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New waterfront development offers lush lakeside living in north Houston

Lakeside Conroe offers waterfront living without the stress of homeownership.

Photo courtesy of Lakeside Conroe

The explosion of Newstonians from the West Coast and more locals looking for quality-of-life options, more Houstonians are choosing nature-focused living.

With that in mind, a new waterfront development offers an active lifestyle in growing Montgomery County along Lake Conroe. The bespoke project, appropriately dubbed Lakeside Conroe, is a build-to-rent (BTR) community promising 169 single-family detached homes and 140 duplexes ranging from 1,979 to 2,426 square feet.

In what’s sure to lure potential residents looking for a fulltime residence or weekend getaway, some homes will boast waterfront and views of Lake Conroe.

This project (located just north of Highway 105 on Crescent Cove Drive in Montgomery), is the latest from Texas-based builder Wan Bridge, which has also spearheaded two bustling developments: Clearwater at Balmoral and Palm Bay Galveston.

Homes at Lakeside Conroe include floor plans of either four bedroom/3.5 bathrooms or three bedroom/2.5 bathrooms. Interiors feature 10-foot-high ceilings, open floor plans, oversized closets and bathrooms, and energy efficient appliances.

Planned onsite amenities include a community park, a boat dock, a pavilion, benches, and walking and biking trails, according to a press release.

Developers are targeting residents looking for waterfront home living without the stresses of homeownership; management provides all yard landscaping, air filter replacement, 24-hour property service, and even light bulb changing, according to press materials.

As for the aforementioned quality of life options: Lakeside Conroe neighbors myriad recreational areas, including Sam Houston National Forest and eight golf courses. Walden on Lake Conroe a short, six-minute drive. Margaritaville Lake Resort, also nearby, provides a resort-style getaway option.

“When evaluating the Lake Conroe area, we noticed a strong need for a neighborhood that offers high-end, long-term, single-family residential rentals,” said Ting Qiao, CEO of Wan Bridge, in a statement. “Our fast-growing and consumer-approved build-to-rent concept fills an important niche for those preferring to rent but want the space, yard and other benefits of living in a home, with all the home maintenance chores being taken care of. We believe that you do not have to own to call it home, and we are looking forward to offering residents a new option in Conroe.”

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bang for your buck

These are the 6 most affordable ZIP codes for Houston renters

Facebook / City of Bellaire, Texas

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Trying to afford buying a home in Houston is difficult enough with current mortgage rates, and doubly so if you're already paying high rent on an apartment or a house. But there are six Houston ZIP codes where renters can get the most bang for their buck, according to a new study by financial services company CashNetUSA.

To find the most affordable ZIP codes to rent in the U.S., analysts compared median household incomes by ZIP code to the average annual rent costs using the Zillow Observed Rent Index. ZIP codes where the average annual rental costs required the lowest percentage of median household income were considered the "most affordable."

Two Houston-area ZIP codes specifically stood out in CashNetUSA's ranking of the most affordable ZIP codes for renters in America: 77401 in Bellaire (No. 9) and 77094 in the Energy Corridor (No. 12).

According to the study's findings, the average monthly cost of a rental in Bellaire comes out to $2,401.25, and the median annual income of a Bellaire household is $210,577. Analysts then calculated that the annual rent of a home in the Bellaire ZIP code only takes up 13.68 percent of a household's median income, which is the ninth-lowest in the nation.

But as Houstonians know all too well, Bellaire residents aren't exactly struggling to pay their rent, seeing as they live in one of the wealthiest places in America.

Meanwhile in Houston's 77094 ZIP, annual rent costs only represent 13.88 percent of a household's median annual income. The area – which encompasses the Kingsland Estates, Green Trails, Green Trails Oaks, Windsor Park Estates, Windsor Park Lakes, and Barker neighborhoods – has a median household income of over $168,000, and average rent costs add up to $1,944.58, according to the study.

CashNetUSA found the No. 1 most affordable ZIP code for renters nationwide is 66224 in Leawood, Kansas, where annual rent only takes a 10.57 percent cut out of a household's median annual income.

Elsewhere in Texas, San Antonio's 78248 ZIP ranked as the No. 4 most affordable ZIP code for renters in the U.S., and the No. 1 most affordable ZIP code statewide. The North Texas ZIP code 75013 in Allen ranked two spots behind Houston to claim the No. 14 spot nationally.

The most affordable Houston ZIP codes for renters
CashNetUSA further unveiled the five most affordable ZIP codes across major U.S. cities, including in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Following 77094 (which took the No. 1 spot citywide) is 77008 (No. 2), which spans Greater Heights, Houston Heights, Shady Acres, and Lazybrook/Timbergrove. Rent costs in this ZIP code averaged out to $1,856 per month, the report found.

Landing in the No. 3 spot is 77024, which includes four of Houston's historic Memorial Villages, including Hedwig, Bunker Hill, Hunters Creek, and Piney Point. The report said average rent in the area comes out to $1,730 per month, which takes up 16.88 percent of a household's median annual income.

The remaining top two most affordable ZIP codes for Houston renters are located in 77007 (Washington Avenue Coalition/Memorial Park, Rice Military, and Crestwood/Glen Cove) and 77345 in Kingwood, which is about 30 miles north of downtown Houston.