Are Texans ready to give up their massive single-family homes for luxury turnkey condos?
That was the question a panel of experts tackled at the BSH Experience & Design Center in Houston last week during the latest event in BSH and The Real Deal’s Building Luxury series.
Panelists Sunny Bathija, Johnny Cruz and Kathryn Falconi discussed the strategies they’re utilizing to get Texans to embrace the luxury condo lifestyle.
“Texas has never been a big condo market,” explained Bathija, whose company, Satya Inc., is currently developing The St. Regis Residences, Houston, which is one of a few branded residential projects coming to the city. “We might be the first. But believe me, when people come visit their friends living here, there is going to be a ripple effect. This is just the beginning for Texas.”
While Texans have come to expect a certain amount of breathing room in their homes, many chafe at the effort and expense that come with maintaining a 10,000+ square foot house, especially as their children leave the nest. Luxury condo designers and developers understand the need to appeal to the Texas mindset when creating these condos.
“These are essentially estates in the sky,” said Cruz, Partner at RAMSA, who designed The Ritz-Carlton Residences, The Woodlands. “When they look at our buildings, they’ll see a lot of similarities to their houses.”
One way to ease this transition is with branded residences, which buyers trust to fulfill their lifestyle and amenities expectations for decades to come.
“Luxury living has completely evolved,” said Falconi, Global Head of Residential Marketing for Marriott International. “It’s not just space people are purchasing anymore. It’s the lifestyle, it’s the experience, it’s the service.”
The discussion continued after the panel, as real estate pros enjoyed cocktails and passed apps against the luxe backdrop of Bosch, Thermador, and Gaggenau vignette displays. Many agreed that branded residences are a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to convincing Texans that bigger isn’t always better.
“In the Houston market, the primary buyer is a family that was used to the big mansion,” explained Giulia Laugero, Head of Business Development & Marketing at March and White Design. “They want something small, more manageable, but to still enjoy a very high standard of living.”
“Branded residences are doing that job much better than some others,” added Phyllis Overstreet, Builder/Project Sales Manager at BSH. “Brands make people confident that their residence is going to maintain the quality and standard that they’re buying for the next 30 years.”
Of course, native Texans are just part of the story. The state’s burgeoning condo market is being boosted by professionals relocating to Texas for career opportunities and quality of life.
“People moving from California and Miami are coming from condos,” said Nancy Almodovar, CEO & Broker at Nan and Company Properties. “So many people are relocating that Houston is becoming a condo city.”
This year, BSH and TRD hosted Building Luxury events in Washington DC, Chicago and Beverly Hills featuring in-depth discussions with experts operating at the forefront of the residential luxury space. Take a look back at this year’s events and keep an eye out for the final 2025 Building Luxury panel in New York City this December.