ldogg

Robertson will not be used long term period..... the owners of the team came to Houston both for the potential fan base and to work on a deal for a stadium with partners.... they were using a college stadium in San Jose and couldn't get their own stadium there... I think Delmar will be the place... I see nothing wrong with it as that stadium is currently a dump (I played there 13 years ago) and needs to be updated... so if a deal can be worked out with a sponsor and the MLS team then why not?? it'll only further fuel the redevelopment in this area and maybe something will finally be done with NW Mall..

It just doesn't really exist in Houston... not for $200k not for $500k... the city is just too spread out, and if you are in an area that does have those amenities, then it is a matter of luck as to whether or not the house you're loooking at is close enough to them.... you can live in part of West U and have a park and school right by your house, or be in West U and be 2 miles from that same park and school... oh.. and about your pipe dreams of walking everywhere... if you are lucky enough to live close to things worth walking to you'll have late Oct to late April to be able to do so (unless the rare cold front comes through)... from May to October it'll be so hot and humid you won't want to walk more than 2-3 blocks outside... we've all got cars with awesome air conditioners for a reason!

Red... well if I wanted to buy a house and save that 3% could I have an attorney friend do the contract but not take the commission?? I would think that would work right??

Cool... I was worried about the implication of getting someone who is already working at the time.... the job I've got would literally be a 1 day job for any decent framing crew including getting the roof on... 2 says at worst... it's only a 15x14 room that already has 2 walls that are staying... would I be wasting my time going through business cards at Lowes and/or HD?

Mary... did you meet the guy who wrote that Press article?? I just noticed that he was a friend of mine from HS... small world..

Gotta plug Vietnam Restaurant on 19th.... outstanding food... family owned... family recipes... Marissa and Victor are the best out on the floor and Danny will prepare your food... got questions about things or want to make some slight changes and he'll do it for you.... he has even whipped up some family recipes not on the menu for my wife before..

on 290??? Jenard Gross is developing apartments, townhomes and some single family homes on the former Metro-Nexus site... it is demolished and cleared... Alliance Builders is developing apartments and some retail just north of the Gross project at the intersection of 610/18th/290.... you've got the Houston Landscape Center and a small strip center inbetween the two projects on the east side of 610 right here.... also of note, the HISD building is looking really nice... lets hope things keep getting better around here and someone does something with NW Mall..

hmmm... I wasn't aware of that as a rule, but rather as a negotiation tactic to knock 3% off the price of the home... be aware that some real estate firms do not allow you to purchase without a broker... I know Greenwood King is like that... they'll take that extra 3% and pocket it whereby rendering your efforts a waste...

So I might need to employ some framers for a little remodeling/rehab work. It would involve potentially framing out 2 exterior walls and tying a roof over an addition into the original roof. I do not like hiring GCs or general remodeling companies as they charge too much. Instead I'd like to find a framing crew and have them bid the job as I spec it. My issue I guess is finding a framing crew to do the work. Should I just look in the yellow pages, and if so what should I look for primarily, OR, should I stop by construction sites when framers are working and ask them who their boss is and to bid my job?? How do builders find their labor? Thanks..

Honestly I don't see the problem with verbal offers.... well, I do see the problem, and that is that realtors aren't trained to handle them, and the industry isn't set up for them... I'm a ship broker and we regularly trade offers verbally first with email reconfirmation ASAP... we're talking $350k-$2million freight contracts that we've handled and this happens every day in our industry... contracts for our business are long and entail many more clauses and terms than real estate yet we're able to get this done... but you negotiate the money issues first and come to an agreement to those terms subject to final detail agreement... it is rare for a deal to fall apart at this stage since money items are dealt with... it is further ridiculous when comparing this to real estate since having an option period is now the norm... as an outsider I think it would be prudent and professional of the realtor to entertain the casual verbal offer and try to come to some agreement or ballpark and then ask the buyer to submit a formal offer... but just rejecting it off hand does not seem proper to me and instead tells me that the realtor either is too lazy to deal with it on the phone, or likely isn't comfortable negotiating in that manner...

Shepard... I'm guessing you're the same from Zula downtown?? if so then I definitely will be coming to this place when it opens... you guys did a fantastic job with the food at my wedding in Boaka Bar 3+ years ago...

heightsfan... you'd be well off to upgrade your sevice panel and add several new circuits if you are updating the house... it'll give you the flexibility you need and you won't have power drains or spikes when using hair dryers/microwaves etc at the same time.... you'll need new wiring for the can lights.... as for size, 4" and 6" seem to be the most common... just depends on the look you want in your house and the amount of light required... I put 4" lights in the soffitts outside and over my kitchen sink but have 6" everywhere else..

no doubt that Mary Choppins is a looker... many of the girls are.... funny enough I know Tempestua from the burlesque team.. she used to bartend at bowling alley I once frequented with some friends... sounds like you guys have a pretty well organized league and have probably exhausted every option.... not that I have even the slightest clue, but are there buildings like you need near the I-10 Target development near downtown?? what about renting out that Kicks soccer facility on Shepherd/Durham? something closer to the Montrose/Midtown area would be ideal, but me thinks there isn't much there.... hmmm.. this isn't an easy problem.. oh yeah.. and if any of you have checked out the Rollergirls show that documents the Austin league and liked the metal being played during the matches and credits, the band is called Hognose and they are on my old guitarists record label based out of Austin.... arclight records.... he's got some very cool bands so far for a 2 year old record label... they're getting play on this show and Hognose, Book of Knots and Super Heavy Goat A*s were all on several episodes of The Real World: Austin on MTV... good luck with the search.. I'll keep my eyes open and maybe drive through the Heights area on my way home today..... might be something there....

I used to live in Cottage Grove.... on the south side of I-10 though.... the wife and I loved the relative area so much we moved into Timbergrove just down TC Jester... got sick of being in a townhouse.. at any rate.. there will be no stopping the gentrification in Cottage Grove... lots/homes are being sold to developers quickly... 3 1/2 yrs ago when we bought our place there, the north side of I-10 had very little going on... now you see signs everywhere.... prices are still nice in the area with some appreciation to occur in the next 3-4 years.... if you're willing to live in a gardenhome/townhome it would be a good move...

DJLawrence... the problem I see with your math is that it isn't considering anything other than a reported final price tag... you've got to compare apples to apples... did the French or Greek govt's contribute to those stadiums? was the land already purchased or not.... what sort of labor costs do they have compared to the US... etc...etc.. those stadiums look nice, but in reality how do they stack up to Pizza Hut Park?? we can't really compare any of them as we don't know what the insides are like etc.... did PHP price tag include all the land and work done for all those other fields and such?? that makes a big difference... i tend to agree with you that a stadium can be built fairly economically... there is nothing fancy about permanent bleachers/seating and you can keep that aspect simple... after that it is building the simple innards for locker rooms, gym and bathrooms and concessions... the rest is window dressing... and I'd venture a guess that the brick of PHP carries a much higher labor/material cost than what those Euro stadiums have... of course the cost in those would be more in the design and maybe that is where the big difference lies in that we don't have stadium architects who are as effective/efficient?

hmmm... well the first one is land that I believe is owned by Hakeem Olajuwon right?? it certainly has good potential and plenty of space and could utilize the banks of the bayou for some parks and such... no doubt it would improve the landscape of the area for people driving through Houston... my main concern would be getting traffic in and out of that area... I've driven by there a gazillion times, but have no clue what exits to take or where to turn to actually get there... that location on Franklin is the current Post Office HQ right?? that could work but I'm not sure about having enough parking... it would be somewhat close to the Aquarium which lends itself to more tourism/attractions in the area... but the main problem I see with this is that there would be too much involved to make it happen... would the owners of the team be willing to wait it out? you're talking about moving a federal operation and buying the land... the gov't doesn't normally move too quickly on these sort of things and they'd have to have new facilities ready to move into pretty quick... how long would it take for them to find a new location?? how long would the design and bid phase of constructing the new location take? what sort of time frame would they have for construction?? how long would it take to get moved into the new spot?? then after all of that the team could demolish the site and begin construction which would take 18-24 months.... I just don't see them waiting for all that... not to say that the site wouldn't be a good option.. my main concerns would be available parking and also ease of access... remember, they want to not only attract the strong local hispanic population, but also all the kids in the suburbs and their soccer moms... it is why I think a place like Delmar is the best bet.... easy to locate.. easy to get to... in close proximity to a highly hispanic area... safer feel for soccer moms out in the burbs to load up 4-8 kids in the Suburban and head in to town for an MLS game...

god that Allianz Arena is hideous.... looks like the hindenburg didn't actually burn up... blegh... the stadium will be simple and cost effective... I don't see fancy architecture playing into what is a low revenue league right now... Houstonians need to check themselves about roofs on stadiums... it is insanity.... not to mention that soccer due to it's nature can get away with a much less luxurious stadium... you get in find your seat and don't leave for 45 minutes... then you've got 15 minutes to do what you need and get back for another 45 minutes... unlike baseball with tons of down time and minutes between innings and football/basketball with tons of tv timeouts, ends of quarters and halftime, soccer is a quick game with no stop... people don't want to miss a score because they are rare... so there isn't the need for fancy bars, restaurants etc..etc... slap down a field... put 10,000 seats on each side of the field with some luxury boxes at the top of one end and press boxes at the top of the other and 3,000 seats at each end... total capacity of about 30,000... do some simple cosmetic things to give the stadium a nice feel to it and make it seem fancier than it is...

eelimon... thanks for the pics and suggestions... but I don't think any of them would work save for the 2 locations near the Toyota center... the others are either too small and don't allow for parking, or like the one for MMP you'd be eliminating ALL of the parking for season ticket holders to MMP... I doubt Drayton would go for that... whatever happened to the suggestion of razing Delmar stadium and rebuilding it for the MLS team and HISD?? personally I think that is the best bet of all... it is very near many hispanic communities.. is in an area served by Metro transit.. and it would further serve to revitalize that area along with the new HISD headquarters..

give us a better idea of the streets/area and we can help you with that aspect as well... south of I-10 and near the Heights could be anywhere from Wescott to downtown as far as I'm concerned... but there are some subtle and not so subtle differences between areas around each of the exits off of I-10...

you can doubt it all you want, but you haven't seen it... our office/house has turned posts on the porch, gingerbread trim, decorative scalloping on the gabled sections, substantial decorative moulding inside... it most definitely IS a Victorian and not a craftsman... there are indeed an abundance of craftsmans in the area, but ours was built in the Victorian style... heightsfan.... there are several factors that play into cabinet pricing... wood choice, style, stain, hardware (hinges, drawer sliders etc).... go to Armstrong cabinets... they are located off of Dacoma just north of 290 past the DL renewal place... they are basically semi-custom prefab cabinets... custom ordered to your specs, and then installed using fillers, spacers etc.... I did my entire kitchen in a gorgeous solid Cherry for $7k... we had a lot of cabinets and also had several upgrade features like pull outs, tilt front under the sink..etc..etc... the ones we really wanted from them were similar in door style, but a different wood and had a 2 step stain/glaze on them... beautiful, but would have cost $11k.... unlike Home Depot these guys will come measure your space and work up plans for free... also, you can buy brand new claw foot tubs... check online or call some plumbing supply places (like Westheimer P & S)..

danny... back in the mid to late 80's the streets would flood rather easily, but not up into houses... I can recall being let out of school several times for bad rain storms... walking home at Victory/Antoine the water would be about shin deep... the intersection of Longcreek and Streamside used to get ankle deep easily... since then there has been much more development upstream on White Oak Bayou.... the effects have not been good, and my understanding is that the area floods much more severely and regularly... those empty lots aren't from lack of development... they were teardowns from the insurance company... the area has been on decline for about 20 years now... scary thought as that makes me feel old! anyway, for it to come back it'll take a lot of change to the areas surrounding it, and if that does happen it'll still take a lot of time and $$ to remodel, rehab or teardown the existing homes as they'll be even older and many likely not well maintained...

wordgirl... yes Inwood Forest was once a very nice neighborhood... when my parents bought there in 1980 it was a fairly new community with nicely designed and maintained homes... the country club was beautiful and across the street from it on Antoine were several mansions... if anyone remembers the clubs back then called "Kars", the owners lived in one of those houses... huge and with a green from one of the holes out the backyard and a pond... they always had several Mercedes in the driveway as well as a Lamborghini Countach... with 27 holes of golf this neighborhood was designed to be a showplace and for families to have a nice environment to live and grow and play... over the years the place just slowly died.... cheaper developments around it and low income apartments hurt values... with Acres Homes on one side and Garden City on the other it was a prime target for theives... I even recall some of the gang wars going on around 1988-89 between the Acres Shakers and the Garden City possee.... sad that I knew all of this while in junior high... my school was filled with kids carrying drugs... fights... a stabbing... a couple of hold ups.... again, in junior high in 1989-91... things have only gotten worse... the downslide really kicked in around 1987 at least from my memory... rps.. I totally agree with your comments then... I definitely see Antoine and the immediate surroundings being a nearly permanent barrier to gentrification... people can continue to rehab Garden Oaks and Oak Forest closer to the loop, and I see less obstacles to taking that redevelopment east from that area as opposed to west towards Antoine...

HoosierHorn... welcome to this forum as well! at any rate... I think some of you claiming gentrification of Inwood in 7 years are insane.... the reality is that with Acres Homes, the apts on W. Gulf Bank, and the projects at Garden City just will not allow it to happen... also consider that parts of Inwood Forest have been claimed by the flooding and are no longer liveable.... take a look at the businesses along Antoine from 290 all the way north past Gulf Bank... there is entirely too much that needs to happen in this area to make it desireable again.... I spent most of my childhood in this area.. from living the first 3 years of my life in some townhomes behind the old HEB on Antoine at Tidwell to living on Longcreek in Inwood Forest until I was 14... the neighborhood began to decline in 1985 and got worse and worse as the years go by... I have been back recently since we moved out in 1991, and I can tell you it is much worse today than back then... it is actually sad for me to see what my old neighborhood has become.... but alas the writing was on the wall when in '91 nearly every house on our block on our side of the street was broken into... then my dad was held up outside Little Ceasars one night... mom called the realtor the next day.... for guidance, my parents bought the house there for about $80k in 1980... they sold it in 1991 for $110k and that was after some remodeling and a gorgeous swimming pool and backyard were done.... today my old neighbors across the street have tried to sell their house to retire finally... they were asking $125k and got no offers... so for 25 years there has been virtually no appreciation in the neighborhood... foreclosures are common as per a recent Chronicle article... I'd say get out while you can... the suggest of the Meyerland/Westbury area is a good one... I'm also a little biased towards my neck of the woods in Timbergrove.... Lazybrook and parts of Oak Forest are also better choices than Inwood.... as for the need to have 4 bedrooms, I'd strongly suggest looking at some of these older homes... they all have a formal living room as well as a den, and you could do something similar to what I did and convert part of the formal living into a study... we added some walls and put in french doors.... just my 2 cents... a penny for your thoughts?

my house built in 1960 was done with Mexican clay bricks... many of them in the neighborhood were... I don't think it was that rare..

For me the quality of a builder is 3 fold... 1. does the finished product look nice? are they quality materials with a fine finish to it? a top notch finish doesn't have to cost top dollar if you know what you're doing... design is very important to me... 2. quality of construction - if the houses are being inspected by the city you know it should meet certain requirements... but when you walk the house during the different stages you need to kick and tug everything and question everything.. 3. warranty work/reputation - it is inevitable that problems will arrise.. some minor and some major... how much personal attention does the builder give you? how concerned are they to make you happy? do they react to your problem the same way they would if it were their own home? no matter how good the subcontractors are or how vigilant the superintendants are, things are going to slip through the cracks... taking care of these things is of the utmost importance... it won't make the builder any more $$ in the short term, but reputation is huge and will make a difference in the long term.. I bought a townhome over 3 years ago from a local builder... they were great... beyond catering to the design changes/finishes we wanted they also took care of warranty issues without hesitation... even after the warranty period expired I called the super and described a problem and asked for references to a contractor and he said not to worry and that they'd take care of it for me... I would recommend them to anyone looking for the type of home they are building right now.. in fact, one of my old neighbors that moved to Dallas and has since returned to Houston just bought another house from them... oh.. and Carbor... need a superintendant? how much will it pay?? I was my own GC and laborer on remodeling my own home and loved it so much that I'd love to be in the game for real... as for TJ's suggestion of a spanish speaker... it is golden... I'm a native speaker and 1/2 hispanic but look like whitey... you wouldn't believe the number of times I've overheard workers/contractors speaking to each other in spanish about things on the job thinking I didn't understand them... I play along until I know I need to come out with it... the look of shock on their faces is priceless.. oh.. and I also experienced the dump on the jobsite issue at my house... the guy did it in a bucket and left it near the front door... we were working inside and thought we had a dead rat in a wall from the smell... luckily I checked the bucket before opening up the wall... disgusting.. .