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    B&B For Sale

    Historic Texas bed and breakfast with a cigar factory past goes on sale for $1.2 million

    Barbara Kuntz
    Barbara Kuntz
    Feb 19, 2014 | 12:29 pm

    Editor's Note: Houston and the surrounding areas are loaded with must-have houses for sale in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. In this continuing series, CultureMap snoops through some of the best and gives you the lowdown on what's hot on the market.

    A country-chic, top-rated bed and breakfast is up for sale in Round Top, with options for a buyer to continue to run it as a business or make it a family vacation compound — or a combination of both — all the while enjoying a relaxed lifestyle in this antique haven. Let's take a visit to the renowned Round Top Inn.

    A Bit of History
    In the 1880s, German immigrant Charles H. Schiege constructed three of the six buildings on the site, now known as 407 S. White St. Here, Schiege operated the Schiege Cigar Factory until the 1930s, distributing his popular hand-rolled cigars — including the Texas Star and LaRosa Suprema — across Texas. The cigar master provided housing for his employees, and factory workers ate their meals with the Schiege family.

    The inn has honored that tradition of Texas hospitality for 20 years by serving guests a home-cooked breakfast each morning in the Cigar Factory.

    After three generations of Schiege family members, preservationist Hazel Ledbetter of Houston purchased and restored the Main House in 1965, which was then owned by philanthropist Faith Bybee and the Texas Pioneer Arts Foundation. In 1991, Ted and Sandy Reed of Houston carefully refashioned all of the accommodations.

    David Athey, a Houston native, bought and updated the entire property in 2008, bringing his vision of a luxury countryside inn to life, while also staying true to the site’s history.

    Walk Around
    The inn pairs modern amenities with rustic charm, offering guests a cozy stay in picturesque surroundings within walking distance of town square. Beautifully restored guest rooms and cottages are nestled among majestic oak trees and manicured grounds on this one-acre compound.

    Built in 1885, the two-story Main House is the largest residence on the property, featuring two individual guest suites upstairs and living quarters for the former innkeeper downstairs. The Farm House is complete with a sprawling front porch and plenty of rocking chairs. An adorable two-story, salt-box-style abode, the Gate House offers two bedrooms, while the Little Cottage is a private retreat on its own with a king-sized bed and full bathroom with a Jacuzzi/shower.

    Located over the Cigar Factory, the Bunk Room is a loft with a queen-sized bed, twin bed and a full private bathroom. Appointed with antiques, artwork and distinctive personal touches, no two rooms are alike.

    A spacious Retreat Center is perfect for reunions, birthdays, luncheons or private parties. Facilities are connected by hand-laid rock sidewalks, and designated parking makes for easy access to all structures.

    Square footage: Five residences and a retreat center on about one acre

    Asking price: $1,225,000

    Listing agent:Walter Bering, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

    Chairs and a long bench provide seating at the private dining table in the Main House. Note the antique tin ceiling tiles above.

    On the Market Round Top Inn February 2014 White S 407 din3
      
    Photo by © Ben Hill TK Images
    Chairs and a long bench provide seating at the private dining table in the Main House. Note the antique tin ceiling tiles above.
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    REAL ESTATE NEWS

    More homes are being built in Houston than any other U.S. city

    Amber Heckler
    May 28, 2025 | 3:15 pm
    Home construction
    Photo by Ernie Journeys on Unsplash
    More people would rather buy a newly built home than a pre-existing one.

    Houston is accommodating its housing needs by building more homes than any other U.S. city, a new report has found.

    According to a new ConsumerAffairs housing report, Houston has the No. 1 highest rate of new home construction in the nation for 2025. The research platform analyzed new building permits and new construction home sales from January and February 2025 in the 150 largest U.S. cities.

    Houston dominates all other housing markets with the highest growth rate in new building permits, totaling more than 11,000 permits during the first two months of the year. The city also leads with the highest rate of new construction homes sold during the same time period, with more than 1,300 sales.

    ConsumerAffairs says Houston is the only major U.S. metro that doesn't implement zoning laws, meaning housing density is not directly regulated and communities don't need to be separated by "use type." Many rules that are in place are in favor of high density housing, the report added.

    "The absence of these laws has contributed to Houston’s infamous sprawl, but it’s a boon for developers and homebuilders, who have far fewer restrictions to navigate when constructing new homes," the report said. "After 1998 reforms to the city’s development ordinance lowered the minimum lot size for single-family homes from 5,000 to 1,400 square feet, more than 25,000 new homes were developed on these new, smaller lots between 1999 and 2016."

    The city is keeping pace with consumer trends: According to recent study by the National Association of Home Builders, more than three in five homebuyers would prefer to purchase a new-construction home over an existing one, the ConsumerAffairs report says.

    Elsewhere in Texas
    Dallas followed closely behind Houston with the second-highest rate of new home construction nationwide. The metro issued over 9,800 building permits in January and February, and 741 newly built homes were sold during that time.

    San Antonio (No. 8) and Austin (No. 9) also earned spots among the top 10. ConsumerAffairs said the rise of artificial intelligence is playing a key role in fast-tracking development opportunities in the state capital.

    "After a 2022 audit found that it took an average of 345 days — more than 11 months — to review a building application, the city began a pilot program using AI to review building plans and flag them for inconsistencies between construction applications and Austin’s building rules," the report's author wrote.

    Austin may be one of the original pioneers to implement the technology, and it appears other major cities are following in the Texas Capital's footsteps. After several wildfires devastated Southern California in January 2025, the city and county of Los Angeles launched a new program using AI to help rebuild housing in the metro area.

    The top 10 cities with the highest rates of new home construction in the U.S. are:

    • No. 1 – Houston, Texas
    • No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
    • No. 3 – Phoenix, Arizona
    • No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
    • No. 5 – New York, New York
    • No. 6 – Charlotte, North Carolina
    • No. 7 – Orlando, Florida
    • No. 8 – San Antonio, Texas
    • No. 9 – Austin, Texas
    • No. 10 – Tampa, Florida
    consumeraffairshome saleshousing marketreal estatereportshousinghouston
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