Looped In

A federal program is meant to give low-income families the freedom to choose where they live. But most landlords are not interested in participating, put off by requirements such as lengthy inspection periods and the prospect that the voucher might not meet them where the market is, relegating families with vouchers to the few properties that accept the housing subsidy. The Houston nonprofit NestQuest has set out to change that.

READ: Houston nonprofit tackles headaches with rent voucher program

Connect with Rebecca

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than two years after lockdowns turned downtown into an apocalyptic landscape of darkened towers and deserted streets, downtown Houston is coming back to life. While it hasn’t completely recovered yet, people are once again crowding into Astro’s games, catching concerts at Jones Hall, cruising through Discovery Green Park and converging at large events and conferences. Their return has boosted sales for hotels and some restaurants.But there’s a critical element missing: the 168,600 office workers that used to flow into the central business district every weekday. With hybrid work here to stay, the downtown economy is undergoing a fundamental shift. We sit down with Kris Larson and Angie Bertinot of Central Houston, a nonprofit focused on economic development in downtown, to discuss where the downtown is going post pandemic.

CONNECT with Marissa Luck and Rebecca Schuetz.MORE: The 5-day, in-person workweek is mostly dead. What does that mean for downtown Houston?

Houstonians are out to play, fueling a revival for downtown's hotels and venues

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas warns we may be in a housing bubble, driven by fear of missing out (FOMO) in the market as prices surge and mortgage rates rise. But it’s a tricky thing defining a bubble, and even then, bubbles don't necessarily pop — Rebecca Schuetz and Marissa Luck talk to Enrique Martinez-Garcia and Laila Assani, Dallas Fed economists, about how home prices are outstripping wages and rents and what that means for Texans.

Read the Dallas Fed paper:Real-Time Market Monitoring Finds Signs of Brewing U.S. Housing BubbleRead the story by Marissa Luck and Katherine Feser:Houston homebuyers grasping for any deal in red-hot market may get shut out by higher mortgages

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A hybrid workplace is emerging as the new normal for office workers post pandemic. But how will splitting their time between their pajamas and their pumps impact the way employees work? Can cubicles cut it anymore now that employees have grown accustomed to lounging on their patio or taking a walk on a lunch break? We talk with two thought leaders at global architecture firm Gensler’s Houston office – Dean Strombom and Vince Flickinger – about how companies are rethinking their physical space in the pandemic. Hint: It’s not just about reducing real estate footprints.

READ: Shell’s pilot office design in Houston offers a peek at the hybrid workplace of the future

More stories by Marissa Luck and Rebecca Schuetz on HoustonChronicle.com.

 

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luby’s, a cafeteria-style restaurant, is so ingrained in Texas culture that the TV series “King of the Hill” has a character named after its signature platter. So when Luby’s board voted to liquidate the brand, many were shocked. But — as Amanda Drane, who formerly covered retail for the Houston Chronicle, tells Rebecca Schuetz — liquidating Luby’s is different than Luby’s disappearing.

READ: A Chicago catering entrepreneur bought Luby's. Here's what happens next for the Houston brand.

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Exxon built its big campus north of Houston back in 2014-2015 it set off a wave of real estate development nearby in what many called 'the Exxon effect.' Now that the company is officially relocating to Houston what can we expect? Looped In co-hosts Marissa Luck and Rebecca Schuetz speak with Paul Takahashi, former energy reporter at Houston Chronicle, and Jacob Sudoff, CEO of real estate firm Douglas Elliman, about the dynamics shaping Exxon's move and what it could mean for real estate around Spring and The Woodlands.

Read about it on HoustonChronicle.com:

Exxon to move HQ to The Woodlands 

Exxon has deep roots in the Houston area 

From the archives: Here’s a look at the impact Exxon had on the Spring area in 2014-2015

More on the residential changes at CityPlace, where Exxon’s campus is located.

More on Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s new corporate headquarters opening in CityPlace. 

 

 

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meet Marissa and 2022's housing market

Things have been on the move at the Houston Chronicle. Rebecca Schuetz has switched to focus on housing, and we're welcoming a new real estate reporter to the team: Marissa Luck! Marissa answers some tough questions -- like which pet is really her favorite -- and talks about what the upcoming year has in store for the Houston housing market. Hint: It won't be a buyer’s market anytime soon.

READ: Houston's housing market soared to new heights in 2021. Will 2022 be the same?

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mayor Sylvester Turner's decision to go against staff recommendations and instead direct millions of city money to a project with ties to his longtime law partner is attracting national scrutiny. City hall reporter Dylan McGuinness and investigative reporter Mike Morris talk about how the news broke and the potential implications.

Connect with Rebecca, Dylan and Mike.

READ: Turner fires Houston housing director who accused him of 'charade' bid process to benefit developer

Turner orders review of deal at center of 'charade' claims by fired housing director

In defense of project at center of allegations, Turner goes on offense against former housing director

Harris County DA investigating deal at center of allegations against Turner

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jackie Cooper, the first female president of the Houston Black Real Estate association, has had a lot of doors slammed in her face. That didn’t prevent her from convincing homesellers, homebuilders and even Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to give Black real estate agents in Houston their business. She shares some memories after HBREA created an award in her honor.

Connect with Rebecca Schuetz.

Read: Houston Black Real Estate Association recognizes members, continues COVID aid

 

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Believe it or not, Texas real estate is being shaped by outer space. As billionaires bent on commercializing travel to the heavens base their operations in remote parts of Texas, those areas are seeing a huge influx of employees and investors. Andrea Leinfelder, the Chronicle’s space reporter, joins Looped In to discuss the impact on the local real estate market.

Tweet at Rebecca Schuetz and read her real estate reporting at HoustonChronicle.com.

Read Andrea's series Battle of the Billionaires:

Part 1) Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos' space race is heating up, and Texas gets a front-row seat

Part 2) Elon Musk brings exploding rockets and real estate to South Texas. Not everyone is happy.

Part 3) How Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin changed the small West Texas town of Van Horn

Reporter's Notebook: A squished tarantula and being followed by a Tesla: How we got the story on SpaceX and Blue Origin

Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices