Every time I think real estate in The Woodlands has jumped the shark, it gets out-done.

A $1.3 million townhouse/condo ($324/sq. ft.) with a "virtual renovation" of the kitchen.

https://www.har.com/homedetail/2-secluded-trl-spring-tx-77380/12777646

It seems that I am missing the virtual renovation... that looks like the actual kitchen.

It's the one where they photoshopped the cabinets white and put in a different fan.

I wish I knew all I needed to renovate a kitchen was a paintbrush and screwdriver. It would've saved me months of plumbing, tile, drywall, and carpentry work!

And there will be some old couple that wants to downsize but still host their grown children while also hating the idea of lawn care.

Only takes one sucker.

one MEEN Ag said:

---

And there will be some old couple that wants to downsize but still host their grown children while also hating the idea of lawn care.

Only takes one sucker.

---

4000 sq ft downsizing.

Is that actually a condo/townhome, or did the agent just screw up the listing?

It's connected on one side

I've heard plenty of older folks talk about 'downsizing' and then they wind up buying a house as big or bigger than they have. Lots of what if's about having their kids, spouses, and grandkids all in the same house.

It's the lawn that winds up getting smaller, that's it.

one MEEN Ag said:

---

I've heard plenty of older folks talk about 'downsizing' and then they wind up buying a house as big or bigger than they have. Lots of what if's about having their kids, spouses, and grandkids all in the same house.

It's the lawn that winds up getting smaller, that's it.

---

We upsized from 4 to 5 bedrooms when our youngest left for college.

Have to make room for grandkids.

FincAg said:

---

Have to make room for grandkids.

---

The grandkids being raised in apartments because their parents can't compete financially with the grandparents keep driving up prices on big houses they don't need?

Ol_Ag_02 said:

---

one MEEN Ag said:

---

And there will be some old couple that wants to downsize but still host their grown children while also hating the idea of lawn care.

Only takes one sucker.

---

4000 sq ft downsizing.

---

It's a thing here. All the retired folks "downsize" to 3000-4000 sq ft. And then cram the smaller house full of ALL the stuff they had in the bigger house.

We helped quite a few people clean out after Harvey (a small part of my 'hood flooded), and I saw house after house like that.

I'm tired of all the photoshopped house pics, though. It's like seeing a picture of a Kardashian - I'm getting to the point where I don't think any of it is real.

During covid, it quickly drove home the point that rooms go quick. I could come up with good uses for 3 extra bedrooms and another garage.

one MEEN Ag said:

---

During covid, it quickly drove home the point that rooms go quick. I could come up with good uses for 3 extra bedrooms and another garage.

---

1 master
2 guest rooms
1 gun room
1 junk room / potential office if I wasn't so lazy

1 master
1 old master (office)
2 kids rooms
DEN - Old school gaming room (Pong-PS2/Xbox gen)
Garage - able to fit the correct number of cars

That would be a fun vacation house, but I can't imagine living there.

That house would kill it as an AirBnB. I don't think that neighborhood would allow it though.

My gated, HOA-having, super uptight subdivision has an Airbnb. Lots of folks are super angry about it. Attorneys say there's not a thing we can do about it.

Ghosts? That house was built in 1974.

Yeah, I was thinking that keeping the wood on the walls but painting most of the walls would be a big transformation. A little research before painting could help a buyer to updated while keeping it somewhat historically accurate for the colonial era the builder was obviously trying to copy.

I mean, you've already got ceiling fans, kitchen appliances, pool, and garages with automatic openers, and running water.

See, my HOA just tightened the reigns on short term rentals. In the original covenants (way before any of this caught on) , there was a line about no renters less than 30 days. They've voted and expanded those powers recently to make it more ironclad. I would like to hear what the attorney said makes it 'nothing you can do about it'

Just getting on Airbnb I can see some people still do it. No outside pictures. Telling people to stay quiet and act cool.

I personally don't see the appeal of it where I am in the suburbs. For how low the rents are, just not worth it.

Our HOA said this in response to complaints:

Quote:

---

The Texas Supreme Court, highest court in Texas, ruled 9-0, over turning a lower court and appellate court ruling that a short-term lease (such as AirB&B) is treated just like any other lease. An HOA cannot make specific rules for short term leases

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/25/airbnb-homeaway-texas-supreme-court-ken-paxton-austin-ordinance/

---

combat wombat said:

---

Our HOA said this in response to complaints:

Quote:

---

The Texas Supreme Court, highest court in Texas, ruled 9-0, over turning a lower court and appellate court ruling that a short-term lease (such as AirB&B) is treated just like any other lease. An HOA cannot make specific rules for short term leases

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/25/airbnb-homeaway-texas-supreme-court-ken-paxton-austin-ordinance/

---

---

But they can require a copy of every lease and if setup from the beginning have a minimum length. The requiring of a copy of every lease normally kills AirB&Bs.

I just lightly skimmed that but it applies to a local government, not an HOA.

It seems to talk about two different institutions. One is a private HOA in San Antonio and the other is the city of austin. Looks like the ruling was for the HOA case in San Antonio, but will have broad reaching effects on city governments since slapping an HOA in place is a private contract compared to a city government.

Here's the actual caselaw summary

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/tx-supreme-court/1896622.html

Seems to be that the offending deed restrictions did NOT state a minimum occupancy period. So if your deed restrictions/covenants have a minimum lease term when you bought & agreed, that is still binding. If your covenant did not have any language describing the minimum lease length, and instead just said you can only use a residential property for residential purposes, it looks like you can rent the whole house out (not room by room, or operate as a hotel).

combat wombat said:

---

This is completely unexpected. It's in the Champions area in Houston. It's certainly NOT like every other McMansion around it.



"Histioric" home in the middle of Champions.

---

Somebody took the whole bicentennial thing way too seriously!

Cool period kitchen



https://www.redfin.com/TX/Austin/2100-E-Cesar-Chavez-St-78702/home/31364046