Houston Apartments

It is that time of year again so wanted to discuss ways both homeowners and renters can go about saving money by cutting their energy costs.  The months of June, July, and August will most likely be the hottest and therefore many of us may feel the need to pump up our thermostats.

If you are just beginning your apartment search there are many apartment communities that will cater to your needs.  Do the apartment communities have double paned windows and our their appliances “green”?  Refrigerators and washer and dryers can use lots of energy and can cause higher electricity bills.

Also if you rent an apartment unit on the higher floors can be more expensive.  Hot air rises, so if you can rent an apartment unit on the lower floors.  Some people believe that units on the first floor are more suceptible to crime. However, if you do your due diligence you should be able to find some nice apartment communities that will cater to your needs.

Now onto the air conditioning units themselves. Have the maintenance crew replace your filter monthly.  This is free and should be including in the services the apartment communities will provide for you.

If your apartment or home has a programmable thermostat you can instruct the device to lower your temperature a couple degrees throughout the day and night.  This should do wonders for your electricity bill.  Don’t turn it off when you leave for the day.  When you return home not only will it be home, it will also have to use quite a bit of energy to cool your home once again.

Please read more about San Paloma apartments and Katy Texas apartments.

After the devastation that Hurricane Ike caused last year many residents are on edge about the upcoming hurricane season.  It began on June first however, most residents know that it takes a couple months for the storms to really start flowing as the storm survives off the warm waters of the gulf.  Last year Ike caused monumental damage severely flooding the Galveston and Houston areas.

Electricity and water were cut off from the island and residents were forced to leave.  Many stayed behind, however that was a severely awful decision as many people lost their lives.   We have not heard much about Galveston in the papers or on the news lately.

Many of the Apartments in Galveston are renting units and operating at full capacity today.  City life has started to return to normal, but don’t forget that houses have been completely wiped off the island and lives will be changed forever. Many of us who don’t live in Galveston were not affected as seriously as they were.

Houston was also affected as Hurricane Ike traveled right up Interstate 45 and into downtown Houston.  Electricity all over the city was quickly affected.  However some spots in Katy maintained electricity as the city is far enough West that it missed the dangerous parts of the storm.

Some residents have vacated the island forever moving to safer areas.  We recommend some Houston Luxury apartments and Apartments in Cypress that might meet the needs of residents until they can purchase a home that meets their standards.

Hopefully our cities will be spared from any hurricanes in the foreseeable future.

The popularity and momentum have continued to pick up not only in Cypress, Tx, but in other parts of northwest Houston.  Despite the recent downturn in the economy, housing prices are relatively inexpensive and the median income is higher than expected.

Apartments in these areas have opened, boasting high end amenities and comforts including expansive floor plans, private garages, island style kitchens with granite slabs, large walk-in closets, and much more.

San Cierra Apartments in northwest Houston offer some of the most expansive floor plans in the area.  One bedroom apartment homes begin at a spacious 935 total square feet. You would be hard pressed to find an apartment home equivalent to this. Other extras include 24 seat movie style theatre room, private attached garages, a stunning resort style pool, and much more.  All these comforts will offer you a lifestyle that you will become accustomed to immediately.

Greystar Cypress Village, constructed in 2008, offers new construction in the Cypress, Tx area. There area a total of 273 units on-site which is not a lot for a new apartment home in this area.  This may be the most luxurious and amenity rich apartment homes in the Cypress area.

Additional community amenities include a lap pool including a sun deck with WIFI Internet access,  a jogging track, putting green, and sand volleyball court. Interiors will include wood cabinetry, garden tubs, and the new construction lifestyle you deserve.

Katy is a hotbed for expansion in both the employment sector and for both apartments housing and single family homes.  Thousands of apartment units have been introduced onto the market. We wanted to highlight some of the newer apartment communities in the area.

Broadstone Grand Parkway is one of the newest communities boasting 342 units of luxury apartment construction.  Renters will experience amenities like fully equipped gourmet island style kitchens featuring wine racks, slab counters, and  whirlpool appliances.  Take a break in the resort style pool with a stunning ledge and splash zone or take advantage of the on-site fully equipped cardio center theatre and free weights. Fitness centers at these new apartment homes rival those of paid for gym memberships.

Retreat at Cinco Ranch was just constructed in 2008.  These apartment homes are both very similar as apartment developers are constructing new developments with trendy new amenities.  The Retreat has a Cyber cafe with free WIFI.  Many apartment communities today also have free move rentals, wine tasting events, gourmet coffee bars, sand volleyball courts, and more.

Newport on The Lake has a nearby lake.  Renters can check out kayaks and skim across the surface of the water. Of course apartments in Katy are much more economical compared to the inner loop apartments homes.  Katy does boast many award winning schools and is a perfect community in which to raise a family.

Jersey Village apartments have also become extremely popular as of late.  Most of the new apartment homes feature  stunning near interiors including granite counters and island style kitchens. The median income for families in Jersey Village is $68,000.  This area boasts lots of everyday conveniences and popular shopping destinations including Willowbrook Mall.

Domain at Kirby Apartments are the newest apartment homes near the Texas Medical Center just off Old Spanish Trail.  The apartment community is designed with a 4 story wood framed apartment home wrapped around a parking garage.

This community contains 293 luxury apartment homes each with a full size washer and dryer. However, the amenities and features don’t end there.  Residents will be happy to be informed that ceilings will reach 10 feet high with a sort of loft style feel. Gourmet island style kitchens include granite counters in combination with stainless steel appliances.  Residents today demand upgrades like large expansive windows and wood grained flooring, which the Domain at Kirby is happy to provide.

If you enjoy fitness center then you will absolutely love this one.  The Domain at Kirby has a fitness center showcasing aerobic equipment including bikes and treadmills. If you enjoy lifting weights you will be happy to know that the latest in free weights and machines will be available at your finger tips.

Please read more about the Domain at Kirby apartments.

Verde Apartment Communities have recently opened several new properties in the greater Houston area.  They are not operating communities in the inner city, but instead in outlying areas like Katy and Humble, and Tomball, Texas.

Verde Apartment Communities was founded in 2001 and operates and manages properties in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. Two of their newer apartment homes in the Houston area include Verde Woodland Hills in Humble and Verde Grand Harbor in Katy, Texas.

Verde Grand Harbor was constructed in 2007 and features many of the new trendy amenities that renters crave today. These features are usually found in custom homes.  Cherrywood cabinetry, granite counters, side by side refrigerators, island style kitchens, and full size washer and dryers are found in each apartment home.

Many of these new apartment homes have state of the art fitness centers. We hear these words for gyms all the time. But what actually is a state of the art fitness center. Most apartments have treadmills and a few machines.  But the newer apartment communities have free weights including benches and squat machines.  The newer treadmills have all sorts of options and variables. You can set programs which will speed up the treadmill and change the incline levels. Many apartment complexes are also employing personal fitness trainers to assist tenants.

The only difference between these new fitness center and gym’s like a 24 Hour Fitness is the size. The convenience of having a brand new gym is very convenient. And many communities offer Internet Cafe Bars and WIFI, which are options that many apartment homes are leaning towards to today.

The area west of the Beltway 8 near Westheimer has seen a few new apartment communities recently open up their doors for business.  This area has really been starving for some luxury apartment homes including all the amenities such as granite counters and other high end features.

The Villas at Westheimer apartment homes is one of the newer communities in this exact area. Although is opened in 2006 it is one of the nicest communities sporting lots of amenities and features. Kitchen interiors boast gourmet kitchens including custom cabinetry and black on black appliances. Other apartment home interiors include garden soaking tubs, built in computer desks, attached garages, garden soaking tubs, and more. Residents will be hard pressed to find more amenity rich apartment than this one in this particular area.

The Estancia at Shadowlake is the other apartment community in the West Houston area that boasts new construction and new trendy amenities renters have come to enjoy.   Amenities like detached garages, double vanity sinks, a state of the art fitness center featuring free weights, and exercise machines, a sparkling pool, and walk-in closets are available at the property.

Both properties have great access to highways and roads in the area. There are only a handful of new and trendy apartment home is this section; so if you desire one you will not have many choices.

Loft apartments are some of the most searched and sought after apartment style homes  in Houston today. Other large cities like Dallas and Chicago have had loft style apartment homes for years.  Now new loft apartment are beginning to pop up all over the city and outside of downtown areas. There is even a new loft apartment that just opened its doors for business near Eldridge and I-10.

Ventura Lofts is a brand new loft apartment community that opened its doors recently just West of the Houston Galleria. Residents here are greeted with the most trendy and high end apartment amenities today, highlighted by tall 10 foot ceilings, island style kitchens, and Euro style cabinets. Floor plans are extremely expansive at one bedrooms begin at an astounding 952 square feet.  Wood floors and over-sized whirlpool tubs are standard in the apartment homes themselves.

Sawyer Heights lofts is the newest loft community near the Memorial Heights area.  Floors here boast stained concrete flooring and granite counters in in the apartment homes.  Enjoy a dip in the resort style pool or relax on the sundeck.  The fitness center is state of the art showcasing state of the art aerobic and weight equipment.

Residents will have a perfect location near Interstate 10 and 45.  And the extremely popular inner loop areas including Midtown and Downtown will be within minutes by car. If you like fine dining and shopping you have come to the right place.

We wanted to comment about the top management companies in Houston.  As a renter you will come across different issues that will need to be resolved by the apartment manager and the leasing agents at your apartment community.  Since we deal with leasing agents, managers, and the management companies on a daily basis, we wanted to make a few comments on what you as a renter should look out for before you sign your new lease.

If you have any maintenance issues, how fast are they repaired?  There are various issues you may come across in your apartment home.  The most important piece of equipment in your apartment home will be your air conditioning unit. If this breaks you will be immediately affected.  Other cases that will present problems for you will be a faulty sinks, showers,  or washer and dryers.

Some of the best management companies/owners in the Houston, Tx area are Fingers Furniture and Riverstone Residential.  Remember that items in your apartment home will break. The question is how fast with they replace or repair these items.  There is a certain piece of mind that comes into play when you lease with one of these former companies.  We highly recommend them.  They also pay their vendors quickly and resolve issues you may have.

One of the worst companies in the area is CNC Investments.  We never recommend any of our clients lease a unit here. Most likely, you will be sorry.  Not only do they slow pay or not pay their vendors at all.  The management and managers are very difficult to get  a hold of and never return messages.  If you have a major issue in you apartment unit good luck having that repaired on a timely basis.

Please read about San Paloma Apartments.  Or check out Village on Memorial Townhomes.

Whether or not you use an apartment locator to help you with your apartment search is up to you, but there are a few things that you should know about apartment locating in Houston, Texas.

1) If you are looking for an apartment home in Houston you can contact as many locators as you like. There is no fee for engaging in communications with a locator.  We suggest you use more than one locator. But don’t believe that locators can secure lower rates for you than another competitive locator. If that was the case, the apartment communities would lose referrals from apartment locators who could not achieve those lower rates for their customers.  However, a good apartment locator will know which apartment communities are willing to negotiate.

2) Apartment locators will contact all the apartment communities you are interested in.  This will save you large amounts of time.  If you would like information regarding availability and pricing, why not let your locator secure all the information for you. They will even set up an appointment for you.

3)  Many of our clients like to contact more than one locator.  They feel that some of these locators will direct them to properties that pay the higher commission.  We understand this. If we were looking for an apartment we would want to use several different ones as well.

4) Rest assured that locators in Houston are reimbursed from the apartment community themselves. There will be no charge for using these services.  Many of the apartment locating companies will also provide you with a gift check for using their services.

Please read more about  The Ventana at Midtown or The Fountains at Almeda.