Robert Searcy's Blog

 The Houston Press  recently came out with their "Best of Houston" awards for 2009 & Glenbrook Valley was named "Best Hidden Neighborhood" for 2009.

"Back when it was laid out in 1954, Glenbrook Valley was a showpiece suburb, a mod vision of the glorious George Jetson age to come. Better Homes and Gardens even touted one of the six original Glenbrook ranchers as "the model home for all America." Unfortunately for those who bought in, Houston's march continued aggressively to the west, leaving affluent east side outposts like Hobby-area Glenbrook to wither in obscurity for decades. But now, with affordable homes on the West Side hard to find this side of Dairy Ashford, hip, young-ish Houstonians are starting to look east. And Glenbrook has a lot to offer „ it reminds us of a much more stylish Sharpstown, with houses that would do a Mad Men character proud set on lots practically the size of small farms."

                                                                         Houston Press
                                                                         September, 2009

This "nod" from the Press is one of many Glenbrook Valley has received over the last few years.   The stylish homes, large lots, beautiful trees and great values are attracting a whole new generation of residents to Glenbrook, breathing new life into this once forgotten treasure.   Interesting places are populated with interesting people, and this was never more true than in Houston's emerging east end neighborhoods. 

Vintage homes offer a unique charm and character that is hard to duplicate today.  Whether it is a Queen Anne victorian, an arts & crafts style bungalow, or a low-slung mid-century modern, each offers it's own unique architectural style & character.

Often times older homes get remodeled with finishes that are not compatible with their architectural style & character.   Owners may later live to regret hurried choices made right after moving in.  Architecturally inappropriate choices can be created by influences such as home improvement shows or even by what the new owners were accustomed to in a previous, newer home & neighborhood.   Personally the home improvement shows are a pet peeve of mine.  They are usually sponsored by one of the big-box retailers and can be nothing more than glorified 30 minute commercials for the sponsor's products.  These shows can make homeowners believe that basically old = bad, so rip out that vintage quality stuff and replace it with our shiny new materials even if they are of lesser quality and workmanship.   

If people are moving closer in from a newer suburb, they may be accustomed to finishes and trims that are appropriate for a newer traditional home, but may be at odds architecturally with certain vintage styles.  Mid-century modern homes fall victim to this very often.  Mid-century modern is more of a minimalist style.  Heavy ornamentation is not part of the look or part of the Architect's original intent for the home.  These homes can be slathered in traditional features such as victorian style leaded glass doors, crown molding & country-style kitchens.  These items only serve to detract from the clean lined look that the home is supposed to have.

These sort of things are what I call "fighting the house." People try to force a totally different design concept on a house that doesn't accept it well.  When ever you fight the house from a design standpoint, you will usually lose and end up with something that just never quite looks right.  More & more the sophisticated buyer recognizes inappropriate alterations and will not pay a higher price for someone else's "remuddling" choices.  This is especially true of mid-century modern homes.

So if you are concerned about making sure your renovations are architecturally appropriate to insure your home's value, or if you just want to see some different perspectives and resources other than the home improvement shows, where do you go?

There are a number of great resources.  For older bungalow styles there are publications like americanbungalow.com and for those in atomic era ranch style and mid-century moderns, there is atomic-ranch.com There are also a number of different web sites you can find on the web that talk about restoring older homes. Sites like retrorenovation.com and even savethepinkbathrooms.com Many sites also have home improvement message boards where you can ask questions.  One of the mid-century sites is lottaliving.com

There are also places that specialize in parts for older homes such as lighting fixtures, doorknobs, hardware, etc., that are all in keeping with the home's true character.  For more traditional bungalow styles places like restorationhardware.com offer some great options, as well as one of my personal favorites, rejuvenation.com. Rejuvenation.com has a companion site specifically for more vintage modern art deco & mid-century modern homes. That site is satellitemodern.com You can even find a brand new vintage style appliance at http://bigchillfridge.com/site/

Everyone should decorate their home in a style that reflects their own tastes & lifestyle, but it is important to educate yourself beyond just what you see on the home improvement shows.  Remember, just because something in your house isn't what is currently sitting on the shelves of your local home improvement store doesn't mean it is "dated" & bad, and just because something is the current "thing" doesn't mean it is an improvement over what you already have.  

Often times when new people "discover" Glenbrook Valley for the first time, they wonder about who is moving into the neighborhood.  If they are not familiar with the neighborhood and don't know anybody that has moved there, they don't have a point of reference.

I handle sales throughout Glenbrook as well as other close in areas throughout Houston, but I have the lion's share of my transactions in Glenbrook's northern section.  I can't name everyone that has moved in, but I do know a little about most of them!

So far in 2009 there have been 34 sales in all of Glenbrook Valley.  Evidence that the market is still okay and homes are still selling here despite the economic downturn.  I have one pending sale that will close in a few days which will raise the total to 35, 11 north of Bellfort and the balance south.

The pending sale is to a buyer relocating from Shadow Creek Ranch.  He works at one of the private airline related companies located near Hobby.  The 7 most expensive home sales in Glenbrook's upper section were all transactions I was involved in, so I would like to take a moment to welcome these new residents, along with everyone who has decided to make Glenbrook Valley their home.

A recent sale on Stony Dell Ct. went to buyers that relocated from the Eastwood area. They are involved in the family business, Frankel's costumes on Polk.  It is the largest costume retailer in the nation.  Halloween is coming up so keep them in mind!  A beautiful mid-century modern on Colgate was purchased earlier this year by a couple relocating from the Heights.  They both work as regulatory analyst for major oil companies. A Tudor style home on a large 18,000+ sf lot backing up to one of the bayou tributaries was recently purchased by a young couple relocating from the Montrose area. Another home on Glencrest was purchased by a couple relocating from within the area. He works for Lyondell Petroleum. A nice ranch style home on Montglen was also purchased by someone moving up from nearby Jackson Court.  Another home on Colgate just sold to a Vice-President of an oil & gas related company. He relocated from the Bel Aire apartments on Allen Parkway.

As word of Glenbrook Valley spreads, more & more creative class professionals are moving into the community.  It isn't surprising given the quality of the housing stock, the great trees, large lots, and close proximity to downtown, TMC, and the University of Houston.  Prices have spiked in a number of other close in areas, including other east end options like Eastwood and Idylwood, which makes Glenbrook Valley an increasingly good value.  Once the current efforts to make Glenbrook Valley Texas' first post WWII Historic District come to fruition, then hopefully we will see even more of a boost.

If you are one of the many that have been priced out of a lot of the close in neighborhoods, but simply won't live in a cookie-cutter suburb, nor will you have anything to do with the mundane town home offerings, then it may be time to give Glenbrook some serious consideration.