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Posted on Aug 20, 2009 | Tagged in: Houston , economy
While many businesses may be struggling, the Greater Houston Convention Visitors Bureau (GHCVB) is very much alive and kicking. This was the positive message and outlook shown at August 18th's gathering at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.
At George R. Brown, they gave attention to several notable bookings in Houston, including the 2012 AAU Junior Olympics, the NCAA Final Four in 2016, and the National Rifle Association's annual meeting set for 2013. The GHCVB has already booked a whopping total of 468,000 room nights for its upcoming years, which is 72% of its goal.
With no intention of settling, the organization also noted its programs to promote the local film industry; GHCVB will also add foreign consulates. This has, in fact, already begun, as consulates from Rwanda and Estonia established themselves in Houston. In an effort to help forward local meetings, the GHCVB is also partnering with the Greater Houston Hotel and Lodging Association.
With all of the past and upcoming visitors and action, Houston appears to have taken a lead as "the place to be" for event
For more information on the GHCVB visit their website at VisitHoustonTexas.com.
Posted on Jul 2, 2009 | Tagged in: Houston , economy
According to the real estate forecaster Local Market Monitor, the latest Home Price Forecast has officially listed the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area as expected to hold some of the strongest home prices in the nation over the next 12 months.
“These are markets that did not have a large boost in home prices over the last few years and therefore, even though the economy is doing poorly, no adjustment in prices has been necessary,” said Ingo Winzer, president of Local Market Monitor. “Steady economic growth and price appreciation have helped these markets remain stable.”
Because of Houston’s past stability in this area of the economy, turmoil is expected to be less profound than in other areas across the nation. This will create numerous opportunities for city- and state-wide growth in both the housing and employment sectors.
Not only has Houston been praised, but the Fort Worth-Arlington, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Dallas-Plano-Irving and San Antonio metropolitan areas have also been selected for the Top 10 List of featured top performing markets.
Source: Houston Business Journal
Posted on Jun 9, 2009 | Tagged in: Oakhurst at Kingwood , Houston , education
White Oak Milddle School, which serves students in Oakhurst at Kingwood, was treated to a visit by award winning author Andrea White at the end of the school year. She spoke to all seventh graders and 120 eighth graders who were excited to purchase books and get autographs from Mrs. White.
She grew up in Houston and is married to Houston Mayor Bill White and in addition to being an author, is a community volunteer and education activist. The Whites have three children: Will, Elena, and Stephen. She told the students that they love to hike and camp, and although they've had some hair-raising adventures, she says that their experiences were all tame compared to what happens in the book Surviving Antarctica.
As Houston's First Lady, she continues her years of work as an advocate for children, and a champion of progressive public school reform.
White Oak Middle School is one of three highly acclaimed schools serving children in Oakhurst at Kingwood, which is located in the Recognized New Caney Independent School District. New Homes in Oakhurst at priced from the $150,000s to the $800,000s. Decorated model homes are open daily in Oakhurst at Kingwood, where everything from luxury patio homes to custom homes is available. Builders in Oakhurst include Meritage Homes, Lennar, Village Builders, and Frontier Custom Builders.
(Photo courtesy of AndreaWhiteAuthor.com)
Posted on Apr 27, 2009 | Tagged in: Houston , honors , economy
The National Association of Realtors® and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have named Houston a 2009 Ambassador City for its Houston HOPE Homes program, an initiative to reinvest in some of Houston’s historic neighborhoods with housing development and infrastructure improvements.
The Houston HOPE Homes is a program of the city of Houston. The city has identified hundreds of vacant or foreclosed properties in nine historic neighborhoods that are currently undergoing revitalization. Those properties are sold to area home builders who are committed to building quality, affordable single and multifamily housing.
To help residents purchase the newly built homes, the city has also established a down payment assistance program. Low- and moderate-income individuals who qualify can receive up to $37,500; Houston police officers, firefighters, and teachers can qualify for nearly $40,000.
Posted on Apr 23, 2009 | Tagged in: travel , Houston , honors
In a recent survey released by U-Haul International, Inc., Houston is a place to which people want to move. In fact, Houston ranked No. 2 among most popular destinations.
The annual U-Haul National Migration Trend Report, titled "The 2008 Top 50 U.S. Destination Cities" was released and it gleans some interesting movement around the country. According to moving data reflective of nationwide statistics for calendar year 2008, Atlanta secures the No. 1 spot for the second year in a row, while Houston comes in second, moving up six spots from the 2007 report.
Los Angeles climbed to No. 3 from No. 13 last year, while Las Vegas stayed steady at No. 4 for the second year in a row, and Denver, Colo. moved up to fifth place from the No. 9 rank last year. Portland, Ore.; Chicago, San Antonio, Austin, Texas and Orlando, Fla. rounded out the top 10.
The ranking reflects destinations for movers traveling more than 50 miles, and considers every city in the country, regardless of size. However, the data is not stated as a percentage of population and is not reflective of overall growth. Houston's diverse economic and job base, housing affordability and wide variety of appealing locations continues to make Houston outshine the rest of the country.
The survey reports: *Data compiled from more than 1 million U-Haul one-way truck transactions from January - December 2008.
Posted on Mar 5, 2009 | Tagged in: tips , Houston
Friendswood Development Company is proud to announce the development and completion of a new design of FriendswoodDevelopment.com. This website design has been developed to be more intuitive, visually appealing, and finder-friendly than previous versions. Features and improvements of our new site include:
- An interactive blog, where Friendswood can provide homeowners, realtors, and community leaders with the latest in news, events, awards, and more regarding our developments.
- Mobile device compatibility. With respect to the technology boom and interests of our clients and homeowners, FriendsoodDevelopment.com is now seamlessly compatible and fully visible with smart devices, like the iPhone and Blackberry.
These robust features, as well as more subtle enhancements, have been tailored to your needs. Subsequent to this launch, our community websites will follow with similarly enhanced designs as well. As always, Friendswood Development Company seeks to be a leader in the community-building industry, by design of our homes and our website.
