The Woodlands TX Kathi Frank

Flooding is a real risk in the Greater Houston area

When I think back to June 2001, I can remember my own personal stories of struggle, fear, shock and disbelief as the entire area of the southeast Texas Gulf Coast had a real life experience of what it must have been like when the local citizens were left behind as Noah floated off in his ark.

Tropical storm Allison was brutal and devastating for many. It was only a big hassle for me. In this photo, you are seeing a freeway completely covered by water. Dan Wallach shared this photo on www.picsearch.com. It shows three immersed vehicles. What you might notice is that this photo was taken AFTER the water had begun subsiding (note the debris on the roof of the care in the upper left corner of the photo).

I don't tell you all this to scare you. Instead, I want to share some resources and tools to help you to avoid an overwhelming experience the next time a strong storm comes to our area.

Most of the worst damage was done south of Montgomery County and North Harris County where I do most of my work with buyers and sellers. However, this photo was taken on I-45 which is the main corridor into Houston from The Woodlands. The affect of more than 40 inches of rain in the general area causes all of our water-rich community to be cautious.

What can you do to be safe?

The answer is to be flood smart. In this post I will share some information resources that you might use to gather the information you need to determine the area where you want to live and the insurance policies you may want to purchase. If you are relocating to this area, you will want to check out these resources. Harris County (the Houston area south of Montgomery County which includes part of Spring) has done extensive work to map the watershed areas and inform the public. The best source I have found for information is found here http://www.tsarp.org/ and http://www.hcfcd.org/.

Because Montgomery County was not as heavily affected by this storm, not as much information can be found online. But you will find that the county is very careful to assure all building projects are engineered in such a way that flood risk is minimized. And from my experience, they have done an excellent job. I rarely see any property built since the early 90's that has not been spared in flood conditions. However, if you want to check on a specific property by address, go to this site. With this site you can fill in a form with a specific address to find out the flood risk of the particular property that interests you.

Good real estate agents can tell you the areas that experience more flooding than others. They can tap into the information in the county permit office to see if there are any issues getting in and out of your community in times of flooding. But my best advice is to find your home in a community that has taken special care to engineer the watershed in such a way that it reduces your risk.

Many people comment about all the small ponds, larger lakes and water features in The Woodlands. They are asthetically pleasing and a huge benefit to the visitors and citizens every day. When a storm sweeps down on the area dumping more than 10 inches in 24 hours, those waterways become a safety valve - giving the water a place to go other than into the homes of area residents. Yet - one more reason to consider moving into The Woodlands.

In 1881, Isaac Conroe was a lumberman from Houston and he established a sawmill near the railroad tracks. Soon a post office was established in his mill commissary. By the mid nineteenth century, a lumber boom had attracted settlers and the population climbed to 300 by 1889. They became a shipping center for lumber, cotton, livestock and bricks. The Conroe Independent School District was established in 1892, combining twelve nearby school districts. In 1896, the Courier was founded. It remains one of the few daily newspapers still in operation.

Although the city survived a devastating fire in 1901, Conroe became incorporated in 1904 with a population of 1,009. Then the Great Depression almost devastated this small town. The lumber supply had been mismanaged. In November 1930, the only bank abruptly failed and forced many mills to close.

But things immediately turned around when in December of 1931 George Strake discovered oil seven miles southeast of town. By 1933 the population had blossomed to more than 5,000 and lent Conroe a boomtown atmosphere. It briefly claimed more millionaires per capita than any other town in the United States. During that time the Crighton Theater was built and in 1950 Elvis Presley performed there.

Since those oil boom days, Conroe has steadily grown in size. The Montgomery County Airport was built as a military facility in 1945, but has since then served as a local airfield. By 1972, when Houston began a big oil boom of their own, Conroe's population had climbed to 12,000...and reached 27,500 by 1990. Today's population is about 45,000.

Here's a link to the City of Conroe Event Calendar. You can see what a busy thriving area Conroe has become. Search the MLS in Conroe TX through this link.

Contact me with any questions on the real estate market in Conroe, Texas.

Kathi Frank, REALTOR
remax@kathifrank.com
www.kathifrank.com
936-441-1314

The short answer is: surprisingly little...when compared to home prices in most other areas. Let me demonstrate by showing you a few sample homes that I have listed over the years.

For entry-level buyers, you can find two-story townhomes with a small backyard and hardi-board exterior beginning in the $120's and they have been built within the last 10 years.

If you are willing to consider an older home, you can find single-family homes built in the 70's for even less. Of course, those homes were primarily built with real wood exteriors. If any deferred maintenance has built up, the wood siding replacement can be quite costly. Brick homes from that era are more likely to cost in the $150's and up.

To find a home under 10 years old and primarily brick in construction, the beginning prices will be closer to $200,000. Most of the newer homes have at least one side of the house built with the hardi type of cement board.

Larger homes are also available in the area. The one on the left was built in 2005 and is situated on a little more than one acre. It boasts 5 Bedrooms, 5 full baths and 1 half bath...plus both formals, a large gameroom, study and sparkling pool and the asking price is less than $900,000.

Homes that are too large to post here, but are available to purchase range up to around $3 million. Those homes are appointed all with luxury and impeccable details that demonstrate the exquisite taste of the home owners.

Outside The Woodlands, yet still in Montgomery County, you can find Lake Conroe waterfront homes and condos...mini-ranch acreage properties in restricted communities...country acreage horse properties...and just about anything you will want.

From the very inception of The Woodlands in the 70's, buyers have been attracted to this community because of the trees. Development in Montgomery County has always been complicated by the dense forest. George Mitchell, the visionary that developed The Woodlands, decided to capitalize on the forestation instead.

The sculpture of George Mitchell talking to children depicts his focus. To this day, The Woodlands is focused on the children. Our schools are unmatched...the parents are involved...and the streets are teaming with children laughing, exploring and having fun.

The fact that this sculpture is located under a canopy of trees is no accident. Located just outside our world-renowned entertainment venue, people can stop and pause in appreciation for the wisdom and daring it took to develop The Woodlands. It was not easy in the 80's to maintain the vision. However, Mitchell held onto his quest to develop a master-planned community that is like no other in the Houston area...indeed the world.

The entertainment venue, with shows from "Rock and Country to Bach and Ballet" brings people from hundreds of miles away. In fact, it has been recently awarded as a top entertainment venue world-wide. Named after George's wife, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is a favorite of the community.

The sculpture to the left is of Mrs. Mitchell reading to the children of The Woodlands. Again, the sculpture is covered with trees just outside the Pavilion.

The Pavilion is located on The Woodlands Waterway and audience members have the option of taking a water taxi from The Woodlands Mall, The Waterway Marriott, Landry's Seafood Restaurant and a few more stops. By planning your evening to include dinner, you can leave your car at the restaurant and enjoy a boat ride down the waterway before and after the show.

When people first arrive in The Woodlands, they wonder where the homes are located. Because all the major roads are permanently lined with natural forest, it appears that you have not yet "arrived" at the residential portion. But make a right or left turn from those major roads and you will find beautiful homes in virtualy every price range. Arranged in Villages, The Woodlands has taken great care in the development to provide a "home town" atmosphere that respects and honors the natural forest.

One thing you will love about The Woodlands area is the lush growth 365 days per year. Most years, we get plenty of rain and even in a drought, green foliage is a constant in our landscape. In The Woodlands, great care has been taken to preserve as much of the natural green space as can be managed. The area is known world-wide by their success in maintaining wide open spaces of natural forestation within a carefully master-planned community.

However, water can be the enemy in The Woodlands area. This photo depicts what the entrance to a home can look like after a heavy rain. As you can see, the first few feet of the brick appears to be rather saturated with water. Over time, this can lead to ugly mold formation.

Maintaining a home in The Woodlands will often require an occaisional power wash to remove any mildew or mold caused by moisture. The heavy tree canopy can keep evaporation low and drying out the brick can take some time. I will not begin to claim my expertise on property conditions such as mold. They are outside my expertise. However, I have not seen a great deal of concern from inspectors about this kind of moisture alone. It may be primarily a cosmetic issue.

The first question asked by new people to the area is "Why don't people have more gutters here?" The photo to the left gives you a visual answer to that question. With all the natural trees preserved normal gutters very rapidly fill with pine needles, leaves, etc. Pine trees have been known to sprout and grow right out of the top of gutters in homes in this area. As you can see, the moisture is held within the composting pine needles causing green mold to build up next to the chimney.

The photo above (with water on the brick) may have been caused by an overflowing gutter as well. When gutters are not regularly maintained, they can be a source of additional maintenance and expense. It is quite possible that when this gutter is removed, the homeowner will find rotted wood behind the metal. A simple gutter cleaning can then turn into a much more expensive maintenance project.

For the most part, builders only install guttering in areas above doorways. We can have some tropical storms that drop inches of water per hour. In those cases, gutters do very little to keep you dry anyway. So, the best solution is to protect your doorways with good quality guttering and clean them out atleast a few times per year.

Enjoy the rich blessing of living in what I believe is a wonderful urban tropical paradise. God gave us a generous dose of natural beauty with natural plants that others pay lots of money and lots of effort to keep alive in their landscape. Buyers and current homeowners in The Woodlands should respond to the natural beauty with a little loving care of your gutter system and an occaisional power wash to keep the beauty of your home.