The Swampies: On to the Balloting!

We’re rolling into the second phase in the 2011 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate: the balloting. Nominations closed at midnight last night for the first 2 of the 9 categories in this year’s awards: Favorite Houston Design Cliché and Best Teardown. Later today, we’ll announce the official nominees and begin the voting for the first of those categories, and continue with the rest throughout the week.

This means there are now only hours left to make your nominations for the next 2 categories, which are new this year: Best Parking Lot Dining Experience and Most Notable Recycling Effort. Nominations for these 2 categories will close at midnight tonight.

Some terrific nominations have already come in for all our remaining categories, but we still need your help to make sure that all the candidates are the right ones, and that each is presented in the best possible light.

So if you find anything missing from any of the 7 remaining award categories, please add your nominations now! Or if you think you can improve on any of the explanations submitted, feel free to write in with your own better presentation. If you see a nomination without an explanation, please add a good one! Got photos of any of the nominees? Please send them!

(Special note to neighborhoods hoping to make it to the final ballot for 2011 Neighborhood of the Year: A simple mention of your subdivision’s name, combined with descriptions that could be applied to many other parts of the city, won’t necessarily be enough. Instead, tell us what makes the neighborhood you’re nominating special or unique, and worthy of this award this year.)

There’s still plenty of time to contribute. Add your nominations to the comments section below the post that announces each category (you’ll find all the award categories listed together here). Or send them to us in an email. Who are the contenders in Houston real estate this year? What deserves recognition?