March: by Daniel Martinez
A STRONG START TO A BIG YEAR
The end of March wraps up HOULIVING’s first quarter and the start to a great year. In just three months time, we have been able to close more than $1million in sales and have fast tracked our marketing and company development in order to meet the needs of current and potential clients. We have paid very close attention to the movement of the market and have centered our focus on the areas that show great potential. For that reason, we have dialed in on the Energy Corridor and the Royal Oaks Country Club community, two areas that have an enormous activity in both the housing and economic market. We aspire to be THE name in real estate, with these primary areas of focus leading the way.
HOUSES DON’T RUN ON OIL
With that said, the current energy climate must be addressed. The city thrives on a strong energy sector and its strength is a good indicator of how the city’s economy is moving. At the end of March, crude oil closed at $37.82, which is almost a 50% decrease from a year ago. Along with the decrease, Houston has seen layoffs reach almost 50,000 since the downturn began last year.
Despite the falling price of crude oil and widespread industry layoffs, the housing market has been a bit stubborn and remained resilient. One of the reasons for this is an influx of people relocating to Houston, which drives up the demand for housing. Since rents have remained pretty high, many people have decided that buying is the best option, all of which has contributed to a steady stream of sales. New listings are constantly hitting the market as well, which creates a stable inventory environment for buyers and sellers. Sales are currently up 2.2% in February from a year ago, which gives the accurate conclusion that the housing market remains strong. Another factor that contributes to this is the diversification in industry that Houston currently has. In the past during energy downturns, the city’s economy struggled much more due to the job and economic market being dominated by the energy sector. Today, Houston thrives in many areas like medicine and banking, which helps create balance in the market.
Some areas see more movement because of all of the above. The Energy Corridor and the Royal Oaks Country Club neighborhood are two of them. Week in and week out during the last quarter, we have been monitoring the movement in these areas and have been able to determine that transactions are bustling with an average of $479k sales prices and over 50+ homes sold just in the last seven weeks alone. The area is highly desirable due to the proximity to a wide array of businesses and quality of schools, which are very important to people with families and younger buyers looking for some stability. We expect to see similar movement throughout the rest of the year.
DANIEL’S SIDE PROJECTS
Every agent needs side projects to help build their brand. One of my goals is to take smaller living spaces and transform them into updated residences that come fully furnished and lease-ready. I believe that taking small living spaces and converting them into functional and affordable high-end units is a great way to develop an investment and design portfolio. I also think tenants value the opportunity to access this type of opportunity where things such as buying home furniture and settling for contemporary designs are a thing of the past. Some of my interests include design and living environment. I want to give people the chance to live in a home that has been “preset” for them but that also provides comfort and upscale taste.
I have begun my very first rehab project with all the above in mind. Starting with a condo in the Energy Corridor, I set out to take a dated layout and turn it into an exciting and modern living space complete with all the workings of a high-end living. It all began with swapping the old laminate floors and putting in 24-inch cement tiles. I also had the old windows swapped out as well as doors, and removed all of the kitchen cabinets. Along with the start of a fresh interior look, I bought all new Whirlpool stainless steel appliances. The progress has been tremendous during the last four weeks and I’m looking forward to the next phase of the project: the kitchen! I promise to keep you in the loop, but for now, take a look at the pictures of what I’ve accomplished so far.
Find out what I’m up to.
You can always find me on the following channels where I answers all your real estate Q&A’s on the #AskTheDanielMtz show as well as show you plenty of amazing home listings on #SaturdayShowings. Much more material is soon to follow. Feel free to reach out to me on any of these platforms.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedanielmtz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedanielmtz
Snapchat: txc_daniel
Anchor: https://anchor.fm/w/9E1D2A
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-martinez-bb507a87?trk=pulse-det-athr_prof-art_hdr
Medium: https://medium.com/@danielmartinez_94334
Sincerely.
Daniel Martinez
HOULIVING
