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...

2019 Outlook: The Overall Market

January 23, 2019January 23, 2019Cameron Ansari

The Big Picture It was a well-shuffled deck in 2018 River Oaks real estate, layered with the usual life-events of birth, divorce and death, but also including bankruptcies, foreclosures, financial windfalls and some malfeasance. It’s what makes River Oaks the most interesting place to work in Houston real estate. Most remarkable,...

Ask the Agents #11: When Should We Close on Our House?

December 14, 2018December 14, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: Does it make any difference whether we close on our new house before or after January 1? Answer: If this new home will be your primary residence, then, yes, it does make a difference. If you own your house as of January 1, you will qualify for the homestead exemption....

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...

A Year Ago and Today

September 17, 2018September 18, 2018Cameron Ansari

For all the number nerds out there, here are some statistics showing River Oaks real estate activity August 1 through September 15 this year and last year. A quick glance at the numbers in the table above would suggest that we are in a radically different market as we head into...

Ask the Agents #9: Earnest Money and Option Fees

September 17, 2018September 17, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: What is an option fee? How is it different from earnest money? Answer: Earnest money is an amount agreed on in your home-purchase contract that you pay soon after the contract is signed by all parties. It is typically about one percent of the agreed-upon price, although it can be...

5 Myths About Flood Insurance

August 9, 2018August 9, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Along with the rest of greater Houston, the upcoming first anniversary of Hurricane Harvey has us reminiscing. How are our friends recovering? What have we learned? What changes are underway to our region’s infrastructure? One lesson that stands out is the importance of flood insurance. Thousands of Houstonians who had never...

Ask the Agents #8: Short Sales, Setbacks, Home Inspections & More

July 30, 2018August 14, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Last year we began a new feature on our blog called Ask the Agents. It’s proven to be one of the most popular features on the website. Here is the current batch of questions – most of them from our clients – and answers. Question: What does “short sale” mean? Answer:...

At the Half-Way Mark: River Oaks Update

July 10, 2018July 11, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

We are preparing the mid-year print edition of the River Oaks Market Report even as I write. But as a little appetizer before we dig into Cameron’s meaty main course, we have some figures for you on what has been happening in the River Oaks real estate market since January 1. (Please...

Five Things to Know About the River Oaks Real Estate Market Right Now

June 17, 2018June 17, 2018Cameron Ansari

A preview of some of the trends we will examine in greater depth in our upcoming semi-annual River Oaks Market Report We’re going to keep it simple and skim over the highlights of what we’ve noted in the market since January. We will drill down deep next month in the print publication...