As Houston Chronicle executive editor Steve Riley said recently in a letter to readers: Quite suddenly, your lives have changed. Your health, or the health of someone you love, could be at risk. Your job seems shakier than just days ago. Your church isn’t having services, your favorite bar has closed, and the gym has locked its doors. And there’s no baseball, no March Madness. At the Houston Chronicle, we feel it, too. So as an introduction to our new daily podcast, host Ferrill Gibbs talks to R...
Apr 01, 2020•15 min
Listen to the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board's impassioned plea to Houstonians coping with the coronavirus -- "Stay home!" -- as expressed by editorial board member Monica Rohr. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/coronavirus/ 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
Mar 19, 2020•9 min
In many ways, Houston’s Chinatown — with its restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, banks and travel agencies — is a microcosm of the city as a whole. So when foot traffic suddenly diminished at the end of January following false rumors of coronavirus in the neighborhood, the economic strain felt by Chinatown businesses foreshadowed some of the tough decisions restaurants, bars, hotels and other businesses are now facing throughout the city. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?o...
Mar 17, 2020•36 min
iBuyers are gaining market share, but are they making money? And John Daugherty has been a fixture in Houston’s high-end housing market. His real estate company is now in bankruptcy. Nancy and Rebecca explain. 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
Mar 14, 2020•22 min
Houston Chronicle retail reporter, Paul Takahashi, is moving on to cover the energy industry. But first, he is covering how the coronavirus is impacting retailers, from pharmacies to grocery stores. He also discusses the major trends he has seen in the retail industry, from experience-based shopping to what’s up with Houston malls. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn mor...
Mar 07, 2020•19 min
The embrace of online shipping has driven a rush of warehouse space and logistics services. One Houston Chronicle employee ordered upwards of 800 packages in 2019 alone. But one link of the e-commerce supply chain remains in short supply: temperature-controlled warehouses, known as cold storage, necessary for storing and shipping groceries, meal prep kits, cold-pressed juice cleanses, dog stem cells — the list goes on. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin...
Feb 19, 2020•18 min
Ding ding ding! The votes have been tallied and the winners are in! For Looped In's third-annual Loopie Awards for the best and worst of Houston real estate, the Chronicle's real estate editor reveals his picks for eight categories, including "Trendiest Development Trend," "Saddest Demise" and "Highest Gentrification Threat." The episode is part game show, part Rotten Tomatoes review. Listen along and congrats to all the winners! Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125...
Feb 07, 2020•29 min
The Houston Housing Authority’s new approach to affordable housing involves building complexes with units reserved for families of different incomes. These new apartments aim to both attract those who can afford the rising costs of living and protect low-earners in danger of being pushed out of their longtime neighborhoods, while also providing space for people who earn something in between. However, not everyone is on board, especially as many fear affordable housing could strain their neighbor...
Jan 31, 2020•31 min
A new study from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University reveals how development and land use patterns have changed over time in neighborhoods near transit centers, park and ride lots and light rail stations. Kyle Shelton, the report's author, joins Nancy and Rebecca to talk about the benefits and the challenges of transit-oriented growth and the tools that could help prevent unintended consequences. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin...
Jan 21, 2020•45 min
Everything's bigger in Texas. Even tiny homes. Texas is the top market in the nation for a type of tiny home known as a park model RV, and developers are building communities specifically for these dwellings outside of Houston. 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
Jan 03, 2020•28 min
Tony Buzbee, who's headed to a runoff Saturday in the 2019 race for Houston mayor, sat down with Nancy Sarnoff and Chronicle City Hall reporter Jasper Scherer to talk about his rise from small-town kid to millionaire lawyer and mayoral hopeful. This a one of two episodes featuring the candidates for mayor. 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. V...
Dec 10, 2019•37 min
Mayor Sylvester Turner decided what he wanted his future to look like after watching the Kennedy/Nixon debate in 1960. That determination propelled him through school, where he graduated as valedictorian, all the way through Harvard Law, which was not his first choice. Turner sat down with Nancy Sarnoff and Chronicle City Hall reporter Jasper Scherer to reflect on his life in politics and the struggles he faced along the way. This is one of two episodes featuring the candidates for mayor. Suppor...
Dec 10, 2019•36 min
NAR’s new policy on pocket listings is expected to result in a more transparent housing market, but there are loopholes, Nancy and Rebecca explain. They also talk about a recent luxury real estate event where agents learned about condo amenities for the ultra-rich. 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
Nov 20, 2019•30 min
For a long time, the phrase "man camp" evoked images of tents and mobile homes, but many have received a makeover. Large energy companies clamoring for safe housing — where their employees can get food and rest without any of the late-night carousing that can lead to trouble in the oil fields the next morning — has led companies like The Woodlands-based Target Hospitality to specialize in temporary housing. Perks include pools, basketball courts, fresh-squeezed orange juice and wood-fired pizzas...
Nov 14, 2019•30 min
Matt Zeve delivers a lot of bad news as deputy executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District. In the coming years, he'll be delivering a lot more. Potentially thousands of Harris County homeowners have fences, sheds and even swimming pools that encroach onto land the district owns or has the right to access. With the district now embarking on hundreds of flood mitigation projects, Zeve and his staff have started enforcing the encroachments. Nancy and Rebecca talk to Zeve about h...
Nov 06, 2019•38 min
After Harvey came the crisis investors, who bought hundreds of homes to flip. In places, they snapped up entire blocks. What do those communities look like two years later? Vacant and abandoned homes, as well as impromptu rentals, dot the landscape. Real estate agent Ace Tejada and home appraiser Mike Taylor take Looped In on a tour. Read the story: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Investors-promised-revival-after-Harvey-It-14473105.php Support the show: https://offers.houstonch...
Oct 25, 2019•26 min
In Independence Heights, developers are tearing down the original bungalows and replacing them with skinny townhomes with six-foot fences. Whole Foods, often a harbinger of gentrification, has opened a store there. Like in other neighborhoods under a similar threat, there's been a growing movement toward preserving what's left -- even if it's just memories. The Chronicle's Sarah Smith joins Nancy and Rebecca to talk about her recent reporting on the community and what residents are doing to reta...
Oct 09, 2019•18 min
Late billionaire George Mitchell was a Galveston-born wildcatter who became widely known for being the father of the modern process of fracking. Yet as a young executive, Mitchell became fixated with the idea of creating a healthy, sustainable community at a time when many American cities were experiencing urban decay. Author and former Chronicle Business Columnist Loren Steffy explores Mitchell's paradoxical life in a new book titled “George P. Mitchell: Fracking, Sustainability and an Unorthod...
Sep 18, 2019•42 min
The number of craft breweries in Houston has grown by more than 250 percent since 2013 when there were only 18. The industry explosion (there are now 64) helped pave the way for new legislation that allows breweries to sell beer to go. Beer aficionado Ronnie Crocker and Chronicle business reporter Paul Takahashi join Nancy to talk about what the new law means for Houston's brewers and how the rise of craft breweries has come at the expense of the home brew market and the small retailers that cat...
Sep 11, 2019•24 min
A ceremony celebrating the life of the late Ed Wulfe revealed a different side to the gregarious real estate developer and civic leader. For almost two hours, family members and friends, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner shared stories highlighting Wulfe's civic involvement and work ethic. His grandchildren told of his affinity for inspirational sayings and practical jokes. All their stories elicited more laughter than tears. After attending the service, Nancy recounts some of the memorab...
Aug 29, 2019•8 min
New lawsuits challenging how real estate commissions are structured could lead to a number of possible outcomes, including changes in how much home sellers pay in fees and how agents who represent buyers are compensated. Plaintiffs in the case want to see more transparency in the real estate transaction. The defendants, including the National Association of Realtors, warn of potential dangers to the consumer if the system is drastically altered. The Chronicle's Rebecca Schuetz recently spoke on ...
Aug 13, 2019•26 min
In a fancy white tent in the parking lot of the former Sears department store in Midtown, officials from the city, county and Rice University hosted a groundbreaking ceremony and press conference for the new Ion innovation hub. Across the street, Rice students held a press conference of their own. Worried about gentrification and a host of other issues, they stood outside with a microphone and a speaker urging Rice to be a force for good in the neighborhood. Nancy and Chronicle technology report...
Aug 02, 2019•17 min
L.A.-based Architect James Richards was living in Houston in 2015 when he heard the Astrodome was going to be open to the public for a 50th anniversary celebration. He figured it would draw a small crowd of nerdy architect and engineer types, so he decided to go. That experience was the inspiration for what Richards and his collaborator, Ben Olschner, have spent the past several years on: a proposal to turn the dome into an active urban park. Their project would strip the exterior skin off the d...
Jul 17, 2019•36 min
Is it “Montrose” or “the Montrose?” What’s “the 44?” And where in the world are the falls in Cypress? On the newest episode of Looped In, we explore the origins Houston neighborhoods names and highlight examples of real estate developments that have appropriated the names of their fancier, hipper neighbors. (with James Glassman, the “Houstorian”) Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
Jul 02, 2019•22 min
A mile from Houston’s bustling business district, the historic Glenwood Cemetery is a respite from the bars, townhomes and apartment buildings that surround it. With gently rolling hills, wildlife and all manner of vegetation, the 19th century park-style cemetery holds as much Houston history as it does beauty. Looped In hits the road again to tour the property with Dick Ambrus, its longtime executive director, and Jim Parsons of Preservation Houston. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchro...
Jun 21, 2019•33 min
A lawsuit filed in Illinois earlier this year was the latest attempt to upend the current system of how real estate commissions are structured. The case argues that if not for rules put in place by the National Association of Realtors, consumers would pay far less in commissions and that the system would look more like it does in the United Kingdom, where listing agents earn a much smaller commission and buyers’ agents are rare. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&...
Jun 07, 2019•20 min
TMC3, a biomedical research campus planned for 37 acres between Old Spanish Trail and Brays Bayou, aims to take Houston’s powerhouse medical center in a bold, new direction. Plans call for the land to house medical and commercial space, a hotel, apartments and a collection of research facilities that could amount to more than $1 billion worth of development and 5 million square feet of space. Bill McKeon, Chief Executive of the Texas Medical Center, discusses how the project could introduce a st...
May 29, 2019•49 min
Ralph Bivins has been covering the real estate market in Houston since the late 1980s when he started as a reporter with the Houston Chronicle. He now runs Realty News Report and has just published his first book: "Houston 2020: America's Boom Town - An extreme close up." He talks to Nancy about the projects and personalities that shaped the city's built environment and the challenges that stand to hold it back. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsro...
May 16, 2019•20 min
Looped In collaborator Allyn West recently left the Chronicle for a new job. But before going, he spent some time in the podcast studio to talk about his favorite -- and least favorite -- things about Houston. In an extended lightning round, Nancy and Lisa Gray, the editor and writer who recruited Allyn to the Chronicle, peppered their departing colleague with questions about the city’s architecture, streets, playgrounds and much more. Their conversation revealed some of Houston's little known g...
May 08, 2019•32 min
For 12 years, Larry Albert, a.k.a. Gus Allen, published Swamplot, the news and gossip website that highlighted the absurdities of Houston's homes, gas stations, streets, parks, buildings and everything in between. On March 7, the site stopped publishing. "Swamplot was a side project that kind of got out of hand," said Albert, who joins Nancy and Allyn (a former Swamplot editor) to talk about why he started the site, how it evolved and which posts resonated with readers the most. Support the show...
Apr 24, 2019•50 min
