Unreal Estate Game: South and East Texas

[Rain Man]

Assume that you idly buy a state lottery ticket while getting a doughnut at 7/11, and voila! You're a winner! You win your choice of one the five houses that will be shown.

I'll give you five houses in a state, and you vote on the house you would take.

Background rules:

Assume that your job situation won't need to change - you can find an identical job or work from home or whatever, so jobs don't matter.

Consider the house itself and the location and anything else that's important to you (schools, restaurants, lot size, etc.). Feel free to do a google map search to check out the neighborhood and the area.

You cannot sell the home. You can live in it as long as you like, but when you move out, it reverts back to the state as a prize for a future winner.

All houses will generally be in the $900,000 to $1 million price range.

All maintenance and utilities and taxes are cost-neutral compared to your current home.

If you wouldn't move into any of these homes, you can instead accept a cash prize of $50,000 (tax free).

Today's state is the south and east regions of Texas. Here are your five houses:

Austin - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/360-Nueces-St-Apt-3001_Austin_TX_78701_M80328-79163?turbo=1#photo0

Beaumont - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/9888-Gaulding-Rd_Beaumont_TX_77705_M81769-65162?ex=TX603851367#photo0

Corpus Christi - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3746-Castle-River-Dr_Corpus-Christi_TX_78410_M79941-15062#photo36

Galveston - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/19027-Kahala-Dr-E_Galveston_TX_77554_M70443-67479

San Antonio - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/23421-Edens-Cyn_San-Antonio_TX_78255_M86119-68275#photo0

[ThaVirus]

Austin or Galveston.. Tough choice.

Let me sleep on it.

[Gadzooks]

Beaumont looks like South Fork from the popular 80's sitcom - Dallas.
I could picture a couple of MILFs in gowns pulling each others hair in front of the pool then all of a sudden Oops.

[Rain Man]

My rankings:

#1 - Beaumont - I really like this house. I've always had a thing for that dark wood paneling, and it's got nice fixtures and attention to detail. The stove is pretty awesome. The location isn't thrilling - Beaumont isn't a mecca of culture, and this isn't even really in Beaumont. But it's reasonably close to the chain restaurants that seem to define Beaumont, and I can live with that. I probably should pick Galveston or Austin on the strength of their locations, and it's a very close decision, but I just really like this house.

#2 - Galveston - I'm a big fan of Galveston. It's got all sorts of stuff to do as long as it's not absorbing a hurricane. That said, this house is majorly funky. It's so funky that I initially thought it was an artist's conceptual drawing and I almost kicked it out for not existing, but if you go to google street views, there it is. I really want to be a fan of the house, but it looks like the fixtures are cheap and it really doesn't mesh with the landscape at all. I like Galveston, but not enough to live in a spaceship.

#3 - Austin - It's a nice place, a little high for my tastes but nice. The location is convenient to a fair amount of stuff, and in fact I lived pretty close to this place when I was in grad school and liked it. The unit itself doesn't knock my socks off, but I could live here. Austin has a great reputation, but it's not exactly my fit, either.

#4 - San Antonio - I really like this style of house, but in the words of Ferris Bueller, this one feels a little like a museum. It doesn't seem warm and enveloping to me. Locationwise, it's not really close to much, though on a personal note one of the closest restaurants is the place where I had my wedding night meal 25 years ago. It was the first time I ever had escargot. I could live here and it's nice, but it's not my gig.

#5 - Corpus Christi - This house may be a victim of bad photography. Does it have low ceilings or were they using some sort of fish-eye lens to make the rooms look bigger. Either way, the whole house feels like some sort of 19th-century Santa Ana fortress. I'm not into the style at all, and that's a shame since it's actually pretty well located reasonably near some restaurants and a grocery store.

[Rain Man]

Beaumont looks like South Fork from the popular 80's sitcom - Dallas.
I could picture a couple of MILFs in gowns pulling each others hair in front of the pool then all of a sudden Oops.

I had exactly the same thought. It's kind of a quintessential Texas estate.

[Simply Red]

why do you hate Georgia?

[Rain Man]

why do you hate Georgia?

Georgia will have their day in the sun. Just you wait.

[ChiefAshhole1056]

As a native Texan who has been in pretty much all of these places at one time or another, the correct answer is Austin.

[Gadzooks]

As a native Texan who has been in pretty much all of these places at one time or another, the correct answer is Austin.

Most people wouldn't want to raise a family in a high rise apartment/condo.
By reputation of city, in my books, I'd pick Austin all the way but I'm not a fan of heights or communal living quarters.

I had to go with Corpus Christi. a couple of coats of paint would make the house look normal and the location's not so bad.

[BlackHelicopters]

Austin

[loochy]

Austin or Galveston.. Tough choice.

Let me sleep on it.

Galveston is kind of dumpy though. Also, the beach is not a nice and pretty beach...it's kind of gross sand with ugly brown water. Down towards Corpus is much nicer.

[Rain Man]

I gotta say, I'm liking the south and east Texas choices. I think this is one of the stronger heats so far.

[Simply Red]

Georgia will have their day in the sun. Just you wait.

:)

[TEX]

Galveston is kind of dumpy though. Also, the beach is not a nice and pretty beach...it's kind of gross sand with ugly brown water. Down towards Corpus is much nicer.

I've seen that house in Galveston. It's very odd. I's on the west end of the island way past Jamaica Beach on the way to San Louie Pass / Freeport. Not much out there. No protection by any sea wall. That whole area floods from both sides (Gulf and BAY)AND literally got covered by 10 ft of water by Alicia in the '80's,before any houses were there, and most recently was destroyed by Ike. Pass on that house.

If the beach is your thing - Corpus / South Padre Island area is the place in TX.

Having lived in TX all my life, I'd choose Austin.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

We're actually talking about moving to Galveston...

[ThaVirus]

Galveston is kind of dumpy though. Also, the beach is not a nice and pretty beach...it's kind of gross sand with ugly brown water. Down towards Corpus is much nicer.


When you've lived in apartments for basically 98% of your life a million dollar home is anything but dumpy.

But, yeah. In that case I guess I'd go Austin. City living is awesome to me and I've always wanted to spend some time in a high rise.