Our President, Mariana Saldaña shared a splendid evening with Houston Gateway magazine’s fabulous team, Gino Demeneghi, Director of Canacintra Houston, Carlos Villanueva Quiros of Fiscorp, with Christian Macias of Berkshire Hathway, with Barbara Teran of Vogue, Claudia Huerta of Frontier Title Co., with Hector Villarreal of LUCHO, and Derek Darnell and Robert Bland of Pelican Builders in an excellent cocktail offered by The Wilshire “High Rise Condos” at River Oaks District.




The Wilshire

The Wilshire is a high-rise residence sited at the River Oaks District. Every aspect of its inspired architecture, thoughtful design and modern efficiency simplify the lives of residents while rewarding them with a richly layered luxury lifestyle.

While modern in its origins, The Wilshire departs from the strict rigor of modernism to create undeniably welcoming and livable spaces. The building’s footprint maximizes the availability of natural light and creates numerous corners for balconies with enviable views of the surrounding skyline. Natural materials and finishes create an inviting sense of warmth. Millwork and fixtures exhibit flourishes that add a touch of glamour to the modern lines that flow from interior to exterior.

Meticulously designed by the award-winning Kirksey Architects, The Wilshire epitomizes the best of luxury high-rise living.

Each residence at The Wilshire showcases both classic and modern influences, abundant natural light, open living areas, large master closets and the finishes and fixtures needed to delight, rather than merely satisfy the most refined buyer.

THE RESIDENCES

  • SieMatic European cabinetry
  • Wolf cook-tops and ovens
  • Sub Zero built-in refrigerator/freezer
  • Sub Zero wine chillers with multi-zone temperatures
  • Elegant yet durable composite slab counter-tops
  • Seven inch wide plank hardwood flooring in all living areas/hallways
  • Two-paneled styled solid core interior doors
  • Exquisite door hardware by Emtek
  • Pre-wired for home automation of shades/curtains and audio/video
  • Signature Kohler plumbing fixtures
  • Over-sized his/her master bedroom closets
  • Powder rooms and private water closets in all residences F – N

THE BUILDING

  • All common area spaces uniquely designed by Kirksey Architecture
  • Commanding views of the Galleria area and Downtown
  • Furnished with a designer palette of materials and furnishings that invoke warmth, style and sophistication
  • Lobby (Level 1) amenities feature a grand space including a library/morning room with a semi-private gathering lounge appointed with a wine storage motif; all spaces enjoy a ground level courtyard view to create an indoor/outdoor atmosphere
  • Residents can enjoy the Lobby for quiet time, a casual meeting place or reserve the space for functions or intimate gatherings
  • Storage units available for purchase

THE AMENITIES


  • Two guest suites appointed with lounge and separate bedroom/bath available for rental on level two
  • 24 Hour staffed concierge desk
  • Valet parking for residents and guests
  • Over-sized swimming pool with sun shelf located on 4th floor amenity level
  • Poolside covered outdoor pavilion available for entertaining
  • Four pool-side private cabanas available for resident relaxation
  • Paved pathways with multiple secondary outdoor gathering areas
  • 4th floor amenity level features fitness room, resident lounge, catering kitchen plus a private meeting/dining room in addition to pool deck access.





For more information give us a call at 713.629.7771 or email us at info@uptownhouston.com. We’ll be glad to assist you.



Source & Photos: www.houstongateway.com / The Wilshire







Gray interiors are growing in popularity, holding the edge on most popular hue for the second year for home interiors, according to the Paint Quality Institute.

“It’s understated and sophisticated,” according to the Paint Quality Institute in a 2015 color trends report. “And most tints and shades of gray are ‘chameleon’ colors that change appearance when the light changes, so they provide enormous visual interest.”

Part of the gray appeal is that the color can go with just about any other color, an easy on the eyes neutral that home buyers will appreciate too. Gray paired with other neutrals – like white, off-white, beige, taupe, soft blue, or black – can also provide a tranquil color scheme for an interior space, particularly for family rooms and bedrooms, according to the Paint Quality Institute. Many shades of gray are popular too, from silver tints to gunmetal, charcoal, and slate.

“Grays that contain traces of warm hues like red, yellow, or brown seem cozier, and partner best with warm companion colors,” the Paint Quality Institute notes. “On the other hand, grays that have hints of blue or green seem cooler and more austere, so they are inherently more compatible with colors on the cooler side of the spectrum.”


Transitional Living Room by Markham Interior Designers & Decorators Jennifer Brouwer (Jennifer Brouwer Design Inc)


Beach Style Living Room by Portland Photographers Tara Bussema – Neat Organization and Design


Contemporary Bedroom by Sandy Media & Bloggers Michelle Hinckley
Traditional Bedroom by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Brian Dittmar Design, Inc.

Source: REALTOR® Magazine. Author: Melissa Dittmann Tracey


References:

Wall colors showcased on the photos in the article:
Photo 1: Benjamin Moore – Coventry Grey HC 169
Photo 2: Baby Seal by Dunn Edwards (DE6361)
Photo 3: “Evening Hush” by Behr



HomePlus Mortgage topped LendingTree's list of top 10 customer-rated lenders in the second quarter.

LendingTree, an online marketplace offering information on more than 350 lenders nationwide, allowed customers to rate lenders based on satisfaction in mortgage rates, fees and closing costs, responsiveness, customer service, as well as overall experience.

"Congratulations to our Q2 winners," says Sam Mischner, senior vice president at LendingTree. "We are thrilled to see a mix of new and returning lenders on this top ten list.  With the addition of 30 new lenders in the quarter, we had more lenders than ever in contention for these top spots. The biggest takeaway is that our lending partners are emphasizing customer satisfaction, making borrowers the real winners."

The following lenders topped LendingTree's list for the second quarter:
  1. HomePlus Mortgage
  2. Triumph Lending
  3. First Midwest Bank
  4. Allied Mortgage Group, Inc
  5. J.G. Wentworth Home Lending Inc. (formerly known as WestStar Mortgage, Inc.)
  6. Insight Loans
  7. Intelliloan
  8. Pulaski Bank Home Lending
  9. Reliant Bank Mortgage Services
  10. Ditech Mortgage Corporation


 Source: LendingTree / Realtor Mag






The Energy Outlook — After two months of relative stability, crude prices fell significantly in July. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the U.S. benchmark for light, sweet crude, opened the month at $59.30 on the NYMEX spot market. When the final bell rang and markets closed on July 31, WTI had slipped to $47.20, a decline of $12.10, or 20.4 percent. 

Crude prices fell for a variety of reasons: 
  • Growing concern over slowing growth in China: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts the Chinese economy will grow 6.8 percent in ’15, down from 7.4 percent in ’14 and from double-digit growth as recently as ’10. Slower growth translates into weaker demand for oil. China’s oil consumption is slated to increase only 2.5 percent this year, compared to 3.3 percent last year and 16.8 percent in the boom year of ’04. 
  • Anxiety over the lifting of Iranian sanctions: Iran will likely boost exports by 500,000 barrels per day once sanctions are lifted later this year or early next. Within a year, ex-ports could climb to 1 million barrels per day. Iran also has 40 million barrels of crude in storage that could quickly flood the market once sanctions are lifted. 
  • Marginal declines in domestic production: The North American rig count has been cut in half, but the reduction has not impacted crude output. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates the nation produced 9.6 million barrels of oil per day in June, up from 8.9 million barrels when the rig count peaked in September. 
  • Stubbornly high inventories: Analysts had expected crude stockpiles to shrink as re-fineries revved up for the summer driving season. The inventory reductions have been marginal, however. Crude in storage peaked at 483 million barrels in April, slipping to 466 million barrels in June. That’s still well above the 384 million barrels in June last year. As vacations end and refineries begin their fall maintenance programs, inventories are likely to rise again. 


A World Awash in Crude — EIA estimates the world currently produces 95.7 million barrels, consumes 93.1 million barrels, and generates a surplus of 2.6 million barrels of oil per day. Ironically, the 2.6 million barrel surplus equates to U.S. production growth over the past two years. Production continues to flow despite low prices. Collectively, Angola, Canada, China, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom pumped 2 million barrels more in April ’15 than they did in April ’14. For some, it’s a case of holding onto market share; for others, the need to offset in volume what they’ve lost in price.

A similar story is playing out at home, with several firms (e.g., Anadarko, Marathon, Noble Energy) reporting they’ve managed to boost production even though they’ve slashed their exploration budgets. And even though the rig count has plummeted 57 percent from the peak in the Eagle Ford, 56 percent in the Bakken, and 64 percent in the Permian, out-put in the nation’s three most prolific basins has fallen less than 2 percent. The reason: better technology, more experience drilling and fracking, and a keener understanding of the geology associated with tight oil. Five years ago, initial production from an Eagle Ford well averaged 102 barrels per day. In June this year, initial production averaged 717 barrels per day, according to data from the EIA.

The increased production has not flowed to the bottom line, however. Exxon, the biggest U.S. energy producer, recently reported its lowest quarterly profit since ’09. Chevron posted its worst quarter in 12 years. Earnings from Shell Oil’s upstream business fell 80 percent compared to the same quarter last year. And many independents such as ConocoPhillips, Marathon, and Chesapeake reported outright losses for the quarter.

Prior to the downturn, conventional wisdom held that the typical well in the Eagle Ford would be profitable as long as oil remained above $70 per barrel. Oil hasn’t traded above that level since November ’14. As prices fell, exploration firms demanded price concessions from the service firms, and the break-even point fell as well. Some E&P companies boasted their wells could make a profit at $50 and even $40 per barrel. The importance of that metric has begun to fade, however. The new focus is on corporate overhead, cash flow, debt service, capital discipline, and cost-cutting measures. Investors realize that even though individual wells are profitable, the company overall may be losing money.

A gradual realization seems to be emerging that the price of oil will remain low for the foreseeable future. Baker Hughes, in its second quarter earnings report, said headwinds from tumbling oil prices will persist for the rest of the year. The NYMEX futures market shows oil not trading above $56 a barrel until late in ’17. In its earnings report, Shell Oil stated crude prices may remain depressed for the next five years.

The industry continues to sell assets and reduce head counts to better function in a low-price environment. This commodity cycle is following the typical pattern—the first wave of layoffs in the field and on the shop floor, impacting blue-collar and hourly workers; the second wave in the corporate offices, impacting white collar and professional staff. It’s too soon to tell what impact these layoffs will have outside the energy sector. The energy sector—exploration, oil field services, and oil field equipment manufacturing—accounts for 5.0 percent of total non-farm payroll employment and 14.3 percent of total wages and salaries in the region. Two other sectors closely aligned with energy—fabricated metal products and engineering—account for another 4.5 percent of total employment and 4.9 percent of total wages. These sectors are part of Houston’s economic base and as such support a significant number of jobs in the secondary sectors—retail, restaurants, real estate, etc. These jobs are at risk as well. The impact of the downturn on these sectors won’t be apparent until the end of this year or early next year. 


On the Brighter Side — De-spite the current slump in the energy industry, Houston’s long-term outlook remains bright. The metro area’s real (i.e., net of inflation) gross area product (GAP) is projected to more than double between ’15 and ’40, according to the recently released forecast by Ray Perryman, the Waco-based economist who has studied the U.S., Texas and metro economies since the ’70s. (1) 

Perryman forecasts Houston’s real GAP to grow from $504.1 billion in ’15 to $1.15 trillion in ’40―an average annual growth rate of 3.4 percent. The industries with the fastest annual growth rates from ’15 to ’40 are: services (3.9 percent), manufacturing (3.8 percent), and mining (3.3 percent). These fastest-growing industries are also the largest industry sectors by dollar value. Mining is the largest contributor to Houston’s GAP in ’15 at $138.8 billion (23.1 percent of total GAP) followed by services at $113.4 billion (18.9 percent) and manufacturing at $109.5 billion (18.2 percent).

“While the end of the oil surge will affect performance in the near term,” the Perryman report states, “the Houston area’s economy is far more diversified than in decades past and the downturn in oil prices is not likely to derail economic performance for an extended period of time.” The report also notes the importance of growth in non-energy sectors to compensate for the negative impact from lower energy prices.


Over the next quarter-century, the metro area is expected to add 3.4 million residents―an average annual growth rate of 1.7 percent. Wage and salary employment is forecasted to gain 1.5 million jobs―an average annual rate of 1.6 percent. The region is expected to account for one-fourth of Texas’ job growth during this period.

Employment Update — The Houston metro area gained 55,700 jobs in the 12 months ending June ’15, according to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). The corresponding 1.9 percent 12-month growth rate is the slowest since November ’11. The employment numbers are somewhat misleading, since all the job gains occurred in the latter half of ’14. Since December, the region has posted a net loss of 5,600 jobs. Employment gains in the service sectors so far this year have not been able to offset losses in the goods producing sectors. Some of the losses date back to the fall of last year. The employment numbers reflect the weakness in the oil patch. The sectors still adding jobs are those which depend heavily on population growth, activity outside the energy sectors, or are benefiting from the momentum built up over the past five years of robust economic expansion.


Still on Top — Houston exported $118.9 billion in goods and commodities in ’14, up $4.0 billion (3.5 percent) from the previous year, according to data recently released by the U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA). Houston led the nation in export sales last year, ahead of New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Detroit. This marks the third consecutive year Houston has garnered the top spot.

Houston’s exports have grown by $77.2 billion, a 185 percent increase, since ’05. No other U.S. metro has experienced comparable growth.

Five sectors accounted for the bulk of Houston’s shipments in ’14: petroleum and coal products ($34.8 billion), basic chemicals ($16.6 billion), oil and gas extraction ($12.5 billion), resins and synthetic rubber ($11.2 billion), and heavy industrial machinery ($7.9 billion).

Houston supplied 48.7 percent of Texas exports in ’14, down slightly from 51.2 percent in ’13. By comparison, the state’s next largest exporter, Dallas-Fort Worth, accounted for 11.7 percent of Texas exports. Houston’s and San Antonio’s contributions to state exports have grown significantly since ’05 while Austin’s and Dallas’ have shrunk, a reflection of the greater importance of global trade plays in the Houston and San Antonio economies.

Readers should be aware that ITA’s export data differ somewhat from the Houston-Galveston Customs District data often cited in local publications. Customs district data reflect cargo that passes through the region’s ports. ITA data are an “origin of movement” (OM) series and reflect the metro from which cargo began its overseas journey. OM includes goods manufactured locally shipped out of Houston, goods manufactured locally that leave the U.S. from a port outside the Houston metro area, and goods produced elsewhere and consolidated in Houston for export.



SNAPSHOT — HOUSTON’S KEY ECONOMIC INDICATORS

  • Building Permits — City of Houston construction permits totalled $8.3 billion in the 12 months ending June ’15, up 10.2 percent from $7.6 billion in the preceding 12 months, according to the city’s Department of Public Works & Engineering Planning & Development Services. The 12-month building permit total experienced its first uptick in June after three months of declines.
  • Inflation — From June ’14 to June ’15, consumer prices in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria metro area (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller Counties) slipped 0.4 percent, the third consecutive 12-month de-cline. In contrast, core inflation, as measured by the index for all items without food and energy, rose 2.5 percent over the year.
  • Home Sales — Houston realtors set a record in June, selling 9,480 single-family homes, town-homes, condos, duplexes, county homes, high rise units and lots, according to the Houston Association of REALTORS®. The second-best month on record was June ’06, when lo-cal realtors sold 9,287 units. Over the past 12 months, local realtors recorded 90,814 closings. The 12-month pace has held above 90,000 units since October ’14.
  • Purchasing Managers Index — The Houston Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), a short-term leading indicator for regional production, registered 46.7 in June, up from 46.1 in May, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management-Houston (ISM-Houston).
  • Vehicle Sales — Houston-area auto dealers experienced their best June on record, selling 34,424 vehicles in the month, an 8.7 percent increase over the 31,662 sold in June ’14. This brings the second quarter total to 103,231, making it the highest Q2 sales on record, accord-ing to TexAuto Facts, published by InfoNation, Inc. of Sugar Land. Replacement of vehicles lost in Memorial Day weekend flooding contributed to the June performance.









(1) The Perryman Economic Forecast: Long-Term Outlook for the United States, Texas, Major Metropolitan Areas, and Regions , is available for purchase from The Perryman Group, 800-749-8705 or info@perrymangroup.com.
- Patrick Jankowski and Jenny Philip contributed to this issue of "Houston: The Economy at a Glance". 



Setting the table is often a task that leaves family members wondering about the correct placement of the flatware, plates, napkins and glassware. Luckily we have some tips that will help you stop adding stress to your entertaining plans and start enjoying your gatherings.
Let’s start with some basics, shall we?
When setting a table, the first thing you should do is placing a tablecloth. For a formal table, the drop should be from 10 to 15 inches. Feel free to go a little shorter on more informal occasions such as lunches.  Be sure the drop is even and level on all sides and that it looks proportional to your table. The next step is placing the flatware and utensils accordingly to the occasion. 

The basic setting that we’re going to explain below is a great setup for informal gatherings, such as breakfasts or lunches. The dinner plate is positioned in the center of the place setting and everything else is placed around it. Then, the flatware is arranged around the plate in the order in which it will be used:
·         To the left of the plate is the fork.
·         To the right of the plate is the knife and spoon. The knife is placed to the right of the plate with the sharp edge toward the plate. To the right of the knife is the spoon.
·         A water glass goes above the knife.
Napkins can be placed under the forks or on the plate for an informal setting.


If you’re setting up for an informal dinner or luncheon, simply start up with the basic setting we’ve discussed earlier and add the silverware if any of this situations happen:
·         If a salad is to be served, the salad fork is placed to the left of the dinner fork.
·         Eliminate the salad fork if no salad is served or place it to the right of the dinner fork to use as a dessert fork if appropriate. (The dessert fork can also be brought to the table when dessert is served.)
·         If soup is served, set the bowl on the plate and a soup spoon to the right of the beverage spoon.
·         Salad or bread and butter plates go to the left of the forks. Position butter plates above the forks with the butter spreader placed across the plate.
·         Cup and saucer go above the spoons with the handle toward the right. Wine or water glasses can be positioned to the left of the coffee cup.

However, if we’re talking about a formal event start up with the setup for an informal dinner and add to it using the following guidelines.
·         White and red wine glasses (if necessary) along with the water glasses are positioned to the left of the coffee cup.
·         The beverage, soup and/or dessert spoons are to the right of the knife or can be brought to the table when soup or dessert is served.
·         To dress it up more, place a charger under the dinner plate.


Bon appetit!

About me

UPTOWN Real Estate Group is your luxury international real estate firm. Our team has more than 30 years of prestige and experience. Hablamos español. Houston & Mexico.

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