Your Expert Guide

East Shore: A special lakeside gem within The Woodlands

Agent Lupita Padilla.

Photo courtesy of Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

There are so many great places to live in Houston that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.
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Considered the "Garden District" of The Woodlands, East Shore boasts stunning views of Lake Woodlands along with the convenience of urban living and proximity to shopping, dining, and entertainment.

The 26-acre village features distinctive neighborhoods — each with its own unique character — along with classic architectural styles, ornamental street lamps, and private alleys.

Real estate professional Lupita Padilla knows how special East Shore is and loves its hidden parks and fountains, manicured landscapes, and trails.

“It’s a very special village,” she says. “All residents of East Shore also enjoy access to the clubhouse, which is a magnificent property with a gym, pool, and entertainment.”

And there’s a new gem on the way in East Shore called Aria Isle, mentions Padilla.

The development will consist of about 25 custom-built, single-family homes on Lake Woodlands, with lots ranging from a half-acre to more than one acre and prices starting around $3 million. A dedicated green space for American bald eagles, which have frequently visited The Woodlands, is also in the plan.

Padilla offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in East Shore. Here's her guide:

Where to eat & drink
Padilla says you can’t go wrong with any of the restaurants at Market Street, which is The Woodland's premier destination for shopping, dining, and more.

Her favorite there is Uni Sushi, but she also loves grabbing a drink at Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar, where you can sip a Key lime martini or frozen mai tai while you people-watch on their patio.

Where to play
With the 200-acre Lake Woodlands, there are many outdoor recreation and entertainment opportunities. You can kayak or stand-up paddle board, explore the many walking and biking trails, or go fishing.

Padilla recommends Northshore Park, where you can enjoy a picnic and their free outdoor Concerts in the Park. It also has a playground, barbecue pits, volleyball courts, and pavilions.

Where to live
Part of the allure of East Shore is its variety of homes, according to Padilla. You’ll find everything from Southern Spanish Colonial to Southern Anglo Colonial, Southern French Colonial, Southern Coastal, French eclectic, and Greek Revival.

Intermixed within those historic styles are modern, transitional properties and three-story vertical homes, including brownstones, condos, and townhomes.

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Lupita Padilla works and plays in East Shore. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email lupita.padilla@sothebys.realty, or call 713-367-5509.

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rent report

New report reveals how many Texans are paying too much for rent

Photo by Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash

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Millions of Texas renters, both current residents and new arrivals, suffer from wallet whiplash.

A new report from the Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers shows 45 percent of the state’s renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Renters occupy more than 4.2 million Texas households, representing nearly half of the state’s residents.

Worse yet, 81 percent of extremely low-income households in Texas spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing, the report says. For that income group, Texas has a shortage of 864,000 affordable homes.

Thirty percent is the standard financial benchmark for spending too much income on rent, while 50 percent puts a renter in the “severely cost-burdened” bucket.

“To sustain growth and secure future prosperity, Texas will need more than 320,000 additional affordable homes [rented and owned] to address workforce housing affordability and meet the demands of a growing population,” says the report.

“Today, the state is creating thousands of new jobs,” the report adds, “but housing supply has not kept pace with demand, driving up housing costs and constraining continued economic growth.”

Not surprisingly, people who live in or move to three of Texas’ biggest metro areas get hit with the state’s highest apartment rental rates. Here’s Apartments.com’s list of the 10 most expensive places for renters in Texas, based on apartments whose average size ranges from 713 square feet in Austin to 771 square feet in Plano:

1. Frisco — $1,477 per month
2. Plano — $1,461 per month
3. Austin — $1,417 per month
4. Dallas — $1,413 per month
5. McKinney — $1,363 per month
6. Grand Prairie — $1,327 per month
7. Irving — $1,318 per month
8. Garland — $1,237 per month
9. Fort Worth — $1,217 per month
10. Houston — $1,183 per month

San Antonio boasts some of the lowest average rent among Texas’ 10 most affordable markets: $1,075 per month. Mesquite, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, also fits into that category, with average monthly rent of $1,052.

Earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott announced more than $114 million in grants to help develop or rehabilitate properties, providing more than 4,400 affordable rental units.

“As our state grows, we must ensure that Texans have access to the affordable housing they need to thrive,” Abbott says.

rent prices report apartments

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rent report

New report reveals how many Texans are paying too much for rent