-PJ
True....ust expensive for a first-time home buyer.
There are lots of back ways to get into the city from Fort Bend County and Brazoria County. Also auto insurance rates in these counties is about half of what they are in Harris County. Also need to be careful to not get into an area where you also have to have wind insurance and/or MUD Taxes.
Rice Village or West University area - depending on how much she wants to spend. Bellaire may be a better bet price wise and it’s close to 59 and the Loop area.
Katy or Spring present too many traffic problems and are too far west and north. Sugar Land is significantly better than Stafford IMO. Lower priced homes can be found on the east end of Highway 6 and you can easily hook up with the Fort Bend Tollway into the city or just take the Tollway to 90 and then north to 610/59. Pearland would be the best and most affordable but traffic getting on 288 is near impossible until TXDOT gets through in about 10 years. Access which allows you to take the Beltway to the Fort Bend Tollway north is almost complete though.
She works near the Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital.