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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, June 25, 2016 • Vol. 62 • No. 26
About Us 3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.
Readers’ Choice In this week’s issue, we shine the spotlight on our Readers’ favorite local shopping, eateries, non-profits and more. Find all of our winners starting on 5B.
Buying Or Selling
I would love to help!
eileen
Gamel Hartman
713.305.5036
eileenhartman@kw.com 5050 Westheimer Suite 200
Realtor®
Melodie matlock Best Real Estate Agent
Blink collective best photographer
Town Home Takeover s
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Heights Specialist & Oak Forest Resident
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Lauren Worrall worrallproperties.com
If you are looking to buy or sell, call me!
Michelle Trevino Ray 832-715-5819
5050 Westheimer, Ste 200 michellerayproperties.com
INSIDE.
Reader offers suggestion to prevent tailgate theft FIND IT 2A
FIND IT. LET US HELP! We provide complete estate sale services. 713-240-2702. NORHILL LEASE: 915 W. Melwood. 2 BR-1 BA-2 cpt. $1,850 month, $900 deposit. No pets. References required. 713-686-1444. 2001 BMW: 175K miles. Fully loaded. Runs good. Cold air. $7,500 obo. 832-7155790. ESTATE SALE: 1739 LaMonte, Thursday-Friday, June 23-June 24, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dining room set, desk, knick-knacks, china, kitchen miscellaneous.
The INDEX. Public Information......................... 3A Opinion. ................................................... 5A Puzzles...................................................... 5A Church....................................................... 7A Coupons. ................................................. 8A Food/Drink/Art................................... 9A Classifieds.............................................. 7B Obituaries.............................................. 9B
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Find Melodie and Blink Collective featured on 6B
ed m ho a. n lb ow A t t and n ce y re a A diw Ju
A look into area real estate market for townhome trend By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
In Garden Oaks, new home owner Matt Kelly is a recent buyer of one of the many new developments on Wakefield. He and his fiancé had a house fall through in The Heights and happened to drive by a development that was having an open house. Kelly said the home was just what they were looking for and he feels like they got a good value for it, paying in the high $300,000s. An added bonus? It’s close to his job at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights. “It was brand new construction and had everything we wanted,” Kelly said, of the 3-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, 2,200-square foot unit in the eight unit complex. “It’s a two story and that’s really what sold us. There’s a driveway and even a small backyard.”
Subdivided lots at odds with Garden Oaks, Oak Forest area By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
Love it or hate it, townhomes and other high density developments continue to proliferate in The Leader area drawing buyers, and the trend shows no sign of stopping despite recent lags in the real estate market. And who is the market for this type of home? According to Ansley Stewart with Hartman & Associates, it is both downsizing baby boomers and those in their mid-20s to mid-30s buying their first or second home. “Those who are downsizing don’t want a high rise but want to be closer to work and the twenty somethings are looking to buy in and gain equity – perSee Townhomes P. 4A haps in a transitioning area – and sell for more than they bought for down the road,” he said. Stewart, who falls in the latter category, lives in a 3-story, single family home in Cottage Grove which is between Shepherd Drive and Westcott Avenue close to Memorial Park. He said that clients are drawn to the early developments in an area before they become “townhomed.” “Everybody here has gained equity,” he said. Rhonda Power with Boulevard Realty said she does have some clients who are actively seeking townhomes. “More in the Heights than Garden Oaks,” she said. “They’re drawn to walkability of the Heights, and the proximity of other amenities. However, there’s Photo by Betsy Denson more happening in the Oak Forest and Garden Oaks The streets adjacent to Wakefield are heating up too. areas in that regard so we’re starting to see more This new development is on nearby Fisher street. townhomes there.”
Bill Baldwin of Boulevard Realty understands the practicality that has been a driving force of subdivided lots. As land values trend upwards, there’s a tendency to subdivide these more expensive lots to provide more affordable housing. Baldwin admits he’s not big on the idea. “From a community perspective, I’m not a huge fan of that,” Baldwin said. “It can diminish the character of the neighborhood if it has been predominantly single-family lots and then all of a sudden you have this enclave of subdivided lots.” However, he also said that the idea isn’t entirely without merit and allowing residents to stay in affluent neighborhoods with affordable housing has “inherent value.” Providing more subdivided lots is a strategy that has worked in areas like Shady Acres and Cottage Grove, but it’s trickier in places like Oak Forest and Garden Oaks. “Where it has worked is in areas that are not necessarily single-family lots,” Baldwin said. “It’s mixed-use and, in some cases, heavy industrial areas that are being turned into residential. You’ve created a new group of home ownership
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• Current property Listings •
Oak FOrest
5711 Nina Lee
4-2 • 2,053 sqft $295,000 MLS# 80405052
Patsy Bushart 713-202-9656
COttage grOve
5631 Petty
5-2 • 2,580 sqft $400,000 MLS# 96527274
Armando Leija 832-541-2055
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Nick Green 832-250-4205
Oak FOrest
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Moses Olvera 713-240-6072
5-3-(1 Partial Bath)-2 • 3,430sqft $779,900 MLS#34460949
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