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    Paradise For Sale

    Buying a piece of paradise: A Mexican penthouse brings a $1.2 million price tag and tropical wows

    Barbara Kuntz
    Barbara Kuntz
    Mar 29, 2014 | 4:01 pm

    Editor's Note: Houston, the surrounding areas and beyond 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.

    Are you ready to pack your bags? A luxurious penthouse in the planned residential resort community of Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, is ready to whisk adventurous home buyers away with open-air architecture, sweeping beachfront views and tropical charm.

    The price to stop being a tourist and become an owner of a piece of paradise? A cool $1.2 million.

    At least, you can always dream about it.

    About Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
    Located a scenic 15-minute drive from Puerto Vallarta's international airport, Nuevo Vallarta is home to luxury villas, condos and estates, many with canals leading to private docking piers. The marina development features a 3,000-slip, state-of-the-art facility. Many malls, stores and eateries in the area are popular for day and evening excursions.

    The white sand not only attracts sun worshippers and beachcombers, but endangered Caguama turtles as well.

    The white sand not only attracts sun worshippers and beachcombers, but endangered Caguama turtles as well, who lay their eggs each winter on the beaches of Nuevo Vallarta.

    Walk through
    Winding down Nuevo Vallarta's boulevards lined with palm trees and exotic vegetation, owners turn into the drive at 1143 Nayarit nearby The Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta. Residents of the mid-rise have assigned parking, so it's time to leave the car — and worries — behind and head up to the penthouse.

    A dramatic two-story-tall entry seamlessly becomes the main room, where ocean breezes from the back terrace flow throughout the first floor. Dining is always al fresco here, with designer all-weather dining table and chairs located on the oversized balcony. The panoramic view from this vantage point seems endless, and below, a private pool and sandy beaches await.

    Back inside, the chef's kitchen opens to the lofty great room. The master bedroom is tucked away on the first floor, complete with private access to a secluded sitting area on the terrace. Tropical wood, exposed wood beams, locally sourced stones and tiled floors found throughout the penthouse find balance with the contemporary architecture. A modern stairwell takes visitors upstairs to a formal living room and casual dining room, and a catwalk connects one end of the second floor of the house to the other.

    In addition to the master bedroom, the penthouse includes three other bedrooms with full en suite baths and a full bath off the great room. An working elevator is available, as are an exercise room and large outdoor whirlpool tub for soaking under the stars.

    Step outside
    Ah, Mexico.

    Square footage: 4,801

    Asking price: $1.2 million

    Listing agent: Colleen Phalen, John Daugherty, Realtors

    Everyone has access to a large outdoor whirlpool tub at the penthouse.

    On the Market 1143 Nayarit Nuevo Vallarta Mexico March 2014
    Photo by © Ruben Hidalgo
    Everyone has access to a large outdoor whirlpool tub at the penthouse.
    unspecified
    news/real-estate

    housing affordability news

    This is how much Houston home prices have fallen since 2024

    Amber Heckler
    Jan 16, 2026 | 4:30 pm
    16403 Sheffield Run Drive, Houston home for sale
    Estately.com/
    This home at 16403 Sheffield Run Dr. in Houston's Berkshire Oaks neighborhood is on the market for $309,900.

    A new real estate analysis has revealed housing prices across the Southern United States have seen a major large-scale decline from 2024-2025, with Houston homebuyers experiencing the 11th-steepest "price correction" in the region.

    Houston-area buyers have a better chance of purchasing an affordable home this year after prices cooled 1.5 percent from 2024-2025, the study found.

    Online real estate marketplace Zoocasa compared year-over-year median price changes for single-family homes across 20 cities in the South based on local real estate data. The study also looked at housing affordability in the American West, Midwest, and Northeast.

    In Zoocasa's ranking of the Southern cities where affordability is improving the most, Houston ranked No. 11.

    In 2024, the median price for a single-family home in Houston was nearly $340,000, which has since dropped to $335,000 in 2025. Local sellers may not be happy about cooling prices, but it does make housing more attainable for first-time homebuyers.

    Better housing prices will surely attract even more new residents to the area, especially since Houston was the second-hottest destination for movers in 2025, and its suburbs are still booming in popularity.

    "Affordability is on the rise across Texas, with major cities seeing significant price corrections," the report said. "Most importantly for buyers, the median home price in each of these cities remains more affordable than the national median."

    The national median price of a home in the third quarter of 2025 was $426,800, according to the latest information from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

    Housing affordability elsewhere in Texas
    Dallas was the No. 2 Southern city where housing is becoming more affordable. Dallas-Fort Worth's housing prices fell 5.71 percent from 2024-2025. The median price of a single-family home in North Texas fell from $397,700 to $375,000 during the one-year span.

    In Beaumont-Port Arthur (a metro area east of Houston), housing prices have fallen 4.62 percent year-over-year, making it the metro with the No. 5 steepest price correction in the South. Median home prices dropped to $217,000 in 2025, or $10,500 lower than the year before, the report found.

    Austin's housing prices fell 2.04 percent during the same time span, landing the Capital City in the No. 9 spot. The median price of a single-family home in Austin fell from $437,925 in 2024 to $429,000 last year.

    Surprisingly, San Antonio ranked near the bottom of the list with housing prices increasing by five percent year-over-year. Single-family homes in the Alamo City had a median price just under $300,000 in 2024, which spiked to $315,000 in 2025.

    Housing market predictions in 2026
    Zoocasa predicts the 2026 U.S. housing market is "poised for a steady revival" since mortgage rates have dipped nearly a full percentage point since this time last year. Current interest rates for a a 30-year mortgage are sitting at 6.16 percent, the study said.

    The NAR report additionally found that pending home sales have grown by 2.6 percent year-over-year from 2024.

    "Homebuyer momentum is building," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "The data shows the strongest performance of the year after accounting for seasonal factors, and the best performance in nearly three years, dating back to February 2023."

    The top 10 Southern cities where housing affordability is improving the most in 2026 are:

    • No. 1 – Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida
    • No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
    • No. 3 – Durham, North Carolina
    • No. 4 – Ocala, Florida
    • No. 5 – Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
    • No. 6 – Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida
    • No. 7 – Jacksonville, Florida
    • No. 8 – Atlanta, Georgia
    • No. 9 – Austin, Texas
    • No. 10 – Raleigh, North Carolina
    real estatehousing affordabilityreal estate reporthousing prices
    news/real-estate

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