New home sales tank
Getty Images Houston-area new home sales plunged in May — the first full month after the federal tax credit expired, according to a monthly report from Metrostudy. Declines in signed contracts and...
View ArticleNew homes to replace Cooley School in Heights
Builders recently razed the Houston Independent School District’s Cooley Center at 300 West 17th at Rutland, the former headquarters of HISD’s alternative certification program. The destruction of the...
View ArticleNew home market may see slight uptick in activity
Houston’s new-home market is expected to see a slight uptick in building this year after two flat years. A recovering economy, low interest rates and job growth could help fuel new building. But strict...
View ArticleValue is in the eye of the beholder
The home construction slowdown that accompanied the recession spurred many Houston-area builders to pay more attention to requests from niche markets in recent years, according to a story in Tuesday’s...
View ArticleNew community aimed at first-time buyers to open
This summer, Centex will open a development of homes starting in the $90,000s. Located at Airport Road and Highway 288 next to the Houston Amateur Sports Park, the project will be called Parkside and...
View ArticleHousing starts fall in second quarter
Houston’s new home market remained weak in the second quarter, but experts say better times are ahead. Area builders started 5,142 homes from April to June, down 13 percent from a year ago when the...
View ArticleHouston home builders could face higher efficiency standards – UPDATED
Members of the city’s Development and Regulatory Affairs Committee are meeting today to review residential building codes ahead of a Jan. 1 deadline requiring Texas cities to comply with new energy...
View ArticleBuilders to get busier in 2012
Houston’s new home market will grow by 10 percent this year, a local housing analyst said today. Mike Inselmann, president of Houston-based Metrostudy told a real estate luncheon crowd that there are...
View ArticleForgot your house keys? Just remember your phone
I recently wrote about high-tech trends in the office. But there are plenty of examples in the housing industry too. Imagine being able to unlock your front door with your iPhone or tablet computer....
View ArticleChronicle 100 real estate highlights: public companies, builders, grocers,...
Like lists? We do too. Here are links to real estate and retail coverage by the Prime Property team in the Houston Chronicle 100 special section on Houston’s leading companies. The section hit...
View ArticleNew construction in Oak Forest “ruining” the neighborhood…but graffiti is okay?
Not everyone is pleased with the changes happening in Oak Forest. Once an up-and-coming neighborhood, this area just outside the North Loop between U.S. 290 and North Shepherd is seeing more teardowns...
View ArticleHome building: A conversation with a Shea Homes exec
California-based Shea Homes recently announced it was opening a division in Houston — its first in Texas. The Chronicle reported the news on Sunday, but here’s a more in depth conversation with the...
View ArticleBuilders marketing homes with scents
Ever walked into an open house and the kitchen smelled of freshly baked cookies? This age-old trick meant to give would-be buyers a warm feeling about the property they’re visiting is getting an...
View ArticleTop 10 lists: Residential Real Estate
Here are highlights of residential real estate coverage in the Houston Chronicle 100 special section. For in-depth coverage and insights on the Houston market, visit houstonchronicle.com. Most active...
View ArticleBuilders luring buyers with incentives
In today’s HoustonChronicle.com story on the rising number of new homes sitting vacant and unsold, housing analyst Scott Davis advises home shoppers to look for lower prices and buyer incentives for...
View ArticleToll Brothers looks inside the Loop for home building
Toll Brothers, a luxury homebuilder that entered the Houston market in 2009, has started building inside Loop 610. The company is building homes in Somerset Green, a development of Hines off Old Katy...
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