Houston Real Estate Marketing

Houston – The Perfect Place to Call Home

A great town on the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is a popular area in which to live and work.  With an average temperature of 69.9 degrees (summer highs around 84 and winter lows 50 degrees), the city is know for bright and beautiful, warm sunny days.  The region averages over half (59%) of the possible sunshine on an annual basis, with 70 percent of the summer and 45 percent of the winter seeing the sun’s golden rays. 

In addition to its hospitable climate, Houston has one of the United States’ lowest costs of living for a major metropolitan area (12.9% lower than the national average).  In addition, housing costs are significantly lower than other areas.  In 2005, the average price for a 2,400 square foot new, single family, detached home was $201,679.  The median home price for 2006 was 149,900 (the national medial home price is $222,000) In addition, while other areas of the country are seeing a real estate slump, Houston is still seeing increases.  Single family home sales continue to see increases, up nearly 10 percent from 2006. 

The employment forecast in Houston is also bright.  With unemployment rates at their lowest levels in nearly seven years, experts believe employment issues will be in the form of labor shortages rather than a lack of jobs.  In the year 2006, 97,000 jobs were created in the Houston area. Some economists believe that the bright employment picture in Houston is based on the energy concerns facing the rest of the nation.  Because of the record profits posted by some of the area’s energy companies, they are expanding their services, adding jobs and putting up new buildings in and around Houston.  In addition, big businesses such as Citgo, Schlumberger and Halliburton have moved their national and international headquarters to the Houston area. 

The National Association of Realtors suggests that the Houston market is one of the strongest in the country.  Both residential and commercial real estate is booming with condominiums and office space springing up everywhere. However, these new developments are not just being added to the Houston landscape without a plan.  Houston is known for what has been termed “Master Planned Communities.”  These areas include well designed homes interspersed with green space, community centers, schools and recreational facilities such as pools, soccer, baseball and football fields and golf courses.  They are constructed thoughtfully close to shopping and other entertainment venues to cut commute times and increase the sense of community.

In addition, Houston makes a conscious effort to include green space in all of its communities.  The landscape of the city is dotted with green neighborhoods and many wooded areas.  It also boasts over 650 city and county parks with a variety of recreational facilities including walking, running and biking trails, playgrounds, pools, dog parks and other community resources.

While the real estate market in the area is burgeoning, it still requires marketing effort on the part of agents to cut through the competitive clutter.  There are many resources available for adverting listings, including Houston’s daily newspaper, The Houston Chronicle, which is one of the ten largest newspapers in the United States.  Additionally, the up and coming Houston Press and the classified paper the Green Sheet offer further marketing opportunities.  

Online marketing sources are another powerful option.  The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) has a wonderful website (HAR.com), which was ranked as the area’s number one real estate website by comScore Media Matrix in July of 2007.  National databases such as Home.com offer additional marketing outlets.

Dragging itself out of the ENRON scandal of the late 90’s and the depressed markets of the 1980’s Houston is seeing a rebirth of epic proportions.  Its comfortable climate, strong economy and booming housing marketing makes Houston the perfect place for new and existing residents to call home.