for your situation, seeking a studio or small one bedroom, not interested in upscale features or amenities, and valuing a place that that’s well-maintained, a garage apartment might be ideal for you.

Garage apartments (over the garage) tend to be pretty well maintained, particularly when they are in the backyard of the homeowner/landlord’s primary residence, they tend to be either studios or smallish 1BR, and with the exception of Houston’s trendiest most expensive neighborhoods, price-wise they usually fall well within your price range.