10 Things to Know About River Oaks Real Estate in Mid-March 2021

March 21, 2021March 21, 2021Cameron Ansari

Things are moving fast in the River Oaks real estate market now. After a surprisingly nimble 2020, despite the yoke of Covid-19, this year has started like gangbusters (see last month’s report here). Here are some highlights so far: As of the Ides of March – i.e. March 15 – there...

5 Changes for Your Garden

March 21, 2021August 16, 2021Teresa Byrne-Dodge

It was just four weekends ago that we all emerged, kind of numb, from the mid-February deep freeze and took a look around. Even if you were among the fortunate who did not have damage to your pipes and home, you surely were disheartened to view our Houston landscape … the...

And They’re Off!

February 15, 2021February 15, 2021Cameron Ansari

If there was one main takeaway from our last River Oaks Market Report ~ 2021 Outlook it was that market momentum barely stopped over the holidays and into January. No kidding! Take a look at the level of pending contracts since the start of the year, compared with the same (pre-COVID)...

What’s New in Your Real Estate Contract?

February 15, 2021February 15, 2021Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) regularly tweaks the various contracts, agreements, notices and addenda that home buyers and sellers and their agents use. The common One to Four Family Residential Contract – that is, the contract typically used to resell a home – has had a number of changes that...

Sneak Peek!

January 18, 2021January 18, 2021Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Cameron and Teresa are working now on the next edition of the River Oaks Market Report, set to go to press next week. The “Outlook” edition will drill down into the River Oaks real estate market for 2020 – what sold where and for how much? – plus offer thoughtful insight...

Nosy Questions with Karen Pulaski

January 16, 2021January 17, 2021Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Building a new nest or refeathering an old one? Either way, we can probably agree that the bedroom is life’s most personal space, a retreat that should look good and feel good. After all, we spend about a third of our lives in our bedrooms. Meet Houston designer Karen Pulaski, who...

It’s (Almost) a Wrap

December 14, 2020December 15, 2020Cameron Ansari

Let’s jump right into the numbers. As we enter the final weeks of 2020, here is a snapshot of post-election activity in River Oaks real estate. What’s most striking is that there have been so many newly pending contracts since mid-November. In a typical year one would expect River Oaks buyers...

Add Some Zing to Your Life!

December 14, 2020December 15, 2020Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Cameron and I were talking about ginger. It seems like every time you buy a plump hand of ginger at the supermarket the darn thing dries out in the vegetable drawer before you get around to trying some new recipe for Thai-inspired coconut soup. I’ve spent years buying fresh ginger, only...

A Tale of Two Houses

October 20, 2020October 20, 2020Teresa Byrne-Dodge

What are the chances that two of our current listings would both be fundamentally Mid-Century Modern in their DNA and yet so very different? Both homes are located on highly desirable River Oaks streets (albeit on opposite sides of the subdivision), both were built in 1950 and both are exquisitely realized...

Ask the Agents #17: Open House Precautions

September 16, 2020September 17, 2020Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: What precautions should be taken for an open house? Answer: Despite six months of COVID-19, the real estate business has not ground to a halt. Or, to put it more accurately, after a hard stop last spring, it is once again percolating along. People feel more comfortable going out, and...