Episode – Houstonius

Starting January 1, 2026, real estate brokers in Texas are legally mandated to secure a written agreement before showing a residential property to a potential buyer. This regulation, established by the Texas Occupations Code, ensures that the relationship between the agent and the client is clearly defined prior to any tours. Depending on whether the broker is representing the individual or simply...

What are the key changes in the HUD memorandum? According to the provided sources, the HUD memorandum issued on May 22 introduces several shifts in how assistance animal accommodation requests are handled, even though the core legal framework remains the same. The key changes highlighted in the memorandum include: HUD Enforcement Interpretation: There is a change in how HUD interprets the enforcem...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development no longer requires landlords to waive pet policies for untrained emotional support animals. HUD has determined that requests to waive pet policies for animals trained to perform specific disability-related services are reasonable, but requests to waive pet policies for untrained ESAs are not. HUD no longer expects housing providers to extend acc...

 June 7, 2026 at 12:48 AM Reasons that real estate owners can get help from a real estate broker to help sell their real estate property Selling a property is often one of the largest financial transactions a person will make, and the process has a lot of moving parts. While some owners consider selling on their own (FSBO, or "For Sale By Owner"), partnering with a licensed real estate broker prov...

Produced at the Poodle Ranch concerning emotional support animals, are landlords given exceptions under FHA rules, if the building only has 4 apartments Yes, under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), there is a specific exception that can apply to buildings with four or fewer units. This is commonly known as the "Mrs. Murphy Exemption." However, the exception only applies if certain criteria are m...

Must a prospective apartment tenant be treated differently if that prospective tenant has an emotional support animal Yes, under both federal and Texas fair housing laws, a prospective tenant with an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) must be treated differently than a standard pet owner. In the eyes of the law, an ESA is not a pet; it is considered an "assistance animal" (a medical tool), similar to...

Sixth degree Black Belt in Real Estate? Last week I attended the funeral of the “Father of American Karate” Allen Steen. It was attended by a group of karate notables including a dozen 10th degree black belts and several grand masters. He got his black belt while attending the University of Texas in Austin in 1963. He became a 10th degree black belt and he defeated Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis, well...

In October 2025, this month, my client closed the purchase of a commercial property worth approximately $1,650,000 in southwest Houston.  Negotiations took approximately 3 weeks, because buyer and seller were sometimes traveling.  Neither buyer nor seller appeared motivated, but they were.  The broker representing the seller was professional and helpful. There had been other purchase offers from o...

Lester Langdon here.  In the past, several of my clients have had problems with squatters.  Here is a recent article from the Fort Worth Star Telegram, written by Tiffani Jackson Here’s what Texas’ new squatter laws mean for landlords, tenants and homeowners It’s a nightmare scenario for homeowners — discovering that someone has taken up residence in your property without permission, and finding o...

The Approaching Commercial Real Estate Financial Crisis: A Looming Threat for Lenders and Borrowers As the commercial real estate (“CRE”) market braces for a potential financial crisis in 2025, the landscape is riddled with uncertainty, creating a precarious situation for investors and stakeholders alike. A high volume of commercial mortgages are set to mature (estimated at $950 billion over the n...

Spotting Signs of Fraud Overview: This briefing document summarizes the key themes and important information presented in the PetScreening article "Spotting the Signs of ESA Fraud." The article addresses the increasing trend of individuals attempting to fraudulently pass off their pets as assistance animals (Emotional Support Animals - ESAs) to avoid pet fees and restrictions in rental housing. It...

The real estate industry is experiencing a growing misalignment between what agents believe about private listing networks (PLNs) and what consumers actually want. While 64% of agents say PLNs benefit sellers, a significant 81% of consumers express a clear preference for their home to be listed publicly and for free on widely accessible platforms like Zillow, Realtor.com, or Redfin. Additionally,...

Briefing Document: Converting Houston Offices into Micro-Housing Subject: Feasibility of Converting Vacant Houston Office Space into Affordable Micro-Apartments Source: "Study proposes converting Houston offices into micro-housing - InnovationMap" (CultureMap, Feb 24, 2025) Executive Summary: A recent study by Pew Charitable Trust and Gensler suggests converting vacant office buildings in Houston...

Source: Excerpts from "Motel to Apartment Conversion Deal | Commercial Property Advisors" Main Theme: The document highlights a real-world example of a successful motel to apartment conversion project, emphasizing the potential for creating affordable housing with strong returns through strategic commercial real estate investing. It focuses on the win-win nature of commercial deals, the power of s...

Briefing Document: Office-to-Residential Conversions in Texas D Subject: Analysis of "What's Holding Back Office-to-Residential Conversions in Texas?" - Texas Real Estate Research Center Source: Texas Real Estate Research Center Website, Article: "What’s Holding Back Office-to-Residential Conversions in Texas?" by Harold D. Hunt, Feb 13, 2025 Executive Summary: This briefing document summarizes th...

B Executive Summary: The Houston multifamily market in Q4 2024 demonstrated steady, albeit mixed, performance. Overall occupancy remained flat at 88.6%, despite positive net absorption, indicating a balance between demand and new supply. Rent growth, while slightly down quarter-over-quarter, showed positive year-over-year gains, outperforming other major Texas metros. The construction pipeline is...

Produced by Lester Langdon Texas Commercial Real Estate Briefing: Key Themes and Insights This briefing analyzes recent trends in Texas commercial real estate, focusing on office space dynamics, drawing primarily from the Texas Real Estate Research Center (TRERC) "Commercial Roundup" article dated January 6, 2025. Key Themes: Flight to Quality: Post-COVID, tenants are prioritizing premium office s...

riefing Doc: Cost to Build an Apartment Complex in 2025 Source: Excerpts from "Cost to Build an Apartment Complex in 2025: Apartment Building Cost Calculator" by Daniel Di Cerbo, Willowdale Equity Main Themes: Rising Costs: The cost of building an apartment complex in 2025 is significantly impacted by rising labor and material costs, supply chain disruptions, and inflation. This trend is expected...

Okay, here's a detailed briefing document summarizing the key themes and ideas from the provided text: Briefing Document: Commercial Office Real Estate Market Downturn D Subject: Analysis of the current state of the commercial office real estate market, focusing on price declines, influencing factors, and potential future trends. Executive Summary: The commercial office real estate market, particu...

Okay, here's a briefing document summarizing the key themes and information from the provided text about the apartment building lending market: Briefing Document: Apartment Building Lending Risks Subject: Emerging Risks in Apartment Building Lending Market Prepared For: [Intended audience, e.g., Investment Committee, Executive Team] Executive Summary: This document analyzes the current situation i...

On real estate property .. Buying or selling… What items comprise the price of real estate ? Let us start by knowing that I started giving online info and blogs more than ten years ago in text, audio and video. This year my world changed due to tongue cancer. I can talk with you on the phone if you are patient and listen carefully and is I work to speak clearly. Sometimes my words are not clear du...

Nam and Nick purchased a new construction three plex multifamily property near the Texas Medical Center and Herman Park. During the Option feasibility inspection period we expected requested and expected to receive the City of Houston Multifamily Dept Certificate of Occupancy. Seller's listing broker never delivered the Certificate of Occupancy. He told me the reason was that City required an inte...

The Zombie virus temporarily stalled the pace of real estate transactions.  All people with roles in the transaction were in the bunker …. Waiting and waiting and waiting. Now it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel and we can venture to investigate transactions. I am noticing a permanent change to the real estate shopping process. The property marketing is now Live online and then pre-re...

Several clients with properties have phoned to get my opinion on the status of prices and rental rates?  I am hunkered in the bunker for the last 4 weeks, but am watching the real estate markets. My answer to current market conditions is …. Too soon to tell. I do not know why? Several owners have asked how to handle  tenants who do not pay rent due to Covid virus challenges.  I have promulgated fo...

Questions Did the Corona Zombie Virus change the market or was it just the Black Swan? What were the market characteristics before the Black Swan? Would the market have pulled back looking for any excuse? Any black swan? What will the real estate market look like going forward?  How will home buyers and seller act or react? How will real estate investors act? And how does that change prices? Who a...