Charlene Findley is a Realtor for Alliance Properties in Crosby.

Every week, we ask a Houston real estate professional for their thoughts on the top three stories from the week before. 

This week, we talked with Realtor Charlene Findley of Alliance Properties in Crosby. She has been in the real estate industry for nine years and lived in Crosby for 23 years. Findley works in a wide variety of areas, but specifically with investors and buyers.

Houston Agent (HA): What sorts of qualities do homebuyers in your area consider when looking at properties?

Charlene Findley (CF): In my area, homebuyers are considering price, schools and easy access to the airport and the downtown area – we’re 30 minutes from downtown and have easy access to Beltway and Highway 90. We’re still considered “out in the country,” but we’re also close enough to the city, and people like that.

HA: Do REOs and foreclosures still have a big effect on the market in your area?

CF: REOs and foreclosures used to have a big effect on the market, but right now, we’re not seeing as many of them – the banks have them, but they’re not putting them out like they used to. There were so many of them and investors were buying them a lot at a time, but there’s not any out there now.

I know a lot of them are going to auction – downtown, there’s an auction on the first Tuesday of every month and I know a lot of them are being sold there instead of going through an agent and then being listed. One of my investors has also been purchasing some directly himself through an online auction.

HA: What sorts of predictions do you have for Houston’s housing market in 2014?

CF: We’ve been steadily busy, even right now during the holidays. It has slowed down very little, but everyone is still very busy writing contracts. People are coming in the areas and there’s a lot of new business being built. Chemical plants are growing as well, which brings even more people to the area for work.