House hunting

If you've never been to Houston before then house-hunting can be a nightmare. Houston is so big and spread out that it is difficult to know where to start. It helps if you know what type of area you want to live in e.g. gated community, suburbs, downtown or a lively community. You can probably find what you're looking for but it will take time. Another huge consideration is how much time you are prepared to spend in the car commuting to and from work and to and from school. A lot of the families at the British School Houston have opted to live in a gated community - the Lakes on Eldridge. It is a beautiful development and the houses are fantastic. I looked at some of the houses and almost opted for that too but then I had to consider what I wanted out of my time here. Houston has lots to do - parks, museums, theatres etc. and I wanted to be closer to all those things to ensure I used them more. I didn't think I would make that journey from the Lakes into Houston very often and that is why I chose to be more central. I opted for West University Place which is an older, more established neighbourhood but one that has lots of things (shops and restaurants) within walking distance. It is also pretty central, so easily accessible for the zoo, museum district, downtown etc.

Once I settled on the area I looked at all the houses available to rent there. I was very surprised to find that many of the houses were very dated internally. A lot of them had the original bathrooms and kitchens in them which I didn't think I could live with. When I wrote down my 'wish list' of what I wanted in the house, it included a garden and a swimming pool. I saw a fantastic house which was gorgeous inside. It had a small garden but no pool. Because it had no pool I didn't make my mind up straight away. I carried on looking for a few more days. It soon became clear that I would have to compromise. It was either location or swimming pool. I went for location and went back to see the house I'd liked again with a view to putting in an offer. Unfortunately when I phoned it had already gone. Tip: Good houses in sought after locations go very fast. You need to make your decision very quickly! I carried on looking and finally another house came up. This one was in a perfect location and had a swimming pool. Unfortunately it was a little bit dated in places but I think some compromise has to been made somewhere along the line.