April 2013 RSS Feed

The latest monthly data prepared by the Houston Association of Realtors, home sales are up 17% compared to the same time last year.  March housing inventory was down slightly from January and February to just 3,5 months!

The lower supply of homes and high demand has caused prices to rise.  The median price of a single-family home rose 6.5% to $172,000, setting an all time record high for Houston.  The average price rose 4.6% compared to the same time last year, reaching $236,195.  This is the second highest price level ever.

5,779 Single-family homes closed in March, setting the largest on month sales volume since August 2012.  All housing segments saw gains except those priced below $80,000.  The greatest sales volume increase were in homes selling…

With the Houston market as hot as it is and inventory at near record lows, pocket listings are becoming more an more common. So, you might be wondering just what is a Pocket Listing?  A Pocket Listing is a listing that doesn't show up on the MLS. 

The homes are sold by real estate agents in private, off-market transactions and are never seen by the buying public.    It's not a new term, the practise has been around for years and is usually requested by the sellers for privacy reasons.  The listing agent enters into a listing agreement with the seller and then the agent tells other Realtors about the listing.  The home gets shown and a contract is offered without ever being offered publicly.  Once the home is under contract, the agent posts it for…

Our Houston area housing market is hot, hot, hot!  In many cases, as soon as a home hits the market, people are lined up to see it and put an offer in on it.  I had heard about this sort of thing happening in California and Florida years ago but we've never experienced it here in Texas. One of my clients called me last week to view a home in The Woodlands.  It had just come on the market that morning.  I had scheduled the showing for noon the same day it had been listed.  When we arrived, there was already one Realtor inside showing it, another one in the driveway waiting to show it, we were third in line and another buyer was waiting for his Realtor to show up.  It's not unusual to see homes in the greater Houston area receive contracts the same day they…

Grammy nominee and Blues Music Award winner Ruthie Foster will be the concert headliner at the 8th annual Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14 from 10am-6pm, along The Woodlands Waterway® in Town Green Park.  Foster will perform at 3pm on Sunday, April 14 on the Palette Cafe' stage, near The Woodlands Waterway®.

Ruthie Foster, a Texas native, is a consecutive Blues Music Award Winner, winning Best Contemporary and Best Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year.  She was also recently nominated for a Grammy for Best Blues Album, Let It Burn, and in 2009 was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for The Truth According to Ruthie Foster.  She is a multiple winner at the Austin Music Awards, winning Best…

Austin artist Rick Loudermilk has been selected as the Featured Artist for The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival 2013.  He is a favorite at popular juried art shows in the Midwest, Florida, and Texas.  As Featured Artist, receives special recognition at the festival and his colorful and whimsical interpretation of The Woodlands Waterway called "Kaleidoscope on The Waterway" will appear on all advertising and signature items produced for sale at the festival.

This year's festival will be held April 13 and 14 from 10am to  6pm along The Woodlands Waterway® and in Town Green Park in The Woodlands Town Center. 

For detailed information about the festival and to purchase tickets online, visit www.thewoodlandsartsfestival.com.  Tickets are $10 per day or…

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is set for April 13-14 from 10am to 6pm along The Woodlands Waterway and in Town Green Park in The Woodlands Town Center.

More than 15,000 people attended last year's festival.  The variety of original art work that will be available at the festival includes clay, drawing, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, 2D and 3D, painting, pastel, photography, sculpture, textile, watercolor, and wood.  Something for everyone!

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is ranked #9 among the Top 100 Art Festivals in the U.S. by Art Fair Source Book, the definitive guide to the best juried fine art and craft fairs in the U.S.

For more information about the festival and to purchase tickets online, visit…