North of Houston
The Areas I Serve
Fifteen communities across Montgomery, northern Harris and Waller counties. No rankings, no spin. Just what you'd want a friend in the business to tell you about each one.
School zoning often splits by section within a single community, so confirm the district and campuses by the exact address. Prices move quarter to quarter, so I don't print them here. I pull live MLS the day you ask.
Montgomery County · Texas
Lake Conroe
Where the water sets the pace.
A large recreational lake ringed by waterfront and water-access communities. Boating, fishing and long evenings on the water are a Tuesday thing up here, not a vacation thing. I live here, in April Sound.
- Who lands here
- Lake lifers, remote workers, second-home buyers, downsizers
- Schools
- Montgomery, Willis or Conroe ISD by section
- Signature areas
- Bentwater, Walden, April Sound, Chambers Creek (55+)
- Getting around
- I-45 and SH-105, roughly an hour to downtown Houston
Montgomery County · Texas
Montgomery
A small town that happens to sit on a lake.
Small, historic and proud of it, with a walkable old downtown of antique shops and cafes. East of town the land slides toward Lake Conroe, so lakeside living and town life sit minutes apart. My office is here on Highway 105.
- Who lands here
- Buyers who want town character and lake access together
- Schools
- Montgomery ISD
- Signature areas
- Two Step Farm, Town Creek Crossing, Lone Star Landing, Berryknoll
- Getting around
- SH-105 and FM-149, The Woodlands about 25 minutes
Montgomery County · Texas
Magnolia
Pines, acreage and a little more elbow room.
Magnolia trades density for trees and land. It's for people who want a bigger lot and a quieter setting without falling off the map. Plan on driving for daily errands, because that space comes with distance. I grew up here.
- Who lands here
- Space seekers, acreage buyers, those wanting a calmer setting
- Schools
- Magnolia ISD
- Signature areas
- NorthGrove, Audubon, Kresston, Lake Windcrest, Mostyn Manor
- Getting around
- SH-249 and FM-1488, The Woodlands 20 to 25 minutes
Montgomery County · Texas
Conroe
The city doing the growing, not the lake.
It shares a name with the lake but lives a different life. This is the urban side of Montgomery County, with a historic downtown, an arts district, established neighborhoods and newer master-planned construction. The trade is traffic and construction to match the growth.
- Who lands here
- First-time and move-up buyers, value seekers, people who want a real city close to the lake
- Schools
- Conroe ISD
- Signature areas
- ARTAVIA, Grand Central Park, Harper's Preserve, Graystone Hills, Stonebrooke
- Getting around
- I-45, SH-105 and Loop 336, roughly 45 minutes to downtown Houston
Montgomery County · Texas
Woodforest
A new town built around a golf course and a town center.
A master-planned community southwest of Conroe that aims to be self-contained, with its own town center, golf club, parks and trails. It suits buyers who like the master-planned formula in a smaller, more knowable footprint.
- Who lands here
- Master-planned fans wanting a tighter-knit, amenity-rich setting
- Schools
- Montgomery ISD
- Signature areas
- Pine Island, Bonterra (55+), Stewart Heights, the single-family core
- Getting around
- FM-1488 and I-45, The Woodlands about 20 minutes
Montgomery County · Texas
The Woodlands
The standard everything else gets measured against.
An enormous tree canopy paired with a walkable Town Center, the Waterway, Hughes Landing and Market Street. It's also a serious employment hub, so plenty of residents have a short commute or none at all. Expect to pay for the polish.
- Who lands here
- Relocating professionals, transferees, buyers who want walkability and amenities
- Schools
- Conroe ISD, with Tomball ISD in Creekside Park
- Signature areas
- The eight villages plus gated Carlton Woods
- Getting around
- I-45 and the Grand Parkway, about 45 minutes to downtown Houston
Harris County · Texas
Spring
Historic charm on one side, a new corporate city on the other.
Spring is two stories at once. There's Old Town Spring with its historic shops and festivals, and there's the newer Springwoods Village and CityPlace district. Housing runs the full range and the area is split between districts, so the address matters.
- Who lands here
- Corporate commuters, first-time buyers, variety seekers
- Schools
- Klein ISD or Spring ISD by section
- Signature areas
- Harmony, The Falls at Imperial Oaks, Spring Trails, Benders Landing
- Getting around
- I-45, Hardy Toll Road and the Grand Parkway, about 35 minutes to downtown Houston
Harris County · Texas
Klein
Quietly dependable, organized around its schools.
Klein isn't a city. It's a community defined largely by its school district, with mature neighborhoods, good everyday retail and easy reach to the Champions golf area. It blends into Spring and Tomball, so many buyers end up comparing all three.
- Who lands here
- Those prioritizing schools, value-minded move-up buyers
- Schools
- Klein ISD
- Signature areas
- Champion Forest, Gleannloch Farms, Augusta Pines, Memorial Northwest, Wimbledon Champions Estates
- Getting around
- SH-249, I-45 and the Grand Parkway, about 40 minutes to downtown Houston
Harris County · Texas
Tomball
A small town with an actual Main Street.
Tomball leans into its German heritage and its lived-in downtown of antique shops, a farmers market, breweries and festivals. Newer communities sit alongside older in-town homes, so the range is wide. My first jobs were here.
- Who lands here
- Buyers who want small-town texture without giving up growth and jobs
- Schools
- Tomball ISD
- Signature areas
- Wildwood at Northpointe, Amira, Raburn Reserve, Lakewood Grove
- Getting around
- SH-249 Tomball Tollway, FM-2920 and the Grand Parkway, about 45 minutes to downtown Houston
Waller County · Texas
Hockley/Waller
The fastest-growing frontier, building from scratch.
Prairie turning into master-planned community almost in real time, out along the Highway 290 and Grand Parkway corridors. What you trade in established trees and services you gain in brand-new everything. Infrastructure and retail are still catching up to the rooftops.
- Who lands here
- Value-focused new-construction buyers, first-timers, commuters wanting a bit more land
- Schools
- Waller ISD, with some Cy-Fair ISD on the Harris County edge
- Signature areas
- Jubilee, The Grand Prairie, Cypress Green, Dellrose, Cypress Trails
- Getting around
- US-290, Grand Parkway 99 and SH-249, roughly 50 minutes to downtown Houston
Harris County · Texas
Bridgeland
The high-growth flagship, and it's still being built.
A large master-planned community in Cypress organized around lakes, trails and open space, with a mixed-use downtown in progress. Zoning splits by village, so confirm by section. It suits buyers who want brand-new with a long runway of amenities still to come.
- Who lands here
- New-construction buyers, growth-minded people, amenity seekers
- Schools
- Cy-Fair ISD east, Waller ISD in Prairieland
- Signature areas
- Lakeland, Parkland, Creekland and Prairieland villages
- Getting around
- Grand Parkway 99, about 45 minutes to downtown Houston
Harris County · Texas
Cypress
Master-planned variety across a wide stretch of the northwest.
Cypress isn't a single neighborhood. It's a sprawl of master-planned communities, from the private lake and boardwalk of Towne Lake to the mature trees of Fairfield and Coles Crossing. School zoning and tax rates vary by community, so compare carefully.
- Who lands here
- Value-focused master-planned buyers, commuters
- Schools
- Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
- Signature areas
- Towne Lake, Dunham Pointe, Marvida, Fairfield, Coles Crossing
- Getting around
- US-290 and Grand Parkway 99, about 45 minutes to downtown Houston
Montgomery County · Texas
New Caney
The wooded northeast frontier, just hitting its stride.
New Caney sits where I-69 meets the Grand Parkway. It pairs heavily wooded master-planned living with a busy retail and entertainment hub at Valley Ranch. This is still an emerging area, so amenities are catching up to the growth.
- Who lands here
- Value-focused new-construction buyers, commuters, those wanting woods and a new build
- Schools
- New Caney ISD
- Signature areas
- Tavola, Valley Ranch
- Getting around
- I-69/US-59 and Grand Parkway 99, roughly 45 minutes to downtown Houston
Harris and Montgomery counties · Texas
Kingwood
The Livable Forest, with greenbelt trails under the pines.
A 1970s master-planned community of distinct villages woven together by greenbelt trails beneath a preserved pine canopy. It's essentially built out, so most of it is established resale. Kingwood saw serious flooding in Hurricane Harvey, and it matters which village and which street you're on. I'll help you read that map.
- Who lands here
- Buyers who want established trees and trails, lake-adjacent living
- Schools
- Humble ISD, with New Caney ISD on the Porter/Royal Brook side
- Signature areas
- Royal Brook (new construction), Kings Point, Mills Branch, Bear Branch
- Getting around
- US-59/I-69 and W. Lake Houston Pkwy, roughly 40 minutes to downtown Houston
Harris County · Texas
Atascocita
Lake life on the northeast side.
The heart of the Lake Houston lifestyle, where boating, fishing and waterfront dining are everyday things. It's grown from a quiet lake area into a deep bench of master-planned communities. Because so much of life here orbits the water, flood history and elevation are worth checking by address.
- Who lands here
- Lake lovers, amenity seekers, buyers wanting new construction
- Schools
- Humble ISD
- Signature areas
- Balmoral, The Groves, Water's Edge on Lake Houston, Pinewood Trails
- Getting around
- FM-1960, W. Lake Houston Pkwy and US-59/I-69, roughly 40 minutes to downtown Houston
Take the first step
Ready to Find Where You Fit?
“It's not about a floor plan. It's about where you fit.”