Montrose's $1.7 Million Zen House

Montrose's Zen house: This $1.7 million escape comes with its own spa and rooftop garden

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.

Find your Zen in an Asian-inspired escape with courtyard, pool and spa and rooftop garden with expansive deck, all tucked into a private, light-filled contemporary Montrose residence in Houston's bustling Inner Loop. It's for sale with an asking price of $1.7 million.

Walk through
Designed by noted architect Truong Le, the house at 2603 Hopkins St. welcomes with mature trees and fenced front deck with sitting area. Inside, owners find the entryway with a console of mirrors and mosaic tile on one wall and a built-in slate bench with accent windows above on the other. The structure then follows a U-shaped design that focuses inward into the home and also outward through tall walls of glass and glass doors to the enclosed central courtyard.

Views of the pool, spa and stepping-stone bridge are visible from all downstairs rooms, merging the exterior and interior spaces.

Oak floors underfoot and floating wood panels on the 11-foot ceilings above are found throughout the first level. Two wood-burning fireplaces with custom-designed, jade-green mosaic tiles anchor each end of the open formal living and dining rooms. The cook’s kitchen is surrounded by glass and is complete with sleek cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel refrigerator, freezer and appliances. From here, a glass door leads to pool, lower deck and bar, as well as to the summer kitchen.

One first-floor bedroom suite sits inside just at pool’s edge, making it a perfect retreat for guests. Another first-level bedroom suite enjoys a private entrance — also very accommodating. A Jack-and Jill bath on the first floor is convenient with one-half opening to serve the living areas and the other half opening to the outside courtyard and serving as the pool bath.

Upstairs via an artistically designed stairwell with post-installed lights, owners walk down a hallway with glass walls and mirrored wardrobes that reflect the walled roof garden and the skyline views. The spacious master suite overlooks the rooftop deck and includes a third fireplace with jade-green mosaic tiles and built-in headboard and night tables that complement the floating wood ceiling panels. Highlights of the master bath are double white ceramic sinks, a jetted tub beneath a fireplace and frameless glass shower with mosaic tile and bench seat.

Also on the second floor, the family room is expansive with a raised 13-foot ceiling, slate wall with a fireplace and display shelves. The room is surrounded by glass doors and tiered rows of windows that provide views of the adjacent roof garden, creating another indoor/outdoor living area. On the other side of the angled wall with glass at top, a secondary bedroom suite has mirrored wardrobe cabinets, a private slate-tiled bath and kitchenette.

Step outside
Enjoy, inside and out, an upscale sophisticated sound/entertainment system that delivers your music of preference while relaxing on the massive deck. Comfortable seating areas abound above the trees. Steps below is the pool and spa, making this home a great place for entertaining.

Square footage: 4,522

Asking price: $1,749,999

Listing agent: Yvonne Meyer, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

The swimming pool with spa and paving-stone bridge.

On the Market 2603 Hopkins St. September 2014 pool

Photo courtesy of © TK Images

The swimming pool with spa and paving-stone bridge.

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THE AMERICAN DREAM

How long it takes to save for a home down payment in Houston

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Houstonians don't have to save long to afford a down payment.

Saving for a down payment remains one of the biggest barriers to homeownership nationwide, but a new report from Realtor.com shows San Antonio area buyers face a far shorter wait than most Americans.

According to the real estate site’s 2025 analysis, the typical U.S. household needs seven years to save for a standard down payment, a notable improvement from the 12-year peak in 2022. Still, the timeline remains roughly double the pre-pandemic norm, reflecting higher home prices, larger down payments, and lower household savings rates.

Houston, however, stood out as one of the most accessible major metros in the nation. The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro boasted one of the shortest time sto save for a down payment among the nation’s 50 largest markets, with households needing just 3.5 years to reach a typical down payment, according to the study.

The report found that Houston’s median down payment from January through November was $14,927. A median household income of $83,452 was estimated to produce an annual savings of $4,228. Notably, San Antonio, the only other Texas city included in the report, had the shortest time to save for a down payment at just 1.3 years.

Nationally, the time needed to save has shortened as home price growth cooled and affordability modestly improved. Still, saving for a down payment takes significantly longer than it did before the pandemic.

“Higher home prices and intensified competition have pushed typical down payments higher, at the same time that inflation and rising household expenses have reduced savings rates,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, in a release. “Although conditions have improved since 2022, today’s timeline shows that saving for a home takes meaningfully longer than it did before the pandemic, especially in high-cost markets.”

Lower savings rates have played a key role. The U.S. personal savings rate has averaged 5.1 percent of income so far in 2025, down from the pre-pandemic norm of 6.5 percent, limiting how quickly households can build funds for upfront housing costs. Meanwhile, the typical down payment has more than doubled over the past six years — rising from about $13,900 in the third quarter of 2019 to $30,400 in the third quarter of 2025.

In high-cost coastal metros, the impact is far more severe. Saving for a down payment can take 20 to more than 35 years in California cities like San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego, effectively sidelining many first-time and moderate-income buyers.

“In high-cost markets, the typical down payment alone exceeds a full year of household income,” said Hannah Jones, Realtor.com senior economic research analyst. “That reality makes homeownership feel unattainable for many buyers, particularly younger households trying to enter the market for the first time.”

Despite those challenges, the report notes that roughly three-quarters of Americans still consider homeownership part of the American dream. Realtor.com says easing rents could help first-time buyers save more, while repeat buyers may use accumulated savings to reduce loan balances and manage higher monthly payments.

“Saving consistently, even in small amounts, is a meaningful first step toward homeownership,” Jones said. “In today’s market, building that financial cushion can make a real difference when buyers are ready to act.”

home market economy down payments home ownership real estate