Houston’s $60M palace, booming ‘burbs, and luxe Galveston condos list among 2022’s top real estate stories

Editor’s note: Given Houston’s status as one of America’s biggest opportunity cities, real estate, development, and pricey home sales were hot-button topics this year. In a reminder that Sprawl City is continuing to sprawl, Houston’s suburbs garnered considerable interest — as more residents, both longtime and Newstonian, push for outside- The-Loop living.

Of course, readers love checking out interesting homes for sale — especially when the owner, too, is interesting — and these top stories offered a mix of celeb names, waterfront marvels, and all-out pricey listings. Locals also honed in on two notable neighborhoods boosting their town square appeal.

From the most expensive home listed in Houston — and Texas — and booming ‘burbs to beachfront condos and city center makeovers, here are our most-read real estate stories in 2022.

10. Luxurious new mid-rise makes waves in Galveston as first upscale beachfront condo in 15 years. Galveston has long had a dearth of luxury condos for sale. Enter Tiara on the Beach, a new mid-rise meant to hark to Miami high-rise waterfront living. Tiara’s 63 units feature myriad amenities and start at $1 million. The mid-rise is slated to break ground mid 2023.

9. New master-planned community coming to wealthy and booming Houston suburb. Sugar Land will soon see a massive new community dubbed Starbridge. The 933-acre community is located on Highway 59 near Rosenberg, in southwest Fort Bend County, and is zoned for Lamar Consolidated ISD. Its first phase is slated to be available to buyers by early 2023,

8. ‘Floating’ Galveston Bay home with historic pedigree drifts onto market for $3.75M. Longtime locals and newcomers alike dream of beach-area living for primary or getaway homes. This eight-bedroom home that dates back to the 1960s flows with panoramic Galveston Bay views and a connection to noted Houston developer Welcome Wilson.

7. High-power Houston attorney places River Oaks home on market for $27.5M. Bombastic Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee is no stranger to big headlines or going over the top, so it’s hardly surprising his home for sale includes a bit of both. His River Oaks made the news with a high-profile robbery — and for the fast that he parked a WWII-era tank outside it.

6. Magnificent Memorial-area mansion shatters record as most expensive home sold in Houston. The manse at 120 Carnavon Dr., nestled behind The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa, is the first single-family home to sell for more than $20 million in MLS in Houston history. Sworn to secrecy, reps from listing firm Douglas Elliman Realty couldn’t disclose the actual sale price to CultureMap.

5. Bellaire’s oldest shopping center set for major modernizing makeover. Developed in 1959, the Bellaire Triangle is overdue for a refresh. The Triangle will see new landscaping for open-air dining, shopping, and lounging, plus new public art installations and the restoration of the open-air arcade between the two main buildings.

4. Prestigious Houston neighborhood unveils plans for game-changing town square. The bustling Memorial City/77024 area at Barryknoll Lane and Gessner Road is primed for an aptly branded Memorial Town Square. Plans call for a transformation of Memorial City’s 300 acres, a reimagining of the 1.7 million square-foot Memorial City Mall, new multi-family residential units, an office tower and co-working spaces, and plenty of restaurants and retail.

3. Houston’s newest lagoon community makes a splash with massive beach and crystal-blue water.With water views and water-adjacent living always in demand, the “lagoon” keyword has made a splash in real estate searches. A new $2 billion lagoon project called Saint Tropez promises that lagoon life: paddleboarding, kayaking, a swim-up bar, FlowRider surf simulator, a water slide tower, a playground, cabanas, a soundstage, a splash park, and more.

2. Booming Houston suburb boasts third-hottest neighborhood for U.S. homebuyers. It wasn’t long ago that Katy was considered a quiet Houston suburban city. But with the area’s population climbing 55 percent from 2010 to 2020, it’s little surprise that Katy’s 77494 ZIP code ranked third on Opendoor’s new list of the country’s 10 most popular ZIP codes for homebuyers.

1. Houston palace graces market at $60 million as priciest listing in Texas. Behold the Lodge in Hunters Creek, which, sitting on nine acres adjacent to the Buffalo Bayou and Houston Country Club, is the most expensive residential real estate listing in Texas at $60 million. Formerly known as the Romanov Estate, the palace is designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and is inspired by the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina and the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California.

Note to interested buyers: Anyone who tours the property must first sign a confidentiality agreement.