First Half of 2017: Lots & New Construction

August 3, 2017October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

At last count there were 51 cleared lots in River Oaks, only four of which were actively on the market. Most of the other lots were in private hands, often adjoining existing homes or being held for future custom new construction. Six were destined for speculative new construction. Lot sales in...

The First Half of 2017: House Sales of $4 Million or More

July 24, 2017October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

You would think that inventory at the high end in River Oaks had exploded out of control in the first half of 2017 (see chart River Oaks Inventory Over $4 million below). With nearly 30 houses available as recently as May, this sector of the market current has more for sale...

The Cistern: A Chilling Echo & Countless Columns

July 24, 2017October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Last year in the spring, a wondrous local attraction was unveiled. It’s called the Cistern, and that’s just what it is: an underground concrete cistern the size of one and a half football fields – nearly two acres – that once held 15 million gallons of Houston drinking water. It’s cool,...

Mid-Year River Oaks Update

June 21, 2017October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

As we prepare to release our River Oaks Market Report for the first half of 2017, clients and colleagues are bombarded by mixed signals. Real estate agents inside The Loop, especially those working at the higher price points, complain of the eerie quiet since mid-April. And, given the sudden spike of...

Nosy Questions with John Sebastian

June 20, 2017October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

The eponymous founder of the Sebastian Construction Group was George Sebastian, a Dallas native and self-trained architect. Returning home from service in the Pacific during World War II, he founded his building company in 1948 in response to Dallas’ rapidly expanding population. Gradually the company transitioned from middle-market construction to high-end...

We’ve Weathered the Worst

May 24, 2017October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

Earlier this month we attended the spring edition of Dr. Robert Gilmer’s twice-a-year regional forecasting luncheon sponsored by the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business. The past two years have not been kind to Houston, as the city has slowed to no-growth for two years. Other details gleaned from Dr....

New Discoveries In An Old Favorite

May 5, 2017October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

One of the many satisfactions of revisiting a city where you used to live is discovering all the new restaurants, music venues, shops and museum exhibits that have opened since you moved away. But sometimes it’s a great pleasure to revisit your old hometown and discover something old that you never...

What’s Happening In This Market

April 17, 2017October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

There has been a clear sense that market activity in River Oaks in the first quarter of 2017 has been the expression of pent-up energy from the second half of 2016. Buyers and sellers had held back since the summer of 2016. There was then a tangible change of mood in...

It’s In The Basket

April 13, 2017October 20, 2017Taylor Byrne Dodge

Our family celebrates together several times in the spring – Easter, Mother’s Day, birthdays and the occasional graduation – but my tablescapes sometimes become a little stale. In an effort to improve my table decorating skills, I recently took at class at Thompson + Hanson to learn how to make a...

The Builders are Back

March 16, 2017October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

After a year-long hiatus speculative builders are back in River Oaks with a good selection of new houses in the pipeline. And, if you’re in the market, you will find it refreshing that you won’t have to settle for a huge white box with a pastiche of neoclassical details affixed to...