Nancy Sarnoff

Favorite vacation home spots of Houstonians

blog.chron.com — The photos show properties in the top vacation-home spots for Houstonians, based on a search analysis from real estate website Trulia. "People tend to look at vacation areas close to home rather than across the country," said Trulia's chief economist Jed Kolko in his blog post on the topic .

Area hotels win mayor's praise in Super Bowl victory

houstonchronicle.com — Area hotels win praise in Super Bowl victory Speaking to the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston at The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa, Parker praised the industry's role in gaining the coveted bid this week and touted the city's continuing efforts to attract more visitors.

See how fast homes are selling in Houston

blog.chron.com — If you haven't noticed, homes are selling fast in Houston. The term "flash sale" is way more common than ever before. It's when a house goes under contract within the first 24 hours of being listed. Last month, there were 106 flash sales in the Houston area, according to Seattle-based real estate firm Redfin, which has been studying the speed of housing markets.

Houston growth shows no sign of waning

houstonchronicle.com — Among large American cities, only New York added more people than Houston in the year ending July 1, 2012, according to new census figures released Thursday. Margaret Drain, a senior researcher at Houston Community College, said the strong growth in Houston and other Texas cities was not surprising. [...]

High-tech building takes the “green” concept to a new level

blog.chron.com — A story in today's Chronicle highlights a small private school in Spring Branch that's taking the green building concept to a new level. These photos show a new classroom under construction on the grounds of the Monarch School, which is seeking Living Building certification for the small building that will operate with solar and wind power and geothermal heat and cooling.

Taco Milagro to close May 26

blog.chron.com — Taco Milagro, the Schiller Del Grande restaurant on Kirby, will close on Sunday, May 26, the restaurant group announced Wednesday. "A lot has happened to Kirby in the past decade," said Candice Schiller, one of the partners of the Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Taco Milagro at Kirby and Westheimer.

The mystery of the really short diner stools

blog.chron.com — The Triple A Restaurant next to the Airline Farmers' Market is a charming throw-back. They serve chicken fried steak, homemade biscuits, rolls and cornbread, and lemon meringue pie. One element in the diner is a mystery: The stools at the counter are incredibly short. "I don't know why," said Triple A's co-owner Cecil Schmidt.

Median home price hits all-time high

blog.chron.com — The dwindling supply of homes on the market and a surge in million-dollar housing activity sent the Houston-area median home price into record high territory in April, a new report shows.

Unique housing project rising in Spring Branch

blog.chron.com — This stretch of close-together single-family homes - each with an individualized look - stands out in a Spring Branch neighborhood of older, moderate-income housing. InTown Homes is developing the project, called Kolbe Farms, which appears to be following the guidelines of new urbanism with front porches and rear garage access.

Houston home prices look solid, not bubbly

houstonchronicle.com — With so many stories about Houstonians selling their homes within days and properties going for well above their asking prices, it would be natural to wonder if Houston might be in a housing bubble - or at least headed toward one.