On The Market

Houston or Provence? $8.5 million Country French chateau in River Oaks exudes European charm

Editor's Note: Houston, the surrounding areas and beyond are loaded with must-have houses and properties 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.

3311 Del Monte

"Is this really Houston?" queried one bemused real estate agent as she toured this magnificent Country French chateau. Indeed, the landscaped grounds on the acre lot in River Oaks give the feel of Provence while the dwelling, built in 1937, enjoys a decidedly European aesthetic. One would never know this was the heart of Houston on a corner lot on River Oaks Boulevard.

On the first day it went on the market, showings were already stacking up.

Walk through: From the moment a visitor starts up the rough hewn stone sidewalk, the otherworldly sensation begins. Every aspect of the house, indoors and out, rings with a certain "Bienvenu, mes amis." On the first day it went on the market, showings were already stacking up.

The entry hall with hardwood floors and hand-painted plaster walls features a curving staircase with it original ornate iron railing and an elaborate chandelier. It's the architectural welcome mat for the house that offers numerous entertaining areas on the first floor.

The formal living room with wood-burning fireplace and wide-plank hardwood floors leads to a later addition family room with limestone floors and hand-painted plaster walls, treatments that belie the feel of an expansion. High ceilings and large mullioned windows offer plenty of light and a feeling of airiness throughout the house. Even the cozy sun room and tiny reading room enjoy a lightness thanks to the abundance of windows.

The updated kitchen opens to the dining room which has a broad view of the backyard.

Four sunny bedrooms occupy the second floor. The master is large and features a substantial walk-in closet. While a large space has been plumbed for an updated master bath, that work has yet to be done and will be the task for new owners. (The house has four and a half baths.) One more flight of stairs up and you find the large game room, perfect for a kids playroom or overflow storage.

Also on the grounds is a detached garage with quarters above and a beautiful old world style swimming pool surrounded by grass. The landscaping is a beautiful mix of carefully designed and open lawns that add to the European feel.

Square footage: 8,115.

Asking price: $8.5 million.

Listing agent: Cathy Blum with Greenwood King.

One of four bedrooms, all located on the second floor.

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millennial magnet

Houston stars among 30 hottest U.S. metros for millennial homebuyers

Photo by Jose Losada on Unsplash

Houston is a millennial magnet.

Houston and its surrounding cities have already proved to be magnets for millennials, and now a new national housing report has established the city as one of the 15 hottest destinations for millennials, whose local homeownership rate has nearly doubled since 2018.

The number of millennials who own their homes in Houston has grown from 227,365 to 418,698 households over the last five years (84.2 percent), according to a new housing analysis from RentCafe.

The study compared homeowner growth rates versus renter growth rates of millennials — based on Pew Research Center's definition as individuals born between 1981 and 1996 — across 107 U.S. metro areas from 2018 to 2023.

Houston ranked No. 29 in the overall list of U.S. metros that have seen the highest increase in millennial homeowners since 2018. About 49 percent of all Houston-area millennials own their homes, with the remaining 51 percent renting, the report found.

Houston also ranked 22nd in the national list of cities with the biggest growth rates among millennial-age renters. The number of millennial renter households jumped from 397,410 to 439,371 in five years, a 10.6 percent hike.

About 5.3 million millennials have become homeowners over the last five years nationwide, RentCafe's analysts said, which represents a massive 74 percent increase in millennial-owned households. The growth rate of renters was much lower in comparison.

"At the same time, the number of millennial renters in the U.S. rose by a modest 5 percent, adding approximately 600,000 households," RentCafe said. "This brings the total number of millennial homeowner households to 12.4 million, close to the 12.6 million millennial renter households."

While the rate of millennial homeowners is on the rise, the same can't be said for Gen Zers. Less than 15 percent of all Gen Z households in Houston own their homes, while the vast majority are renters, a separate RentCafe study found.

Elsewhere across the state, Austin (No. 7) and San Antonio (No. 10) ranked among the top 10 U.S. cities with the biggest growth rates among millennial homeowners.

The top 10 U.S. metros with the highest gains in millennial homeowners are:

No. 1 – North Port, Florida
No. 2 – Lakeland, Florida
No. 3 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 4 – Stockton, California
No. 5 – Oxnard, California
No. 6 – Palm Bay, Florida
No. 7 – Austin, Texas
No. 8 – Tuscon, Arizona
No. 9 – Deltona, Florida
No. 10 – San Antonio, Texas

rentcafe study real estate housing report millennials houston