Jump to content

UtterlyUrban

Full Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,911

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by UtterlyUrban

  1. UtterlyUrban
    Oh, yes.... I neglected to mention: Gutters: they do need to be replaced at times (along with the facia and soffits). They are low maintenance for decades (other than cleaning) but, then they will need replacement. Chimney: if it only burns gas, probably very little to do here except an inspection every decade. If it burns wood...... Clean it routinely. Chimney caps. Need some care too. Wildlife infiltration. Squirrels, and other creatures can decide to live with you and not pay rent. Extermination bills (plus finding and patching the entry point and repairing any attic damage. EIFS. If it's on the house, plan on inspections and possible Maintenance. Wood rot/termite damage to exterior elements. Exterior lighting fixtures need maintenance. Here in Houston you don't need to worry about things like retaining walls, etc since it's flat. But you do need to consider drainage. Before you buy carefully look at the yard and patio. Are there areas where it seems that the pitch is coming towards the house? Are there areas with ponding? If so, in a big rain event, you could have water in the house. Re-grade or install a French drain.
  2. UtterlyUrban
    Exterior repairs for a home. You have the roof. That's good. Now, how about: Painting? Every 5-7 years of years. Pressure washing the deck or patio Replacing dead landscaping Cleaning gutters on the 2nd story? Caulking windows? Replacing blown AC (outside units) or just maintaining every year. Attic fans? They break, even the non-powered ones. Garage door? Fix it or replace it. Got a fence? It's good for 15 years. Utility bills will be higher compared to a highrise. Cracked driveway? Have an irrigation system? Add maintenance costs for that. Pool (only fair if comparing to many highrises)? Add maintenance, utilities, and care (weekly) Mature Trees. Not a huge issue in Texas but, it does cost money to take them down or prune them. Rubbish removal. This may be billed separately from your taxes if outside the city of Houston limits. Then you get into the big issues..... Cracked slab, etc. you don't have that sole burden in a highrise.
  3. UtterlyUrban
    Or more.
  4. UtterlyUrban
    That is a very good, balanced report. Thank you for posting.
  5. UtterlyUrban
    This is a matter, IMO, of marketing the convention center to out of town planners and conventioners. "Out GRB center has multiple connectivity options: walk, rail, sky ridges and tunnels........" It is one reason why they added a skybridge from the Hilton to the GRB and are doing it again with the Marriott. Conventioners could walk across the street, right? But the bridge is "better" for marketing. The rail is a good option for some, especially is you are staying at the new JW (which is also tunnel connected BTW and is attracting a lot of my out of town co-workers rather than the Hilton which is not.... They don't want to have to deal with the vagrancy of weather). But there isn't an easy rail connection for the Hyatt, etc over in the financial district. There, it's the tunnels as an option and with this bridge, they can make it all the way to the GRB. Yes, they will walk twice as far and take 400 rights and lefts. Doesn't matter. It's an option and a good marketing tool. I know a lot of out of towners (business travelers) who stay at the 4 Seasons and loath having to stay at the Embasy or Hilton. Why? It has zero to do with the hotel and everything to do with "having to walk outside, dripping sweat or poured on" to the office. Some dislike the heat or rain so much that they either take a cab 5 blocks or they use the hotel shuttle. So much for a "walkable" city, right? Seems like many business folks prefer a tunnel connected hotel over one that isn't.
  6. UtterlyUrban
    Issues of tunnels or street aside, I do believe that you are missing the point of this particular connection. It is not really FOR houstonians. It is FOR folks from out of town. And, frankly, I think that Houston First will have a big marketing opportunity to gain more conventions if they could connect the GRB to the tunnels. And this connection is likely the last remaining "easy" way to do it. Personally, I live and work downtown. I like the tunnels. I like the streets. I like the optionality that the tunnels give me as a downtown resident.
  7. UtterlyUrban
    Because that one connection would tie the GRB to the rest of the tunnel system. Conventioners who are staying say, at the Hyatt, would be able to take the tunnels all the way to the GRB when it was pouring buckets outside or, failing that, when it was "too humid" for their northern blood.That connection has almost nothing to do, IMO, with people "crossing the street" and everything to do with connecting the GRB to the tunnel system for conventioners. That fact is marketable by Houston First as they are attempting to gain more conventions.
  8. UtterlyUrban
    Doctors and Ports do have an impact on Houston but they DO NOT offset the effect of energy. Much of the "boom" was energy related so much of the "downturn" is also related to energy. If oil stays "low" for another six months, real pain will start. If it stays "low" for 2 years Houston will have significant problems. I love the part in the story above: "houston wins with high oil and low oil...... People are coming to buy real estate bargains and aren't finding any......" Really? No kidding..... Wait six months. Then, when the buyers swoop in and buy hat commercial building for $1m that was purchased for $1.3m in 2013, tell me about that "winning" again? Who won? Clearly not the guy who bought it for $1.3m. Maybe the commercial real east set brokers win...... Oh.....
  9. UtterlyUrban
    I like the rotating restaraunt. Kinda cool. I hope that they keep it.
  10. UtterlyUrban
    It is interesting to me that the new renderings have removed the sky bridge. Why?
  11. UtterlyUrban
    Cool! Any hints?
  12. UtterlyUrban
    Are you describing the area next to the school? I think it is currently a ballfield. If you are, my bet is that this has something to do with the school.
  13. UtterlyUrban
    Any idea as to what that change was?
  14. UtterlyUrban
    There are reports of $20 oil this year for a protracted time before moving higher. There are reports that the current price is "about right" for a protracted time. There are reports of $70 oil this year for a protracted time before moving even higher Who is right? I don't know. What I do know is that if one of the first two items listed actually happens, Houston will face significant problems. All the talk about "ports and doctors" earlier in this thread will mean nothing if houston faces oil prices in the $20's and $30's for, say, 2 years.
  15. UtterlyUrban
    I don't know. But, the homeless, many of whom are substance abusers or mentally ill (or both) will be a significant issue for the city to grapple with as it tries to both increase its in-town residents and increase its tourism. I have been all over Manhattan for a decade. Top to bottom. East to west. I have been asked for money once just south of Hell's Kitchen. Here in downtown Houston (a one square mile area) I get asked essentially 5-10 times a month. Sometimes 2-3 times per day. This type of activity is certainly not the kind of thing that Sally and Sam Suburb from Smallville, IA attending the quilting convention would be used to and would likely return home with a less than favorable impression of the City.
  16. UtterlyUrban
    I applaud any buyer who will purchase these homes and lovingly update them with a view towards preservation.
  17. UtterlyUrban
    Why is 334 moving so slowly? Time is interest and interest is money. I wonder what has caused the seemingly slow pace of construction?
  18. UtterlyUrban
    This is good news!I really hope that the city and the landlords are able to bring three or four major retail tenants onto the street. Otherwise, this is time and money wasted.
  19. UtterlyUrban
    If we compared the cost of a "super tall" from, say, the 1970's to the inflation adjusted cost of one now, would the cost be higher, lower, or about the same?
  20. UtterlyUrban
    It's february 20th. It was reported that construction and " started" in January. Any equipment on the site yet? I don't understand the real estate development business. I really don't. Why would anyone sit on a property for about a decade then announce that construction has " started" ....... Why not just wait until something big and yellow shows up to dig a hole before announcing anything? I mean, if you wait 10 years to build something, wouldn't ya think you would just stay mum for a few weeks until dirt gets turned in earnest before you announce that construction has "started"? I just don't understand this business.
  21. UtterlyUrban
    Ok, so it's speeding tickets, parking tickets, noise ordinance violations, and maybe a business license issue or two.I guess I don't share the prior poster's view that this would be detrimental to the potential residential neighborhood that should be coming to the area. This is especially true if one considers that there will be about a billion cops coming and going constantly, 24 hours a day. That would actually make the entire area even more safe than it already is. Market square is only a few blocks from the current (state and federal?) court complex downtown. Where the accused murderers and rapists and druggies and robbers head to trial. Market square seems to be doing just fine from a residential point of view and it doesn't seem to be affecting the whole "quality hill" area which is just to the east near minute maid......
  22. UtterlyUrban
    We are talking about municipal courts here, correct? Not state or federal, correct?
  23. UtterlyUrban
    It is absolutely true that ALL types of folks can be rich or poor, any race or gender, or sexual orientation. But, how many junk stores selling twenty million pairs of used cowboy boots do you see in Piney Point? How many tattooed, gay, iron welding sculptural artists do you find in hedwig village or West U? There may be some, true but they aren't easy to find. In Montrose for the last 30 years, they have been (and still are) easy to find. I think that will, starting now, change over the next decade or so. And "Montrose" (the Version we think of) will be over. The shift of the Pride parade to downtown signals that to me.
  24. UtterlyUrban
    the 1111 main location. Retail turned vacant turned garage turned (hopefully) retail again. I don't understand the Lamar location. How does this fit? What is the city trying to do here? How do these two buildings (other than proximity) relate to each other? Why is the city seeking proposals? Does the city own both buildings? How can it do an RFQ if it doesn't? I am totally confused. Help.
  25. UtterlyUrban
    This is a good point. Many Houston neighborhoods have changed over the decades. Montrose was one of them. And, I believe that it is changing again. If development trends continue over the next 10-15 years, the artsy hipness that was associated with Montrose over the last 30 years will be greatly diminished in my opinion. It will be replaced with something else. Maybe even all those families with small children like in the 1940's but this time likely more affluent. Or, perhaps it will be just a bunch of young lawyers and singles. Or maybe it will be a bunch of retired baby boomers. We shall see. But, to the original question: "is Montrose over?" If we define "Montrose" as the last 20-30 years only, yes, it is over IMO. But it will fade away slowly as development and property values take the inevitable toll on artists, hipsters, gays, and libertines.
×
×
  • Create New...