What To Expect - 2014 Houston Real Estate Forecast

2013 was a huge year for Real Estate in Houston. We saw a tremendous growth in numbers across the board; homes built in the suburbs, apartments and condos built inside the loop, a surplus of people moving to Houston, shopping centers and retail built - you name it, it happened in Houston in 2013. Houston homeowners are concerned that since 2013 did so well, that 2014 will settle down significantly. Good news - the 2014 Houston Real Estate market is expected to see the same fire as we saw in 2013! Here's why:

 



1. Large corporations will be shuffling employees - Big businesses such as Exxon Mobil, Geico, and Chevron plan to relocate thousands of employees to the Houston area as their branches grow, creating a demand for home sales in and around Houston.


2. Job growth creates demand for apartments - In 2013 we added thousands of jobs to the Houston area, which ultimately led to an apartment boom as far in as the inner loop and as far out as the suburbs.  We do not expect this growth to slow down in 2014.


3. Home builders went crazy in 2013 - We saw a vast expansion in the number of single-family homes in and around Houston, and this year, other home builders want in on the action. Expect to see a 10% increase in new home construction this year.

If you or someone you know has a question about real estate, please contact me using the information provided below.

Arthur Confait

Email: arthurconfait@gmail.com

Website: CLICK HERE

Holiday Events in the Sugar Land/Missouri City Area

When it comes to living in an area such as Sugar Land or Missouri City, there is never a shortage of events to offer to even the biggest holiday junkie. The best part of these events is that they are, for the most part, family friendly. Many of these events have opportunities available for anyone willing to help fund important organizations in the area, such as high school Fine Arts programs. Check the calendar below, and enjoy!

Saturday, Dec 21, 2013 - From 10:00am to 6:00pm, the Hightower High School Band will be offering complimentary gift wrap services at the Sugar Land Town Square plaza for anyone interested.

Saturday, Dec 21, 2013 - From 6:00pm to 7:00pm. the Fort Bend Music Center will be giving their Holiday Performance at the Sugar Land Town Square plaza. Children ages 4 all the way through adulthood will be playing many different musical instruments, such as guitar, violin, and piano.

Sunday, Dec 22, 2013 - From 1:00pm to 5:00pm, bring your whole family out to the Sugar Land Town Square plaza to have pictures taken with Santa!

Tuesday, Dec 31 2013 - From 7:00pm to 1:00am, the City of Sugar Land will be hosting its New Year's Eve Celebration. There will be a children's celebration from 7-9, and an adult celebration from 9:30-1. The event will have live music, street performances, and fireworks!

If you or someone you know has a question about real estate, please contact me using the information provided below.

Arthur Confait

Email: arthurconfait@gmail.com

Website: CLICK HERE

Houston's Hot Summer Real Estate Market

It has been one hot summer for Houston real estate. Houston real estate experts and reporters say they have never seen such a busy summer and are having a difficult time predicting when this hot market will cool down. Here's a breakdown of the details:

- Homes selling at $250,000 or more saw the greatest increase in sales, causing the median home value in Houston to increase to $186,200.

- The number of condominiums and town homes sold also jumped higher compared to last year's numbers.

- The number of rental properties leased increased dramatically.

- Homes are selling so quickly that they are skipping the "pending" status stage.

- Rent averages for both single-family homes and condominiums/town homes increased.

If you or someone you know has a question about real estate, please contact me using the information provided below.

Arthur Confait
Email: arthurconfait@gmail.com
Website: CLICK HERE

Make a Small Room Look Bigger Using Paint

As homeowners, we are always looking for ways to make our smallest spaces look bigger. Every homeowner dreams of a home with the elegant high ceilings that seem to stretch to the sky, but homes like this are hard to come by. Fortunately, there are ways to help elongate your smallest rooms using many different decorating tips and strategies, and perhaps the most noticeable way is to paint the room. It is not as simple as just choosing any color, though - here is a list of things to keep in mind when using paint to make a room look bigger.


1. Use light colors - In a smaller room, it is important to use light colors because they catch the light and make the space appear expanded. Colors such as cream, ice blue, pale green, and light yellow are perfect to use in smaller rooms.



2. Paint the trim white -  Or, at least a lighter color than your walls. A light-colored room with white trim makes the walls look further away from you, which helps to visually expand the room.



3. Paint the ceilings white - Just like the trim, painting a room one color while leaving the ceiling white helps to make the ceiling look further away and expands the room.



4. Add trim 3 feet above the floor - Consider adding trim 3 feet above the floor, painting the wall underneath the trim a medium shade, and painting the wall above the trim a lighter shade. This creates a gradient effect which helps to draw the eye upward. Keep the trim color light.







If you or someone you know has a question about real estate, please contact me using the information provided below.

Arthur Confait
Email: arthurconfait@gmail.com
Website: CLICK HERE

Why You'll Love Living in Sugar Land/Missouri City, TX

If it wasn't already impressive enough that Houston was named "America's Coolest City" by Forbes, Houston also has some pretty hot suburbs to boast about. Sugar Land has been named "Safest City", "Top 100 Places to Live Well", "Best Place to Live", and multiple other titles by several influential companies. The thing about the Sugar Land/Missouri City area is that people remember this area because it has the best of everything. What do I mean by the best of everything? For starters, here's a list:



1. Location - Sugar Land is conveniently centralized around the Highway 59/Highway 6 intersection, giving residents easy access to the freeway to take them straight into Houston quickly. Missouri City is located a little further Southeast but still centralized around Highway 6 with access to the Fort Bend Toll Road, which also takes residents into Houston. From Sugar Land, it is about a 15-minute drive into the Galleria area of Houston, which residents love.


2. Schools - Sugar Land and Missouri City schools are served by the Fort Bend Independent School District, which is recognized as an award-winning district in the state of Texas. FBISD strives for academic excellence and is one of the largest and most well-known districts in the area.


3. Retail - The Sugar Land/Missouri City area has everything you could ever want right at your fingertips. Sugar Land boasts shopping strips, department stores, malls, restaurants and the popular Town Square located just off of Highway 6 and 59. Whatever it is you're looking for can be found after a short trip up down the road or up the highway.

If you or someone you know has a question about real estate, please contact me using the information provided below.

Arthur Confait
Email: arthurconfait@gmail.com
Website: CLICK HERE

Houston: Should I Rent, Or Should I Buy?

In today's market, many people are left wondering whether they are choosing the smartest investment when it comes to either renting or buying a home. National averages show that it is cheaper to buy than to rent; however, this is not true for all major metro cities in the U.S. For example, it is 70% cheaper to buy than rent in Detroit, but only 28% cheaper to buy than rent in San Francisco. In Houston, we are looking at 51% in the buy-versus-rent ratio, which still leans heavily toward buying as opposed to renting.

If this is true, then why aren't more people buying? We are still recovering from the recession, and although Houston wasn't hit as hard as other cities, we are still not seeing the amount of buyers that we once were before the recession. People are afraid to buy because they think they cannot afford a mortgage. What's interesting about this statistic is that the cost to rent per month is significantly higher than a mortgage would be. For example, if you are renting a house for $1700 a month, you will likely pay around $1400 a month on a mortgage payment for the same house.

Another reason why people are afraid to buy is that the downpayment on a house is pricey and can take  few years to save up for. Younger buyers who are in debt from expenses such as students loans may not be able to save as easily for a downpayment on a house and may end up renting for many more years because of it. It is easier on the pockets to pay a few hundred dollars more a month on rent than come up with $5,000 for a downpayment on a house.

We are still recovering from an economic recession, where thousands of people are still out of work or are trying to pick themselves up off the ground from economic hardship, which makes it more difficult to save up to buy a house. Hopefully we will begin to see a turnaround in the next few years.





If you or someone you know has a question about real estate, please contact me using the information provided below.

Arthur Confait
Email: arthurconfait@gmail.com
Website: CLICK HERE

Spice Up Your Home for Fall

Summer is ending, folks are coming back from vacation, "Back to School" signs are posted across every retail store… We all know what that means! Fall is upon us. If you're anything like me, you love the sound of leaves crunching, all the warm autumn colors of the outdoors, and the smell of cinnamon. What better way to bring a little fall into your home than to jazz it up with some DIY fall decor? These tutorials are super easy and are sure to add a little spice to your home!

1. Fabric-wrapped pumpkins - These pumpkins are ridiculously simple to make. You'll need an 18x18in square of orange fabric, a roll of toilet paper, a stick, some jute, and a little bit of green fabric for leaves. First, wrap the toilet paper roll with the orange fabric and stuff the excess into the center of the roll, Shove the stick down into the center of the roll, tie the green fabric around it to look like leaves, and wrap the base of the stick with jute. How easy is that?

2. Fall candle tray - This colorful piece with look great resting on a coffee table, entry table, or even dining room table. For this tutorial, you'll need a wooden tray, candles, glass candle votives, and fall garland. all of which you can find at craft supply stores. Simply place the candles in the votives and arrange them along with the garland inside the tray. Such an easy centerpiece!

3. Fall wreath - I especially enjoy the idea of creating a wreath because it can be customized to include whichever decorations you want. Simply purchase a twig wreath from the craft store and go crazy with adornments! You can use ribbon, garland, pinecones, or anything else you can come up with. Attach the decorations with hot glue and you have an easy, beautiful wreath for your front door!








If you or someone you know has a question about real estate, please contact me using the information provided below.

Arthur Confait
Email: arthurconfait@gmail.com
Website: CLICK HERE