HoustonRealtor

Many units at The Renaissance sit on the market for quite while and has historically had a lot of foreclosures. The location is very good though. The Reata on Allen Parkway has the same issues. I took a buyer to the Ellie Lofts and he hated all the freeway noise. Everything active in MLS at The Edge is over $200k, but they may have other inventory. Their prices have gone up alot since Katrina, due to the increase of construction costs and materials. Many pre-construction buyers backed out due to the delays and higher prices. I agree that a 2BR is preferable and better for resale, but I understand that your budget may not allow it.

The Houston Association of Realtors consumer website, www.har.com, will give you access to all properties listed with a Realtor. There are some builders that do not list with Realtors or have an in-house broker, but for the most part, you can get a good overview of what is on the market at this one site. If you come across a builder you like, you should see if they have a website, as that can be a good source of information sometimes. You can also find info at the Greater Houston Home Builders Association websites, www.ghba.org and www.myghba.com. The Better Business Bureau has some information as well at www.bbbhou.org. My last website recommendation for now is the Texas Residential Construction Commission at www.trcc.state.tx.us. You can also ask around. Friends, family and current owners can be great sources of information. A Realtor can also provide you with information. In the end, it all will come down to what you like and is in your budget. But with some research and good advise from people you trust, you can make an educated decision rather than one based solely on emotions. Best of luck!

This home has also been discussed in other threads here. As long as the home has been in MLS (496 days as of today), it has always been listed at $4.7 million. The agent remarks state that the home is about 70% complete and that it will be finished at that price. I imagine that he would be willing to sell it in its current condition as well, just to get rid of it.

The house has been listed since June 1. The house went pending on July 13 and active again on August 8.

I have family around the corner from the house. Word on the street, long before this article surfaced, was that his girlfriend lives across the street from the house and that he stays at her place quite a bit. Not much has ever been said about the plans for the property though.

I am currently working with a buyer in that price range that grew up in Meyerland, so Robindell (plus Braes Timbers and Braeburn Terrace) and Westbury were high on her list. Robindell has some nice houses, but there isn't a huge spread between the low end and the high end, so it might not make financial sense. My buyer doesn't have the money to fix a home up, so we needed something in pretty good condition. I think we finally have the right house and are in the process of negotiating repairs. I agree that Westbury has more upside if the house has good bones, but you won't find much availability in your price range. Most in your range will be in Westbury South (not great for resale), Westbury 4 (better for resale, but not ideal) or on a major street (again, not great for resale). Some say that Sharpstown is nice, but it seems like many Houstonians don't want to go anywhere near it. The mall's reputation, along with main streets in the area (like Fondren and Bellaire) have not helped the situation. Best of luck!

I'm not sure if it opened, but I doubt it. The lot has been packed all day long. They have been prepping the store and seemed to be filming or taking photos this afternoon. My guess is that it's a pre-opening celebration by invitation only.

An agent doesn't have to show you a property, so from that perspective it's OK to require a pre-approval letter. Not necessarily a way to win friends and influence people, but she was probably just trying to avoid wasting her time with someone that couldn't qualify. We've all put in time and effort on someone that either couldn't get approved or just couldn't make a decision. She was probably trying to keep from running around for no reason. As for the trying to get you to not use another agent, there could be a variety of reasons. Here are a couple: Does she own the property you were looking at? If so, she could afford to sell it for less if she could avoid paying a buyer's agent. Some agents try to sell their own properties on the side before putting them in MLS because they don't need anyone to represent them and they may be able to sell it without any commissions to another agent or their own sponsoring brokerage. Was the property listed in MLS? Maybe she was an owner/agent trying to sell it on the side and had no desire or intention to pay a commission at the current asking price. She could always raise the price to cover commissions when/if she puts it in MLS. Regardless, she doesn't sound like anyone that I would want to have represent me as a buyer (or seller for that matter!). However, without knowing all of the facts, it's hard to say whether or not she has done anything wrong. She's definitely not a people person though.

I don't recall ever hearing the story before, but a quick search produced THIS STORY from KPRC in 2005.

I know *nothing* about this other than the fact that it exists. It is at Re/Max Top Realty (Beltway 8 and 288), just north of Pearland. Pearland Realty Investment Club

Thanks for the info canadian! As a fellow Comcast customer, I will definitely keep your post in mind. It sounds like your move to Houston has been a real pain in the butt. From your Realtor that wasn't really your Realtor, to your cable/internet/phone fiasco, 2007 has been rough. Hopefully 2008 will be a better year!!

Gehan tends to build a less upgraded and less expensive product than some other builders. I can't speak to the quality of their construction, but I think an unsatisfactory BBB rating should definitely be a red flag. From a resale perspective, I think you would have a difficult time reselling a Gehan unless it was heavily upgraded. I have only been in a handful of their homes and can honestly say that I have been in some luxury apartments in Houston that had better quality finishes than those homes. The bathrooms in particular stand out in my mind. Even the model home that I saw had basic cabinetry, cheap plumbing fixtures, etc. Obviously this is just my opinion, but if there are other builders in your price range, I think you would be better off checking them out.

I agree with your definition. However, it sounds like she would be OK with a loft or a "loft". She might not be as flexible after looking around and seeing the difference between the two. The charm of an old building is unmatched, but many buyers seek near-perfection, which is easier to find in a loft-like apartment in a newer building. Either way, there are options out there for her. CityView fell into my "other buildings" comment. One bedrooms are mid $100's to mid $200's in MLS. The only 2 bedroom listed is $425,000 so I didn't mention the building. I love the building though and am glad that it's being made into lofts. I also omitted buildings that were considerably below her price range, such as the new Ellie Lofts on Hamilton.

Going from a 3 bedroom to a loft can be quite a change. Here are some buildings that came to mind with 2 bedroom units under $350,000: Rise Lofts (2000 Bagby) - rental conversion, very young/"hip" crowd...probably too much so for most "regular" folks The Beaconsfield (1700 Main St) - high maintenance fee Lofts on Post Oak (1900 Post Oak Blvd) - uptown location, rental conversion, reasonable maintenance fee Bayou Lofts (915 Franklin) - popular historic building Kirby Lofts (917 Main St) - no parking garage makes this building tough to sell Tremont Tower (3311 Yupon St) - no. seriously. The Stanford (505 Bastrop) - recent construction east of Minute Maid Park If she wants a one bedroom unit, the options are even greater. There are other buildings available, but their 2-bedroom units tend to be in the high $300's to $500's.

I did a search in MLS and can't find any where the agent has referrred to the home as a "Cambridge" plan in Sugar Land (or Pearland for that matter). Do you know the exact square footage?

The listing agent certainly didn't go overboard on the photos! MLS allows 16...she only has 6. Perhaps it's just a teaser to lure wealthy potential buyers in for an accompanied tour of the home. (Useless Trivia: The owner has the same name as the former owner of Yellow Cab here in Houston, although I can't be certain that it's the same person.)

I've had a couple of buyers in this price range recently and have avoided this complex because of the number of foreclosures. In the end, there is no telling what these units will end up selling for and I didn't want clients that paid too much for their unit. Another possibility is investors coming along and buying them for rental property with the intention of selling them at some point in the future. Some of the listings have had monthly price reductions since early summer. In my opinion, there is too much uncertainty. I would want some other buyers to be the first to jump at these.

Well, missjanel beat me to the punch on their website, but here are a few links to their active listings in MLS... http://www.har.com/3998498 (Meyerland) http://www.har.com/9942241 (Ayrshire) http://www.har.com/3525863 (Bellaire)

I think many builders just see the volume of listings held by the company and assume that listing with them is the best way to go. They also have a prominent office (showroom, really) location. The traffic is there and the homes, townhomes and condos sell. Builders want to sell homes and this company has a record of being able to do just that. I don't think that it's until later that some builders realize who/what they are really dealing with.

230 Blalock was reduced yesterday by $101,000. At the new price of $1,549,000, the City of Piney Point Village will be taking a loss. Tax dollars hard at work!!! Here is the email flyer that went out:

15 days on the market. Reduced to $399,900.

Again, not my listing, but should be of interest to the Mod fans. No pics in the new listing yet, but here are a few from when it sold last year. http://harpictures.marketlinx.com/MediaDisplay/53/hr1596553-3.jpg http://harpictures.marketlinx.com/MediaDisplay/53/hr1596553-4.jpg http://harpictures.marketlinx.com/MediaDisplay/53/hr1596553-5.jpg http://harpictures.marketlinx.com/MediaDisplay/53/hr1596553-6.jpg

A couple that I have seen quite a bit: Holub Realty & Property Management (minimum rent $1250/month) Clark, McDowell & Kic Realtors

Brand new listing in Willow Meadows at $172.38 per square foot. Highest sold price per square foot in MLS is $169.51 in August 2007. A few others have sold around $167.00 per square foot. HAR Link EDIT: By the way...it's not my listing, just thought I would share.

Perhaps you are referring to the ACES Warranty. In general, they tend to provide warranties for smaller builders. Most of the major builders back their own warranties.