Interest rates are rising and home prices are soaring in certain cities, so how affordable is the average home? Using the latest data for median home prices and the average interest rate for 30-year fixed rate mortgages, the chart below shows how much you would need to earn just to afford the principal and interest payment. Check the graph below and you’ll see that Houston ranks at the top of the Continue Reading
Archives for January 2014
The Future Is Coming – New Technology for the Home
Have you ever poured yourself a bowl of cereal and then gone to the refrigerator to get the milk, only to find out that your child had finished it off and didn't even bother to tell you? Well, I just may have the answer for you. LG introduced their new refrigerator, equipped with HomeChat, which allows you to send text messages to your fridge from a grocery store to find out what you have in Continue Reading
Economic Momentum Moves Houston Towards the Top
Houston and neighboring metro cities have once again hit Forbes list of “The US Regions to Watch in 2014”, and was based on their strong economic momentum heading into 2014. The list was compiled by Praxis Strategy Group who looked at 8 metrics for the nation’s 52 largest metropolitan statistical areas. These metrics were based on economic vitality (GDP growth, job growth, real median household Continue Reading
The Opening of the Grand Parkway Brings Convenience and Growth
The newly opened "Segment E" of Grand Parkway that stretches from I-10 to 290 links the communities of Katy and Cypress, and has already created some serious buzz. The 15-mile, four lane toll road now offers non-stop travel for those drivers who beforehand had been navigating a series of county and local roads, sitting through congestion and traffic lights. The toll road is currently free of Continue Reading
Katy – The Ever-Expanding City!
Katy is continuing to develop west, but the area north of I-10 along the Grand Parkway is set for extensive development by some prominent home builders in the coming years. President of Trendmaker, Will Holder, said “that whole area is very soon to be transformed into everything that you can imagine, schools to churches, everything residential.” Mr. Holder also stated that a good portion of the Continue Reading