Houston - Desirable cities / Cities to avoid

[JP Palella]

Hello, 

I am looking to purchase another buy and hold in Houston. The first property I purchased (almost 3 years ago) is in Katy, and so far the value and rent have gone up. Today, the deals aren't as great in Katy as they were before, so I am looking to explore other areas in Houston. What are desirable cities that are considered safe and seem to rent out quickly? What areas are unsafe that I should avoid? 

I am not from Houston, but from my experience, I was told desirable cities are Katy, Sugar Land, Cypress, and Friendswood. I was told North Houston is a high end neighborhood, avoid East Houston, and Pearland / League city are decent areas of South Houston. 

So far I've noticed a few properties in North Houston, just past the outer loop and west of the 45. Can anyone provide advice with that area? 

[Sam Craven]

Houston's investment landscape is far more complicated then "katy is awesome and north houston is expensive" (katy is awesome and north houston is also awesome!)

What i love about houston is there is a ton of opportunity, it just depends on your goals.

So what are your goals and criteria?

Price point?

% return?

$ return?

Leveraged or unleveraged?

Do you care about equity?

Are you willing to do repairs?

These are some important questions we ask our clients when they come into our office.