HoustonRealtor

That is correct. I was surprised to see the sign a couple of weeks ago. I wonder how they will do in Pearland!?!?!?

As a REALTOR myself, I say you should report him! People like him make us all look bad. Every profession has it's share of dirtbags, ours just happen to work with the public. If you report him, you might save someone else from having to go through what you went through. Too bad someone didn't report him sooner so that it wouldn't have happened to you in the first place. Sorry you had such a bad experience and I hope that you are enjoying Houston now.

It's an actual photo. Various units in the complex by Rohe & Wright have been marketed for quite some time now. I believe the older units are a couple of years old now.

The home has been on the market for a few months, and no public reference has been made to its "famous" owner. I guess when Mack decides it's really time to get the place sold, he pulls out all the stops. It just may work for him. The Shipley's, of Shipley Do-Nuts, also have their home for sale in Northgate Forest. A couple other notable Houston area homes: Fellow furniture giant Robert Finger's home had a contract on it before his recent death, and it closed shortly after he died. David Carr's home went pending in less than 30 days. Texas House of Representatives' Hubert Vo has had a mansion on the market (while under construction) for over a year.

The listing expired today. Only time will tell if they are going to re-list or have given up hope.

$350-375k. Start low to see how desperate they are. They shouldn't have overpriced it in the beginning.

The $4,000 decorator allowance won't go very far, but it's better than nothing. The house was listed one year ago yesterday and was off the market for about 1 week in February when they changed Realtors. It was originally listed at $465,000. A $75,000 reduction and one year on the market means that reality has probably set in with the sellers.

If they can't get it open sooner than that, they might as well wait until Dec 1. Opening a brand new store right before a big grocery shopping holiday could really set the wrong impression for customers. Much of their staff will have limited training and will still be learning the ropes. They won't be ready to handle the rush of Thanksgiving shoppers with only one week of real world experience.

As a new resident of SCR, it seems to me like people outside of SCR worry about the expansion much more than the people in SCR. That is not to say that we want the expansion or will sit by and let it happen without a fight, but it seems that people are not letting it comsume their daily lives. I can honestly say that I have never noticed a foul smell from the landfill from anywhere inside SCR, although I have occasionally smelled some nasty things on 521 and areas west. I do not know for certain if they are coming from the landfill. I find it hard to believe, and hope that it is not the case, that there will be an exodus from SCR over this issue. The community is nice and the quality of people seems good. We hope to be here a long time.

I know several people in Pearland that work in the Med Center. They leave about 6:00 and are at work between 6:20 and 6:30. Obviously working later will take more time as rush hour traffic builds. Not a bad commute as far as suburbs go. While 288 has its share of traffic, it doesn't compare to some other Houston area freeways.

For those that might be trying to look it up, it's actually Loews (rather than Lowe's). http://www.loewshotels.com

I agree with your analysis. Too often, I see FSBO's where the seller wants market value for their home. Often times they do not take in to consideration that they aren't paying a commission whereas the guy down the street is paying one. This is usually the result of either the sellers being greedy or they cannot afford to sell the house with a commission because they need the money to pay off the existing mortgage, buy a new house, etc. I'm of the opinion that if you aren't going to list with an agent, your price should reflect some of the savings that you will realize. Buyers tend to agree. I've had many of them tell me that they looked at FSBO's first because they expected a "better deal". When they realized they weren't getting it, they decided to see what else was on the market (in MLS). Even though the MLS listings had a commission built in to the price, they didn't want to limit their choices because the cost to them was the same. Some times a buyer can get a great deal on a FSBO, other times there is no advantage.

The only unfinished space I have seen in the Houston area is over a garage or possibly an attic, but not a true unfinished second floor. Interesting concept.

I overlooked some info previously, so here are updated details. Each one represents a new listing in MLS. 10/18/05 - 4/14/06 (179 days): $350,000, reduced to $339,000, reduced again to $328,900 4/30/06 - 5/25/06 (28 days): $345,000 6/5/06 - 9/7/06 (94 days): $344,900, reduced to $339,900 9/11/06 - 11/19/06 (70 days): $339,000 11/20/06 - 2/14/07 (86 days): $339,000, reduced to $329,900 2/14/07 - present (153 days): $329,900 So, according to the days above (as calculated by MLS), the home has been on the market for 610 days, with a couple small gaps between listings. It has never changed to pending during that time. Even if there isn't anything wrong with it, everyone probably assumes that there is a problem because of how long it's been sitting around. If I were looking, I would skip it and move on. However, you are the potential buyer...not me.

For most buyers, spending more doesn't make an agent that much more money. I would much rather have a happy client than make a few hundred extra bucks. If I have someone looking at properties that are within $25,000 of each other, by the time my broker takes a piece and Uncle Sam gets his fair share, I'm not making that much more if they buy at the high end than if they buy at the low end. (3% of $25,000 = $750 before splitting with my broker and paying taxes.) Obviously, the larger the price spread, the more money there is to be made, but most buyers have a price in mind and don't have a big range because they need their payments to be at a certain level in order to feel comfortable and/or get approved by a lender. In June, I sold a home to first-time buyers and convinced them to make an offer on a $175,000 home after they had decided to increase their budget to $230,000. Did I leave money on the table? Sure I did. Do I care? Not one bit. I was the one that told them that $175k is more manageable than $230k, and they can spend the extra money every month however they see fit. (I already knew they loved the house...we had looked at it a couple of times and it was very high on their list.) There are honest Realtors that really do put their client's interests first...but we have some rotten ones in the bunch too. Just like every other profession. With today's buyers and HAR's award winning website, most buyers pretty much know what they want before they contact a Realtor, but that doesn't mean that a GOOD agent can't add value to the equation. As for getting ripped off on APR, don't sweat it. If you have a true 749 and a reasonable debt-to-income ratio, you'll have no problem getting a good rate. Think about what's important to you. Come up with a list of "must have" items, desirable features and things that you absolutely DON'T want in your first home. That will help narrow down your choices. Keep in mind that no home is perfect. With the right attitude, you'll find the perfect place to call home before you know it!

He's re-using pics from a previous lisitng. Many agents go in, right-click on pics, save them and re-upload them in MLS. Some of the lower resolution pics, and the ones that don't go to full-size when you click on them are from a previous listing. This home has been for sale since 9/11/06. First with Suzanne Anderson Properties for 70 days and now with Keller Williams for 237 days. Any home that has sat on the market for 300+ days in our current market has done so for a reason - location, condition, price, floorplan, etc.

1602 South Blvd has been pending since early May, so that one is not an option for copgo's friend. Even the property on E Cowan that this thread was started about has been under contract since late June, which was also before this thread was started. As a side note, there are 69 single family listings in MLS that are $1.5 million and above that are currently pending (13 of which are $3 million or more).

It's hard to tell. It's a 16,900 s.f. lot, but it may have more of a front yard than a back yard due to the setback.

Atlas redeveloped the Oak Lane Apartments at 2700 Revere. They are now Oak Lane Condominiums. The Oak Lane project was never as successful as he had hoped, so he never did Phase II (across the street at 2701 Revere). Phase I was first listed in April 2005 and had some units ready for sale by summer, but they still haven't sold them 2 years later. I thought that he had sold the project to concentrate on 2727 Kirby, but the condos are listed by the same company that is listing 2727 Kirby. That company also has the same address as MDA Holdings. So, perhaps he still had some involvement in Oak Lane.

Definitely. If there is new construction around, you will be at a disadvantage. It's hard to compete with the incentives that builders offer buyers - from outdoor kitchens and swimming pools to big price reductions and closing cost assistance.

Although I don't like being referred to as a real-whore, I guess I have been called worse. Apparently JM1FD hasn't had the pleasure of working with a Realtor that actually looks out for his/her client's best interest. With that being said, I agree with everything else that JM1FD had to say. One year is nowhere near enough time to make money in the Houston market if you are looking at new construction. Inner loop condos can be easy to rent, but many people want to buy with as little money down as possible. The problem with that is that when you add your mortgage and maintenance fee together, it makes is more difficult to cover your monthly outlay. And no one wants to pay more in rent just to cover your expenses. If you plan on putting money down and will have a lower payment, it will be easier to do, but you still won't likely be able to sell it and cover all expenses AND make a nice profit for several years in most cases. You will be competing with new construction condos in innner loop areas for many years to come. If you aren't in this for the long run, I say rent and move on. (Now see, I'm no fluffy bunny. I gave my honest opinion and it had nothing to do with whether or not I may be able to make some money on the deal today or at any time in the future. I don't want to see someone make a costly real estate mistake.)

Cute neighborhood. The surrounding areas are nothing spectacular. It reminds me of an inner loop neighborhood, but outside the loop. I have friends and clients off of 290 that say the commute on 290 is horrible. However, being so much closer to town than those in Cypress will make a difference! I do know of one resident in Binglewood that says when he wants to head in to town on the weekend for a show, sporting event, etc, he can be there in about 20 minutes. I haven't talked to him in a while, but he always liked the neighborhood.

I just pulled up the active rentals from 4100-4400 s.f. in ZIP codes 77077 and 77079. There is only one active listing, at $0.70 per s.f. It is in Fleetwood. Going back 6 months, there was only one that leased, so I expanded the search back to July 5, 2006. I came up with 5 leased properties, ranging from $0.94 to $1.11 per s.f. Three of them were newer properties in Lakes of Parkway, and one each in Memorial Thicket and Fleetwood. Three of the leases were 'long term" (1 year or longer), one was 6 months and one was a lease purchase. In this price range, you will generally get a higher caliber of people that will be less likely to destroy your home. However, there are always exceptions. Your best potential tenant might be someone that is here on assignment with their company but does not want to buy a home. Companies like ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and BP are local and will be bringing people in to work in the US for a few years at a time. With that being said, the employee typically chooses and pays for his/her own home in the US, so it wouldn't necessarily do you much good to "market" the property to those companies. Corporate leases aren't very common here. Best of luck.

The listing was terminated and the property was re-listed under Country Homes / Acreage. Here is the new listing: www.har.com/2149005

I think it's always been residential, but it's big enough to be a dorm. Maybe someone will make it into some type of rehab facility. There are plenty of bedrooms.