Reading the Tea Leaves

August 13, 2019August 13, 2019Cameron Ansari

Drawing broad conclusions from market anomalies in River Oaks real estate is usually a mistake. There simply aren’t enough data points to extrapolate likely future outcomes. In other words, it’s a thin market, so don’t try to be too clever by predicting what’s going to happen in the next six months...

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...

2300 Timber Lane: A Mid-Century Home With Plans to Stay

August 9, 2018August 11, 2018Cameron Ansari & Teresa Byrne-Dodge

River Oaks has always been a daunting real estate market, especially for younger homebuyers. Getting a toe-hold in the neighborhood has been made even more difficult in recent years by builders who have been snapping up older and smaller homes – the fixer-uppers, if you will – and scraping them from...

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...

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...