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...

Let’s Talk Inventory

February 13, 2020February 14, 2020Cameron Ansari

If you receive our twice-a-year River Oaks Market Report – the 2020 Outlook edition is set to drop this week – you can skip the next two paragraphs of explanation and get right to the meat of this blog. Otherwise, allow us to explain how we track and categorize real estate...

2019 By The Numbers

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

READY, SET, GO!

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020Cameron Ansari

The market in River Oaks took off like a shot, even before the starter’s signal marked the beginning of the new year. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day was not just busy with the usual logjam of closings ahead of the year end, but showings and negotiations were also...

Nosy Questions for Bradley Brooks

January 13, 2020January 14, 2020Teresa Byrne-Dodge

It’s hardly possible to live in River Oaks and be unaware of the neighborhood’s two glorious house museums, Rienzi and Bayou Bend. As a new docent-in-training at Bayou Bend, I was thrilled to meet the man currently responsible for overseeing its priceless collection of early American furniture, paintings and decorative artifacts....

Take a Look at 2414 Inwood Drive

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Designed to grab the attention of passersby, 2414 Inwood Drive has been slowing down traffic since it was built. This pretty jewel box of a house, just five years old and located between Kirby and Chilton in River Oaks, is French inspired. Squint your eyes, and you can imagine a 16th-century...

10 Gift Ideas for the Gentleman in Your Life

December 12, 2019December 12, 2019Cameron Ansari

When it comes to giving a thoughtful gift to a discriminating gentleman, many of us can use a little guidance. We’re here to help with 10 suggestions for the man in your life who pretty much has everything. The aim is for items that are either easily ordered online (or available...