Monday, February 8, 2010

Featured Partners In Building Home in The Woodlands

Located at 10 Club Ridge Ct. in Sterling Ridge in The Woodlands, Tx, this Partners In Building home not only offers low maintenance with the finest appointments, but a resort lifestyle including golf, tennis, swimming, shopping and dining.
Downstairs has 3 bedrooms, a chef's kitchen with custom cabinetry, and a large family room that overlooks a courtyard, offering a perfect atmosphere for relaxing while still offering privacy.
The master suite boasts a covered patio with an outdoor fireplace.
A game room, bedroom, and media room are upstairs.
A stucco finish with iron work and a tile roof complete this masterpiece, 4253 sq. ft. home that is priced at $759,950.

Frankel Building Group Constructs New Homes in The Woodlands

The Frankel Building Group has begun construction on their gorgeous 2-story, model home in ParkGate Reserve in The Woodlands, Tx.
The model home, the Amelia, is expected to be completed in approximately four months, weather permitting.
Also, the following addresses are starting construction this week are: 7 Broadwater Court, the Lisa plan, and 19 N. ParkGate Circle, the Carol plan.
These homes are available for purchase and are anticipated to be complete this summer.
Now, the absolute best home sites are available to purchase to build your custom dream home.
The Frankel Building Group can design and build a home for you that truly meets the exact requirements of your family.
In this special, exceptional development, home sites as large as 27,000 square feet are available.
Source: frankelbuildinggroup.com

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Anadarko Purchases Headquarters Campus in The Woodlands

Anadarko Petroleum decided to buy their headquarters campus in The Woodlands, Tx, after nearly 10 years of leasing.
In an earnings conference call that in the 4th quarter the company bought its headquarters building in The Woodlands for $215 million rather than renewing its lease again, CEO Jim Hackett stated.
Actually, the independent oil and gas company purchased the whole campus. According to spokesman John Christiansen, the campus is a 30-story building, midrise on Timberloch and a parking garage.
Recently, for its corporate headquarters from the U.S. Green Building Council, the company earned the first LEED green building certification.
Becoming the largest single employer in The Woodlands when the building opened in 2002, the tower was developed for Anadarko.
Now with about 1,700 people there, the company moved from Greenspoint. Exxon Mobil is considering a move similar to that of Anadarko's.
Exxon Mobil is studying its real estate options, which might include moving to a 400-acre corporate campus south of The Woodlands at the Hardy Toll Road and Interstate 45.
Anadarko is located in The Woodlands, near beautiful subdivisions such as Panther Creek and Town Center.
Source: chron.com

Monday, February 1, 2010

Meritage Expecting Profit in 2010

Meritage executives are expecting the company's earnings to turn positive in 2010.
For the first time since 2006, the company's most recent earnings marked a balance sheet swing from red to black.
For 4Q2009, Meritage posted a net profit of $43 million, or $1.35 per diluted share.
Significantly offseting the charges that the company booked during the quarter, including $39 million in land impairments and option walkaways plus roughly $12 million in charges related to drywall mediation, litigation, and lease abandonment accruals, driving most of the positive performance was a $93 million tax benefit resulting from the extended net operating loss (NOL) tax carryback law.
Management focused on restocking the company's lot pipeline with lower-priced, better-located land.
It spent about $182 million on lot purchases, growing its owned lot count by an estimated 4,000 lots to around 10,000 total lots, in 2009.
The system essentially earmarks land opportunities by identifying and analyzing geographic areas where a number of positive market metrics, such as decreased risk of house price decline and declining inventory, for example, converge.
Including the launch of the company's Simply Smart value-oriented product line, expected to drive absorptions are a number of new marketing and sales initiatives, its commitment to building 100% of its homes to Energy Star standards through its Meritage Green program, and its 99-day guaranteed home delivery program.
Source: builderonline.com

Friday, January 29, 2010

Two Woodlands Custom Homes Open For Touring This Weekend

Two custom homes in The Woodlands, Tx surrounding the Gary Player Signature golf course in the Village of Sterling Ridge are scheduled to be open for touring this weekend.
Address: 74 Silvermont
Builder: Leigh Custom Homes
Amenities: 4 bedrooms, 4-1/2 baths, 3-car garage
Area: 4,284 square feet
Price: $778,800
Open: Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31, 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Address: 31 E. Black Knight
Builder: Keith Morgan Custom Homes
Amenities: 5 bedrooms, 5-1/2 baths, 3-car garage
Area: 5,512 square feet
Price: $997,000
Open: Sunday, January 31 from 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Woodlands 2010 Community Elections

The Woodlands Township in The Woodlands, Tx is getting ready for the 2010 Residential Design Review Committees and Village Election.
Be sure to mark your calendars for Election Day, on Saturday, February 20.
On Thursday, January 21, filing ended at 5:00 p.m.
There has been significant interest in the GMVA elections with 15 people filing for 8 positions.
Voting for the Residential Design Review Committees and Village Associations is scheduled to take place at The Woodlands Township Service Center, located at 2201 Lake Woodlands Drive.
Convenience voting is set to be Monday, February 15, through Friday, February 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
On Election Day, Saturday, February 20, polls are scheduled to be open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Please feel free to contact The Woodlands Township at 281-210-3800 for more information.
The Woodlands Township is located in The Woodlands, near beautiful subdivisions such as Creekside Park and Grogan's Mill.
Source: grogansmillvillage.com

Monday, January 25, 2010

Builders Have New Ideas to Save Buyers Money

President of Bradenton's Neal Communities Pat Neal, has introduced a new "cottage series" to rave buyer reviews.
He offers fewer choices of cabinets, windows and countertops, shifted to cheaper door locks and replaced tile with carpet. He's reintroduced vinyl floors, largely banned from the builder toolkit during the housing boom.
M/I Homes hopes to do the market one better as mortgage rates are at historic lows. For some buyers and thousands of dollars in new home upgrades for every renter who produces a lease agreement, it's marketed sub-4% financing.
Taylor Morrison Homes slashed prices to $99,000 for 1,268-square-foot, single-family homes and mothballed a couple of unproductive communities.
Beazer Homes is offering free dryers, washers and refrigerators in some of its communities.
Before realizing buyers hankered for homes larger than 1,500 square feet, Beazer test-marketed an 1,100-square-foot home last year.
Two years ago, KB Home made a splash with the introduction of an apartment-sized two-bedroom house.
KB has shied from incentives, but drew 85 prospective customers this month to an instructional home-buying seminar. The builder supplied a free lunch of sandwiches.
He has more or less settled on a $208,000, 2,600-square-foot home offered by Home Dynamics.
Already offering to pay closing costs and donating $10,000 toward upgrades, he's expecting a more sacrifice from the builder.
Successfully selling the public on the notion that smaller is better, Neal is relieved by one change in the market: buyers have stopped treating home purchases as if they were chasing a hot stock tip.
Source: builderonline.com

Friday, January 22, 2010

Featured Harpers Landing Homes in The Woodlands

At 31 S. April Mist Cir. in The Woodlands, Tx, there is an elegant home in Harper's Landing with a tropical paradise salt water pool/spa with a rock waterfall. There are glass paned cabinets in the kitchen. There are attractive arches that accent the dining/kitchen area. The home offers a view of the pool from the huge 2-story den/kitchen/breakfast/game room. All rooms are spacious. This is a perfect entertainment home. The master bedroom downstairs has a tray ceiling. There is a glass block window above the jacuzzi tub. The home also has 3 bedrooms upstairs with high ceilings in all rooms. There are art niches and crown molding throughout the home.
Price: $274,900.00
Features: 4 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths (1 Half), 3042 Sq Ft
Type: Single-Family
Subdivision: The Woodlands Harpers 09
County: Montgomery
Area: Montgomery County SW
Location: The Woodlands
Style: Traditional
New Construction: No
Year Built: 2003
Builder: Lennar
Bedrooms: 4
Baths: 2 full 1 half
Sq Ft: 3042 Sq Ft
Lot Size: 0 sq. ft.
Broker: RE/MAX Northwest, Realtors
MLS#: 5432468
At 7 Clarewood in The Woodlands, Tx, there is a home in Harper's Landing with a soaring ceiling foyer that will lead you to your formal dining room or your French door study. There is a centrally located family room that has a wall of windows with the warmth of a fireplace. The home has a craftsmanship and energy conscious design is the hallmark of this home with stone countertops, crown molding, double pane windows and a radiant attic barrier for maximum efficiency. The home is within walking distance from the park, with low taxes.
Price: $249,995.00
Features: 4 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths (1 Half), 3290 Sq Ft
Type: Single-Family
Subdivision: Harpers Landing
County: Montgomery
Area: Montgomery County SW
Location: The Woodlands
Style: Contemporary/Modern
New Construction: No
Year Built: 2005
Bedrooms: 4
Baths: 3 full 1 half
Sq Ft: 3290 Sq Ft
Lot Size: 10735 sq. ft.
MLS#: 41280544
View more details of the gorgeous Harper's Landing subdivision in The Woodlands.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Time for Real Estate to Rebound

According to Peter Riguardi, President, Jones Lang LaSalle, in the first quarter, a significant amount of activity is set to close as there is still a fair amount of negotiation ongoing between tenants and building owners.
The bottom of the market in the second quarter of 2010, he predicted. Sending them foraging for new and cheaper office spaces, businesses have already stabilized, retailers are reaping better locations and developers are preparing for the next upturn.
Including the Related Companies Hudson Yards development, the company's tower on W. 42nd Street, and Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards development, large-scale developments are continuing through the development process while the governor is poised to announce the winning bid for the redevelopment of Aqueduct Raceway.
Compared to a year ago, CB Richard Ellis vice chairman Michael Laginstra observes the leasing market is more active. Business lending is moving in the right direction and the capital markets are getting better.
Leasing in the second half of 2009 was up 56% to 9.9 million feet bringing the year's total to 16.3 million feet, according to Cushman & Wakefield. It was the least amount leased in a decade and 15% lower than 2008.
According to Cushman & Wakefield, vacancies are down 11.1%, the 2nd straight monthly decline and an important sign of stability.
With a results of lowering capital costs for the incoming tenant, much of the activity has been in renewals and smaller relocations where the new spaces have reusable installation components.
In Queens, NY, Chairman of Douglaston Development and Levine Construction Jeffrey Levine, is interested in nearing completion of the Edge on Williamsburg's waterfront.
Where the company allocates more funds and mezzanine loans won't have to come into play, Levine stated he is focusing on more manageable projects.
Source: builderonline.com

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Hurricane Damaged Apartment Repairs Funded by the State

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is presenting $25.9 million to developers to help finance the redevelopment of 5 Houston, Tx area apartment complexes destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Ike, according to The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
The developers must set aside at least 51% of their units for tenants earning no more than 80% of the area median family income, in exchange for the assistance.
That's $51,050 for a family of four in Harris County.
The following projects received the funding:
- Fountains of Westchase (288 units) $2.4 million
- Towers of Clear Lake (108 units) $5 million
- Balboa Apartments (248 units) $5 million
- Colony of Humble (200 units) $6.3 million
- Countryside Village (182 units) $7.3 million
Allocated to the state just over seven months ago by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in response to hurricanes Dolly and Ike, the money is part of $1.3 billion in federal hurricane disaster recovery funds.
To administer housing programs related to the state's recovery efforts, roughly $620 million of this amount has been made available to The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, with $58.8 million dedicated to replacing or repairing Texas' stock of affordable rental housing destroyed or damaged by these storms.
Source: chron.com

Monday, January 18, 2010

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 6th in the World with 20th Season

In its listing of the top 100 amphitheaters in the world, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Tx ranked 6th based on the number of tickets sold in 2009, according to the Monday, January 18, edition of Pollstar magazine.
For shows played between January 1 and December 31, 2009, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion's ticket sales totaled 346,519.
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion's 6th-place ranking is despite opening a month later than normal due to reconstruction from Hurricane Ike damage that was sustained in September 2008.
On May 1, 2009, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion reopened, after undergoing a $9.5 million expansion and renovation.
According to president and CEO of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Pavilion Jerry MacDonald, "Our 20th season could not have been better. Along with celebrating our 20 years, opened with a newly renovated and expanded venue to a sold-out weekend of performances by the Dave Matthews Band and Kenny Chesney."
In 2009, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion had 14 sold-out concerts including:
- Dave Matthews Band-May 1
- Kenny Chesney-May 3
- Buzzfest XXII-May 10
- No Doubt-May 31
- Aerosmith-July 17
- Coldplay-July 22
- Def Leppard-August 19
- Incubus-August 21
- Lil' Wayne-August 22
- Crosby, Stills and Nash-August 28
- Depeche Mode-August 30
- Nickelback-September 12
- Blink-182-September 24
- Buzzfest XXIII-October 24
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Pavilion hosted the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, 8 Houston Symphony concerts and The United States Army Field Band and Soldier's Chorus and the 14th Annual Children's Festival, in addition to its lineup of contemporary or mainstream entertainment in 2009.
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is located in The Woodlands, near wonderful subdivisions such as Town Center and Windsor Lakes.
Source: thewoodlands.net

Friday, January 15, 2010

Highest Level of Existing Home Sales Since 2007

According to a real estate industry report, in October, in more than 2-1/2 years, existing home sales shot to the highest level.
In October, sales activity increased by 10.1%, to 6.1 million annual units, which was more than expected.
Last month, up from the decreasingly revised rate of 5.54 million in September, existing home sales rose 10.1% to a seasonally adjusted yearly rate of 6.1 million units, according to The National Association of Realtors.
The sales defeated forecasts of 5.7 million annual units, and were 23.5% above the 4.94 million-unit pace of 12 months ago, according to Briefing.com.
The report added, the gain was possibly due to an increase of buyers looking to make the most of the $8,000 tax credit that President Obama made available for qualified new home buyers.
Since February 2007, sales activity is the highest, when the yearly rate was 6.55 million.
At the end of last November, the tax credit was set to end, but it has been extended to Friday, April 30 and is now available to non-new home buyers.
Source: cnnmoney.com