Houston’s Top 5 Outer Loop Neighborhoods

At a certain point in our lives, it’s time for some of us to leave the city behind. We trade the bustling streets of downtown for quieter communities outside the 610 loop. While suburbs have long been thought of as havens for soccer moms and bored teens, Houston’s outer loop communities have grown in atmosphere and amenities.

Many outer loop neighborhoods have become top spots for prime real estate and for good reasons. These growing communities often offer small-city life with only a half-hour drive from the excitement within the loop.

1. Cinco Ranch, a master-planned community known for its top-notch schools, used to be a suburb of another suburb, Katy. Now, it boasts a city center, La Ceterra, that hints at city life with bars, a Torchy’s Tacos and Trader Joe’s grocery store and a growing string of businesses off of I-99. As for the homes themselves, they’re often custom-built and on large lots - and are snapping up quickly.
2. Houston may be the energy capital of the world, but many of its oil and gas headquarters are well outside the loop. The Energy Corridor is home to many of these companies and their employees. The area has homes in a wider price range and lot size.
3. Looking for something a little more on the posh side? Try Bay Oaks. Further out than most, it’s located in Clear Lake and consists of large, luxury homes around a plush green golf course and country club.
4. Sedona Lakes and its 900 homes were designed to provide a small-town atmosphere not too far from the city. It prides itself on its “Arizona ambience,” derived from the natural stone imported from the region.
5. Meyerland is right on the outskirts of the loop. Just 15 minutes from spots like the Texas Medical Center and Downtown, it offers city living at somewhat lower housing prices and family-oriented neighborhoods. 

City life isn’t for everyone, but the suburbs can be just as exciting, especially with the rate of greater Houston’s growth. Do you live outside the loop and love your community? Tell me where and why in the comments!

Falling Oil Prices and Its Impact On the Mortgage Industry

The current environment surrounding falling oil prices has affected consumers and producers around the globe, with fear that the recent plunges could cause the home prices to fall as well. However, that’s not the case.

Energy stocks are being compared to the housing market in the U.S. after the subprime mortgage crisis. Triggered by a large decline in the prices of homes, this lead to mortgage felonies, foreclosures and deflation. 

Real estate economists are predicting that mortgage rates will rise in 2015 and investors are buying now instead or waiting for oil and gas companies to regain strength, unlike the housing market during the energy crisis of 1980s.

Still unsure if it’s the right time for you to buy a home? Zeus Mortgage is here to answer your mortgage questions. Let me know your current mortgage concerns in the comments!

Top 5 Neighborhoods To Watch: Houston’s Inner Loop

Houston’s inner loop properties have long been sought after, but there are a few areas in particular that are quickly bought off the market. If you’re in the market for a new home, take a look at these five hot spots:

1. Braeswood Place, a little piece of livable luxury in the southwest loop, is mainly single-family homes. With close proximity to the Medical Center, it may just be the last and best bang-for-your-buck in the loop. Large lot sizes and well-constructed homes are abound – but they’re snapped up quickly by eager buyers.
2. Originally an independent city, Cottage Grove is now home to many young professionals and empty nesters. It’s close to Memorial Park, offering up a natural landscape against the expanding business community in the Memorial area.
3. Just east of the oh-so-popular Heights and north of Downtown, Lindale Parkis one of Houston’s oldest neighborhoods. With much thanks to its active, community-oriented civic club, it remains a hidden gem filled with 1940’s bungalows and families young and old.
4. The First Ward is in the midst of a transition – with no real end destination in sight. Newly constructed townhomes make this a popular destination for young professionals, but it still fights to maintain its historical factor with its older, industrial buildings.
5. Between the lofts, new yoga studios and fusion restaurants, EaDo (East Downtown) is hip and filling up fast. You won’t find many single-family homes here, but townhomes and contemporary mid-rise condos are plentiful.

Which neighborhoods are you looking at for your next home? Inner or outer loop? Trendy or traditional? Let me know in the comments!

Three Ways To Motivate Your Employees

Summer is here and with it comes a lack of concentration and possibly even the summertime blues in the office. It’s hard not to think about European escapes, a weekend getaway to Galveston for a quick beach trip or even just a day off for a staycation. When employees spend most of their time longing to get away from the office, it hurts productivity and workplace morale – but there’s still hope 

Here are three ways to motivate employees to come to work excited and ready to get their work done during those lazy summer days.

1. Team bonding:
   This may seem like a given, but many companies don’t know how to execute this well. Zeus Mortgage implements a new team exercise every month. On Friday afternoon, their team participates in a specific challenge chosen for that month. For example, one month focused on yoga and another month they sampled various types of coffee from around the world. It doesn’t have to be big, and there doesn’t necessarily need to be money spent, but when people know they are apart of a team, it makes them feel more connected and promotes a positive atmosphere. 
2. Open environment:
   An open environment doesn’t necessarily mean having an open floor plan, but focuses on encouraging open communication. If employees feel like they can’t join a conversation or are too afraid to voice their ideas, opinions or grievances, there is a problem. It may sound cliché, but having a team that works in harmony can never lead to disrupt in the work place. This is something that helps not only during summer, but all year long. 
3. Summer hours:
   Many businesses already incorporate this, but it can be a successful tactic if done correctly. Hours may vary – half day Fridays, no working on Fridays at all, etc. – but if employees can look forward to an incentive, they will work harder during the week to finish projects on time and produce great work.

It doesn’t take too much to encourage employees to stay in the work frame of mind, but remember they aren’t machines – everyone needs a break. Plus, there’s plenty to do in Houston during the summer, and no one wants to be left out!

Open Carry in the Workplace is Bad for Business

I’ve said it before, this is nothing but continued self-fulfilling negative PR, and unfortunately for everyone in Baltimore, perception is reality. Just when I was hoping “open carry” wouldn’t get to the goal line in Texas the internet begins to use the Baltimore riots as an example of why we “need” open carry – but they’re wrong.

“You can’t get ahead when you’re trying to get even.” – Unknown

Q: What’s open carry in Texas have to do with Baltimore?

A: Nothing directly, but showing young black men rioting in the streets is all the PR you need to get such a counterproductive and silly bill, put forth by another minority and then voted into a law. There was a sliver of hope that the governor wouldn’t sign before the Baltimore riots. Now it’s just justification for the proponents.

Q: Why the opposition to open carry?A: There are a lot of good people that carry openly. You cannot tell from looking at someone if they are currently carrying a concealed weapon. This is helpful because the element of surprise is better than potentially becoming a target.

If you currently have a CHL, then you can carry your gun (concealed) in most places during your daily routine (gas station, restaurant, etc.). When a bunch of idiots of any race start to show off their guns at those places, that leads to these establishments prohibiting ALL guns. This basically eliminates the advantage and privilege given to current CHL holders.

Have you noticed who gets shot first in movies and even actual robberies? The guy with the gun – because he’s the obvious threat. If you want to rob someone then you identify and eliminate the threats first, so I suspect many more unassuming open carry citizens to get into unnecessary situations that will be dangerous for themselves and others.

I don’t want my daughters at a toy store standing next to an idiot with his 45 on his hip. A lot of CHL holders do not carry because it’s hard for the to conceal their preferred carry weapon, but with open carry we will see much larger, much more dangerous weapons in public.

You cannot identify a real-life situation where an open carry scenario would be better than a concealed carry scenario.

Q: Are you defending the criminals that are rioting and not the law abiding citizens that want to protect their families and businesses?A: No, I’m not.

Q: Why not support open carry? I’d feel more comfortable seeing other open carriers in my midst.A: Police and military practice open carry for access, not as a deterrent. For example, many detectives and federal positions do not open carry since they do not need access the same way as a soldier or police officer does. It’s a small business owner’s right to not alienate a majority of their customers for the preferences of the few, and I’ll unfortunately be lumped in with that group. I do not and will not feel comfortable with open carry in the midst of my daughters. There is more safety in concealment. Like I said above, there are almost no real-life scenarios where an open carry would be more beneficial to a concealed carry.

All of the questions and answers I’ve stated can be applied to the workplace. I would not feel comfortable letting my employees open carry – let alone would I want to alienate an employee who feels the same way.

Join the discussion! Let me know what you think of open carry in the workplace policies.

Presenting Real Estate Tech On Great Day Houston

Real estate apps have made searching for real estate easier than ever.  On May 20, I was on Great Day Houston to show how you can search for real estate right from the palm of your hand. Watch the video here to see how!