Swamplot

Swamplot’s sponsor today: Phase Two of the 3-phase Art Colony series, developed by Dreamscape Modern Homes and offered for sale by Nan and Company Properties. Thanks for the support!

Have you seen these townhomes in Museum Park? They’ve shown up on the Huffington Post and on KHOU Channel 11 News (and on Swamplot). They were featured in the Modern Architecture + Design Society Houston Modern Home Tour earlier this year. They’ve been dubbed the Light Box Houses, because . . . well, they glow!

Both artificial and natural light have been carefully attended to in the design of the 3 townhomes in Art Colony’s Phase Two. Mounted on the main facade of the homes is a stainless-steel-and-aluminum LED light screen, which illuminates the entire frontage at night — and by day provides privacy and shade for second-story street-facing balconies. Glowing lights are also inset in the driveways in each home; the corner property (at 5313 Chenevert St.) features a street-level video-art projection room.

Within the homes, balconies and patios bring natural light further into the interior. In the master bathrooms, the floor-to-ceiling windows of the integrated shower-baths look out to a private, open-air spa deck (with a stainless-steel Japanese soaking tub). Full-width roof decks with clear skyline views sit at the top level of each townhome.

Only 2 of the 3 properties in this phase are still available. The corner property, at 5313 Chenevert St., is 2,528 sq. ft.; 1805 Prospect St. measures 2,889 sq. ft. Both homes have 3 bedrooms and 3-and-a-half baths. The homes are within walking distance of Hermann Park, Rice University, and many of the city’s finest museums.

For a quick tour of the homes’ bright modern interiors, watch the video above — or on YouTube. More information is available on the property websites for 5313 Chenevert St. and 1805 Prospect St.

If you’re interested in any of the available dwellings, contact Julia Wang of Nan and Company Properties at 512.964.2736 — or email her at julia@nanproperties.com.

Swamplot sponsors get glowing reviews from readers. Here’s how to become one.

Today Swamplot’s sponsor is Loam Agronomics — to promote the company’s new CSA program for Houston. Thanks for the support!

Houston residents have already begun signing up for Loam Agronomics’ brand-new CSA program, which means they’ll start receiving weekly deliveries of fresh, locally grown vegetables in March! (CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.) If you’ve been looking for a way to get a regular supply of fresh-from-the-local-farm produce for your household, or if you like the idea of eating food that hasn’t been shipped thousands of miles, but is picked at peak ripeness nearby and available to you in 48 hours or less, then this program is for you.

The first crops are growing now on a 40-acre portion of a 288-acre agricultural site the company has acquired in Richmond. And you can participate! When you become a member of the Loam Agronomics CSA, you’re purchasing a weekly “share” of vegetables from the company and supporting the production of local food in your community.

Loam Agronomics is a project of the same people behind Edible Earth Resources, the local gardening firm that’s been transforming some high-profile urban lots in Houston into attractive edible gardens. Loam Agronomics will serve much of the same community, but at a larger scale.

If you’ve got questions about the CSA program or the operation and standards of the farm, take a look at the answers to the FAQ posted on the brand-spanking-new Loam Agronomics website.

Loam Agronomics offers:

• Drop sites across Houston
• Pickups on Thursdays and Saturdays
• Signups available any time
• Cooking and storing tips
• Community events

. . . all for just $30 per week.

To join other families who’ve been signing up, all you need to do is select a convenient drop site; fill out a member information profile; and choose a payment plan (4-, 12-, 26-, and 52-week plans are available, some with discounted rates) — all of which you can do from this page on the Loam Agronomics website.

Some cool local businesses are popping up as Swamplot sponsors. Is it time your business joined in? Find out here.

Swamplot today is sponsored by Mosaic Clinic Dermatology. Thanks for supporting this site!

Why wait to see a dermatologist? At Mosaic Clinic Dermatology, same-day, next-day, and Saturday appointments are available! And chances are, one of Mosaic Clinic’s 3 Houston locations is nearby: in Upper Kirby at 2211 Norfolk St. Suite 405 (pictured above); in Midtown at 902 Fairview St. Suite 1; and in the Tanglewood area (convenient to the Galleria) at 5757 Woodway Dr. Suite 185a.

Mosaic Clinic Dermatology is an award-winning, highly rated general dermatology practice that also offers several specialized treatments for skin conditions — such as acne, eczema, and skin rashes — as well as a range of cosmetic procedures and products.

One of the procedures offered at Mosaic Clinic Dermatology may be of special interest to you: the MiraDry underarm sweat and odor treatment. MiraDry is an FDA-approved, non-invasive, in-office procedure that can take care of underarm issues in as little as one treatment. It’s for anyone who is tired of dealing with underarm sweat, odor, and hair. MiraDry allows you to stop using deodorant.

To find out more about MiraDry or any of the other available treatments, check out the Mosaic Clinic Dermatology website. You can make appointments at any location from this page — or call (281) 941-5556 for immediate assistance.

Join the growing number of local businesses supporting Swamplot. Become a sponsor of the day.

Swamplot’s sponsor today is Jamestown Estate Homes, which is announcing its latest showcase home in Oak Forest. Thanks for supporting this site!

This Craftsman-style home, which should be complete in early March, will be listed in the mid-$800s. It is zoned to Garden Oaks Elementary School and is within walking distance of several dining and entertainment options. The 2-story home is 3,709 sq. ft. on a 7,920-sq.-ft. lot, which means there’s room in the back yard for a pool. The plan features a first-floor master bedroom, an open-concept kitchen, 3 upstairs bedrooms, a game room, and a media room. Jamestown Estate Homes is proud of its floorplans, its attention to detail, and its custom finishes; this home should do a good job showing off the homebuilder’s capabilities.

Jamestown Estate Homes was named Custom Builder of the Year by the GHBA in 2013. The company has active projects in the Memorial Villages, Oak Forest, and the Heights, and is looking to expand into Meyerland, Bellaire, and Tanglewood. (Jamestown Estate Homes will also build on a client’s land in surrounding areas.) The company completes 6 to 12 homes a year, with projects starting around $500,000 (for the house only). With three sales already on the record in 2017, Jamestown Estate Homes is on track for a record-breaking year.

To find out more about this property or Jamestown Estate Homes, visit the company’s website, check them out on Facebook, or contact Victoria Hawes directly at victoria.hawes@jamestownestatehomes.com.

Some smart local businesses are doing well — and doing good — by sponsoring Swamplot. Find out here how your company can participate.

Today our sponsor is ASCOT, also known as the Alcohol Servers Counsel of Texas. Thanks for supporting Swamplot!

If you work in a restaurant, or in any kind of food-service or food-prep operation, you’re probably already familiar with state requirements for training in food-handling safety. And if you work in a bar or for an alcohol distributor, you probably already know why it’s so important that everyone who has anything to do with selling, dispensing, or delivering any kind of alcoholic beverage complete state-certified training in alcohol safety.

Since 1988, ASCOT has been licensed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to provide TABC-certified alcohol-server training programs. That makes ASCOT one of the oldest and most established food and beverage certification programs in the country — as well as Texas’s longest-running provider of training in this important field. And ASCOT has been a preferred source for training in food handling in Houston since 2004.

If you’re responsible for making sure new employees are trained promptly and well in these particular areas, you can be sure they’re getting the exact program they need — in the most helpful format possible — by sending them to ASCOT. ASCOT offers its training courses both in a classroom setting and online, in both English and Spanish.

Use the discount code ASCOT on the alcoholservers.com website and the online alcohol-server training course works out to just $9.89 per class. The food-handling class costs just $7.00 — no discount code is needed.

ASCOT’s server-training program is certified by the TABC, and its food-handler program is ANSI Accredited as meeting the ASTM E2659-09 standard. For more details, or to sign up, head over to the ASCOT website — alcoholservers.com — or call 713.922.1223.

Cheers to the many smart local businesses that are supporting Swamplot! Here’s how to get more information about our Sponsor of the Day program.

Today our sponsor is Houston’s own Central Bank. Thank you for the continuing support of Swamplot!

Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.

Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.

To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376; Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Gary Noble, at 832.485.2366; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.

Swamplot is supported by some great Houston businesses. Find out here how to join our Sponsor of the Day program. 

Swamplot is brought to you today by the Downtown District — also known as the Houston Downtown Management District. Thanks for supporting Swamplot!

Super Bowl LI is just days away! And Downtown Houston is a flurry of activity — as some big projects reach completion, new restaurants serve their first meals, and businesses throughout the area dress up their windows. It might feel as if this is all for the big game, but the development underway is the result of years of planning and collaboration that will affect the city for decades to come.

An astounding $2.8 billion in new construction projects have recently been completed or are currently underway in Downtown — including 16 residential properties, 7 hotels, 3 highrise office buildings, a new campus for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, major improvements to the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB), and several public parking garages.

Much of Downtown Houston’s growth can be attributed to the city’s focus on increasing the residential population in the area — which is needed to achieve a high-energy vibe in the district. There are currently more than 65,000 residents in Greater Downtown and 5,400 residents within the Downtown District’s boundaries; that number is expected to more than double over the next few years, thanks to the city’s Downtown Living Initiative, a tax-incentive program created in 2012 to encourage new mixed-use multifamily residential developments Downtown.

The number of hotels Downtown has grown from 15 to 22 — just in time for Super Bowl LI. This helps make Downtown a better destination not only for business travelers and conventioneers but for weekend wanderers as well. Transformational interior and exterior enhancements to the GRB include the addition of 5 new restaurants, a new grand entrance, and a new people-friendly plaza called Avenida Houston that accommodates public art, alfresco dining, casual gatherings and, of course, Super Bowl festivities.

Thanks in large part to the boom in residential and hospitality development, award-winning chefs and restaurateurs have been creating new restaurants Downtown. Among the establishments that have opened or are close to opening in the area around the GRB and Avenida Houston are Xochi, Grotto, Biggio’s, and Brasserie du Parc. Historic Market Square has also welcomed newcomers to the neighborhood, including Dizzy Kaktus, Craft Beer Cellar, and Houston favorite Local Foods.

Want to learn more about the latest developments Downtown, as well as what’s coming in the future? Please visit the development page of the Downtown Houston website.

Get involved in the web publication where Houstonians learn more about their neighborhoods. Become a Swamplot sponsor.

Swamplot’s sponsor today is Jamestown Estate Homes. Sure do appreciate the support!

The team at Jamestown Estate Homes sees the sales contracts the company recently negotiated on 2 of its existing homes in Memorial — one at 111926 Broken Bough Dr. and another at 11323 Surrey Oaks Ln. (both shown above) — as evidence that the luxury real estate market is heating up. (The company also recently entered into a new contract to build a home on a client’s lot in the Oak Forest area.)

The company’s marketing director, Victoria Hawes, says she believes there was a lot of pent-up demand from people worried about the economy and the election: “Whether or not the election turned out the way people wanted it to, I think that people are happy that it’s over. Oil prices seem to be stabilizing, the stock market is surging, and interest rates are going up.” All of which, she says, makes for a great home-buying or -building environment in Houston, and already seems to have encouraged some people on the fence about buying a new home to act.

What’s ahead for Jamestown Estate Homes in 2017? The company is building a new Heights-area headquarters building for itself — at 16th and Durham — while continuing construction work on homes for clients in the Memorial Villages, Garden Oaks, and Oak Forest. There’s also a showcase home under construction in Oak Forest, and the company is developing its own plans for homes in Piney Point and Bunker Hill Village. Hawes says the company likes having completed homes available — in order to show potential clients its work.

If you’d like to find out more about Jamestown Estate Homes, visit the company’s website; check them out on Facebook; or contact Victoria Hawes directly at victoria.hawes@jamestownestatehomes.com.

Swamplot likes having fresh Sponsor of the Day posts (like these) available, so you can check out how they work! Find out more here.

Today our sponsor is Just Buyers Houston, a real estate brokerage that you already know represents buyers only. Thanks for supporting Swamplot!

Buyers might be able to get a good deal on a highrise or midrise condo in this market. But does it make sense to do so?

Here, as Judy Thompson of Just Buyers Houston relates them, are the typical arguments against buying a condo: In Houston the highrise market has never been fully embraced by the marketplace; it remains an investment that, historically, has not resulted in the largest available returns over time. Why? Usually, there’s not enough demand to create supply pressure. And if supply pressure does mount, more properties will likely be built. On top of all that, there’s the dreaded monthly condo maintenance fee.

Recently, Thompson reports, a buyer asked her if she didn’t think that Houston was “trending toward a highrise lifestyle.” [Spoiler alert: She doesn’t.] “I had to point out to him,” Judy notes, “that just because a lot of condo buildings are going up doesn’t mean the market for those units is strong. At best it’s a normal market in the lower price ranges, very much a buyer’s market in the upper price ranges.” Here she’s referring to this chart on the Just Buyers Houston website, reproduced above.

So who should buy a highrise or midrise condo? “If you are a buyer who wants a ‘lock and go’ lifestyle, doesn’t mind that it might not be the greatest investment over time, and can pay the maintenance fees, then it may be right for you,” she says. It’s also possible, Judy notes, that a lot of baby boomers interested in downsizing will be out looking for condos as well.

But having in hand actual data about the market can make you a smarter buyer. As noted above, a chart showing current conditions for the highrise and midrise condo market in 10 price ranges and 4 market areas is available on the Just Buyers Houston website (and displayed in part above). You’ll also find on the site a range of historical data about sales numbers and prices for properties in several popular local Zip Codes. If you’re looking to buy a home or condo in Houston and care about getting accurate information, you’ll want to check out Just Buyers Houston.

How about making a great investment in Swamplot’s readership? Here’s how to sign up for our Sponsor of the Day program.

Sponsoring Swamplot today: Loam Agronomics, as a way of introducing the company’s new CSA program for Houston. Thanks for the support!

Have you been looking for a way to get a regular supply of fresh, locally grown produce for your household? Do you like the idea of eating food that hasn’t been shipped thousands of miles, but is picked at peak ripeness nearby and available to you in 48 hours or less? Then you’ll want to know all about the launch of Loam Agronomics.

The first crops are growing now on a 40-acre portion of a 288-acre agricultural site the company has acquired in Richmond. And you can participate — by joining the Loan Agronomics CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. The CSA will give Houston residents direct access to high-quality, fresh produce grown on this local farm.When you become a member of the Loam Agronomics CSA, you’re purchasing a weekly “share” of vegetables from the company and supporting the production of local food in your community. Loam Agronomics will begin regular weekly distribution of CSA shares in March.

Loam Agronomics is a project of the same people behind Edible Earth Resources, the local gardening firm that’s been transforming some high-profile urban lots in Houston into attractive edible gardens. Loam Agronomics will serve much of the same community, but at a larger scale.

If you’ve got questions about the CSA program or the operation and standards of the farm, take a look at the answers to the FAQ posted on the brand-spanking-new Loam Agronomics website.

Loam Agronomics offers:

• Drop sites across Houston
• Pickups on Thursdays and Saturdays
• Signups available any time
• Cooking and storing tips
• Community events

. . . all for just $30 per week.

To sign up, all you need to do is select a convenient drop site; fill out a member information profile; and choose a payment plan (4-, 12-, 26-, and 52-week plans are available, some with discounted rates) — all of which you can do from this page on the Loam Agronomics website.

Are you supporting Swamplot sponsors? They help make Swamplot possible! Learn more about the program here.

Swamplot’s sponsor today is ASCOT, also known as the Alcohol Servers Counsel of Texas. Thanks for supporting Swamplot!

If you work in a restaurant, or in any kind of food-service or food-prep operation, you’re probably already familiar with state requirements for training in food-handling safety. And if you work in a bar or for an alcohol distributor, you probably already know why it’s so important that everyone who has anything to do with selling, dispensing, or delivering any kind of alcoholic beverage complete state-certified training in alcohol safety.

Since 1988, ASCOT has been licensed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to provide TABC-certified alcohol-server training programs. That makes ASCOT one of the oldest and most established food and beverage certification programs in the country — as well as Texas’s longest-running provider of training in this important field. And ASCOT has been a preferred source for training in food handling in Houston since 2004.

If you’re responsible for making sure new employees are trained promptly and well in these particular areas, you can be sure they’re getting the exact program they need — in the most helpful format possible — by sending them to ASCOT. ASCOT offers its training courses both in a classroom setting and online, in both English and Spanish.

Use the discount code ASCOT on the alcoholservers.com website and the online alcohol-server training course works out to just $9.89 per class. The food-handling class costs just $7.00 — no discount code is needed.

ASCOT’s server-training program is certified by the TABC, and its food-handler program is ANSI Accredited as meeting the ASTM E2659-09 standard. For more details, or to sign up, head over to the ASCOT website — alcoholservers.com — or call 713.922.1223.

How about serving Swamplot readers a round of . . . important information about your local business? That’s what our Sponsor of the Day program is for!

Today on Swamplot our sponsor is the 4-bedroom home at 2106 Nina Lee Ln. in Oak Forest, offered for sale by Nan and Company Properties. Swamplot appreciates the support!

This 3,840-sq.-ft. Oak Forest home is just a few steps away from T.C. Jester Park. Once you enter through the oversized front doors of this 4-bedroom, 4-and-a-half-bathroom property, you’ll be greeted with an open-concept family room, dining room, and kitchen area (pictured at top); off this space and adjacent to the entryway, a pair of barn doors opens to a street-facing study. Large windows admit natural light to the space and highlight the home’s modern feel; you’ll find wood floors throughout.

The kitchen includes quartz countertops, an island with breakfast bar, stainless-steel appliances, and custom cabinets with plenty of storage. The first-floor master suite offers privacy as well as direct access to the back yard. The master bath has 2 closets and built-in storage, making organization easy.

A steel staircase with floating wood risers takes you to the second floor, the game room, and the rest of the bedrooms. The game room, equipped with a sound system, opens to a wrap-around balcony that faces south and east.

For a quick tour of this unique property, watch the video above (also available here). More information is available on the property website. If you’re interested in this home, please call the property’s agent, Nancy Almodovar of Nan and Company Properties, at 713.714.6454, or email her at nancy@nanproperties.com.

Got a hot property? Cool! You’ll want to know about Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day program.

Today’s sponsor is Just Buyers Houston, a real estate firm that represents — yes — buyers only. Thanks for supporting Swamplot!

Just Buyers Houston has just published its price appreciation stats for 2016 — showing that once again, Westbury comes out the winner over the previous 10-year period. The calculation compares the average price paid per square foot in 2007 to that in 2016. In 2007 it was $87; in 2016 it was $152 — a 76% increase.

Judy Thompson has been calculating appreciation statistics since 2000 and publishes 10 years of data. According to her numbers, it is usually the more affordable, less gentrified, and well-located neighborhoods that show the highest appreciation rate.

Second in the list is Timbergrove. Another high-performing area was the Energy Corridor and Memorial. Falling energy prices really haven’t had much of an impact (at least not yet) in these neighborhoods, which are near millions of square feet of energy company office space on the west side, she notes. An adjustment may still be coming; but so far, Judy says, it has remained difficult for buyers to find executive housing in those areas.

The lowest performing area of the 10-year period was the Memorial Park area (Zip Code 77007), with a 19 percent increase in price paid per square foot. The supply of housing is still increasing in that Zip Code, Judy reports, so she considers it unlikely that any serious supply pressure will develop there over the next few years. But every year there are fewer lots available for new construction so she expects the supply will become fixed over the next decade or so. Right now, though, Judy doesn’t consider that area a great investment.

If you are a real estate investor, Just Buyers Houston’s data scientist can help with all sorts of big data analysis:

• Percentile of value for nearby or comparable properties (for example: 80 percent of lot sizes are bigger, 20 percent are smaller)
• Probability analysis of how much the final sale price will be
• Monte Carlo simulation for the return on investment (ROI) from rents, flips, long-term holding, etc.
• Needle-in-the-haystack search for exactly what any customer needs
• Spatial comparisons showing how the neighborhood or city is changing

The company will be developing even more analyses over the next few months. They’ll be appearing on the Just Buyers Houston website — so check it regularly as the offerings are expanded. If you’re interested in a more customized approach to Houston real estate information, talk to Just Buyers Houston.

Swamplot sponsors have some important things to say to Swamplot’s real-estate-focused readers. Here’s how to send your message.