COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHERE THE MODS ARE BETTER PRESERVED 
“It is disappointing that we lose so many interesting houses to the wrecking ball. Those of us who live in ‘crimeridden’ (*wink wink*) parts of town can take solace in the fact that at least our neighborhoods’ reputations keep the McMansions at bay. If you can cut through all the stories about crimes that happened ten or fifteen years ago, you can get a great, if dirty, Mod in Sharpstown, just waiting for you to fix it up and bring it back. And you really should look at those houses, because if you don’t, the ‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ people will. And they’ll make them worse.” [ZAW, commenting on Your Opportunity To Hack Away at Memorial Bend’s Former Sales Office Has Arrived] Illustration: Lulu
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Sigh*–didn’t we all read last year on Swamplot that guys harrowing life living in the ghetto of Sharpstown –it was scary as hell–look, nobody wants these cheap mid century moderns –sure some of the cool ones in Tanglewood and Briargriove Park are awesome, but the ones in Sharpstrash are hideous and very poorly built–even the gays think it’s a shit area –you see we like well built structures in older established areas–think, Heights, Montrose, Eastwood, Riverside Terrace, Idylewood –ugh, do any of these remind you of Sharpstown and the shit they threw up there in about a year in the 60’s–it’s just an awful area of poorly built crap in the ghetto –yes it’s close to the Galleria, but so is Gulfton –do you want to live there????–
Shhhh. Stop telling them!
@Shannon.
You are beyond a snob and just such an ill informed blowhard. Sharptrash? How can anyone take you seriously and, as a gay, you are the last person I would want speaking for me-namely, because your hyperbole is ridiculous and stereotypical. I don’t live in Sharpstown but I would say that as far as trash is considered, The Heights, Montrose, at al and Southampton as well has trash living in and amongst it as well.
Oh Lord, don’t make me share the story again, LOL.
No need, Danny, I think we all remember it: you looked out a window and saw someone who scared you outside, right?
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When was it again? 2004?
Preserving Mods? Isn’t that more Glenbrook Valley’s thing?
Sharpstown is not some hidden gem, it’s still an exposed pile of sh*t. It still lacks the basic principles of making it any desirable neighborhood in the foreseeable future… Terrible schools, some of the worst apartment complexes in the city, dead mall, stagnant real estate values, housing stock that is crumbling and not of desirable type…. and no matter how much you try to pretty it up, the crime is a major and real issue. Saying “I haven’t seen crime, therefore it’s not there” is like saying “I’ve never been in a plane crash therefore planes do not crash”.
Zaw, if Sharpstown works for you, I think that is fantastic. We all have different levels of tolerance for risk- be it real or perceived. For my family, the drawbacks far outweighed any benefits. Best wishes!
We all know you hate any house that’s more than ten years old, Commonsense, so it’s understandable that you see Sharpstown, and it’s 50-60 year old houses, as garbage.
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Crime in the single- family parts of Sharpstown proper has never been as horrible as it’s made out to be, and it’s starting to get better in the multifamily and commercial areas, too. (For that matter, Gulfton is’ starting to get better on the crime front, too – look at the murder maps they published two weeks ago).
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There’s never a shortage of anecdotal stories from people who experienced crime in Sharpstown. They like to tell their stories. But the stories aren’t borne out by real numbers as a trend. And let’s be honest, you can tell stories about crime in any neighborhood. Did I ever tell you about how I watched a homeless guy shoot heroin on the sidewalk in broad daylight – in Midtown? Or how about when I watched the police apprehend a guy who was fleeing on foot – in Montrose? How about when I was almost knocked over by a fleeing shoplifter – in The Galleria?
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Drove through Eastwood yesterday and was plesently suprised. Its still only about 50/50 and has a skyline view of the coffee factory, but the homes there have potential. I would love to live there, but i know in 5 years once im ready to sell, those homes will be out of my price range.
Any discussion of crime should be based on data, not on personal stories or perceptions. http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/tx/houston/crime/
If you are going to spend several hundred thousand dollars on something, then do your research beforehand. Look at the maps. Run the stats. Ignore the internet trolls.
Wow Shannon what a tacky comment. I’m glad people like you still have that perception of the neighborhood while people like me will make a killing off its improvement. The rental market is extremely solid, homes are being renovated at an astronomical pace, and well the prices speak for themselves. I suggest taking a gander at HAR, prices in the country club section are quickly approaching westbury status. Even though Sharpstown is a far more ecclectic neighborhood than westbury with a better location. Also one more thing, the gays are here already. Our neighborhood city councilman Mike Laster is the first openly gay councilmen in Houston. He’s also my next door neighbor.
“The rental market is great”–any time you get a bunch of houses in an area for rent you’re going to have problems, it’s real estate 101–it’s why the Heights and Montrose were so run down years ago. Homeowners give a neighborhood stability, they tend to care more about their property because the have a vested interest –it’s not rocket science –I’m sure these “developers” are making a killing, but at what Cost to the future of that area –drove thru the area yesterday –It’s exactly what I remenbered, but actually worse.
Also, it’s pretty shitty to belittle someone telling a harrowing story of violence. That guy wasn’t being nasty he was just telling his story of living there and he gets bullied and called out–it’s ridiculous –and to quote a better murder? rate as signaling an area is on the upswing is misleading –look at violent crime, and if it was hyper high and now just off the charts is that a signal to move your family there?–give me a break
There is an app called SpotCrime–use it
There’s nothing wrong with rentals, as long as they’re well managed and owned by people who do it right. That’s true whether it’s a $10,000 a month River Oaks estate, or a $425 a month apartment in Gulfton. And it’s not that hard to do it right. Screen tenants, and fix things when they break are the two big things.
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That said, and maybe it’s me, but I don’t see that huge of a rental market in the single family part of Sharpstown. I think people would be surprised at how many of those houses are actually owner occupied. You’ll see a bigger rental market in some of the newer, low-end suburban subdivisions: they were hit hard by foreclosures and a lot of those houses were bought by investors who rent them out.
Shannon you are delusional if you don’t see the many improvements going on in the neighborhood. Bellaire Blvd. has been cleaned up considerably and development in China Town continues. Homes north of 59 are going for more than 150k unrenovated, some are even being listed in the 200s now. Renovations south of 59 in the original section are ramping up as well. There are loads of rentals all over the city, even in the upscale areas. Single family rentals are not bed, condominiums are a different story. Also as a gay man, I am absolutely appalled by your ignorant cattyness. Your use of belittling terms like “Shartrash” speaks volumes about your ignorant character and I suggest you speak for yourself, and not for all gays because you do not represent me. The 3rd ward is way worse aesthetically and crime wise, but it’s still gentrifying!