A vacation home by a lake is the perfect opportunity to escape the everyday grind. While rustic lakeside houses have their own allure — and are wildly popular with North Texans — some love a more modern lake house that adds a bit of luxe to their lives. Whether you’re already the proud owner of a lakeside house or one is on your radar, we’re sharing decor and design ideas that can take a lake house to the next [...]

At this point, it’s no secret: The Texas real estate market continues to defy expectations, with a boom brought on before the pandemic — and certainly accelerated by it — that doesn’t show signs of slowing. The seller’s market that skyrocketed in the summer of 2020 has led to homes being listed for extremely short periods of time, often hours, before an offer rolls in. In many circumstances, buyers are submitting contracts for well over asking prices, [...]

Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of November 5, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

I am always in awe of what our agents know — not just about homes and neighborhoods, but about business, design, culture, architecture, you name it. They are some of the smartest people I know.

I do know of a place where they get some of that knowledge: Inman, a trusted source for news about the real estate industry. [...]

Since the early 1900s, subway tiles have been one of the most popular finishes for spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms. (If you look closely, you’ll start to notice these popular 3-by-6-inch rectangular tiles almost anywhere.) From bathrooms designed in the 1920s to recently redone luxury kitchens, subway tiles are now a timeless [...]

Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of October 29, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

Have I got news for you: We are still experiencing an incredibly active housing market.

We have crunched the third quarter’s numbers and they tell quite a story. Whereas some of our markets underperformed a bit [...]

We’ve already explored the six critical questions to ask an agent before selling your home, but what about the process from a buyer’s perspective? Purchasing a home is a major life event, which is why it’s so important to do your own research as well as consult with an agent before making any big decisions. Carefully considering these six questions — and discussing the answers with an agent — is the ideal way to kick off your home buying [...]