Houston Named Top Value Destination by Hotwire.com, Budget Travel

Houston Named Top Value Destination by Hotwire.com, Budget Travel

Travelers get more for their money in America's fourth largest city. 

 

Just in time for the summer travel season, the Hotwire Travel Value Index named Houston one of the top 10 cities in the U.S. where consumers can find the best combination of value, entertainment options and attractions throughout 2011. This announcement comes just three months after Budget Travel magazine named Houston one of the hottest budget travel destinations in the world for 2011.

The Hotwire Travel Value Index is based on a statistical model combining both in-house and third-party research. Hotwire evaluates the top 75 U.S. leisure markets, rating them across three individual categories to generate an overall ranking for consumer vacation value. The formula includes:

• Low prices on air, rental car and hotel (50 percent of overall score)
• Discounts on air, rental car and hotel (25 percent of overall score)
• Affordable entertainment (25 percent of overall score)

Months in the making, Budget Travel's annual list of the hottest budget destinations focuses on destinations that are "as fun as they are affordable." The magazine's editors chose Houston as one of only two U.S. destinations on the list-the other is the Gulf Coast-citing the city's extraordinary value, particularly in its hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Houston Value

• Per Hotels.com's Hotel Price Index, the average price per room per night in Houston in 2010 was $106.94, compared with Austin ($116.76), Chicago ($133.93), Washington DC ($140.43), New Orleans ($132.27), NYC ($194.14), Los Angeles ($116.76) and San Francisco ($125.81). U.S. average is $114.

• According to a 2010 survey by Zagat, the average meal in Houston costs $32.53. Average in Dallas is $35.03, Chicago $35.17, Washington DC $35.13., NYC $41.81, Los Angeles $34.95, Miami $39.86. U.S. national average is $35.10. There are 8,000 restaurants in Houston with culinary choices representing more than 35 countries and American regions. Houstonians dine out more than residents in any other city, 4.0 times a week compared with national average of 3.2.

• A Houston CityPASS (which includes access to the Houston Zoo, Houston Museum of Natural Science,Space Center Houston and more) is less expensive than CityPASSes in all other cities ($39 in Houston vs. $79 in New York, $69 in Chicago, $59 in Philadelphia and $74 in Atlanta).

• With the United/Continental merger, Houston is now the largest hub for the world's largest airline. The Houston Airport System services 113 U.S. and 67 international destinations.

Houston For Free

• Ten museums in the Museum District-including the globally renowned Menil Collection-are free all the time. An additional seven museums - including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Children's Museum of Houston- have dedicated free times each week.

• Miller Outdoor Theatre might be one of the best reasons to visit (and live in!) Houston. Open from March through November, the venue hosts a range of performances including classical music, ballet, dance, film, Shakespeare and more.

• Downtown's new 12-acre Discovery Green park has something going on all the time. In the spring and fall, spend happy hour listening to local musicians perform in the amphitheater and pick up fresh produce at the Green Market on Sundays.

• Dubbed the Garage Mahal, the Art Car Museum is unlike anything you've ever imagined. It's the only place you'll find the antennae and wing-cloaked Roachster or the Honda motorcycle that has been transformed into a shiny red rolling stiletto art car.

• The Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark is the creme de la creme of the grinding and boarding world. The $2.2 million, state-of-the-art facility-thought to contain the largest cradle in the world-is located close to downtown, near Eleanor Tinsley Park.

• Tucked on the west side of Memorial park is the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, a 155-acre nature sanctuary that educates visitors on how to protect native plants and animals in the city. Walk the center's five miles of trails and visit the sanctuary's interactive exhibits free of charge.

• Set sail on a free, 90-minute boat tour of the Port of Houston. While on board the 90-passenger boat, you'll learn about the history of the seaport and be able to watch ocean freighters and barges navigate the 50-mile channel. The tour is free, but reservations are required.

• Situated inside downtown's Sam Houston Park, the Heritage Society Museum is the city's only interactive, outdoor museum. The site features structures dating back to the 1820s, including a 4th-ward cottage and a Greek revival house build for Rice University founder William Marsh Rice. The museum itself is free, but guided tours are $6.

• Set in Houston's Third Ward, Project Row Houses is a nonprofit art initiative aimed at creating a positive place for local artists to work. Some of the shotgun-style houses are dedicated to art and photography, while others are devoted to the literary and performing arts.

More
More than 70 special offers-from ticket deals and hotel packages to restaurant perks and transportation promos-are live on www.VisitHoustonTexas.com.

Houston in Two Minutes

Rendez-Vous Houston: 25 years later

HoustonSERVICE.org

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston Mayor Annise Parker announced today the launch of a local volunteer program and an accompanying website.

Related Content

MORE: HoustonSERVICE.org website

Houston SERVICE was developed to address three areas of need in Houston: youth development, veterans' affairs, and CPR readiness. The organization is also launching www.HoustonSERVICE.org to provide details on the service plan, its initiatives, and other ways for Houstonians to become involved in volunteer activities.

"This grant enables the city of Houston to help both Houstonians with big hearts and organizations in great need of volunteers, especially those that focus on at-risk youth, veteran outreach and heart health," said Mayor Annise Parker. "I thank both Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Rockefeller Foundation for funding the city of Houston as a Cities of Service Leadership Grant recipient, and look forward to seeing the impact of Houston SERVICE."

After assessing Houston's existing service efforts in top-priority categories and collaborating closely with community partners, three volunteer impact initiatives were developed:

• After-School Zones: This initiative seeks to increase both the number of mentors engaged with the city's at-risk youth and the number of young people who are able to participate in academically rich after-school programming
• Houston Veterans Continuing Service: The veterans' initiative will offer peer-to-peer mentoring support to help 250-500 newly returning combat veterans reintegrate successfully into civilian life over two years
• Everyone Can be a Lifesaver: Recognizing heart disease and stroke as the nation's leading causes of death, this initiative will train citizens how to perform effective bystander CPR using compressions only. These volunteer trainers pledge to teach compression-only CPR to five others, which will impact the entire Houston population by having more residents ready to respond to instances of cardiac arrest.

Houston SERVICE is the product of a six-month assessment and consultation process that brought many diverse groups to the table, including non-profit organizations, schools, colleges, private sector partners, public agencies, faith-based groups and citizens.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

RE/MAX is a company built on the promise of exceptional customer service. Whether you are selling your home or searching for that special place to call your own, you deserve to work with someone who has your best interests in mind. I realize that something as valuable as your trust must be earned.

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Whatever your particular real estate need, I'll work hard to make sure that you are completely satisfied. I have the knowledge, experience, and dedication that it takes to get results.

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Commericial Real Estate In Houston

Commercial Real Estate in Houston

Houston commercial real estate activity is measured by including outright purchase of a property; owner to buyer, property leasing and property subleasing. Sublease space figures are generally not included in statistics that evaluate commercial space vacancy rates, but nevertheless can substantially impact the commercial real estate marketplace.

Houston’s commercial real estate includes office space, warehouse, manufacturing, distribution, research and development space. Although some five million square feet of additional industrial space has been added to Houston’s commercial real estate sector this past year (2009,) and an additional one million square feet is under construction or scheduled for construction so far this year, vacancy rates continue to rise, and many new projects are on hold.

This year could be a perfect time for companies now in a position to purchase or lease commercial space to take advantage of the many concessions sellers and landlords are willing to offer, particularly before demand eventually begins to equal supply. Tenants looking to sublease space are another source of supply that expanding companies can look to for discount rental agreements.

With nearly 1,000 office buildings in Houston offering concessions for leasing or subleasing office space, many young companies with limited budgets now have the opportunity to establish an office presence in prime locations they might ordinarily have been priced out of. Now is a particularly opportune time to negotiate a lease, since projections appear to be favorable for a strong revitalization of the Houston commercial marketplace towards year end. And don’t overlook the fact that in many cases landlords are competing with their own tenants who could be subleasing their space at substantially lower rates

Compliments of VIP Realty

Houston Luxury Home Sales Surge, Overall Market Dips

According to Houston Biz Journal,

Luxury home sales in the Houston area surged last month in comparison with February 2010.

The sale of luxury homes also elevated the average and median single-family home price to the highest level ever for a February, according to findings released Tuesday by the Houston Association of Realtors based on monthly multiple listing service data.

A total of 208 homes priced at $500,000 and above traded last month in the Houston area, up 28.4 percent from 162 homes sold in February 2010 in the same price range.

The single-family median sales price rose to $151,900, 3.9 percent higher than the $146,200 median price in February 2010.

Sales in the high-end and low-end portion of the market rose last month, but overall home sales dropped again last month following an increase in January that was the first uptick in seven months.

A total of 3,257 single-family homes sold last month, a 2.2 percent decrease from the February 2010 results. The average price for a single-family home was $214,039 last month, 6.6 percent higher than the $200,867 average recorded in February 2010.

A total of 21.5 percent of all property sales last month were foreclosures with a median price of $79,000.

The percentage of foreclosure sales dropped from January, when they made up 24.7 percent of all property sales.

Read more: Houston luxury home sales surge, overall market dips | Houston Business Journal 

RE/MAX is a company built on the promise of exceptional customer service. Whether you are selling your home or searching for that special place to call your own, you deserve to work with someone who has your best interests in mind. I realize that something as valuable as your trust must be earned.

I strive daily to live on the basis of Honesty, Integrity, and Trust.

Whatever your particular real estate need, I'll work hard to make sure that you are completely satisfied. I have the knowledge, experience, and dedication that it takes to get results.

I am NEVER too busy for your referrals...

Brian Mitchell, 713-447-0963, brianamitchell@remax.net

What's the status of Houston's housing market?

Erik Barajas
More: Bio, E-mail, Facebook, News Team

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A new report shows that median home prices in Houston rose to the highest levels ever recorded in the month of February. So why is Houston bucking the national trend?

It's sort of a mixed bag when you look at the new numbers. The single family median sales price is 3.9 percent, but sales were slightly down. And as we head in to peak buying season, experts wonder how high gas prices factor in.

The signs are in the yards and realtors are making showings, but the greater Houston area housing market is still waiting to take off.
Comparing February of 2010 to February of this year, prices are up but fewer homes were sold. However, real estate brokers say last year's federal tax credit -- offered from February to April -- helped provide an artificial boost.

"We see those numbers returning to more of a normal market. Losing the tax credit had a huge impact on those numbers to date," said Kenya Burrell with Burell Holtzapple Neal Properties.
Home sales are down 4.2 percent, but the average prices jumped 6.6 percent. However, a new wildcard is entering the market as the peak home buying season begins. Gas prices are nearing $4.
Serious buyers will keep searching amid high gas prices, but first time home buyers stretching their budgets may hold off.

"Is it going to hit four dollars again? Probably. Is that going to affect what people are going to looking for? It probably will," H.A.R Vice Chairman Danny Frank said.

Yet, real estate experts see another bright spot in the greater Houston area.
According to the Texas Work Force Commission's latest numbers, people are finding work in the Houston- Sugarland-Baytown area.

From January of 2010 to January of 2011, 56,600 jobs were added.
"At this time with the strong economy in Houston, we are definitely seeing transfers from out of state, as well as from out of the country coming into Houston with employment," Burell said.
Brokers also lament, in terms of pricing and low interest rates, it's a buyers' market.
"You might not make as much today as you made three or four years ago. That's true. But you can now buy more house for that same dollar," Frank said.
Experts say another strong sign was that homes ranging from $250,000-500,000 rose more than 10 percent.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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RE/MAX is a company built on the promise of exceptional customer service. Whether you are selling your home or searching for that special place to call your own, you deserve to work with someone who has your best interests in mind. I realize that something as valuable as your trust must be earned.

I strive daily to live on the basis of Honesty, Integrity, and Trust.

Whatever your particular real estate need, I'll work hard to make sure that you are completely satisfied. I have the knowledge, experience, and dedication that it takes to get results.

I am NEVER too busy for your referrals...

Brian Mitchell, 713-447-0963, brianamitchell@remax.net