Swamplot Archives by Category: Neighborhoods: Tanglewood

Popular Stories in This Category:

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Greenwood King April Report: Getting a Little Crowded at the Top of the Market

May 14, 2009 – 10:31 am

Swamplot readers have a few things to say about Greenwood King’s latest fancy-neighborhood market report, which came out yesterday! Our regular GK watcher notes that the separate breakdowns for new construction and existing home sales introduced in last month’s edition have been abandoned. Still:

The news is relatively bad. Sales volumes are down sharply all over town. 17% more high end listings than last year . . . River Oaks, Tanglewood, Boulevard Oaks, and Memorial Close In are all over 12 months of inventory. . . .

The 17% higher inventory is reflective of a market of motivated sellers. By definition, a high end homeowner should not “have to” sell unless there has been a life change (divorce, death, job interruption). Everyone knows the housing market is weak in 2009, so…. the only class of sellers on the market are those having cash flow problems or those who have to sell due to a life change. There are almost no trade up sellers right now.

Memorial has 19.1 months of inventory

. . . as big $3-5 million white elephants sit there waiting for the landscapers to come and cut the lawn for the week. It takes a good $20,000 a month to live in one of those monsters. I guess the supply of willing millionaires just isn’t going to match the number of mega mansions. It will take some time, but they will soon move onto bank balance sheets and then to the auction block.

Continue Reading This Story >

10:31 am | 2 Comments | Read more about Buying and Selling, Houston Data, Neighborhoods: Boulevard Oaks, Neighborhoods: Memorial, Neighborhoods: River Oaks, Neighborhoods: Tanglewood, Price Trends
Read more about: , , , , , ,
Thursday, April 2, 2009

Comment of the Day: Driving the Gentle Hills of Tanglewood

April 2, 2009 – 4:07 pm
   

“. . . I think the layout of the streets can have a significant effect on how the neighbors interact. Did you know Tanglewood streets were laid out the way they are with several curving to give the feel of inclines where there were none lending it to a more genteel feeling as opposed to the straight street grid which is a bit cold. With those curvy streets, they still have a pretty straight street grid, but with more gentleness. While cul de sacs may create community within that cul de sac, I think it cuts the few houses on it off from the rest of the streets and therefore offers fewer opportunities for casual social interaction and in effect creates an us against them. Of course these are all generalizations, but developers deal in generalizations anyway.” [EMME, commenting on Welcome to Bizarro Heights. What Are You Drinking?]

4:07 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Comments, Development Strategies, Neighborhoods: Tanglewood, Quicklink, Streets
Read more about: , , , , ,
Thursday, March 19, 2009

Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: What Tangled Lives

March 19, 2009 – 11:48 pm

Hey, we have another Rice Design Alliance membership to give away!

Your guesses for this week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game were: Rice Military, the East End of Galveston, Camp Logan, Oak Estates, The Woodlands, Avalon Place, “the area between Shepherd & Montrose and 59 to Milford or North,” Southampton, “west of Chimney Rock to around Voss, between Woodway and Westheimer,” West Lane Place, Nantucket, Southside Place, “Indian Trail/Indian Circle/Tecumseh off Chimney Rock btw Woodway and Memorial,” along the “divorcee belt” between Beltway 8 and 610 “crossed by the likes of Westheimer, Woodway, Richmond, Bissonnet et al.,” the divorcee belt north of Westheimer and east of Voss, “in the area of the Houstonian off of Memorial, closer to San Felipe-Sage/Post Oak,” Midlane at San Felipe, near Bering, “past the Galleria heading towards Voss,” and West University. Plus two each for the Heights, Afton Oaks, and Bellaire. All very sharp!

The winner of a one-year RDA individual membership — donated by the Rice Design Alliance — is Rachel, for this entry:

This home is in the area of the Houstonian off of Memorial, closer to San Felipe-Sage/Post Oak. The kitchen dates it to around 2001 and the small size makes me think the lot is not especially large. It looks to me like they had a decorator come in and all of the built in book shelves suggests a higher end builder.

Congratulations, Rachel! Deserving of an extremely honorable mention this week is Harold Mandell, who stepped out of a shadowy corner of Montrose to deliver two classic NGG entries — first, introducing the Great West Houston Divorcée Belt:

Long time lurker, 1st time player–impelled to jump in because I really want the prize. And because you guys are so off the mark on this one.
No man doth live in this house– and the baby in the baby’s room is a guest baby. This home is found in the great divorcee belt- one of those late ’80’s or newer townhomes found west of Chimney Rock to around Voss, between Woodway and Westheimer. The stairwell and the upstairs ceiling tell all.

. . . and next, in response to a broader definition of the belt, tightening it in a wide-hipped circle around the target:

Bobby Hadley, you see the Great West Houston Divorcee Belt right on– but remember, there’s also the divorcee demographic that arrived from comfortable circumstances in say Briargrove, or even Memorial. Comfortable until there comes a time when “she’d rather be homeless than be at home with him”. Then she finds herself in downsized quarters– but at last she can decorate it just like she wants it. I say this place is definitely north of Westheimer, and except for Hammersmith I would say east of Voss.

So, what’s the real deal with this place?

Continue Reading This Story >

11:48 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Homes for Sale, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Neighborhoods: Tanglewood
Read more about: , , , , ,
Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Woodways and the Westheimers

January 13, 2009 – 12:18 pm
   

“I sometimes think that Woodway is made nicer by the fact that Westheimer exists. There are certainly numerous suburbs and exurbs where the Westheimers look like Woodways. Oh, there’s retail, but it’s set back from the street, perhaps behind a tree buffer, with tasteful monument signage out front. I’ve always found such environments to be stifling. It’s so obviously contrived. All-night, six- and eight-lane arterials are SUPPOSED to have large illuminated signs. They’re SUPPOSED to have ratty businesses alongside the nice ones. Every suburb has a Target and a ratty convenience store. Westheimer has a Target and twenty ratty convenience stores, plus ‘24 hours video and news.’ I’ve never been in there, but its existence tells me that this strip is whatever it wants to be. This holds true of Woodway. It’s not a pure residential drive; there is retail, much of it even with tasteful signage. The signage follows from the road - Westheimer has large signs because it’s big and straight and a larger sign means higher visibility. Put up a larger sign on Woodway and it’d just be obscured by trees. Some people think of Westheimer (and other streets like it) as ugly. I don’t, but I understand where they’re coming from. Perhaps if they wanted to do something about it, they should plant trees instead of making rules about commercial signage. Proactive versus restrictive. Woodway is a nice drive because it was built to very nice design standards (10′ median with staggered trees) and because the people who own stores and homes along Woodway want to keep it pleasant. And so it is.” [Keep Houston Houston]

12:18 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Tanglewood, Quicklink, Retail, Streets
Read more about: , , , , , ,
Monday, January 12, 2009

Houston Apartments: More Value for Your Rupee

January 12, 2009 – 1:10 pm
   

A quick back-of-the-air-mail-envelope real estate comparison of greater Tanglewood and Colaba, a commercial district in South Mumbai: “My friends house was about 2 blocks away from Nariman house - the sight of the infamous siege on the Jewish community on 26/11. For a 600 sq ft 1 bedroom hall kitchen, my friend and his room mates were coughing up Rs 45,000 /- a month. My friend corrected me that the real rent is actually Rs 50,000 / month but he is getting a discount because of some renovation going on in the building. Judging by the fortune he paid for the apartment, you would imagine it to be an ocean facing villa with modern amenities like swimming pool, gym and manicured garderns. Horror behold! His apartment was actually in a very busy market area, in a dilapidated building which was probably more than 40 years old and might come down any minute. Once inside his compact apartment, I immediately started comparing this with my $700/ month (Rs 34,000 month), 800 sq ft 1 BHK in Houston in a very wealthy neighborhood. If Senior Bush could live a mile away from my apartment, I am sure my neighborhood must be really good! So even if I earn in rupees, it is much easier for me to afford a place in Houston than in Mumbai!!” [Continued Unnoticed]

1:10 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Neighborhoods: Tanglewood, Price Trends, Quicklink
Read more about: , ,
Thursday, December 11, 2008

Neighborhood Guessing Game Over: Tanglewood and Blue

December 11, 2008 – 7:27 pm

We’ve had a pretty good run of 35 Neighborhood Guessing Games. So a train wreck like this week’s contest was probably overdue.

At least 6 participants in this round already knew the property posted on Tuesday. Sadly, only one bothered to spice up the game by writing in with the answer, then attempting to deceive the other players with wacky but mildly credible guesses. Most everyone stuck by the rules, but those rules will probably need to see some adjustments (beginning next year) to prevent the NGG from turning into a contest where players compete to guess at things they already know.

Here’s where those of you who were actually guessing thought this colorful pad might be: Meyerland, Tanglewood, the edge of River Oaks, Southampton, Mandell Place, Montrose, the Medical Center, the near Northside near Patton and Main, on Blossom near Shepherd, the Memorial Villages, “somewhere near the Galleria,” Rivercrest, Southgate, Rice Military, Camp Logan, Memorial near Westcott, “that modernish enclave of new houses north of Richmond and west of Kirby,” “just west or southwest of Highland Village shopping center,” or off Woodway near Buffalo Bayou.

The winner this week was John, who managed to stretch out his quick guess into this complete sentence:

My guess is, of all places, Tanglewood.

A few of the many (later) Tanglewood entries:

I think it is that hideous house that is painted school bus yellow just off the boulevard that was built maybe 10 years ago.

this has to be that horrible house in tanglewood near chimney rock.

This has to be that bright yellow, Legorreta wannabe house just east of Chimney Rock.

It reminds me of the hotel Pierce Bronsan stayed at in Matador. All that purple, pink and yellow sure is festive.

Special honors go to this week’s double-agent, Richard, who unleashed some mad FUD-inducing skillz:

The owners of this paean to contemporary high-class-Mexican architecture are probably maxing out their platinum American Express cards at the Louis Vuitton shop at the Galleria. The scale and colors remind me of the Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City, but if they want to sell this house in Rivercrest, they’re going to have to make a trip to Home Depot for some taupe and tan colored paint. This second-home for Mexican immigrants of the non-gardening-or-custodial variety is in Rivercrest, probably even north of Briar Forest on Crestbend. . . .

In fact, after reviewing a previous Swamplot headline, may I venture to guess it’s on the corner of Crestbend and Enchilada??

So what’s the scoop?

Continue Reading This Story >

7:27 pm | 16 Comments | Read more about Homes for Sale, Interiors, Neighborhood Guessing Game, Neighborhoods: Tanglewood
Read more about: , , , ,
Friday, July 18, 2008

Weekend Open House Tour: Tanglewood

July 18, 2008 – 11:56 pm

This weekend, won’t you come visit some long-selling Tanglewood treasures? The lots are big but the lines will be short. Here’s what you’ll find:

1202 Chimney Rock Rd., Tanglewood, Houston

Location: 1202 Chimney Rock Rd.
Details: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths; 2,316 sq. ft.
Price: $499,000
The Scoop: 1953 brick-front single-owner Ranch with carpet and wood paneling, waiting for land prices to increase or a better marketing plan. Listed for almost 3 months; price cut $30K already.
Open House: Sunday, 2-5 pm

Tangle with 4 more homes as the tour continues . . .

Continue Reading This Story >

11:56 pm | Add a Comment | Read more about Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Tanglewood, Open Houses
Read more about: , , ,