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....

New Construction in River Oaks

October 17, 2019October 18, 2019Cameron Ansari

As of the third week of October, there are currently 42 properties in River Oaks owned by speculative builders. Of these, 18 are being actively marketed on the multiple listing system (MLS), including one in a pending contract awaiting completion. What do we know about them? Of the 42 spec properties,...

How to Protect Your Trees from Heavy Rains

September 26, 2019September 26, 2019Katie Dubow

Fall in Texas often means storms and heavy rains that saturate the ground. While trees in the region are accustomed to this amount of rain, too much water threatens trees’ ability to stand tall, strong and steady. Just like most living things, your plants, shrubs and trees can only handle so...

At the Half-Way Mark: River Oaks Demographics Update

July 29, 2019March 17, 2022Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

As we wrap up the mid-year print edition of the River Oaks Market Report, here is a teaser of the demographics in the River Oaks real estate market since January 1. Origin of Buyers The trend of fewer buyers coming from River Oaks itself continues. It fell from 38% in 2017 to 26%...

10 Things to Say About the River Oaks Real Estate Market So Far in 2019

May 20, 2019May 20, 2019Cameron Ansari

House viewing activity got off to a quick start in January 2019. The previous two years were very slow to start by comparison. One has to ask if the sudden increase of inventory was a factor this year. Consequently, new contracts surged in March and April, and May looks promising, too....

Six Things I Just Learned About Pantries

April 23, 2019April 24, 2019Teresa Byrne-Dodge

If you live in an older home dating from, say, the 1920s through the 1960s, chances are your kitchen pantry is inadequate. Some grand older houses have butler’s pantries, where final prep was performed before service. But I’m talking about those catch-all kitchen closets where one keeps canned food, paper goods,...

2018 River Oaks Buyers & Sellers

February 14, 2019February 14, 2019Cameron Ansari

Demographics are a fascinating study, and we always find it satisfying to crunch the data we collect on River Oaks homebuyers and sellers. Some of the results, shown in the pie graphs below, help us to chart the changes in the neighborhood. We run through this exercise every six months and...

Ask the Agents #12: What is Title Insurance?

February 8, 2019November 13, 2019Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: What is title insurance? Why do I need it? Answer: Before you close on a new home, the title company does a title search that includes examining the deed, tax records and survey. The point is to make sure that there are no existing liens or restrictions on the property...

Top 10 River Oaks Sales This Year (So Far)

November 14, 2018November 15, 2018Cameron Ansari

Who doesn’t love a good list? This one – the top 10 property sales in River Oaks so far this year – is one we are often asked for. (Editor’s note: These are MLS transactions only. We have not included private sales.) Click the following link to view the listings: River...