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February 23, 2006
Zillow and Houston Home Prices
Zillow
Chances are we will look back and remember our first encounter with this word as the day Dot-Com 2.0 became a reality for the masses. We now have another company name that will again become both a noun, verb, adjective, and adverb ala Google.
Sure there are already tons of predictions about how Zillow will impact the real estate agents but this is not really the intent of Zillow.
Zillow creates an instantaneous efficient market for comparable values in real estate. For those seeking property info you now longer need to have the bank account of Martha Stewart to obtain housing values in your neighborhood. Zillow is the property information portal every homeowner who protests his taxes has been dieing to have. In the Houston area one has to wonder how this will impact HCAD, City of Houston, and HISD. (That is the Harris Country Appraisal District and the Houston Independent School District for those outside the area)
In the area of property taxes Zillow creates a much needed degree of transparency. While Houston homeowners and home buyers have had much in the way of property information via HCAD’s site, the navigation and “at a glance” features were sorely lacking. From time to time we have heard rumors of wide discrepancies in Houston real estate appraisals by the various taxing districts. With Zillow, the average consumer will have the ability to clearly see appraisal discrepancies in their neighborhoods and surrounding areas.
Downtown Houston Staff
Posted by downtownadmin at 03:11 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2006
Hybrid vs. Diesel
We as consumers have many choices at our disposal when faced with commuting. The choice which tends to appeal to the vast majority of Houstonians would be that of the car. As with anything designed, marketed, and tested in focus groups, we have a dizzying array of choices when it comes to our cars. Two of consumer-driven America’s newest choices in cars are also the oldest. The “newly-rediscovered” Diesel-powered car and the previously-relegated to pulling a Caboose” Hybrid system are yet another option that we consumers must consider.
Read more about Hybrid vs. Diesel and see if one is right for you.
Posted by downtownadmin at 09:34 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2006
Are Houston Traffic rules really that hard to comprehend?
Last night while on McGowan at Main Street, I watched as two morons U-turned back around and nearly entered the light rail lane. Are we really that low on the evolutionary scale of driving in this city?
Granted people break rules and disregard warnings, but when caught in clutches of a light rail train everyone claims they did not see it.
While we do oversee rocket launching in Space City, navigating our streets in a safe and secure manner is not rocket science.
And to add insult to injury I regularly witness flagrant violations of traffic laws by those who believe they are a protected class. In this case "they" are wrecker drivers and Metro bus drivers. On several occasions I have watched as impatient wrecker drivers run red lights on Main after waiting at the light. Fortunately the only thing I saw flying was their mullets, next time it could be body and car parts.
Downtown Houston Rant.
Posted by downtownadmin at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2006
Downtown Houston Lofts
Judging by the number of people searching for Lofts in the Houston Downtown area, I think that it is safe to assume that the demand for Houston Highrise condos and lofts will continue to increase. Houston Loft Directory
Posted by downtownadmin at 01:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack