7 Nosy Questions with John Mixon, owner of Blast Trash Can Cleaners

June 5, 2018January 3, 2023Teresa Byrne-Dodge

What’s the single grossest thing at your home? Chances are it’s your garbage bin, the nasty outdoor one with the cruddy food spills, dripped paint and who knows what else in there. If you’re like me, my daily deposit of kitchen refuse into the outdoor bin is usually accomplished by lifting...

The More Things Change …

May 18, 2018May 18, 2018Cameron Ansari

We recently dusted off last year’s River Oaks Market Report updates to see any patterns with late Spring 2017 and, more important, to tease out any significant differences. The first few paragraphs of our June 2017 report could be used verbatim for where we stand right now: … mixed signals …...

Ask the Agents #7: Bye-Bye, Old Swimming Pool

May 10, 2018August 14, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: Our kids are grown and have moved away, and we no longer have any use for our backyard pool. We’d prefer to stop paying for its upkeep and get rid of it altogether. Do people do that? Answer: Yes, they do. But just filling the pool with a couple dump-truck...

Recommended Shade Trees for Houston

April 25, 2018April 26, 2018Katie Dubow

We Texans observe Texas State Arbor Day on the first Friday of November. With our wicked hot summers, it’s kinder and often smarter to plant young trees in the fall so they can become established before summer’s searing heat. However, National Arbor Day is always observed the last Friday of April....

Golfing in Guadalajara

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Many Houstonians know Guadalajara because it’s the jumping-off point to an adventure in Tequila. From this bustling city – it’s Mexico’s second largest, after Mexico City – you can hire a driver and travel about 90 minutes northwest to the agave-studded hillsides and sample your way through the area, tasting the...

River Oaks’ Lot Market & New Construction

March 20, 2018March 20, 2018Cameron Ansari

Pricing of lots in River Oaks The pricing of different lot types in River Oaks follows a distinct trend over time. We track all lot sales in River Oaks, in six categories, with a database going back to 1988. We observe that even the deviations from trend show consistent patterns. We...

River Oaks Market Demographics

February 15, 2018February 19, 2018Cameron Ansari

We always enjoy crunching the numbers to see what kind of trends ooze out. Here we’ve tracked eight sets of the market demographics for 2017 River Oaks home sales and purchases. (Like numbers? To read more of this kind of thing, order a copy of our just-released River Oaks Market Report...

Ask the Agents #6: Curb Appeal & Bee-friendly Gardens

February 15, 2018August 14, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: I understand the concept of curb appeal, but I don’t want to spend the money to have my house entirely repainted. What else can I do to make it look good? Answer: You know what they say about getting just one chance to make a first impression, right? Curb appeal...

Nosy Questions with Greg Schenck

January 26, 2018January 26, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Houston’s go-to floor company – for both exquisite new floors and the restoration of old floors – is Schenck & Company. Owner/namesake Greg Schenck (photo at right) bought the fledgling company from a buddy more than 35 years ago. He had no background installing floors or woodworking, but that did not...

Ask the Agents #5: Installing a Pool, Loans & More

January 12, 2018August 14, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Question: We’re thinking of adding a swimming pool to our backyard. Will that add to or detract from its appeal when we sell the house? Answer: It depends on the market. If half or more of the homes in the neighborhood have a pool, then it’s a positive thing. And for...