Tag: Real Estate Marketing

Buying and Selling
01/07/08 10:56am

Katy, Texas: At $210K, Still Cheaper than East L.A.

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Homebuying, Homes for Sale, Katy, Price Trends, Real Estate Marketing
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Pool and Lake at 24315 Lanning Dr., Katy, Texas

Honey, stop the car! 2300 square feet, new construction, in-ground pool, spa, game room, on a man-made fake lake. $209k. Bonus: The Relitter actually typed in “HONEY STOP THE CAR!!” as a description.

That’s blogger Lou Minatti’s punchline, after a brief tour of tiny, chain-linked-fenced, or apparently leaning homes available at similar prices in Los Angeles.

Also in the description of the Katy home is this paradox:

POPULAR LENNAR FLOORPLAN! . . . A ONE OF A KIND GEM!

After the jump: more pics, plus the sad news about this some-of-a-kind Katy home.

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Buying and Selling
01/03/08 11:40am

Welch St. Townhouse: The Holiday Premium Is Over

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Homes for Sale, Montrose, Real Estate Marketing, Townhomes
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705 Welch St., Montrose, HoustonSome curious price fluctuations on this 2006 turreted Montrose townhouse: Last week the asking price was reduced from $525,000 to $350,000. Which is pretty dramatic, though only slightly more dramatic than the $140K increase recorded on MLS the day after the property was listed, in early December.

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Buying and Selling
01/02/08 12:02pm

How To Give Your Home a Greener Lawn Virtually Overnight

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Homes for Sale, Landscape, Lawn Care, Memorial, Real Estate Marketing
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Front Lawn of 10926 Leaning Ash Ln. in Ashwood, Houston

This three-bedroom, three-bath, 3,504-square-foot home on a half-acre lot in Memorial is notable for three reasons: The asking price was dropped to just below $650,000 only a few days after it went on the market, shortly before Christmas; it sits on a street whose name Susan Vreeland-Wendt probably wouldn’t approve of (foundation problems and fires generally aren’t the kinds of connotations you look for these days); and its main MLS listing photo features a remarkably bad Photoshop hack job.

What is it that’s been covered over on that front lawn with a hundred rubber-stamp-tool grass plugs? Is it just that the real sod isn’t taking underneath all those pine trees? Or is this a photo from heavy trash day? After the jump: more (presumably undoctored) photos of the house on Leaning Ash Lane.

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Master-Planned Communities
01/02/08 8:41am

Why Those Street Names in The Woodlands All Sound Alike

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Real Estate Marketing, Streets, The Woodlands
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Woodlands Street View

Nancy Sarnoff’s short interview with the woman responsible for naming new streets in The Woodlands is just too rich:

We use a lot of words that are just appealing, pretty images, like Peaceful Canyon. That neighborhood sold really well and I think it’s because of the name. We even did radio commercials that played off the name and it really helped market the area. Others are Racing Cloud, Amber Glow and Destiny Cove. We even have ones from Star Wars. That day I was really desperate. Nothing was popping into my head. We have lots of nautical names around Lake Woodlands like Outrigger’s Run.

Woodlands Operating Co. marketing director Susan Vreeland-Wendt confirms every cliché about the origins of subdivision street names, from the historical revisionism (“One of our presidents is Alex Sutton, and we have a street named Sutton Mill”) to the what-I-drank-for-dinner-last-night story (“I’ve been known to pore over wine bottles looking for inspiration”) — except the one about suburban names coming from geographical features that were demolished or removed so the place could be built. Fortunately, The Woodlands does carry on the proud Houston tradition of naming places after imaginary or wished-for amenities:

We’ve got Arrow Canyon, Kayak Ridge, Arbor Camp and Rocky Point.

Surprisingly not on Vreeland-Wendt’s list of inspirations: Harlequin romance novels. But she does consult the internet, because it’s full of useful resources.

Photo: Flickr user kaatiya

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Galveston
12/26/07 2:45pm

Official Recognition of the Galveston Real Estate Renaissance

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Real Estate Marketing
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Detail, Contestants Bathing Girl Revue, Galveston, May 13, 1923

From the Chronicle front page:

Long known for its vibrant bar scene and raucous Splash Day celebrations, Galveston in recent years has become home to a growing gay and lesbian professional class. Now, real estate agents say, the city is poised to become a retirement haven for graying gays who, like their heterosexual counterparts, succumb to the lure of sun and surf . . .

Phil DeMarco, owner of the gay-oriented Lost Bayou Guesthouse, noted that at least four other homes within two blocks of his bed and breakfast are owned by gays. And real estate agent V.J. Tramonte confirmed that sales to gays and lesbians have speeded up in the past two or three years.

We are shocked! What’s going to come out next? That Jean Lafitte was gay?

Oh . . .

The pirate and privateer Jean Lafitte was the hero of the War of 1812, and the country really didn’t care that he plundered the enemy ships after he defeated them. But after the war, piracy was not as politically correct, so he was forced to set up shop outside the U.S. He picked an island in the Gulf under Mexican rule called Campeachy, later to be named Galvez Town after the Viceroy of Mexico, Bernardo de Galvez; in time the name mutated into “Galveston.” Lafitte spent almost 10 years in Galveston, living most of his adult life with a man named Pierre. It was said that Pierre was his half brother, but Jean never confirmed that and there is nothing to suggest they were related. They built a large house, entertained lavishly, and were connoisseurs of fine food and wine, antiques, art, and fashion. They ordered their clothes directly from Paris through New Orleans. There is no evidence that I could find that Lafitte ever had a long-term relationship with a woman.

Photo: Detail of 1923 Galveston Bathing Girl Review panorama by Joseph M. Maurer, Library of Congress

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Buying and Selling
12/19/07 3:31pm

The Best Day of the Week To Post New Real Estate Listings

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Real Estate Marketing
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Internet real-estate upstart Redfin has it all figured out: If you’re trying to sell your home, add your listing early on Friday morning:

“It’s an article of faith to debut a listing on a Thursday,” Kelman said.

But Thursday’s actually the worst day, while listings debuting on the best day, Friday, get an average of 7.7 percent more Web visitors in the first week, according to Redfin’s analysis of 119,000 listings.

“People apparently come to work on Friday morning looking for brand-new properties to tour over the weekend,” Kelman said.

Ah, but it depends what market you’re targeting, adds a Seattle real-estate agent:

A teardown or fixer house, for instance, should not debut on a Friday because that would bring less attention from builders, she said, adding that her Web site gets the most hits in general on Mondays.

After the jump, more recommendations based on Redfin’s continuing research!

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Buying and Selling
12/13/07 11:59am

Staub Ranchsion Sale Not Going By the Book

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Homes for Sale, Houston Architects, Land Prices, River Oaks
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3740 Willowick Rd., River Oaks, Home by John Staub

How’s that River Oaks “you loved the book, now try the home” marketing tie-in going?

Well, Stephen Fox’s volume on The Country Houses of John F. Staub is currently ranked #10,535 on Amazon.com, which probably isn’t so bad for a book about a dead architect. It is heavily discounted, but it’s collected several favorable reviews online.

The reviews aren’t looking quite as good for the Staub ranch-mansion at 3740 Willowick: The asking price was dropped earlier this month from $7,495,000 to $6,950,000. For a 2.3-acre River Oaks lot with Buffalo Bayou frontage, that’s a healthy step closer to . . . yes, land value. And looky at all the excitement just down the street!

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Development Strategy
12/11/07 1:22pm

Not So Gaudi on Antoine: Barcelona Villa Boxes!

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Home Design, Homes for Sale, New Construction, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing, Spring Branch, Townhomes
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Villas of Antoine Ad

Houston is such an international city! If you’ve been here a while, you’ve probably already found Tuscany in Houston and Hong Kong in Houston, and perhaps also Charlottesville, New Delhi, Versailles, New York, Mexico City, Cairo, Dubai, Atlanta, and maybe even some Lubbock in Houston as well.

Well, here’s a new one: Now you can discover Barcelona in Houston too. And it’s in Spring Branch!

Fortunately, for those of you tired at the thought of all that around-the-world-in-eighty-themed-apartments travel, this little bit of the Spanish Mediterranean comes in the familiar form of a Houston townhome six-pack: two rows of bright yellow tightly fit stucco-coated boxes facing a bare concrete driveway.

So really, it shouldn’t seem so foreign after all.

After the jump, more pics!

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Harvest Bend
12/03/07 10:58am

Important Neighbors: Moving Close to People in Power

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Homebuying, Homes for Sale, Real Estate Marketing
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Listing from Oodle.com

How important is location? Well, here’s a four-bedroom, three-bath home for sale near Mayor Bill White, and they’re only asking $137,900?! This listing found on Oodle.com sounds too good to be true!

It is.

Below the fold: the awful truth.

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Homebuying
11/21/07 10:27am

The Clearest Sign of Trouble in the Houston Housing Market

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Housing Data, Houston Data, Price Trends, Real Estate Investing, Real Estate Marketing
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Map Graphic from HoustonFacts.orgSure, there’s the latest numbers out from the Houston Association of Realtors, showing a continuing decline in home sales in October, an 8 percent upswing in the average number of days homes have sat on the market, and a slight drop in the median home price compared to this time last year.

But the most blatant sign that serious problems in Houston housing have already arrived is the new promotional blitz just unleashed by the Greater Houston Builders Association — telling us all not to panic: Everything’s just rosy in the wonderful world of Houston residential real estate. Hey, everybody back in the water!

The PR push, which includes a blanketing of radio and TV spots in local markets, is designed to reassure nervous would-be buyers that now’s the perfect time to buy a home way out on the latest subdivision frontier, even though lots of scary signs have been suggesting otherwise for quite a few months now. The heart of the homebuilders’ campaign is the ominous-sounding HoustonFacts.org website, which fills Houston homebuyers’ ears with fact-filled, sage advice like this:

If you try to wait and time the market until it hits rock bottom, you are likely to lose out. Just as no one can accurately predict the peaks and valleys of the stock market (name one person who sold their tech portfolio in April of 2000), the same holds true for housing. If you sit on the fence and wait for the absolute best deal, you could end up literally waiting for years. And most likely, your guess on market timing would be wrong. But if you choose to buy now, you will not only be in the driver’s seat during the buying process, you will also reap the gains of price appreciation once you become a home owner. Remember, those who purchased homes in the early 1990s during the last big economic and housing downturn came out as big winners.

There’s lots more of this kind of wisdom available on the site, but here’s a special challenge to eagle-eyed Swamplot readers: See if you can find the comparison of a home investment to a stock-market investment on the site that simplifies all those messy calculations by leaving out the cost of monthly mortgage payments and expenses!

Keep reading for a HoustonFacts.org tip on home foundations for the Houston climate!

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Condos
11/08/07 11:22am

The Titan: Rocketship Condos on Post Oak

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Galleria, Highrises, New Construction, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments, Real Estate Marketing
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Randall Davis’s Proposed Titan Condo Tower on Post Oak Blvd. near the Galleria, Houston

Now that a drawing of the Titan condo tower has been posted on the proposed Galleria development’s website, it’s clear why Randall Davis wasn’t so worried that potential buyers would be distracted by the McDonald’s that’s gonna be rebuilt next door. One look at the Titan tower poised on top of its launch-pad parking garage, and you’ll likely become more concerned about lift-off than drive-thru.

Where are the rocket boosters? And will the heat-shield tiles stay on? Don’t worry — as with most Randall Davis projects, the Titan will only reach a comic-book-level approximation of its theme. To confuse things further, Michelangelo’s statue of David appears to have been chosen as the tower’s mascot.

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Buying and Selling
11/07/07 5:31pm

Great Moments in Houston Home Marketing: The John Staub Tie-In

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Home Design, Homes for Sale, Houston Architects, Real Estate Marketing, River Oaks
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3740 Willowick Dr. in River Oaks by Architect John Staub

A 1955 River Oaks “country house” designed by John Staub appears on MLS just days before architectural historian Stephen Fox’s book on the Houston architect appears in bookstores. Mere coincidence? Or brilliant upper-end home-marketing technique?

There’s a slight price difference between the two: The Country Houses of John F. Staub lists for $75, though Amazon.com whacks 37 percent off of that. No telling if the sellers will accept a similar discount off the $7.495 million asking price of 3740 Willowick.

The house overlooks Buffalo Bayou and features four fireplaces, three bedrooms, and six full and one half baths — all in a single story. Yes, it looks like some ranch-house flavor got mixed in here. There’s a garden loggia and lots of trees, plus a three-car attached garage. It’s a 5,532-square-foot home on a quarter-acre lot.

The book is 408 pages long and comes in hardcover. It features photographs by Richard Cheek, and will take up just three-quarters of a square foot on your coffee table.

After the jump: the not-so-ranchy interiors.

Of the house.

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Buying and Selling
10/10/07 2:20pm

Attack of the Sign Bandits!!!

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Real Estate Marketing
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For Sale Sign on Tree off 288 North

Attention billboard hobbyists: The City of Houston has temporarily lost control of its sign ordinance.

Jim Moriarty, the attorney handling the case for the city, called the current situation a “disaster.”

“Somebody could take a 200-foot banner and run it across I-10,” he said. “It could say ‘Fred’s Cleaners,’ or ‘Out of Iraq Now,’ or whatever.”

The city’s motion suggested that people already are taking advantage of the injunction. Inspectors have noticed banner signs strung casually on roadside poles and electronic signs blinking and scrolling “at a rapid pace,” according to an affidavit by Susan Luycx, division manager of sign administration.

Under the ordinance, electronic messages can only change once every five minutes, to prevent driver distraction.

“We believe the court has made an error,” Moriarty said. “That doesn’t mean that Houston should become the Wild West in regards to signs.”

Sellers of real estate (especially those of you in the ten-gallon hats): You know what to do. Now is your chance.

After the jump, another bandit sign spotted only hours ago near IAH—on wheels!

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Apartments
09/26/07 9:52am

From New Orleans, with Love: Le Maison on Revere

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Development Strategy, Flooding, Hazards, Lofts, New Construction, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments, Real Estate Marketing, Upper Kirby
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Le Maison on Revere Apartments

Worried that there still aren’t going to be enough places to live near the corner of Westheimer and Kirby after all the construction is done? Relax. The Texas division of Orlando, Florida’s ZOM Development just got a slew of construction permits approved yesterday for their next fancy apartment complex just a few blocks to the east of that busy intersection, at the corner of Revere and Cameron, at 2701 Revere St. (Cleverly, the address on the permits is listed as 2727 Revere. Why would they give it that number?)

Going up: Le Maison on Revere, 431 rental units on a just-under-six-acre site, a five-story mix of “flats and high-end loft units.”

But it looks like there’s more to it. Not satisfied with the Beaux-Arts-meets-the-Alamo stylings of the Bel Air Apartments they recently developed and filled up not too far away on Allen Parkway, the sleek modern look of the 2727 Kirby tower now going up across the street from their new development, or the apparent Superman-in-Gotham City theme of West Ave on the other side of Kirby, ZOM has apparently decided that their new complex will, at last, point out the absurdities of the area’s stylistic hodgepodge.

How? By theming the building with a higher, more symbolic purpose in mind.

That’s right: The Le Maison on Revere apartments will be marketed and dressed up to look like “New Orleans garden style apartments,” and thereby perform the public service of reminding residents of the former glory of their neighboring city and the dangers of living at low elevations in a high-water town.

Expect the top floors to fill up first.

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Buying and Selling
09/05/07 10:59am

Mattress Mack Saves You Money

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Homes for Sale, Northgate Forest, Price Trends, Real Estate Marketing
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Mattress Mack's Home at 3002 Pine Lake Trail in Northgage Forest

Speaking of fame and real-estate listings, we may have an answer to our earlier question about the power of endorsements by celebrities—or local celebrities—to sell houses quickly and at a premium price.

The Northgate Forest estate of Gallery Furniture owner Jim McIngvale—written up here a month ago—is still listed for sale! And the asking price has dropped a quarter of a million dollars.

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