Venetian Estates News November 2021

Real Estate and More…

VE Market Update

Currently one property is actively available for sale in Venetian Estates at 914 Piedmont. This half-acre, tree-shaded lot is ideal for a current VE resident who would like to sell their present waterfront home and build a 1.5- story with a private balcony overlooking one of the longest views down Lake Venice! This is the perfect way to have a brand-new home, enjoy the sunsets over the lake but with no bulkhead responsibility—and potentially all paid for by the sale of your present waterfront property! Call Kelly with questions regarding this lot and construction information.

During the past six months 3 VE homes sold on the HAR MLS. Two of those homes, one recent-construction and the other extensively remodeled, sold for over $1M. The third, a non-waterfront home with few updates, sold in the mid $500’s. Two other non-MLS, lot-value sales also occurred.

Neighbor News
We would like to introduce you to our new neighbors, Betsy and Rick Mudra, who now live on one of the most active and friendly streets in the neighborhood at 806 San Marino!

The Mudras say, “We moved in on June 29th, after living in the same home in Sugar Mill for 34 years. This was Betsy’s mother’s house, Margaret Foster, who passed away in February, at 91 years young. Betsy is a retired teacher, teaching 30 years in FBISD, at Lakeview, Walker Station, and Brazos Bend. Betsy is a cancer survivor. Rick is retired too, after working in the machine tool industry most of his life. We have identical twin daughters and 3 grandsons. Betsy is a fibre artist, working in felting, silks and other fibre media. Rick enjoys woodworking. We have 2 dogs who have helped fill the “empty nest” when the grands are not around. We love sitting outside every morning drinking coffee, watching the sunrise over the lake, then setting in the evening. This is heaven on earth.”
We love hearing “This is heaven on earth.” It is just a reminder for all of us long-term VE residents to never ever take our neighborhood for granted!

Market Outlook 2022
According to Gay Cororaton, National Assoc. of REALTORS SR. ECONOMIST, “Home prices will head upward in 2022, but not at the pace we’ve seen over the past two years. Interest rates will rise but not enough to dampen demand. Tough competition for buyers will continue even as prices rise. Housing starts will continue to tick upward but not as much as they need to! Although all these factors together seem to point to a superheated market like we saw in the mid-2000s, there is no bubble about to burst! A massive correction, like a housing crash, is extremely unlikely.”

FBRE Update
While the pace of sales across the general market slowed somewhat over the past two months, Ferguson + FBRE is still taking off! Kelly recently completed the sale of 22 Jim Davidson Drive in the Sugar Land Airport. Kelly represented the seller of a stunning Class A office and airplane hangar facing State Highway 6 on the airport premises. This incredibly rare property, on a long-term ground lease with the city, required a cultivated, international marketing campaign—and this custom, private-client approach is our specialty. We marry our local expertise with a distinguished, large-scale marketing campaign to give our clients the best of both worlds: local discernment and full global exposure.

We have VE buyers! Please call us if you are considering selling your home now or in the future. We have prospects who are waiting for the right opportunity and they are flexible with timing. They are even willing to lease back to sellers for a year or more. With our discerning approach, we can represent you in customizing & structuring a sale that is best for you!

Venetian Estates News September 2021

Real Estate and More…

VE Market Update
There is currently one property available for sale in Venetian Estates at 914 Piedmont. This half-acre, tree-shaded lot offers an ideal setting to design a dream home, large or small. The serenity provided by the sprawling, private lot rivals that of lakefront properties. This is a special opportunity to enjoy the beautiful lifestyle of Venetian Estates with an extra-large lot and a rare price point!

Neighbor News
Last month we promised to introduce additional neighbors, and we are pleased to welcome two new families in this issue:

Jennifer Nguyen and David Mundy are the new owners of 702 Piedmont. Deborah Jodoin, the previous owner, was the first neighbor to demolish the original VE home on the lot and rebuild anew. Deborah was sad to leave her lovely home and backyard paradise but decided to downsize to a condo near her office.

Jennifer and David are thrilled to be engaged to be married and are very happy to be here in VE! Jennifer has two children and has lived in the Houston area for 15 years. Prior to Houston, she lived in California. Jennifer has worked in insurance for many years, and she currently owns a Farmers agency. David has four children and recently retired. He has lived in the Houston area most of his life, spending a few years in Boston. In addition to a houseful of children, they have cats who supervise everyone! We know David and Jennifer and children and cats are loving the home, large yard, and amazing view from their new home!

Debbie and Marvin Marcell purchased the Bergeron home at 603 Salerno. They are making a few changes prior to moving, but they may be in by the time you read this! Debbie is a Realtor, and Marvin is self-employed in Government Relations Consulting. The Marcells’ daughter Molly and son-in-law Mike Cooper have 11-year-old twin boys and a 5-year-old daughter. They are already enjoying fishing on Lake Venice, and we have told the Marcells that the grandkids will have plenty of neighborhood fishing buddies! Debbie and Marvin have another daughter and son-in-law in Dallas and three granddaughters there, ages 10, 6 and 5. The Marcells are moving from Sweetwater, and prior to that lived in Sienna. They have been thinking about VE for quite some time, and we are happy to finally have them as neighbors here!

Houston-area Market Update
In August, sales in the luxury residential market segment (homes priced $750k+) increased year-over-year by over 30%. While we expect to experience a slower pace in sales beginning this fall, steady growth and demand in the Houston area should sustain. Venetian Estates and immediate neighborhoods are especially well-positioned, as we offer both the convenience of access and proximity to the city and serenity of a cultivated suburb.

FBRE Update
We currently have buyers queued up for all property types in VE, including remodeled or new homes, fixer-uppers, and lots. Please call us if you are considering selling. We love our work and especially enjoy helping buyers and sellers find their perfect matches and making the purchase/sale process fair and enjoyable.

We currently have a stunning Robert Dame-designed estate listed for sale in our “sister” neighborhood of Alkire Lake. The gorgeous home at 1309 N. Horseshoe Drive exudes quality and timeless beauty, and the 2+ acre lot boasts a gorgeous grove of oak trees and one of the finest, panoramic lake views in Alkire. Celebrate the coming of fall this weekend and stop by, whether considering the home for yourself or a friend or simply to enjoy the beauty of the home and say hello!

Venetian Estates News August 2021 - New Neighbor Edition!

 

New-Neighbor Edition

Through the flurry of transactions over the past year, we have had delightful additions to our neighborly neighborhood! While we know many of you have already had the pleasure of getting to know our new neighbors, it is a joy to share notes with you about a few of these wonderful families! We introduced the Cox family in our June newsletter, and they, along with the Shermans and Buells, were featured in the official VE Newsletter, the Mainsail. Enjoy getting to know each of these families as you see them around the neighborhood!

Nancy and Pete Olson, 903 San Marino The Olsons moved to VE at the end of 2020. They are empty-nesters, except for their adorable COVID Cavapoo puppy, Maisy. Their daughter, Kate (24), lives in Washington, DC and works for Booz Allen Hamilton, and their son, Grant (21), is a college basketball player in Kansas. At 7’ tall, Grant is easy to spot in the neighborhood when he is home from school! Pete recently retired from serving 12 years as our representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is now a consultant, focusing primarily on issues affecting the Houston region. Nancy is a community volunteer and is especially passionate about Child Advocates of Fort Bend. She looks forward to serving as the next CAFB board president. Nancy and Pete are loving lake life and feel so blessed to have landed in the best community in Sugar Land!

Payal & Santosh Dixit, 911 San Marino Two houses down from the Olsons is the Dixit family, who moved in at the tail-end of 2020. Payal and Santosh are both physicians. Santosh is originally from New Orleans and is an emergency-medicine physician at Elite Care Emergency in Rice Village and Patients Emergency Room in Baytown. Payal was born and raised in Houston and is a dermatologist and Mohs (skin cancer) surgeon at Complete Dermatology in Sugar Land. The Dixits have three children. Riya is 6 and starting first grade at Highlands Elementary. Mila, 4, and Shiyan (aka the Destroyer😊),1, attend Telfair Montessori. The Dixits enjoy good old fashioned family time and traveling. They love being a part of our friendly neighborhood and Payal has already organized a neighborhood street party complete with food truck and family fun!

Monica & Colin Taylor, 815 San Marino

The Taylors purchased the lot at 311 Lombardy and are living on San Marino while they build their new home. They have three children: Jack and Oliver will be going into the 3rd grade and Hazel will be going into 2nd grade at FBCA. Monica and Colin say they love the neighborhood and have already met so many wonderful residents. They enjoyed living in Sienna but say that moving here was one of the best decisions they ever made!   

Susie & Jim Murray, 534 Lombardy 

The Murray family has lived in this area for 26 years and has dreamed of moving to VE for a while. Their beautiful home is under construction, and they hope to move in December. Jim’s career has been in the insurance industry with agencies around Texas. Susie does volunteer work and plays tennis at Sweetwater. They have 5 kids: Wesley and Daniel (twins) are founders/owners of an e-commerce insurance company. (Daniel and his wife Marie have 2 girls and their 3rd baby is due in December.) Alyssa is a pediatric nurse at Dell Children's Hospital in Austin. Jonathon is in supply chain management with McLane Distribution in Dallas and is engaged to be married to Paulina Kardoush this fall. Stephen is a Junior at Strake Jesuit High School (and will walk dogs, mow yards, pick up mail or do just about any work to make a few dollars!).  The Murrays are very excited to be joining the VE community and look forward to meeting everyone! 

 

We are out of room yet still have more new-neighbor info for you! Look for another Venetian Estates News soon!

Venetian Estates News June 2021

 Real Estate and More

VE Market Update

First and foremost, please join us at our Open House at 702 Piedmont this Saturday, June 26 from 1 - 3 PM. 

Stop by to say hello and tour this beautiful 5100 square-foot home on a gorgeous ½-acre lot with a stunning view across Lake Venice. The home will go active on MLS on Thursday, and we are expecting a great turn out for the open house! We would love for you to stop by, whether you are considering a move within VE or whether you bring friends wanting to become a part of our great neighborhood. We always welcome neighbors to our open houses, as you are our best source of referrals for future clients!

We have been busy this year! Here is a recap of activity and sales in VE: Six homes/lots have sold and closed thus far in 2021. We have sold five of the six – representing either buyer, seller, or both. Two homes are pending sale, making 702 Piedmont the only available property. (To boot, this 12-year-old gem with an exceptional floor plan and open lake view is a rare find!) 

Please call us if you are considering selling. We may have just the right “buyer-in-waiting” for your home or lot. 

Neighborhood News

We were sorry to see our dear neighbor and longtime board member, Sue Frewin, move away; however, we are so happy for Sue as she is now settled near her son and other family members. We are also thrilled to have Melanie and Adam Cox as our newest neighbors in VE! Kelly met Melanie and Adam several years ago, and when Sue asked us to market her lovely home on Salerno, Kelly knew the home would be a good fit for their family! See the note below from Melanie and be sure to say hello when you spot their family on the street or on the lake!

We are so excited to be in Venetian Estates! We are the Cox family: Adam, Melanie, Cora (9years old), and Duncan (8 years old). We have three dogs, two Cavaliers, and one Beagle. My husband Adam works in the energy industry and I work in technology for Wells Fargo. Our kids attend Logos Prep and will be in 4th and 3rd grade this August. I grew up in Missouri City and have always loved VE. We’ve looked at several houses over the past few years and are so happy to have finally found a home here. We are members at Sugar Creek Country Club and play tennis and golf. After living in Sienna we are so excited about being in a small close knit neighborhood!

In addition to this sweet family, we have several other new families that we have been delighted to welcome to the neighborhood over the past several months! We have already begun preparing a new-neighbor special-edition newsletter. Look out for it soon! 

 

Market Update from HAR

We have been working at a record pace. You may have noticed this, with all our transactions in VE—a.k.a., our favorite place to work! However, we are also busy with sales in neighborhoods including Lake Pointe, Riverstone, the Hill, Sugar Mill, and inner-loop neighborhood favorites of West U and Afton Oaks. Read excerpts from a recent HAR market update for a better understanding of just how hot Houston has been (even before June weather hit!):

 

Houston area home sales set new records in May…. What resulted was a nearly 50 percent jump in sales volume compared to the same month last year. Limited supply, strong buyer demand and increased construction costs all contributed to record high home prices. 

 

Homes priced from $750,000 and above led the way in May sales volume, shattering all previous measurements with a whopping 291.0 percent year-over-year increase.