Nosy Questions for Mariquita Masterson

July 6, 2020September 1, 2020Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Mariquita Masterson is well known to Houstonians as the designer namesake of the jewelry store/workshop nestled in the boutique shopping center at the foot of River Oaks Boulevard. The Mexico City native, who moved to Houston in 1957, says that she was first inspired to make her bold trademark jewelry while...

(in the Time of COVID)

June 15, 2020June 15, 2020Cameron Ansari

Overview As we prepare for the biannual edition of our River Oaks Market Report (to be published in July), we have been trying to examine the extraordinary past few months from the perspective of comparison with the same period in 2019. How weird has this year truly been? Clearly, the first...

Ask the Agents #16: Saltwater Pools

June 15, 2020June 15, 2020Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: What is the difference between a saltwater pool and a regular pool? Answer: A sparkling clean backyard pool makes a sultry Houston summer worth it, right? And no doubt, given our current COVID situation, people who have a swimming pool will be staying home and using it more than ever...

Nulla Nulla VII (Translation: 007)

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020Cameron Ansari

“Bond is a daydream of absolute irresponsibility. A world where nobody civilises you. None of the girls is annoyed; none of the girls has a baby. He can even get married without having to get married. There are no repercussions. A dream of power without responsibility.” Thus, the journalist and one-time...

Bond. James Bond. All of him.

May 19, 2020May 20, 2020Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Years from now, when someone asks what we did during the COVID-19 lockdown back in the Spring of 2020, I will say that I gardened, baked, slept long and well, attended countless Zoom webinars and watched every one of the 24 James Bond movies to date, in order of their release....

Catch Up: The River Oaks Market

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020Cameron Ansari

It is challenging to make astute comments about a real estate market that has been understandably inactive since mid-March. So, suffice it to say that River Oaks is largely in wait-and-see mode. Here are a few general observations based on the data: River Oaks Inventory The number of houses for sale...

First Quarter, Covid Style

April 17, 2020April 17, 2020Cameron Ansari

Regular readers will be relieved to know that this month’s River Oaks market update will have more pictures and fewer words than usual. And yet, looking at the graphics alone would convey a more dire message than is truly the case. There’s more to the story. Read on. Showing Activity Let’s...

At Home in the Garden

April 17, 2020April 17, 2020Teresa Byrne-Dodge

A lot has happened since our last River Oaks Letter. At the same time, almost nothing has happened. Every day we get up early (the dogs don’t know we have a stay-at-home order), make the coffee and toast, read the news in The New York Times and online, listen to Morning...

COVID-19 and Houston Real Estate

March 20, 2020March 20, 2020Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

No one in Houston has been unaffected by the COVID-19 crisis that is playing out. And the scary medical/social-distancing circumstances have been compounded by free-fall oil prices and stock market. For many clients contemplating the largest purchase of their lifetime, this is a daunting situation. As of mid-March, most business that...

Ask the Agents #15: Contingencies

March 20, 2020March 20, 2020Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: I know that real estate contracts have contingencies. What does that mean? Answer: Black’s Law Dictionary helpfully defines a contingency as “an event that may or may not happen, a doubtful or uncertain future event.” As Texas realtors, we are trained in the use of promulgated forms – i.e. forms...