It’s Time for Swamplot To Say Goodbye

As of today this site’s daily publishing schedule is coming to a halt. Swamplot has been covering Houston’s real estate landscape for 12 years. That’s longer than the runs of most successful teevee sitcoms, all but one U.S. presidency, and a lot of great Houston restaurants. It’s been long enough to cover 3 hurricanes, several boom-and-bust cycles, a half-dozen or so 100-year floods, and the rise and fall of Tuscanization. More than a few high-school freshmen when Swamplot started in 2007 are now armed with PhDs and ready to launch their careers. It’s time for us to move on as well.

We’re proud of what Swamplot has accomplished: the reporting it’s assembled; the commenters, readers, contributors, and tipsters it’s attracted; the conversations and reconsiderations it’s fostered; the groups of people from different walks of life it’s brought together in some way; the coinages you’ve come up with; and the community that’s been built here around the notion that our local built and natural environments are worth our attention and our jokes.

Houston has always been a funky town. It’s rarely been served well by those who ignore that, or who promote it with a chip on their shoulder, or who build in it without recognizing the profound handicaps and weirdnesses that continue to shape it. In Swamplot’s dozen years of documenting the odd details of its growth and destruction, we’ve noticed a gradual but steady change of attitude — one that we hope we’ve helped to effect: People here, we get a sense, now pay more obvious attention to the things that make Houston unique, bizarre, wacky, frustrating, and lovable. If Swamplot has, in any way, played a role in altering your sense of this place — by reporting on things normally paid little attention to, by presenting things in ways you wouldn’t otherwise expect to see them, by dangling in front of you the comments and perspectives of people who see this city very differently from the way you do, or by striving each day to highlight the absurdities that underly and shape so much of the Houston experience — well, then hanging out with y’all for some or all of this time has been well worth it.

Beginning next week, we’ll have a few announcements and questions to post here about Swamplot’s past, present, and future — so please do come back and visit to see what’s up. For now, though, we want to thank you — our readers, commenters, tipsters, photographers, advertisers, sponsors, and contributors — for making Swamplot what it’s been, and maybe making Houston a little bit better place for us all.

Photos: Russell Hancock (aerial); Bill Barfield (sign) via Swamplot Flickr Pool

So Long

253 Comment

  • I’m seriously going to miss this.

  • Omg stunned r.i.p. y’all

  • This is super depressing, y’all will be missed. Thanks for the good times.

  • It’s been fun. Thanks!

  • But I just moved here a few months ago and have found this website so incredibly handy!

  • This is a complete bummer. This is the first site I visited when I strolled into the office in the morning. I really hate this and am at a loss for words.

  • No!!!!! My morning coffee won’t be the same. ;-(

  • Was a daily reader through Feedly app. Will miss. Thanks for your years of great RE insight for the Houston community.

  • Thank you for altering my sense of this place!

  • Welp. Here’s the third celebrity.

  • Thanks for the info and the fun!

  • That sucks!

  • Watch This Space for info on that commenter mattress-store meetup that never quite got off the ground?

  • I will miss this site. I have been following you all since 2007 when we lived on Welch Street. We then moved to Oak Forest and now live in Towne Lake in Cypress. During that time I got my Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, and I am now working on my doctorate. Didn’t realize how long I had been a viewing until this post. Houstonians will miss your feed. Hope you have a great future.

  • No loss here, Swamplot swirled down the toilet a few years ago…

  • This sucks. I’m honestly sad. Been reading this for years and love it.

  • I blame @oldschool hope someone else picks up where yall leave off thanks for the years of good reading

  • I can’t thank you enough for your time and seriously awesome efforts to contribute to this community. I left Houston a little over six years ago but still check in with the city via Swamplot. It’s synonymous with Houston I know and love. But so is change.

    Best of luck in your future endeavors, and thank you.

  • Any possibility for one of your loyal readers to carry on the site?

  • If only you had put in more ground-level retail. :(

  • What?!

    This is one of the few sites I would post reader tips! This really sucks. A valuable source of information gone.

    Ugh….well, it IS Houston. I guess file this under “Daily Demotion Report?” : (

  • Sad to hear this. The old internet is dying, turning into “channels”.
    .
    Best Swamplot headline ever (the announcement of the Jamail skate park): “If you build it they will go away”. We’ll miss the site, but there’s always nextdoor right?. . Right?

  • Swamplot was my daily morning routine read for the past 10 years. I feel like I just end a long relationship. You guys will 100% be missed.

  • Thank you!

  • Thank you swamplot, you probably have no idea how many real estate professionals in this town got their news from you first.

  • Wow, so sad! I happily moved away from Houston a while ago but this site made the city so much more interesting during my 5 years of turmoil in the dirty third. Thanks to everyone who was involved and hopefully someone can carry the torch in some way. Swamplot certainly did change my perspective on a lot of things about the city for the better.

    But I still wouldn’t move back.

  • Thank y’all so much for all your coverage. I’m so sorry to see you go. Will the archives remain online?

  • nooooooooooooo…..

  • Very sad to hear this. Thanks for the good times.

  • Thanks for covering the crazy real estate shenanigans of Havel Ruck Projects all these years. Gonna miss the daily demo reports…..

  • Oh no! Will totally miss you!! This is one of my favorite places to visit.

  • Cheers are extended to such an awesome 12 year independent run! Houston desperately needs more engaging sites like SWAMPLOT. This site was not only greatly received but positively embraced by its fans over it’s long tenure. It was truly an original and very unique boutique online site and therefore it will be sorely missed by all its Houston fans and also those inquisitive folks who live way outside our beltway.

    We proudly take off our Stetsons in our most sincere and total admiration, appreciation and respect for y’all’s unwavering commitment in helping spread such greatly needed RE news and desired colorful presented information over the years about our fair city.

    Godspeed in y’all’s future endeavors!

    Best regards,
    The Griffin Brothers
    Founders of HoustonHistory.com

  • What a great run! Thank you for the years of fun topics and news!

  • Thanks for all the great content and truly a perspective-shifting presentation of Houston!

  • Just got the news.
    Come bacccck!!

    Can somebody but the site and keep it running?

  • Very disappointing. This site has been a small gem.
    Dang!

  • Agree w/comment regarding morning coffee – this is my first read of the day! : ( will miss you.

  • So sorry to hear this! It’ll be like loosing a friend. Thank you Swamplot for the many years of quirky and insightful reporting on our crazy city’s crazy real estate world! All the best in what is next.

  • So sad to see you go. This was my go-to for news on what was going on in the crazy “tear-down and rebuild new” town. You will be missed.

  • Sorry to hear the news. This site has always been my go-to as I’ve moved away (and returned) to Houston over the years.

  • Thanks Swamplot.

    I arrived on the scene at about the same time and have enjoyed learning about the city through your lenses. I especially appreciate your coverage of great (and not-so-great) architecture in Houston. You brought to light many things that I would have missed otherwise.

    Hopefully the site will stay available, as it often shows up when I’m searching for interesting things.

  • Wait, how am I going to know the daily demolitions around the city? Legit was a part of my start to the day. Going to miss it!

  • Noooooo! Well, okay then. Every morning at the office I’d check Swamplot before I even opened Outlook. You will be so missed! You were such a huge source of information and entertainment. What will I do without the Demolition Report pun ‘o the day? Sad goodbye and thanks too, to all fellow commenters – especially Cody (and his rational common sense) and Memebag (his hilarious dry humor). I’m so sad. So sad.

  • Man…another great source–gone. You guys were my go-to website for construction, retail, and transportation news, et al. (*sigh*) My best wishes and Godspeed to you Swamplot-heads on any future endeavors. Thanks a ton for all that you do to help make our ol’ H-TOWN great again!

    I’ll miss you, guys…RIP. Long Live Swamplot!!!!

  • I’ll really miss daily news from y’all. Swamplot is a site I check one or two times a day.

  • This is awful. I love Swamplot. Damn it.

  • Nooooo, I love this site

  • So sad to hear.

    Rumor has it they’re being replaced by some sort of online Mattress Store

  • Sad to see y’all go. Been with you since the beginning. You’ve all done a great job. Thanks for the memories.

  • too early for April fools. :(

  • but what will be my Home Page now?
    Thanks for all the hard work and wonderful info!
    You will be sorely missed

  • I am so sad!!! I loved getting on this website every morning when I get to the office. I will miss this so much!! This is where I got all of my good information about Houston. So sad!! :(

  • Well, I cannot fault you for doing what you want to do, all I can say is thank you, it has been appreciated, and I wish you nothing but success in your future endeavors! Congratulations!

  • There are mixed use developments with ground floor retail going up all over town. The Ashby highrise never got built. Historic districts are firmly in place. New hike and bike infrastructure is going up all over Houston. Walmart’s “urban” store concept went nowhere as HEB and Kroger have triangulated the Yale St Walmart to move in for the kill. Thousands have moved into high rise condos and apartments downtown.

    Our work is done here. Good bye old friends.

  • I will be so very sorry to see you go. This has been may favorite site–an almost every day must! Your work in covering the diversity of the Houston real estate scene has been phenomenal and always provided fodder for interesting conversations with other followers. Best wishes to all of the staff in their next adventures.

  • Wow, man you guys are how I keep up with all of my “lay of the land knowledge” I pastor a church in the 5th Ward and this site has been a blessing in keeping me informed and aware of the changing landscape around our church.
    I’m hoping the content changes format and does not completely disappear, thanks for keeping us updated and informed. I am a better leader and my congregants are very knowledgeable about our neighborhood because of the information you guys have provided.
    Thanks a million!

  • My heart sank when I saw this headline. I lived in Houston for almost 15 years through the 90s and into the early 2000s, then commuted to (effectively lived in ) Houston for another 6 years from 2011 through mid-2017. I absolutely love the city. I started reading this site in 2011, and it has been a daily read since then. Even having moved to Nashville, I still read it every day and have enjoyed it immensely. Farewell, and thank you so much for what you contributed through this site. I know that it was a lot of effort to compile and publish daily – kudos!

  • You will be missed! My morning eye opening routine–check Swamplot

  • Wow. I will say I moved from Huston 5 years ago, I only lived there for 3 years, and I still read this blog every day. It is a model of good blogging.Sorry to see you go.

  • Sad day. Like many others, Swamplot went with my morning coffee. I wonder if Harvey led to the demise of this site. Once Houston became an actual swamplot, there wasn’t much else to say. The joke wasn’t there anymore. But like OldSchool said, things are going in the right direction. Houston has been dragged into the world of urbanism, kicking and screaming. The ghastly mistakes are fewer – another harbinger of doom for this site. But this is still a weird, wild city, and every time I see a humper house, I will think of Swamplot.

  • Thanks Swamp-a lot. In Houston style, we are demolishing a historical landmark.

  • It was a great run! RIP…

  • Oh no! How will I start my morning?
    Please change your mind.

  • holy moly! did not see that coming! Swamplot, you have been part of my morning routine for 12 years! Sad to see you go! Well done!

  • Damn!
    I’m a native who escaped in the ‘80’s. Swamplot is how I kept up with my home town. What now? Being in real estate it was my go to for a snarky laugh about horrible listings. Where to now?

    Damn!

  • Damn, sorry to see you go. Been reading regularly for 10+ years, was always interesting.

  • Brokenhearted. Hoping maybe for a monthly update. Don’t leave us hanging! Pleeeeease!

  • Thank you for all your work covering Houston over the years! This was a daily read and you will be missed.

  • I’ll be so lost without you. Please, someone start working on Swamplot2!

  • please no please please please please stay this is devastating i will never get over this.

  • Thanks for all you’ve done. Sad to see you go. That’s all. :(

  • Nooooooo……! I’m going to lose news that I can use! …this is a loss for the City! So long – and thanks for all the fish!

  • Like so many have already said, I will miss this site very much. I read it every week day morning and love hearing about what’s happening around the City. Thank you so much for the time and energy you have all dedicated to making us more informed and aware.

  • I’m going to miss you Swamp! Thanks for the memories!

  • Sad news. One of my first clicks of the day, probably for most of those 12 years, was this site. You will definitely be missed.

  • I have enjoyed your insights and commentary for years! Good Luck in your future endeavors. You will be missed.

  • Bummer. I guess all good things must come to an end. I can imagine keeping SL up & running for 12 YEARS was a pain in the rear end and in the wallet. Y’all be sorely missed.

  • I am truly sorry to read this news. Your closing leaves a void. There is no better way to stay aware of the losses to demolition, new buildings, and so many aspects of our surroundings in Houston. Thanks for all you have done.

  • no…I love Swamplot!!

  • Say it isn’t so….have been a follower for many years. Thanks for keeping a number of us informed on the every changing complexion of Houston. Good luck to the staff.

  • I think we should gather somewhere in Midtown, maybe Axelrod, and have a beer to celebrate, and say thanks!

  • Oh no! Swamplot is one of my favorite websites, and I visit it every day. I will miss you’all tons and tons!

  • This makes me the most sad.

  • Thank you for all the stellar content and hard work.

  • If someone cuts down a tree in the public right of way and Swamplot doesn’t report on it…..did it really happen? I guess we will have to find out the hard way. I’ll miss this site.

  • Nooooooooooooo

  • “All good things must come to an end” – Chaucer and others including Q from Star Trek TNG. :)

    “Live long and Prosper” – Mr Spock.. wherever he is.

    I’ve appreciated your site and it has made a difference.

    Regards,
    Quantum

  • Please accept my sincere thanks for the work of everyone who contributed to the site and best wishes to all in the future.

  • It’s been a good run! Thanks for allowing me the chance to get my art market on your page, twice now! LOL Swamplot will be missed!

  • Thank you for your many years of reporting and outstanding work keeping us all up-to-date on all the developments that contributed to Houston’s growth. You will be truly missed.

  • This is devastating news.

    I hope we can learn more next week about how someone could possibly carry on the torch. I know I may not speak for many, but I’d gladly pay $5/$10 a month to read this site.

  • Thank you for all of the memories and for supporting your community of loyal readers. I check this site 2-3 times a day. Maybe one last ALL TIME SWAMPIES AWARDS for the road?

  • Can’t you guys find some replacement torchbearers!?!?!? You have become a vital champion of open information. Houston will be a far lesser place without you.

  • I am bereft!

  • Swamplot, R.I.P. You provided a valuable space for folks to cross “bubble” boundaries and meaningfully discuss urban development and policy matters that cumulatively make a big difference to the economic well being and quality of life in my bizarre but lovable hometown. Also, who doesn’t need occasional nutritious dollops of snark comments on unfortunate home sale listings? And thanks for providing such a welcome diversion from things I should instead be focusing my attention on at the office over the years – and even providing me (not infrequently!) with useful information that actually helped me work-wise.

    Lastly, I followed the Daily Demolitions long enough to see my childhood home appear. Hard to top that.

  • I have been reading swamplot almost daily for 5+ years. i first found y’all trying to get info on the wilshire village apartments that got bulldozed. once i stumbled onto you, i was hooked. i introduced it to my husband a couple years ago and he started checking it most days too. both of us have enjoyed the stories and local news that could’ve gotten lost in the noise except for y’all pointing it out. i’m so sad y’all are shutting up shop. you will be missed.

  • Sad to see y’all go. Reading this site daily has been part of my routine for most of those 12 years.

  • I just checked the calendar. It is not April 1st. Sorry to see you go. Nothing comes close to this and nothing likely ever will. Please come back . . .

  • So so so sad to see y’all go. Thanks for the memories.

  • Where are we going to get the scoop now??!!!!

  • So sad to see this go…I’ll miss ya’ll. I leaned a lot about Houston (the good and the bad). Thanks for the memories.

  • Aww maaaaan! A stop at this site had been a daily tradition for me for at least 10 or so years. I am sure it is a decision that did not come about lightly so good luck to you all and appreciate the love for this great city

  • Such a sad day! This website and the info it provided me on a daily basis will be extremely missed. My morning routine will have an enormous hole starting at ~8:30 when the daily stories would be posted. Even though I live here, over the years it has helped me feel even more connected to this gigantic sprawling city. I even enjoyed the occasional article about goings on in other cities across the US and the world. Though I am saddened by the news, I am grateful to have stumbled onto this site and been able to follow it for the last 5+ years. Goodnight sweet prince!

  • Very sad news for this real estate news junkie. Thank you Swamplot for the years of real estate news and entertainment. There will be a huge sigh of relief from Houston area realtors when they realize their listing can never make the Home Listing of the Day. For all you Swamplot fans who would like some help with withdrawal pains check out the Houston Strategies blog. Well written and informative. Full Disclosure: I do not know the bloggers but have enjoyed their content for many years. Swamplot, R.I.P

  • Nooooooo. Dont go. Please. I love your site.

  • We’ll always have Bork.

  • going to miss it.

  • Well I sure am going to miss yall! This was a daily read for me. :(

  • Nooooooooooooo- longtime lurker….

  • It figures…..
    thanks for your service, and a thank you to all the sponsors who helped keep this site open

  • Oh No! Read website daily….just excellent coverage and really disappointed to hear this

  • Devastated.

  • Sorry to see this site come to an end. As others here have said, it was an early morning “stop” for me to check out the headlines and see what was going on in my long adopted hometown. I also got more than a few laughs over the years from looking at the ‘home listing of the day”.
    I hope someone will take up the torch of reporting on local development issues. Unfortunately, it’s not a topic that’s easy to “monetize” in today’s economy. Best wishes.

  • Sad to see you go. It’s been a good run.

  • I will thoroughly miss Swamplot. The wit and insight never fell short here. Your honest and accurate information about this town nurtured a rare thing, a user base of anonymous yet civil and informed commenters that added context and discourse far beyond closing remarks. Thank you dearly for your commitment to quality and contributions!

  • Aww fake Gus what happened? We your loyal readers would love to know.

  • I am so sorry to read this news. I’ve only recently discovered Swamplot and I am sorely disappointed that it is shuttering. You all provide just the best info and I don’t see any other news site filling your spot. Wishing the team all the best in your future, individual endeavors but you will be sorly missed. Thank you for the value you’ve brought to Houston news.

  • Having only settled in the Houston (League City) area 5.5 years ago, Swamplot has played a good sized role in helping me to understand Houston. I’ve learned to love/hate the area I now call home. Thank you for having been a part of my indoctrination into becoming a Texan, Houston style.

  • THANK YOU so much for all of the years…

  • Argh, bummer, fooey, and thank you very much.

  • Nooooo! I’m going to miss Swamplot so much. :( Thank you for all the good times and great info through the years. Swamplot will be sorely missed.

  • As many have said, I will miss checking this site every day for the last ? years. I hope some enterprising soul will figure a way to move ahead with Swamplot 2.0!

  • Say it ain’t so.

  • NOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOO

  • I too will sorely miss the daily adventure of reading about everything that had to do with Houston architecture, real estate and daily demo’s. I had to read the headline twice to make sure i wasn’t seeing things. Thanks for all of your hard work and I wish you the best.
    It just won’t be the same without you!

  • Come back come back

  • Very depress. I will miss you much.

  • I guess this is my last comment here. This was my hobby and hopefully something just as great is to be had like this, again. so much praise for the way you did things here and fulfilling and making this for us. I won’t and mostly us all won’t forget.

  • Oh no! Sad news…loved finding out what is going on in Houston from Swamplot. It won’t be the same without you.

  • Man, thanks for years of entertaining and informative reading. Swamplot is where I learned my dad was selling his house and later where I learned that same house would be demolished. Hard to imagine a real estate blog would get such a following among us layfolk, but y’all will leave a void for sure.

  • Noooooooooo!!!!! Will be very missed.

  • Thanks for all the edutainment over the years, Swamplot. We’ll miss you!

  • Thank you for your long dedication to the snarkier side of Houston real estate! Best of luck to all the writers and photographers. Shouldn’t there be a farewell party?

  • Often read for the comments, which really dropped-off in recent years. As I recall, there was some kind of interruption, and the site never really recovered. Kind of like the Curbed sites, where those with active readers are so much more interesting( Atlanta vs Austin, as an example)

  • So sorry you are retiring! I read you every day. Thanks for all the years of keeping us informed. Will miss you immensely.

  • I love reading you every week or weekend I can’t believe this is so sad.

  • Thanks. Moved out of houston a year ago but continued to follow this site. Quality work. You will be missed.

  • We can hold the farewell party in the Astrodome…

  • Thank you for a job well done!

  • No don’t go!

  • Thanks for the memories and the witty, amusing and entertaining headlines. I like many will have to
    change my morning coffee routine, but you deserve to sleep late now and then, travel more and enjoy
    life without the daily deadlines. Enjoy!

  • Thanks for all of y’alls hard work and good luck.

  • Yall will be incredibly missed!

  • I’m really going to miss this site. . . and some of the ridiculous commenters.

  • Do not go quietly into that good Bork

  • How can I keep this going???? Swamplot can’t end!

  • Swamplot says good-bye
    Can I even survive this?
    The news cuts me deep

  • This demo is truly tragic. Can’t think of a Swamplot substitute- it is sui generis. Best wishes on your next gig.

  • Say it ain’t so! It’s always the last task every day to check in and find out what is going on in H-town. Thanks. You will be sorely missed.

  • Will miss you! Keeping up with the uncontrollable Houston development!

  • Nooooooooooo!!!! I love this website. It has been the source of many happy moments for me as I excitedly anticipated checking out all the new developments discussed on here. I hope Swamplot will reemerge in some form or another in the future to feed our need to know everything happening in our wonderful city of Houston.

  • No why

  • This just takes the cake! When do much is leaving in my neck of the world Swamplot departs as well.
    I stand with many others in noting Swamplot will be missed dearly.
    Sad, sad over here.

  • I guess Avalon Square Apartments will outlive this site after all. :(

  • Swamplot, you will be missed. As a very loyal reader it is almost creepy that you used this picture that included the townhome community right next to the East End Silos. I sold all of those Perry townhomes in East End on the Bayou. I started reading you daily when builders started going belly up in 2008/2009. I checked in daily to keep up with what Royce builders melodrama was news that day and kept checking on what was happening in our awesome city. I checked the daily for what was being torn down in Oak Forest and Spring Branch where I was selling for Perry and where i live. I will miss you and i wish all of you the best in your future.

  • Man that’s sad. I’ll miss it!

  • I’m truly saddened to hear this news. Like many others have said, Swamplot has been a great beacon of actually useful and interesting real estate news for the last 12 years.

    I’ll admit that I didn’t know it had lasted that long before today but it is not surprising. Once I found it, its hold on me was intoxicating for the cheeky humor, the commentary, and the pulse on Houston developments.

    From the number of comments, it is safe to say that there is a healthy loyal readership – please find a way to make a go of it in one way or another. We’re here ready to rally!

  • This is like losing a friend. Best to you and a heartfelt thank you for keeping us up to date with our past, present and future.

  • wow. i love this site. one of the best local real estate bulletin out there. going to miss it. i wonder why you guys are shutting it down? i assume you could easily make money off this with the amount of loyal following.

  • I haven’t always agreed with your comment coordinator and after all my comments, I was never “rewarded” with Comment of the Day, (lol)?but I have very much enjoyed swamplot and want to thank you for the joy you brought to all of the fans of the site. You will be sorely missed. Old School, The Niche, ZAW, et.al, we need to meet somewhere and chat about all the fun we had on this site.

  • As a Houston ex patriot, it would always warm my heart to check Swamplot for updates and gossip from afar. Sad to see you go. Best wishes and thank you all the years of updates.

  • Honestly leaves a hole in the local community. I don’t know anyone who does what y’all do!

  • You guys will be missed.. I loved my one stop Htown news site:(

  • I had to read every comment and look for all those commenters whose names (and attitudes) were so familiar to me for the better part of a decade. I will miss Swamplot and this snarky community. Maybe someone can buy and renovate this great internet property.

  • But how will I know when a new Bork opens near me? And there’s been talk of draining the swamp…but this is the wrong swamp to drain… :(

  • Seriously will be missed. This is a very helpful website and fun to read. I can’t think of any other website as unique as y’all. Y’all sure it’s not an early April Fools joke?

  • Your posts are/were a life line in Houston! Very sad day!

  • I am in complete disbelief! I’ve been visiting daily for years. Thank you for what you’ve contributed to Houston. You will be very sorely missed.

  • will be greatly missed. thank you all for your efforts in highlighting the highs and lows of this city’s unique character!

  • Oh noooo! I’ve been reading here since the beginning. So much great information here, what will happen to all the constant on the site, hopefully can be archived somewhere?

  • Awww, no! What will we do without Swamplot?

    It’s been a great run, and I will always be very proud of earning “Best Home Sleuth” in 2008.

    But Swamplot’s departure will leave a significant void in Houston’s landscape. Thanks to all its editors over the years…we’ll miss you.

  • That’s too bad. Have always enjoyed it. Couldn’t have bought Astroworld without Swamplot. Via con dios!

  • Sad to see you go. It meant a lot to me to be featured in a post in 2010 when I was starting out my career. Swamplot and the commenter community provided a much needed voice for Houston’s weird and wonderful story.

  • Sad to see this site go. I recently moved from Houston and enjoyed having this site to keep in touch. Like others said, it never really recovered from the hiatus – hope we hear the whole story soon.
    .
    Have you considered a subreddit or something less capital-intensive to keep the information coming, if in a different way? Thanks for everything!

  • Oh, say it isn’t so! Who will keep us up to date on everything including Ashby? You will be missed.

  • As others have said, dang. This was such a reliable place for snark that rarely got too out of hand, and it was like having a secret handshake the time or three that I found out that I actually knew a poster. Plus, there’s no other place where truly unfortunate listing pictures are so easily accessed – though living in Woodland Heights I can pick up the demo report by walking the dog.

  • Gus,

    The loss of this new resource to this community may well exceed that of loosing the The Houston Post. Swamplot.com has been my primary online local news source for well over a decade. Nothing else has the timeliness and the breadth that Swamplot.com has, it is my hope that you would continue in some form, or at the very least that one of the other local news sources would realize the value of this type of reporting, and emulate it as a source of traffic, and not hide it behind a paywall. The collaborative spirit, with the raw cutting edge reminded me often of that pioneer of internet 1.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucked_Company …and that was a very good thing…

  • Darn, where else are we gonna get played out news related to Harvey…y’all got behind on getting in front. In last few years it was easier,more relevant and quicker to just go on haif. … deuces

  • Thank you for these twelve years! I have grown to know so much better the city I have called home for years! Your historical vignettes, revelations of developer’s projects, and disc;osiers of new restaurant openings for in-town and out-of-towns restaurants stoked my zeal to go out and experience this wonderful town. You will be missed but I have a feeling that Swamplot and it’s mission will morph as new folks pick up the gauntlet and find new ways to shout out to all of us about Bayou City happenings and plans! Thanks again!

  • Its was a good ride. Happy Trails and Thank You.

  • This is a huge loss for Houston, and I would be sorry to see you go permanently. These comments are just the vocal members of the cohort following this blog, and I hope someone is willing to take up the reins and keep this wagon rolling.

  • At least I scored a “Comment of the Day” before you hung it up. I’m sure we can band together to find a young real estate nerd to keep this going. Urbanizer would be my first choice. Wacky Monarch from HAIF would be my second.

  • The haif is still there….
    https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/forum/7-going-up/

    Can’t take the place of swamplot.com though…..

  • Any chance you might consider running for Mayor?!

    Not really joking. Our town could use some wisdom, unification, common sense, history, understanding, and fair play. With a dashes of wit and reality thrown in the mix.

  • So sad to see you put an end to swamplot. Swamplot is a website that I’ve been looking forward to reading every evening to see what’s been going on in the Houston area. It will surely be missed.

  • Very sorry to see this. I only contributed a couple things years ago, but have consistently used the site to keep abreast on what is going on in our city. Swamplot has been so great to have relevant content, history, new developments and beyond all in one place without all the other baggage that comes with Facebook etc….but you could always check the comments if you wanted the drama too, haha.

    Looking forward to hearing what is next, hope there is some Swamplot 3.0 coming…but if not, thank you for the great service you have done for us. I am not a real estate person, but sure learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and found many stories worth sharing.

  • Well damn. This has, for years, been a daily stop for me. Great work guys. Sorry to see you go!

  • This news truly saddens me. I’ve been reading Swamplot for years. This site will be sorely missed, and there isn’t really anything out there to readily replace it. Is there nobody who’d be willing to take the reins and keep Swamplot going?

  • This makes a Monday even harder to take. Thanks for the memories, Swamplot!

  • Super bummed. I keep coming back this morning hoping there will be a new post.

    Any recommendations to fill my void?

  • Thanks for the good times and up to date info. I will continue to check in occasionally.

  • No!!!! So sorry to see you go! Thank you for all of your work over the years. We will miss you!

  • So grateful for the work. I have turned to Swamplot many, many times over the years to find out what was happening in my neighborhood and in the city at large. Thank you!

  • Like great bars, there’s an element of serendipity that elevates some websites over others. Swamplot managed to achieve the balance between order and anarchy that is so appropriate for this unique city, and to attract a diverse and loyal following.
    The comments have ranged from amusing to appalling, from trite to deeply moving. I will miss that stirring in the pit of my stomach in anticipation of whatever surprises fellow Swampsters might have in store, and the compilation of information of which I would otherwise have been unaware. Please know how greatly your efforts are appreciated.

    PS: Sure you don’t want to change your mind?

  • Houston real estate fan here…going to try to keep the tradition alive over at http://www.swampmore.com. Check it out, be patient, and send me tips!

  • When I read Swamplot I feel like an insider, privy to the secret scoop on the evolution of the Houston cityscape. Thanks for everyone’s hard work over the years.

  • Seriously??????

    Oh wow! So sorry to hear this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Well, this sucks. Swamplot has been an essential daily read of mine for years. Thanks for all the hard work and the community you created here.

  • I keep waiting to hear from Commonsense, ZAW and the Niche. I have noticed the last few years that familiar names stopped commenting, including myself. It was fun early on, at the beginning, to get into long, sometimes heated, conversations about Houston, but somewhere along the way the comment coordinator really started censoring the site and the conversation came to a halt and people stopped commenting, that seemed the beginning of the end for Swamplot. I’ve commented on and off for 12 years, but less and less. I missed the familiar names, like memebag, MrClean19, Local Planner, Shadyheightster. Et.al The only one that really stuck it all out was Old School and I always smiled at the familiarity of his name, because I recognized no one else’s. Fewer and fewer commented and old friends on the site faded away into the cyber abyss and I feared that was a harbinger that the end was nye. We’ll all miss Swamplot, even if it was a shadow of its old fabulous self. I wish you all the best, Gus. See you in traffic on 610.

  • Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure-Farewell!

  • What about a Patreon? Seems like hundreds of people would love to see it continue…

  • All things, with time, come to an end. I once gave up reading Swamplot for lent. Farewell old friend.

  • The most surprising thing, I think, is the number of comments on this post. I always wondered how popular the site was because of the tiny number of comments on most posts. It’s good to see your influence was broader and wider than that suggested. I’ve been a regular reader for at least ten years. I’m going to miss you. It’s time to start reading Curbed again.

  • I’m going to miss this site so much. I check this site so often that I have a feed that sends me an alert everytime a new post dropped. So as soon as I saw that the site is no more, I shared it with everyone I could (HAIF, Reddit, private FB groups) and all the responses were the same that people are going to miss this site. I truly hope there is some way to preserve all the posts on this website because this site is a part of Houston. And apparently now, Houston’s history. It’s played a role in getting news out there that most people wouldn’t have even known unless they read it here on Swamplot. Anyway, will truly miss this site and I took so many pictures of Houston just for this site alone so it’s going to be interesting what I should do with the next batch of pictures I have. Anyway, bye all! Thank you for your great contribution to this city. Marc Longoria

  • Perhaps my dreams and ambitions are small but once making Swamplot’s Comment of the Day was a big highlight for me. This site helped me feel more connected to this big sprawling city. I learned so much from this site, both the articles and the comment posters. There was more real news here that the so-called news sites.

  • I’m going to miss the photos.

  • CandysDirt.com in Dallas would love to come to Houston and revive this…
    HoustonDirt!
    Holler at me candace@candysdirt.com

  • Fertitta bought you out too? At least he loves Houston! #joescrabshackforlife

  • All good things must come to an end. I’ll lift up a roller dog and cold 40 for you in celebration all the good posts and snarky but dang funny commenters.

    Thanks for a good run. And remember to keep the shady in Shady Acres y’all.

  • Oh no! My number one go-to website for Houston. Started reading soon after you started – as someone who has made Houston home Swamplot it helped me better understand my adopted home city! You will be missed!

  • Aww bittersweet … I’ve enjoyed Swamplot, thanks for everything you all have done and best of luck in your new endeavors!

  • Thank you and I will miss swamplot. Good luck.

  • No mention of why you’re quitting. Frustrating. Disappointing.

  • Sorry to see you go : ( Really wonderful site. Thanks for all the hard work and commitment for so many years.

  • Well that’s unfortunate. Don’t know what you all plan to do in the future but you’ve certainly accomplished exactly what you mentioned above:

    <>

    You’ve done exactly that, can’t really say it better. Your website has been an amazing contribution to help reveal the less noticed aspects of this city. Its a subtle thing; but you’ve help expose Houston’s true diversity ( of thought, expression, and place) that would otherwise go unnoticed and underappreciated. Brilliant journalism.

  • say it ain’t so!

    Have you considered handing off the baton and selling this platform to the next whomever to carry on the Swamplot mission?

  • NOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wth y’all????? Unacceptable. Hrrrumpfff

  • Be sure to have the whole dang site archived at archive.org !

  • Thank you. Loved it. Best of luck to you.

  • Wow – this is like the only site I go to – please somebody be the new swamplot! I remember the best parking lot voting years back – who else is going to do fun stuff like that yall have been great – good luck on your next ventures

  • Golly! I’m a native and just discovered Swamplot. I’m bummed but it looks like I’ve got years of history to read!

  • I migrated to Swamplot as a HAIF refugee during the Great Contributor Banishment of 2013. It’s hard to believe that that was six years ago. (I am old and you kids need to get off my lawn.)
    .
    At that time, I did not like the blog format as much as a forum. It didn’t enable me to follow a thread or to be followed. Each individual comment was moderated with a time delay. It wasn’t as interactive. I couldn’t insert photos or links. However, over time I came to appreciate it considerably more. To fire-and-forget a comment and (typically) to move on wasn’t really conducive to my nature. Call it youthful petulance, but my nature was such that I always wanted to be right, to demonstrate it, and to test my assertions under duress. Perhaps in 2013 as well, but especially in 2019, it seems that that nature is ill-suited to the maintenance of an on-demand online persona. Also, it took way too much of my personal time, there are a great many new demands upon that time, and the position of real estate comment-commentator is unpaid.
    .
    HAIF has since invited me back, but I probably will not continue to be a regular participant in Houston’s real estate media landscape. In addition to the personal reasons, part of the reason is that I now only just barely reside within Houston’s media market. I no longer identify as “from Houston”. I barely identify as being from this country, or perhaps even this planet — although I am definitely from Texas. (Few Texans would agree upon establishing a first impression, though.) Another part of the reason is that I no longer work in real estate or in anything remotely related to or resembling that industry, and the insider knowledge that I used to wield is stale I still understand many facets of the business quite well and I can still apply those lessons, but I have expounded on those topics many times. Those who would be willing to approach them with an open mind have had the opportunity to do so. I do hope that comments will be immortalized in some way. It would be nice if they could be made searchable…for posterity.
    .
    Although I am unlikely to be very active on HAIF, I will re-activate my account there so that anybody that wants to can send me messages. If y’all do end up throwing a Swamplot going-away party, I do humbly request to be invited.
    .
    RIP Swamplot.

  • Happy trails tew y’all… and thanks for all the scoops over the years. Please find a way to reinvent the site. Love & kisses from one of the realtors in your fan club.

  • NOOO! I was going to say “Damn, why is this happening right when I’m coming to visit for the first time in a few months?”
    .
    Maybe it’s because others have adopted a similar viewing schedule.
    .
    I don’t think anyone cares about my advice, but for what it’s worth maybe a more robust commenting forum would have helped? Like actual logged in user names where you knew who was actually commenting (even if anonymous, you could track by unique user name), see comment history, etc. That seemed to be the “fun” of the site.

    Wishing you guys all the best!!!

  • Ronnie: “What about a Patreon”
    .
    I’d rather a direct subscription. Tons of people have deleted their Patreon accounts (including me). They’re a dead man walking. I wouldn’t suggest a site like this put their livelihood in Patreon. What if Commonsense says something naughty? Patreon will ban Swamplot the next day.

  • This website was a huge part of my morning routine. This was my real estate bible Houston.

  • Again, you’re leaving us again? This reminds me of my Dad who can’t stay retired. You guys will be back, Swamplot is your baby, your partner, your creation. You won’t turn your backs on Houston. See you for round three…whenever.

  • Well,if it helps, maybe you can find a bidder for the domain name http://www.swamplot.com?
    I will start the bid: $300
    Thx for the H-Town history

  • Sorry I didn’t post earlier. I’m just a citizen of the city who religiously went to Swamplot on a regular basis to keep on top of what is happening in Houston real estate – good, bad and ugly. I enjoyed being “in the know” on what was happening – I will sorely miss it.

  • Please don’t go away. Houston NEEDS Swamplot! You have been my go to place to find out what is happening in and around Houston.

    Thanks for all of your hard work.

    Keep Houston Funky!

  • Hey!

    Just wanted to point out that April 1 is just around the corner, and if you’ve reconsidered, we’re ALL okay with you saying “April Fools!” and carrying on like nothing ever happened. In fact, you should go ahead and get on with that now so as to max out the shock effect! No, really.

    Maybe?
    Aw.

    C’mon.

  • No! You can’t go! Swamplot is THE information source for demolition in Rice Military. Now, who is going to keep me updated on the destruction of the old Depelchin site? You teased me with Alexan Memorial news August 2018, but there has been no update. The beautiful, huge oak trees are gone; the old “H” shaped building is gone. What next?!!!!

  • Oh, no! Please, please do a final post on the demolition of the old Depelchin site at 4800 Memorial Drive. Reconsider your departure, please.

  • Hate to see you moving on. Best wishes to you and yours.

  • Ahhw. You all will be missed. I used your website when I first had to transfer to Houston. I loved getting the news and the fun photos. Best of luck!

  • I will miss you

  • Come back!
    You were a vital necessity for Houston. You brought information, insight, intellect and a little irrelevance for our comedic relief.
    I never expected THIS swamp to be drained in 2019.
    Thank you for all your reporting, research, information, and levity. You seemed to keep crazy chaos in perspective and enlighten us along the way.
    Boy, oh boy, are you missed already. Come back!

  • Edit: should have been “irreverence” instead of irrelevance! Gracious!

  • It’s been over a month since “So Long” and I miss this site. That is all. All the other commenters combined describe all that this site meant. Your posts were appreciated.

  • I will really miss you Swamplot. Thanks to you I could hold my own while conversing with a group Commercial Real Estate Agents. Now I won’t have anything to contribute at all :( . You also helped inform me of road construction both highway and surface streets in my “quadrant” of the city. You also helped me keep track of what old buildings where slated for demolition. You provided a highly useful service to me and for this I just want to say Thank You to all of you for making that happen. I wish you all all the best in life and careers as you move onward from here.

    Sincerely!
    Asche Ackerman.

  • Goodredence – the site was noting more than the rags mags of LA but in real estate and too gossipy and caused alot of real estate problems. We need fair and balanced news going forward only. Also the days of FB and other sites and leaving comments is all over these days, too. the whole genre is over just like the mall or taxis etc. The error of leaving negative comments on blogs is over

  • Where will I send hideous listing photos?!

  • Come, now. . . April 1 is still a few weeks away.

  • Have you thought about passing it on to someone else to run? :(

  • No, no, no, no, no…. don’t leave us, we need you, who will we turn to now to know what is going on on the streets of Houston! No… you can’t… please please please…. we need you…

  • I am so sad. Why???

  • Late! Cheers to new Journeys! Hopefully your site lives on at least in an archive somewhere!

  • so sad…..alternative site for this info?

    Steph