Top 9 Demographic Takeaways for 2022

We are data geeks.

Okay, maybe not Teresa so much, but I am. I love to roll the numbers every which way and see what I can squeeze out of them. Consequently, one of the reports we publish in our twice-a-year River Oaks Market Report is our River Oaks demographics.

As we record every River Oaks property sale – noting location, price, vintage, square footage of house and lot – we also make note of the sale’s demographics. These typically include age of sellers and buyers, what work they do, how buyers finance their purchase, where sellers relocate to, etc. It’s painstaking, yes. But it’s the best way to identify micro-trends. We want to be able to tell our clients who is house-shopping in River Oaks and what they are looking for.

Care for a sample? Here’s a preview of some of the information that will be in the winter issue of the ROMR (at the printer now) along with some previously unpublished insights.

  1. The area east of Kirby Drive and south of Inwood was the most popular among buyers as measured by the number of transactions.
  2. However, the central Country Club Estates area, with just 19% of total transactions, took the top spot in terms of money spent – nearly $130 million.

  1. Those buying east of Kirby were either new to the neighborhood or already lived east of Kirby. There was only one exception, that of a buyer moving east from Country Club Estates.
  2. Buyers already living in River Oaks spent more on their 2022 purchases in the subdivision than all the buyers from adjacent areas, the West U area, Tanglewood and Memorial combined – $114 million vs. $106 million.
  3. There were just four buyers from out of town in 2022, and only one of them from out of state.

  1. Nearly 20% of sellers subsequently moved out of town, mostly to a country property rather than for reasons of employment.
  2. Only one seller moved directly out of the country.

  1. Buyers in their 40s were the top category in terms of number of transactions, but they were outspent by the 60-somethings.
  2. The age of the oldest River Oaks buyer last year was 90-plus