[Metal_Majesty]

Hi everyone,

I’m a public accountant from central Illinois. I recently got a possible job opportunity in Houston, TX and am flying down in a week and a half to meet with the employer. I have been to a lot of states but Texas is not one of them. Is there anyone from Texas that can give me advice or opinions? The job is also for a public accounting firm and although the pay isn’t out of this world the benefits are very good. Also… anyone want to buy a house in central Illinois and I hear there might be a job opening at a local firm nearby…

[Anonymous]

“Just stating that Houston is in a red state, with a red governor … no state income taxes, great job growth, a budget surplus … the example of what our country should mirror.”

Don't forget about a liberal lesbian mayor!

[Jordan23cc]

All Texans are not republican homophobes either.

F - 2/15/2014 - 85
B - 2/26/2014 - 88
R - 4/1/2014 - 83
A - 4/21/2014 - 95

Licensed CPA in TX

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

[san4596]

@taxman – yes, we do have a good amount of country folk here, but it all depends on where you live. For example, I have never owned/ridden a horse, do not listen to country music, and do not own cowboy attire. Most people are just like everyone else in other states.

Another major benefit, the medical care in Houston is some of the best in the world, which is why people travel there for medical care.

CPA EXAM: DONE!!!!
Ethics Course: Passed
Application Mailed: 3/16/15
Professional Conduct Exam: 97
Certification Date: 4/2/15!!!

[Anonymous]

You will adjust quickly to the humidity in Houston. After a few weeks, you won't notice it.

Traffic on 290 sucks, but most major roads allow you to take the HOV lane for a fee, anywhere from $2.50 to $7 one way, depending on the time of day. Payment of the toll is on the honor system and there is no camera enforcement. Just sayin'….

[UHC2005]

@Audit_This – As far as the honor system, I have two letters from HCTRA with a photo of my car and license plate that say otherwise. Now red light cameras on the other hand…

Using Ninja MCQ, NINJA Notes, Audio, Flashcards and BLITZ, and 2014 Wiley Text

FAR - (61,63)
AUD - (68)

Keep Calm and RTMFQ

Accountant, what is best in life? To crush your MCQs, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their SIMS!

[Anonymous]

@UHC2005 are you talking about toll-roads (BW8, Hardy, 99, etc), or the HOT lanes? I haven't heard of photo-enforcement on HOT lanes…interesting…

[UHC2005]

I haven't had a chance to use the HOT lanes to be honest. I didn't think they were even set up on 290 yet. I know they are on 45 North and South.

Using Ninja MCQ, NINJA Notes, Audio, Flashcards and BLITZ, and 2014 Wiley Text

FAR - (61,63)
AUD - (68)

Keep Calm and RTMFQ

Accountant, what is best in life? To crush your MCQs, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their SIMS!

[Anonymous]

Houstonian speaking here — this city rocks and is overwhelming with the amount of job offers here. When I hear people say that there's a struggling job market wherever they're at it's really hard for me to grasp. Texas, in general is freakin' awesome. There truly is no other place like it:

https://money.cnn.com/gallery/real_estate/2014/03/27/fastest-growing-cities/2.html

[Metal_Majesty]

The job is in Humble. Here are my concerns… I do have a 7 year old daughter and it seems that there are a large amount of badly rated schools. Based on school districts I have been looking at Kingswood and The Woodlands. The second worry is that we have two dogs. A lot of the apartments that accept dogs have got horrible ratings and the ones that haven't are extremely expensive. We have also looked at the house route. I have noticed there are tons of houses for sale and there seems to be a lot of foreclosures. I am wondering why? I would think housing would be harder to find since there are so many people moving to Texas. The property taxes seem comparable but house prices seem to be a lot less then where I live currently. Is there something wrong with the houses or neighborhoods that isn't apparent? I noticed crime for theft and burglary is really high. I am wondering if there might be a connection.

[Metal_Majesty]

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. Sorry this is so off topic from our usual CPA woes.

[Anonymous]

@Bobcat87 – agree with everything. There is just something about being in Texas that feels incredibly. I love Houston, but am glad to live outside city limits so I can still have that “Texas” feel to things.

[UHC2005]

I'll just leave this here: https://youtu.be/mbH60wCO-Yw

😉

Using Ninja MCQ, NINJA Notes, Audio, Flashcards and BLITZ, and 2014 Wiley Text

FAR - (61,63)
AUD - (68)

Keep Calm and RTMFQ

Accountant, what is best in life? To crush your MCQs, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their SIMS!

[mcfly]

Houston is great. Texas is great. I love seeing all the H-town love on here! 🙂

REG - PASSED
BEC - PASSED
AUD - PASSED
FAR - PASSED

DONE. 🙂

[Anonymous]

If you work in Humble, I wouldn't live in Humble. Cypress-Fairbanks area is nice, and not a bad commute (45 min – an hour in traffic). Woodlands and Spring are also good areas. Humble is G-H-E-T-T-O.

[loarmistead]

I lived in Texas for 8 years. Houston is hot, muggy, has a tendency to flood from hurricanes, and smells like trash and oil. It has lax zoning laws so there are about a dozen “downtowns.”

That being said, it's exploding at the seams. Due to the lax zoning laws, housing is relatively inexpensive given the city's size, and wages are booming. This creates a very good cost of living differential, being able to live in a large city, earning large city wages, without all of the large city prices.

My company has not been able to keep employees in Houston due to the highly competitive wages being offered down there. As soon as they find someone, they leave shortly afterwards for a job offering more money.

If you can get used to the weather, Houston is not a bad place to be. Just remember, you're going to Texas, a state that has harnessed the opportunities being reaped down there by so many… so, politically speaking, when in Rome… don't Californicate Texas.

[Author]

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