In today’s marketplace and with the uncertainty of the economy, several Houstonians are choosing to rent versus buy homes and apartments. Over half of Houston’s population are currently renting because the annual rent in a one bedroom apartment in an urban area such as River Oaks or the Museum District in many cases costs less than the property taxes on a home.

In light of the economic downturn, sales of Houston single-family homes dropped in April 2009 by almost 25 percent compared to 2008 numbers with demand for rental properties rising by approximately 12 percent. The switch to renting has become prevalent in today’s market as residents are beginning to see the economic benefit of renting versus buying. The National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) for example, estimated that 20 percent of home owners would have saved money by renting.

Even Houstonians who can afford to buy are choosing to rent. If you decide to make that switch, how should you go about it? There are apartment locators all over the Houston area whose agents specialize in finding apartments for its customers.

ApartmentWIZ is one example of a FREE locator service that provides clients with their dream home for the best deals that fits within their expectations. Make the switch today and contact an ApartmentWIZ agent to help you find the luxurious living you desire without breaking the bank. 

Houston students were pleasantly surprised to find a Thanksgiving Celebration rather than their typical lunch options last Friday, November 20th. ApartmentWIZ president Phil Silberman and employees from the local Houston office provided a traditional Thanksgiving meal to students at Lulu M. Stevens Elementary. ApartmentWIZ volunteers brought a turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, dressing, rolls, sweet tea, and of course a scrumptious pumpkin pie to finish off the meal. During the hour and a half visit the employees also engaged students in a discussion about the history of Thanksgiving, what it means to them today, and what they are thankful for.

ApartmentWIZ employees participate in a Partnership program to mentor students every week at the elementary school. Both students and employees have taken away immeasurable experience from this partnership, and plan to continue it for years to come.

The French Quarter-style apartments in River Oaks are showing off more than just their amenities. La Maison, an apartment community built in early May of this year, is offering a very unique feature: a clothing optional sun deck. While the sun deck is not yet open due to construction, the staff at La Maison believe this special amenity will be an appealing feature to grab Houstonians in the market for a luxurious apartment.

Click No Tan Lines Here: New Apartment Shows Off its Assets to view the entire article.

According to data recently published by the ALN Apartment Data firm, apartments across the nation are suffering a marked decrease in occupancy and average rent rates.  While this is a great situation for the renter, apartments are struggling to keep their books in the black.  As occupancy dips lower, apartment communities are finding they must lower rates and increase advertising to match the lack of demand. 

In order for most apartment communities to be profitable, they must maintain around 90% occupancy or above.  According to data released, most major apartment market areas are well below this mark. To find the market trends in your city, click National Apartment Occupancy and Average Rent Rates to view the entire article.

�

Discover Trammel Crow’s newest luxury apartment community Alexan Silber, located in the prestigious Memorial area of Houston. The elegantly designed brick and stucco community contains four floors of residential space surrounding a five-story private parking garage. Future residents will enjoy spectacular custom amenities including stained concrete or wood plank floors, 9 foot ceilings with crown molding, spacious floor plans, gourmet kitchen with granite and stainless steel, and much more! The property also features two resort style pools with tanning ledges, athletic club, event/demonstration kitchen, recreation room, and a wine tasting room. With its centralized location to major employers, fine dining, and shopping, Alexan Silber is an excellent choice to call home.

The Texas Association of Apartments is a non-profit trade organization made up of owners, builders, developers, and property management firms and companies that actively represent the entire rental housing industry at the state capitol and at least 25 state regulatory agencies.

Filling out the Texas Association of Apartments Application is often a crucial part of the the approval process for your next apartment home.  The application, also known as a Texas Rental Application, provides the apartment community information about you such as your credit history and criminal history.  Other relevant information required is who will live with you, and, if you have pets, what kind and how many.   

Remember that TAA applications should only be used by Texas licensed real estate agents, so consult your apartment locator.  Your locator is an excellent source for all of these questions and issues raised, so feel free to ask for help and clarification throughout the entire process of finding your next home.

In what was most likely part of a larger series of car burglaries in southwest Houston, the Kirby Place was hit Tuesday, July 21st. Eight vehicles on the property suffered smashed windows and were stripped of small valuables.

ABC 13 Eyewitness News reported earlier this month that 43 cars were broken into at the nearby apartment community Alexan Main Street. In response, the Houston Police Department has increased patrols in the Medical Center Area. No arrests in either burglaries are yet known.

ApartmentWIZ encourages its clients and employees to not leave valuables in their vehicles in plain sight. To report information on these crimes at Kirby Place or any other, contact the HPD or visit their website.

Hi Philip Silberman,

I’ve been in contact with one of your employees – Matt Berry, and would like to take a quick moment to recognize him for outstanding customer service!

My mother and I have been successfully identified as kidney transplant patients (I’m the donor) and is seeking somewhere comfortable she could reside for three months while she’s recovering from surgery (I’m staying only two weeks).  Since my search started, Matt was swift to email me back requesting details of what we’d require in an apartment.  He offered suggestions and gave us time to decide.  When he didn’t hear back, he was efficient enough to follow-up with us to see if we’d located an apartment and continued to help us search for one that would suit our needs, wants and budget.

Matt always displays a pleasant and courteous attitude and is most patient.  He delivers a genuine concern with his assistance in helping us and must be commended for such a memorable experience.

Please encourage him to continue his good works as me, my family and those who are fortunate enough to be in contact with him – greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Abbey G.

On Saturday March 7, 2009 the Krewe of Cajuns and Cowboys held its fourth annual Crawfish Boil at the Armadillo Palace. The event, sponsored by ApartmentWIZ, raised more than $10,000 to benefit the Texas Children’s Hospital.

The annual spring Crawfish Boil has become a much talked-about event in Houston. This year’s event drew more than 1,100 people to the iconic Armadillo Palace on Kirby and Barlett. The attendees feasted on crawfish, jambalaya, and Coors beer while enjoying the melodic sounds of Bourbon Street Band. Event tickets and t-shirt sales drew a combined total of over $13,000. These proceeds will be donated to the Texas Children’s Hospital.

The Krewe of Cajuns and Cowboys was originally formed to aid in the re-building of New Orleans. The non-profit group is based out of Houston, TX and includes alumni of Texas and Louisiana universities. The Krewe’s mission is to assist the Houston community by holding social events benefiting local charities. These premier events attract young professionals from all over the city.

ApartmentWIZ president and Krewe member Philip Silberman, who helped organize and sponsor the event, said, “We are amazed and excited about this year’s event turnout and the highest proceeds to date. ApartmentWIZ is proud to sponsor the Crawfish Boil and give something back to the community.”

With the continued success of the event and increasing number of guests and charity donations, the Krewe of Cajuns and Cowboys Crawfish boil is sure to become a popular event for Houstonians to help local charities for a long time to come.

Re: Rebate Check for $100

Dear Philip Silberman,

Just a note to tell you how happy I am in my new apartment and how much I appreciated the service that I got from your office.  You can be sure that I will tell all my friends about your company and especially the apartment community that you sent me to.  Having been an apartment manager and supervisor for about 25 years (not in this business now), I know how important locators are to the industry.  I always appreciated the honest ones, which you are.

Thanks again for the quik return of my check.  I know that it all depends on when you get paid from the complex, and I was hoping that they were taking care of the Locators, they were!!!

If I can be of any help to you in the future, please do not hesitate to call me.

Sincerely,

S. White