Steve Castaneda's Blog: All Categories

Houston is a large city; in fact, the 4th largest in the US last time I checked.  With the city being so large it's easy to miss some of the hottest communities in the city.  You can literallly drive right by one and never knew it existed.

Treeline is one of those communities whose features offer homeowners the piece of mind anyone could want.  This lovely development is a full gated community, and offers 65' to 80' lots from three builders: Ryland Homes, Taylor Morrison and Ashton Woods Homes.  Each comes complete with a gorgeous array of floor plans and elevations, along with resort style amenities you're destined to fall head over heels for.

Homes for sale in Treeline start in the $200's and progress well into the $400k-$500k range.  You'll be able to…

Finding the perfect home doesn't just happen; it's intentional.  Touring homes isn't just a surburban safari filled with treks inside the caves of nearby wildlife, it's a proactive hunt for the gem in a coal mine. 

If you're having trouble finding that perfect property, then consider getting back to the basics.

Needs

A need is a feature or amenity that you need to have; you don't want to see a home without that particular feature.  Needs are by far the most important criteria when providing the recipe for success to your agent, but understanding what needs really are is essential.

If you absolutely require a pool, then by all means, let your agent know.  It's okay to require a cool dip in blue waters on a summer afternoon, and if the city you're moving…

When you are in the market for a new home, touring all the available homes within your criteria for a perfect house can be exciting.  While I share in your enthusiasm, I find it important to coach my clients on how to tour the home.

Here are 5 things to remember when touring your next home.

Even if your price range does not include the seven figure area, one thought that comes to mind when moving to a new area could be, "What's the most expensive subdivision in this city?".  In Houston, that community is called River Oaks, and it's average appraisal is over $3 Mil.

Two of River Oaks's sections make it at the very top of the most expensive list, and the third makes it top 10 according to the 2009 HAR subdivision information (as of August 1, 2009).

• River Oaks Tall Timbers (1st place)
• River Oaks Country Club Estates (2 place)
• River Oaks (7th place)

The average appraisal as of today for River Oaks Tall Timbers is a whopping $3,711,446 among 91 single family properties.  Following Tall Timbers is the Country Club Estates with…

Planning on living in Cinco Ranch?  You may be excited to hear that the homes in this gorgeous master-planned community start in the mid-$100,000. 

Many Houstonian's associate this wonderful part of Katy to be a destination for only the wealthiest in Houston, but current list prices show that it's a lot more affordable as of late.

The latest homes for sale in Cinco Ranch are always available at MyHomeHouston.com.  Also available on the community page is detailed information about the area, including outdoor entertainment and school information.

Having Fun at Cinco Ranch

Two of the most popular hotspots during the summer at Cinco Ranch is The Beach Club and the Water Park.  Taking a dip in the pool couldn't be more refreshing in July and August in…

July was quite an interesting month for Lakewood Forest. While the average sales price fell, the average price per square foot of sold homes rose by nearly $3 from June, while the days on market took a nose dive.

$3 doesn't really seem like a wave of change, however when calculated with a 3,000 square foot home this equates to a whopping $9,000.

In July, the average sales price of homes sold was $199,850 among a 14 homes; down from 20 in June. The average price per square foot was peaking $70.12, which is an increase of $2.93 from last months average.

This weeks popular street was Peach Meadow, accounting for 2 out of the 14 sales in July.

Most Expensive Property

This month's most expensive property sold award gets handed to 12403 Pelican Isle…

I had the pleasure to meet with a prospective client looking to sell their home in the Windfern subdivision, located in Northwest Houston at Beltway 8 and Highway 249.  The research derived from this meeting has lead me to believe that many homeowners in the Windfern subdivision are going to have a hard time moving out of the area for at least another 5 years.

Foreclosures Run Amok

In the past year, there have been six foreclosures with an average price per square foot of $65 that have either sold, expired, or currently active on the market.  The most popular foreclosure street in the area is a street named "Heron Nest", showing 3 foreclosures in the past year.

Foreclosures are bad for for sellers at the end of the day.  These homes are normally…

I am pleased to announce a new search tool for locating homes for sale in the Houston real estate market (includes Katy, Cypress, Tomball, Pearland, etc.).  Our visitors may now:

• Save searches and manage those searches so that they don't have to keep entering in "minimum 2 bedrooms" over and over again.
• Save properties to a "favorites" list.
• Email your favorites to friends and family.
• Easily map out all properties using Mapquest.
• Easily contact us if you have any questions about properties.
• Schedule tours for any property you'd like.

If you are looking to buy a home in Houston, either through moving up from an older home or relocating to Houston, be sure to stop by and visit our Houston MLS tool.