Welcome Back!!
It has been exactly one week since our move and since I haven’t really addressed why we moved or why it all happened so fast, I decided to go ahead and answer all of yall’s questions on here, where it can live forever (!), as opposed to just posting on Instagram.
I understand that the move may have seemed very fast and sudden to yall, but that’s only because I wasn’t talking about it on here. In the past, when I have talked about us moving or have talked about literally anything prematurely on the blog, it always fell through…so I wanted to make sure everything was finalized before sharing!
We actually started this process back in July but weren’t sure if we wanted to buy or rent. When we made the decision to resign at our apartment in February, we only did a six month lease with the intention that we would be buying a home come September. We spent every weekend looking but nothing felt right. We just weren’t sure what area we wanted to be in, nor what type of house we wanted. We felt a lot of pressure to buy because of how low the interest rates are right now but we just didn’t know what we wanted. The only thing we could agree on was that we weren’t ready to move to the suburbs yet lol.
The closer we got to our move our date, the more nervous we got, so I decided to add a few rentals into our search to have as a back up. We ended up falling in love with the first house we saw and was located in The Heights. It had all the space we needed plus more and was about the same price we were paying for our apartment. We immediately put in our application and were approved. We went back and fourth for almost two weeks, met with the owners and even did a walk through with them. They told us it was ours and that all we had to do was sign the lease! As we were waiting for them to send the lease over, we received an email from their realtor saying that someone else offered to sign a two year lease for the house and if we would consider doing that. Before we could even respond (I’m talking less than 30 minutes), they accepted the other offer and signed the lease that day. It was super shady and I was initially devastated over it all because we now only had a week to find a place but luckily the home we’re in popped up and were able to get everything done super fast. It’s not as big as the first home, but it’s still in The Heights and on a much better street. It’s way more updated, the back yard and front porch are so much nicer and is all around way cuter of a home.
I truly believe that everything works out the way it should!
So there you go! We are currently set to live here a year but who knows! It’s a completely different vibe from our apartment but we are really excited about this next chapter!
MOVING Q&A
What apartment complex did you previously live in and what floor plan.
We lived in the Waterwall Place Apartments off Hildago, next to the Galleria and Gerald Hines Waterwall Park. When I first moved there in 2014, I was in an A6 (one bedroom with two closets) and then when Colton and I got engaged, we moved into a B1 (2bed/2bath) facing the Waterwall!
I truly loved our apartment. That’s why we lived there for so long and never left. The location is everything. Especially if you have a dog. You truly can’t beat the Waterwall being right there! The floor plans are also better than any other complex I have ever seen in Houston. They are huge and just make sense. I mean, SO MUCH STORAGE. They even had super spacious storage units in the halls that you could rent for an additional price.
Would you recommend it?
While it was a great place to live, I would not recommend it.
When we first moved in, it was like a family. Management was amazing and the building was in pristine condition. They truly valued the residents and went out of their way to make it such an enjoyable place to live. Then a year or so ago, they were bought out and were just never the same. Everyone that previously worked there was either fired or left and they from really valuing their residents to only caring about getting new people in the door. Half of the amenities didn’t work, which was super annoying since they started charging a random additional $75 amenity fee last year. Pretty much all of the cardio machines in the gym are broken (like the TVs on them have never worked and only 1/4 of them you can actually use or will turn on), the coffee machine is broken or always empty, the fire pits outside have never worked, only one of the grills work, they got rid of the water bottles in the gym and just a lot of little random things like that which may not seem like a big deal but really are when you’re paying so much it adds up.
I’ve just seen the building really go down hill and it’s just super sad because it was once a really fantastic place to live.
How did you pick The Heights?
We’ve always been interested in The Heights but could never find something we liked until now. If you aren’t from Houston or aren’t familiar with the area, it’s a super charming neighborhood that’s still in the city and close to downtown. It’s really safe, with lots of young adults and young families. Everyones always outside, either walking, biking or doing something and it’s just a really fun area. Finding a house there can be hard though because it’s a very popular area, so all the good houses are gone in like a day. Plus, since The Heights is made up of a bunch of little 100 year old bungalows, finding one that’s more than a 2bed/1bath, that isn’t ridiculously expensive is hard to find.
What’s the biggest difference between this house and your apartment?
While we lost our view of the Waterwall and all of our closet/bathroom space, we gained the front porch, a yard, two really big garages and a gorgeous kitchen! Then also the fact that we went from a new and super spacious apartment, in a really busy, high traffic area, to a 100 year old bungalow in a neighborhood.The house itself is only about 300 more sqft than the apartment but feels so much bigger for some reason.
Did you have a realtor?
Yes! We used Colton’s parents long time family friend, Patty Newton. If you’re inbetween using a realtor or not (even when just renting) I can’t recommend having one enough! The process of renting a home, as opposed to an apartment, is very different. I mean, a lot more goes into it!! Realtors are literally just there to help you and take you step by step through the process.
Did you use a moving company? If so who?
We did! We used Hercules Movers and while they were fine, I wouldn’t recommend them. My Dad is the one who found them and while I’m super thankful he did the booking and set it all up for us (seriously so kind), I just wasn’t a fan of the movers and wouldn’t use them again. They did a great job but were one of the more expensive companies we looked into. They were also just super impersonal (almost kind of rude?), very picky about what they would take (like no lamps or anything unless it was taped in a box) and they made us empty all of our drawers before they would take them (as opposed to just saran wrapping the pieces and leaving the clothes inside like most will do). They didn’t do anything wrong..? But I still wouldn’t recommend them.
Two Houston companies that did come highly recommended and wish I would have gone with are Eagle Movers and Power Movers.
Tips on Moving with a Newborn?
I bought this swing for Teddy to help keep him entertained while we packed and it was great but we couldn’t have done this move without the help of our family. Whether it was my mom, sister or Coltons parents, we had someone helping us with him throughout our whole move. Then on the actual day of our move, Teddy went to Colton’s parents house for the day/night and while I wasn’t too comfortable with the idea at first (it was his first time sleeping away) it was the best decision for us and it all worked out just fine!
Are you going to have to buy a bunch of new furniture to fit the new place?
Not really! Most of our furniture surprisingly fits really well. Of course we’ll change out and add some new things but nothing drastic.
Now that you’re in a house, are you going to get a new dog?
Ummm…lol… not yet! If it were up to Colton, we would have had one yesterday. I’m just not ready and the thought of having a newborn and a puppy sounds like a nightmare haha. Maybe next summer!
If you have any more questions, leave them below and I will answer them!
xo,
Lauren