Tag: Sponsored Posts

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.

Swamplot’s sponsor today is Houston’s own Central Bank. Thank you for the continued support!

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.

Some great Houston businesses support Swamplot. Here’s how yours can too. 

Today Swamplot is brought to you by Loam Agronomics, in order to introduce 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.

Swamplot is a smart place to announce exciting new community projects. Learn about our Sponsor of the Day program here.

Our sponsor today is the 2-story home at 407 E. Cowan Dr. in Crestwood, offered for sale by Nan and Company Properties. Thanks for supporting Swamplot!

This 4- (but could be 5-) bedroom, 4-and-a-half bathroom home has a mostly open floor plan. A set of double front doors opens to a 2-story foyer. To the right, the entry is open to the formal dining room; to the left is a study; and ahead, next to the wrought-iron-lined, curving central staircase and through a set of arches, is the formal living room pictured above. A separate family room, adjacent to the kitchen and breakfast area, looks out onto the back yard. Standout features include the upstairs media room, the window-side bath in the extensive master suite, and the outdoor living area at the northwest corner of the back yard of the 9,900 sq. ft. lot.

Just a block and a half west of this 5,751-sq.-ft. home in the Crestwood subdivision just east of Rice Military lies Houston’s renowned Memorial Park. There’s only a short drive north to I-10, one exit away from the West Loop.

For a quick tour of this unique property, watch the video above. More information is available in the listing.

If you’re interested in this home, please call the property’s agent, Abigail Dodds of Nan and Company Properties, at 713.561.3582, or email her at abby@nanproperties.com for more details. Abby specializes in luxury, designer homes within the Houston Inner Loop area.

Is there a standout property in your life that deserves to be introduced to a wider audience? Find out how to get it featured on Swamplot.

Swamplot’s sponsor today is Just Buyers Houston, which represents — yes, you guessed it — buyers only in real estate transactions. Thanks for the support!

Just Buyers Houston has a data scientist to help buyers make better decisions. But there isn’t anything the firm can do about the low inventory of homes currently for sale in many Inner Loop and surrounding neighborhoods.

Judy Thompson has been calculating market conditions every other day for more than 10 years in 19 popular local Zip Codes — using a formula based on supply and demand. It just so happens that the latest update (shown in part above; click here to see the whole thing) shows, on average across all the tracked neighborhoods, a seller’s market in every price range except the $2-million-plus market (and that one is classified as a “normal” market). The end of the year is an ending point for many listing agreements. If a lot of potential sellers re-list their houses and many others decide early 2017 is a good time to sell, that could increase inventory.

Whether that happens or not, Just Buyers Houston data scientist Henry Kernan has several analytical tools to help you understand more fully the huge investment you make when you buy a house to live in or as an investment property:

• 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 sales 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; trends

He’ll be developing even more metrics over the next few months.

So if you are an analytical buyer who has been frustrated at the dearth of house-buying data analytics, you’ll want to check in with Just Buyers Houston and see what the company has to offer. Take a look at the stats catalogued on the Just Buyers Houston website — and check it regularly as the offerings are expanded. And talk to Judy or Henry if you’re wanting a more customized approach to Houston real estate information.

Become a Swamplot sponsor and communicate directly with your next customers. Here’s how to do it.

Today we have Houston’s own Central Bank as our sponsor. Thank you for the continued 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.

Sponsoring Swamplot is a great move for smart Houston businesses. Here’s how to do it. 

Today on Swamplot we thank our latest sponsor, Jamestown Estate Homes. Thanks for supporting this site!

The results of the first annual Jamestown Estate Homes Holiday Decorating Photo Contest are in! And here you have them — well, half of them. Above, we have the winners of the Best Interior and Best Exterior categories. To see the winners of the Most Fun/Creative and Best Tree categories (as well as larger versions of the winning pix), you’ll want to click on over to the Jamestown Estate Homes Facebook page and take a look.

Yes, entries in this competition were limited to current residents of homes built by Jamestown Estate Homes. If you’d like to join this select group in time for next year’s competition, check out the properties Jamestown Estate Homes currently has for sale on this page of the company’s website. And while you’re on the website, take a look at some of the company’s other work — it’ll help you get a sense if the kind of work they do would be a good fit for your home-construction project. (For more information on Jamestown Estate Homes’s custom building programs, contact Victoria Hawes — (832) 296-1663 or victoria.hawes@jamestownestatehomes.com.)

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).

Some smart Houston companies are building names for themselves by sponsoring Swamplot. Find out more about how to become a sponsor.

Today Swamplot is sponsored by the 4-bedroom, 4-and-a-half-bath home at 712 E. 9th St. in the Houston Heights. Thanks for the support!

Brickmoon Design was inspired by a series of Creole cottages by New Orleans architect Ken Tate, the company reports, when it designed this 4,162-sq.-ft. property. The builder, Smith Family Homes, has constructed a number of homes in the Heights. You’ll find a careful attention to detail in the finishes and craftsmanship of this home.

The first floor is centered around a side-facing courtyard. The family room, which features a wood-burning fireplace and windows on 3 sides, faces onto this courtyard as well as the front porch. The 7-ft.-wide central entry hall passing between the family room and the dining room leads — through a pair of French doors — to a side veranda facing the courtyard. The kitchen (photo at top) faces onto the veranda and courtyard; there’s an option to add an outdoor kitchen that would sit at the veranda’s far end.

The first-floor master bedroom suite, entered through a private vestibule, also has views into the courtyard. Behind it is the master bath (pictured above) and an even larger walk-in closet. Rooms on this floor have 11-ft. ceilings. The attached garage is accessed from the alley.

The second story also has views into the side courtyard — from a vestibule suitable for use as a homework station as well as from the 17-ft.-by-23-ft. game room. Each of the 3 upstairs bedrooms has it own bathroom; there’s also a separate walk-in storage closet.

The home is zoned to Harvard Elementary School. Shops along Studewood are just down the block; the well-known restaurants on 11th St. to the north and White Oak Blvd. to the south are easily walkable.

If you’d like to see more details — including the distinctive rafter tails and some views of the site-crafted trimwork — check out the property website. Further information, including floor plans, are available on this page of the Smith Family Homes website.

Don’t miss out on Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day program; here’s how to participate.