlord-tenant law and how it actually works in the courtroom.

If you want to do the same for Ft. Worth we can line you out as well.

[Mo Karim]

Quote from @Trace Martin:

@Mo Karim Thank you! I am looking for an urban to suburban area that it would take less than 20 min to get to the heart of Dallas or Ft Worth. I feel like the closer to the city the better investment as long as it's within a reasonable price and safe. But I'd appreciate hearing about some of those neighborhoods and if they would not only give a good ROI, but also be a good place for me to live.

Sent you a dm!

[Trace Martin]

@Bruce Lynn Thank You! I appreciate all the info and feedback, house hacking was what I was thinking initially for at least my first deal. I’ll check out those spots you recommended. Unfortunately, I’ll only be in Dallas Monday and Tuesday, I’ll be in Houston by Thursday when you said the meeting was. 

[Trace Martin]

@Bruce Lynn

Can you do the same thing for Ft Worth please?

[Bruce Lynn]

Quote from @Trace Martin:

@Bruce Lynn

Can you do the same thing for Ft Worth please?

 Ok....will shoot you a message later today.

[Mike C.]

Quote from @Trace Martin:

I am looking into Houston and Dallas mostly, but other parts of Texas as well.  What are the best strategies in these markets and what do y'all like about the market and the city as a whole to live in.  I am looking to visit next week M-F (11th-15th).  What should I do in these towns to understand the market but more importantly the city to see if I would want to live there after I graduate college? If anyone wants to meet up in these cities next week, feel free to reach out.

 How did it go?

[Trace Martin]

@Mike C. Thanks for asking! It was great. I definitely did a lot of driving over that time and really got a feel for each city. I have decided after the trip that I plan on moving to Austin TX. From best experience to worst it was: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, then Houston. I wasn't really considering Austin at first, but really enjoyed this city the most by far when I actually went and visited. And Houston was actually what I was most looking forward to, but was honestly pretty disappointed. I'm going to try to make it work in Austin in REI even though I know the real estate market is a little rough out there.

[Mike C.]

Quote from @Trace Martin:

@Mike C. Thanks for asking! It was great. I definitely did a lot of driving over that time and really got a feel for each city. I have decided after the trip that I plan on moving to Austin TX. From best experience to worst it was: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, then Houston. I wasn't really considering Austin at first, but really enjoyed this city the most by far when I actually went and visited. And Houston was actually what I was most looking forward to, but was honestly pretty disappointed. I'm going to try to make it work in Austin in REI even though I know the real estate market is a little rough out there.

 What made you like Austin the best and Houston the least?  I was looking at both markets myself, although if I thought of Austin I will likely check out San Antonio as well considering how close they are to one another.

[Trace Martin]

Quote from @Mike C.:

Quote from @Trace Martin:

@Mike C. Thanks for asking! It was great. I definitely did a lot of driving over that time and really got a feel for each city. I have decided after the trip that I plan on moving to Austin TX. From best experience to worst it was: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, then Houston. I wasn't really considering Austin at first, but really enjoyed this city the most by far when I actually went and visited. And Houston was actually what I was most looking forward to, but was honestly pretty disappointed. I'm going to try to make it work in Austin in REI even though I know the real estate market is a little rough out there.

 What made you like Austin the best and Houston the least?  I was looking at both markets myself, although if I thought of Austin I will likely check out San Antonio as well considering how close they are to one another.

I liked the city of Austin the best because of the overall city and suburb design as well as the community it looked like the city had.  I drove around different neighborhoods and it felt like home. They were friendly, nice houses, people being active running and doing different activities, and overall seemed like a happy town.  I went to the inner city where the capital was once again was excited to see a thriving and active city and to see the college was the same way as well.  In Austin, there is a huge influx of people coming in and some going out as well, so that to me seems like a good opportunity because cash is flowing in real estate instead of staying stagnant. I'm just about to graduate college and there is a lot of activities and community around people my age in the city as well.

Houston didn't impress me too much.  I drove around different parts of the city and even the nice parts to that people raved about and it was just a whole different vibe.  People seemed more on edge, there were worse drivers and annoying drivers who honked as soon as the light turned green.  The was fairly clean but there was a sense of uneasiness that came when I was in heart of Houston.  When I went to the mall it was a ghost town, and the whole city just wasn't inviting.  Maybe I just visited all the wrong parts of Houston and visited all the right parts of Austin. However, after I visited Austin for a day, I went to Houston the next day trying to make a case for it but it wasn't even close in my opinion.  I also visited Dallas and I would say that Dallas is about a step or two behind Austin but 2 or 3 steps ahead of Houston, based on just places I would want to live.

One more thing. I also like how Austin is at the center and I can get to Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, San Antonio, and Houston all within like 2-3 hours.

[V.G Jason]

Austin is the greatest city in the world, so I don't disagree. Just think you didn't do your diligence fully on the other cities or got misled on where to look. Granted, this is all opinionated but to say the mall in Houston makes me think you went the Galleria, Memorial City, or Katy Mills which is just a mistake in itself. Did you check out the Memorial Park area, Rice University area, or the Heights in the brunch time on weekends or happy hour time on weekdays? I've lived in all three of these cities, invest in all over texas but austin though I reside here as my primary. 

Houston is pretty rough to live in with the humidity, lack of nature, etc., but the economy is always resilient and sometimes thrives in downturns, so for that it'll always be a hub. I'd take the best parts of Houston over any other city in Texas, but I'd put the average areas in Austin over any in Texas. 

[Trace Martin]

Quote from @V.G Jason:

Austin is the greatest city in the world, so I don't disagree. Just think you didn't do your diligence fully on the other cities or got misled on where to look. Granted, this is all opinionated but to say the mall in Houston makes me think you went the Galleria, Memorial City, or Katy Mills which is just a mistake in itself. Did you check out the Memorial Park area, Rice University area, or the Heights in the brunch time on weekends or happy hour time on weekdays? I've lived in all three of these cities, invest in all over texas but austin though I reside here as my primary. 

Houston is pretty rough to live in with the humidity, lack of nature, etc., but the economy is always resilient and sometimes thrives in downturns, so for that it'll always be a hub. I'd take the best parts of Houston over any other city in Texas, but I'd put the average areas in Austin over any in Texas. 

 I guess I just didn't go to the right areas, cause I missed those.  The mall I went to was The Highlight at Houston Center.  It was just dead, I think there was like a put put place and a couple of restaurants inside, but there were maybe 20 people in all of that mall.  I stayed in downtown Houston, travelled south west, then north, came back a bit east, and then made my way up to the Woodlands.  I would like to visit these cities again in the future, and I plan to. However, I didn't have much time, only about a day per city.  When I move to Austin, I would be able to go to the neighboring cities more often.  I drove from Alabama over 10 hours to get to texas for spring break and drove for probably 30-40 hours total in the span of the week. Being in the center and living in Austin should tell me whether to stay or give me the opportunity to travel a little easier to one of the neighboring cities to see if I enjoy it more.

[V.G Jason]

Quote from @Trace Martin:

Quote from @V.G Jason:

Austin is the greatest city in the world, so I don't disagree. Just think you didn't do your diligence fully on the other cities or got misled on where to look. Granted, this is all opinionated but to say the mall in Houston makes me think you went the Galleria, Memorial City, or Katy Mills which is just a mistake in itself. Did you check out the Memorial Park area, Rice University area, or the Heights in the brunch time on weekends or happy hour time on weekdays? I've lived in all three of these cities, invest in all over texas but austin though I reside here as my primary. 

Houston is pretty rough to live in with the humidity, lack of nature, etc., but the economy is always resilient and sometimes thrives in downturns, so for that it'll always be a hub. I'd take the best parts of Houston over any other city in Texas, but I'd put the average areas in Austin over any in Texas. 

 I guess I just didn't go to the right areas, cause I missed those.  The mall I went to was The Highlight at Houston Center.  It was just dead, I think there was like a put put place and a couple of restaurants inside, but there were maybe 20 people in all of that mall.  I stayed in downtown Houston, travelled south west, then north, came back a bit east, and then made my way up to the Woodlands.  I would like to visit these cities again in the future, and I plan to. However, I didn't have much time, only about a day per city.  When I move to Austin, I would be able to go to the neighboring cities more often.  I drove from Alabama over 10 hours to get to texas for spring break and drove for probably 30-40 hours total in the span of the week. Being in the center and living in Austin should tell me whether to stay or give me the opportunity to travel a little easier to one of the neighboring cities to see if I enjoy it more.

 What mall did you go to out of curiosity?

Southwest houston is pretty much Sugarland, North is Aldine before you hit Spring/Woodlands and if you went East from there you're in nowhere land and just south of you is one of the worst hoods in America. 

None of these areas should have been visited. 

Next time you check out Houston, you can take a wide look at Katy, Cypress cause 99% of investors stick to those lower-entry points but take a look at Spring branch, Meyerland, airline heights, montrose, memorial park and don't fall victim to people pushing 3rd/5th ward.

Austin has a lot of really good neighborhoods, but none are as great as say River Oaks or Piney Point. But a lot are greater than or equal to the Heights which is a very, very good area in Houston.

[Trace Martin]

Quote from @V.G Jason:

Quote from @Trace Martin:

Quote from @V.G Jason:

Austin is the greatest city in the world, so I don't disagree. Just think you didn't do your diligence fully on the other cities or got misled on where to look. Granted, this is all opinionated but to say the mall in Houston makes me think you went the Galleria, Memorial City, or Katy Mills which is just a mistake in itself. Did you check out the Memorial Park area, Rice University area, or the Heights in the brunch time on weekends or happy hour time on weekdays? I've lived in all three of these cities, invest in all over texas but austin though I reside here as my primary. 

Houston is pretty rough to live in with the humidity, lack of nature, etc., but the economy is always resilient and sometimes thrives in downturns, so for that it'll always be a hub. I'd take the best parts of Houston over any other city in Texas, but I'd put the average areas in Austin over any in Texas. 

 I guess I just didn't go to the right areas, cause I missed those.  The mall I went to was The Highlight at Houston Center.  It was just dead, I think there was like a put put place and a couple of restaurants inside, but there were maybe 20 people in all of that mall.  I stayed in downtown Houston, travelled south west, then north, came back a bit east, and then made my way up to the Woodlands.  I would like to visit these cities again in the future, and I plan to. However, I didn't have much time, only about a day per city.  When I move to Austin, I would be able to go to the neighboring cities more often.  I drove from Alabama over 10 hours to get to texas for spring break and drove for probably 30-40 hours total in the span of the week. Being in the center and living in Austin should tell me whether to stay or give me the opportunity to travel a little easier to one of the neighboring cities to see if I enjoy it more.

 What mall did you go to out of curiosity?

Southwest houston is pretty much Sugarland, North is Aldine before you hit Spring/Woodlands and if you went East from there you're in nowhere land and just south of you is one of the worst hoods in America. 

None of these areas should have been visited. 

Next time you check out Houston, you can take a wide look at Katy, Cypress cause 99% of investors stick to those lower-entry points but take a look at Spring branch, Meyerland, airline heights, montrose, memorial park and don't fall victim to people pushing 3rd/5th ward.

Austin has a lot of really good neighborhoods, but none are as great as say River Oaks or Piney Point. But a lot are greater than or equal to the Heights which is a very, very good area in Houston.

The mall I went to was The Highlight at Houston Center. near the big green area, ice skating rink, and basketball center.  But Wow, I really visited the worst places I could really in Houston lol. When I went to Dallas, I had a plan and I enjoyed it, but in Austin I didn't have a plan.  I mainly just drove around freely, found myself in Pflugerville and continued to just try pretty much random destinations on the map and it turned out great! I tried the same thing with Houston but the result was different.  I really appreciate the insight now and I'll definitely have to keep it in mind the next time I visit Houston.

[Mike C.]

Quote from @Trace Martin:

Quote from @Mike C.:

Quote from @Trace Martin:

@Mike C. Thanks for asking! It was great. I definitely did a lot of driving over that time and really got a feel for each city. I have decided after the trip that I plan on moving to Austin TX. From best experience to worst it was: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, then Houston. I wasn't really considering Austin at first, but really enjoyed this city the most by far when I actually went and visited. And Houston was actually what I was most looking forward to, but was honestly pretty disappointed. I'm going to try to make it work in Austin in REI even though I know the real estate market is a little rough out there.

 What made you like Austin the best and Houston the least?  I was looking at both markets myself, although if I thought of Austin I will likely check out San Antonio as well considering how close they are to one another.

I liked the city of Austin the best because of the overall city and suburb design as well as the community it looked like the city had.  I drove around different neighborhoods and it felt like home. They were friendly, nice houses, people being active running and doing different activities, and overall seemed like a happy town.  I went to the inner city where the capital was once again was excited to see a thriving and active city and to see the college was the same way as well.  In Austin, there is a huge influx of people coming in and some going out as well, so that to me seems like a good opportunity because cash is flowing in real estate instead of staying stagnant. I'm just about to graduate college and there is a lot of activities and community around people my age in the city as well.

Houston didn't impress me too much.  I drove around different parts of the city and even the nice parts to that people raved about and it was just a whole different vibe.  People seemed more on edge, there were worse drivers and annoying drivers who honked as soon as the light turned green.  The was fairly clean but there was a sense of uneasiness that came when I was in heart of Houston.  When I went to the mall it was a ghost town, and the whole city just wasn't inviting.  Maybe I just visited all the wrong parts of Houston and visited all the right parts of Austin. However, after I visited Austin for a day, I went to Houston the next day trying to make a case for it but it wasn't even close in my opinion.  I also visited Dallas and I would say that Dallas is about a step or two behind Austin but 2 or 3 steps ahead of Houston, based on just places I would want to live.

One more thing. I also like how Austin is at the center and I can get to Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, San Antonio, and Houston all within like 2-3 hours.

I am from TX myself, but never have lived in none of the areas you are interested in.  I have visited Austin and Houston (Never Dallas unless you count when I was like 8 and don't remember anything).  Between Austin and Houston I have always enjoyed Austin much more.  It just felt more active and at home.  Although to be fair I have never been in either city for more than 4 more days straight.  It sounds like you went to the wrong mall in Houston you should check out the Galleria next time, there seems to be over a thousand people there when I visit and like 3 floor levels of ppl including ice skating.  If you have an extra day for fun I did enjoy the science museum they have as well.  I went there last year and had a great time.  This talk makes me want to now tour Texas like yourself.