Investing in the Houston Area? Your Future Looks Bright.

 The latest edition of Forbes Magazine presents a vision of America that might inspire some hearty conversation here in Texas. What it proposes is a dramatic shift of American seats of socio-economic influence and power in about 10 years, and it speculates that there will be a total reorganization of expansion centers: where they're going to be in 10 years, they say, is not where they are now. The article titled  "A Map Of America's Future Where Growth Will Be Over The Next Decade," by Joel Kotkin and Mark Schill, lays out its proposition by describing countrywide geographical demographics and American regions as city-states and sub nations. Their approach definitely gives the argument a decidedly anthropological flavor. Treating the development of America like the development of Mesopotamia is a fantastic way to captivate the reader's attention, but my interest went directly to what the writers have to predict about Texas and specifically the Houston area. The oracles at Forbes have pronounced that in 10 years Houston will be the "next great global city."

Now, we Texans already know ourselves to be a world-class city of extreme importance. It is widely recognized that Texas owns the 10th biggest economy in the world. Our gross state product is about 1.2 trillion. Our industries are widely diversified. We might be celebrated for oil and energy, but we carry big clout when it comes to agriculture, aeronautics and defense, and medical technology and health care. And in fact the Forbes article makes special mention of Houston's Medical Center and our exceptional rate of exports. It states, "Houston, which is now the country's most racially and ethnically diverse metro area according to a recent Rice study, is home to the world's largest medical center and has dethroned New York City as the nation's leading exporter." And yes that's indeed a statement declaring the present state of matters, not some future projection. We well know our strength is now and not just some future date.

So what's so news-worthy about this article, and what is so radical about what it says regarding Houston's future? The full read of the story reveals the gem. While Houston already is to a significant extent what the authors project Houston to be in 10 years, the oracles predict rather poor futures for much of the rest of the country. The obvious conclusion is this: The present "Tex-odus" population shift of both families and firms moving from other states of the USA to Texas is likely to continue for ten more years.

 So we come to the question, how do you suppose that will affect our property values for the near future?

If you desire to invest in property now could be a good time to move forward. A property agent can supply valuable information about investment opportunities. If you are intending to speculate in property in Texas and Houston in particular the future definitely looks bright.