12/08/14 2:15pm

Earlier today we introduced a new category for this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. There are a total of 3 so far: Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Demolition and the newbie: Best Body of Water. And now there’s another new category to chew on: Best Mobile Food Vendor Location.

Food trucks have a place in the city’s landscape, but the spot each one inhabits is ever-changing. (Well, some more than others.) Where’s the best spot in the city to grab some grub-on-the-go? Feel free to nominate your favorite parking lot, roadside stop, or other destination, be it tweeted or untweeted, enshrined or merely rolled over. If you’re trying to sneak in a nomination for your favorite mobile food vendor, you’ll need to be clever about it: This award is meant to honor the locations, not the meal-delivery vehicles themselves.

To get your pick on the official ballot, submit your suggestion — along with a smart explanation for why it’s a good choice — in the comments section below. Or email your nomination to us. Just make sure to do so no later than midnight this Thursday, December 11. More thorough instructions can be found here.

The 2014 Swampies
12/08/14 10:45am

Last week we opened for your nominations the first 2 categories in this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate, both of which have been included in some form every year we’ve run the Swampies: Favorite Houston Design Cliché and Best Demolition. Today, we introduce a brand-new category for specially chosen for 2014: Best Body of Water.

Natural or manmade, streaming or stagnant: the Houston area retains its fair share of water. But which lake, river, bayou, channel, aquifer, fountain, pool, retaining pond, tank, cistern, water treatment facility, or other such repository of liquids is worthy of the highest bestowable honor by Swamplot readers? As with all the categories, this award is open to your interpretation, so get creative!

Put your choice in the comments section below — or in an email before midnight on Thursday, December 11. More complete instructions covering the nominating process can be found on this page. Don’t forget to tell us why you’re nominating what you’re nominating. (Otherwise, what’s the point?) And if you use your nomination to give this category a twist, use your introduction to sell your vision.

The 2014 Swampies
12/05/14 3:30pm

Earlier today we got this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate off and running with the first category, celebrating the Houston area’s best design clichés. Now nominations are open for the second category: Best Demolition.

This is a knockout of a category — especially in Houston, where demolitions are hip enough to command their own daily report on Swamplot. Here, though, we’re looking for that special, award-worthy demo that’s really special. Last year’s winner was a big one: the downtown Foley’s. What property should be honored this time around, and why?

Send us your clever and well-argued nominations to the comments section below — or send them in a private message to our tips line. For more on the nomination process, head here.

Nominations for both award categories announced today will remain open until midnight this Wednesday, December 10. We’ll be introducing more fun award categories next week. So submit your nominations for the first 2 categories now!

The 2014 Swampies
12/05/14 12:15pm

Again this year, the 2014 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate kick off with a category that’s been going strong ever since the awards first started back in 2008: Favorite Houston Design Cliché.

This one never gets old. And year after year, this award inspires some truly great nominations — and, of course, winners.

Last year’s winner was The Typical Inner Loop Townhouse Plan (a close runner up: Polystone-al architecture). In previous years, we’ve had the memorable Humping Bungalows, aka Humper Houses, “Lick ’n’ stick” fake-rock siding, Lone Stars, “Lakes of” subdivisions, and “Tuscanization” take the top honor. Whose turn will it be this year?

Well, that’s up to you. What Houston building, shopping center, streetscape, home, interior, neighborhood, or yard cliché deserves recognition in 2014? Your suggestions for this award may be inspired from stories you’ve read on Swamplot or from your own keen eye for overused detail.

Enter your choice in a comment to this post — or in an email to the Swamplot tip line, with the subject line “Nomination: Favorite Houston Design Cliche.” Nominations will be accepted until midnight next Wednesday, December 10, after which the best-presented choices will be put on the official ballot and opened for voting.

You can submit as many nominations as you like, but remember, your suggestions have a better chance of making it to the ballot if you make your point in a clever and convincing way. Photos help, too! Send images to the Swamplot tip line, but be sure to identify them and indicate what they’re for. If you need some guidance, here’s more information on how to make a nomination. And if you like a particular nomination someone else has submitted, feel free to second, expand, or improve upon it in the comments to help it find a place on the actual ballot.

Get it? Good. Send us your favorite clichés now!

The 2014 Swampies
12/05/14 10:15am

The moment you’ve been waiting for is here: Swamplot’s annual awards program begins now.

That’s right. Now through the end of December, we’ll be hosting the seventh annual Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate — aka the Swampies — right here.

If you’re new around these parts, or need a little refresher, the Swampies honor the designs, developments, neighborhoods, peculiarities, and personalities that make Houston, well, Houston. But they won’t do that well without your help.

Starting today, we’ll be announcing the awards’ 7 categories one by one. For each category, we’ll need your invaluable input to come up with the official slate of nominees. You can submit your own nominations either by leaving a comment on the post announcing the category or emailing us (just be sure to put the name of the category in the subject line). We want to hear what you think deserves recognition this year — and why. The better you can explain why, the better chance you’ll nominee will have of landing on the official ballot.

Year to year, categories, nominees, and winners may change, but the soul of the Swampies remains the same — they’re your awards. You make the nominations, you stuff the ballot box with your votes. We hope you’ll join in the fun!

 

The 2014 Swampies
11/26/14 3:30pm

Turkey Gully, Clark Pines, Houston

So many dedicated vacation days in a row now at the end of November, each with their own to-do lists: Thanksgiving, of course, but then Black Friday, followed by Returns and Regrets Saturday, and the always entertaining Family Intrigue Sunday. We’ll see you back here at Swamplot on Cyber Monday, ready to go with another full week of real estate fun.

In the meantime, please click on the blue button that says “Like” in the box above, if you haven’t already — thousands of your bestest Facebook friends will thank you for it. (Or simply “Like” the Swamplot Facebook page directly.) And we’ll thank you for signing up to the Swamplot email list as well.  Thanks for being our eyes and ears, Houston!

Photo of Turkey Gully: HAR

Taking a Break
07/03/14 4:15pm

KA-BLOOEY! Fireworks, The Woodlands, TexasAnd Swamplot is outta here for the week. Please accept our best wishes for a great national birthday celebration on Friday, and a restful and pleasant holiday weekend. Got any pointers on the best fireworks-viewing spots? Let’s all meet back here on Monday to compare notes, and for more Houston real estate whosajiggery, mkay? Photo of Fourth of July fireworks in The Woodlands last year: Flickr user no.failsafe [license]

05/23/14 3:00pm

THE 3-DAY ROAD AHEAD Memorial Dr. at Shepherd Dr., HoustonWe’re heading off now for a little Memorial driveabout. Our best wishes for a rejuvenating and memorable Memorial Day weekend. After an extra day of rest, Swamplot will be back on Tuesday with more Houston real estate wonders. If you’re missing us and you haven’t already, please follow us on Facebook and sign up for the Swamplot mailing list. Photo of Memorial Dr.: Matthew Rutledge [license]

02/21/14 5:00pm

CAN YOU HELP US GET PAST 3K? Thank you to all of those who took the opportunity on the Monday holiday to step up your involvement with Swamplot a notch by liking us on Facebook. So now it’s the weekend and we’re finding ourselves just a bit shy of 3,000 Facebook likers. Er, followers — that sounds better. If you haven’t signed on already, can you help us past that milestone? All you need to do is click on the blue button in the box at left — the one that says “Like.” Thousands of Houston real estate fans will like you for doing so — and we will too.

02/17/14 10:00am

President Busts by David Adickes, First Ward, Houston

What, a weekday without Swamplot??! It’s just a bit of a holiday break — we’ll be back tomorrow with more Houston real estate fun. In the meantime, would you please do us (and many other fans of this city) a favor? Click the little blue “like” button in the box at left to follow Swamplot on Facebook. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Photo of David Adickes busts: elnina

And a Button To Click
01/06/14 2:00pm

For starting out the year with continued support for Swamplot’s coverage of the Houston real estate scene, we salute our direct advertisers:

Thank you! Interested in joining this distinguished group, and reaching this site’s growing audience of Houston real estate fans? Get more information by filling out the form on this page.

01/06/14 12:00pm

WHO WON THE SWAMPLOT AWARDS THIS YEAR, AND WHY Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate Ribbon LogoDidja miss the grand finale of this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate in all the New Year hullabaloo? Our grand announcement of 2013’s winners is patiently awaiting your recognition and appreciation here. Also equally worthy of your perusal is this accounting of the runners-up, which was published a day earlier. Thanks again to all the worthy contestants and commentators — your juicy contributions to this city (and this website) make the Swampies an annual endeavor worth repeating.

12/27/13 10:00am

This is it. The deadline for voting in this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate is today at 5 pm. That means there’s only a few more hours left to get your votes in. Does that leave enough time for a come-from-behind candidate in that category you’re watching to gain the lead? Sure! If enough supporters cast each of their 4 votes in each category.

Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate Ribbon LogoWithout your votes, will the best candidates win all the 8 categories? Take a look at the votes in the comments section of each category, and add your votes if you haven’t already. We need your help to make the 2013 Swampies the best they can be.

Here’s a link to all the official ballots, and here they are, one by one:

Tell us who your favorites are!

The 2013 Swampies