On The Market

EaDo's sleek living? A striking $550,000 minimalist home offers a blueprint for modern urban living

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.

Smart, sleek minimalist design showcased in a brand new contemporary home in EaDo, complete with high-end appliances and amazing skyline views, makes this property something different on the market and it's now for sale. Listing price? $550,000.

A bit of info
The house, conceived by architects Scott Strasser and Sam Nash of Strasser Design and built by David Walker Lucy Modern Dwelling, offers the perfect canvas for city living with sustainability in mind with its zero-based detailing. The compact, energy-saving layout — not only for the floor plan, but for the structure and property as well — leaves only a small ecological footprint and even incorporates a 700-square-foot terrace. Every inch of the 4,116-square-foot lot is utilized, from parking to green spaces.

Low-E double-paned windows, low-maintenance landscaping, commercial-grade construction and roof, blown-in insulation and tankless water heater are just a few of the green-minded features included in the package for 3000 Hawkins St. — also conveniently located on the the MetroRail line for those seeking a true urban lifestyle.

Walk through
Arrive to the property to find a black-star gravel driveway, sodded yard and freshly planted Mexican sycamore trees all behind a horizontally planked fence wrapping around the site. The carport, with automatic oversized carriage doors, doubles as a covered parking space and a place for entertaining. A sliding barn door leads to a half-bath and like the other two baths, utilizes Grohe fixtures, a Duravit undermount sink and a Philippe Starck for Duravit commode.

Every inch of the 4,116-square-foot lot is utilized, from parking to green spaces.

Two bedrooms on the first floor are complete with polished concrete floors, custom closets and gallery lighting. The common bath features dual yet separate vanities with frameless mirrors and sconce light fixtures. Subway tile and porcelain surround the wet area from the floor to the ceiling for the bath tub, which is made private with the slide of a pocket door. Both the bath and bedrooms enjoy access to a views of a fenced side yard with river birch trees and gravel beds. In fact, the trio of sliding doors allows owners to open the entire ground floor to the outdoors on a beautiful day.

Upstairs on the second floor is the main living area, with the kitchen at the far end and an open space toward the front affording a panoramic scene of the downtown skyline through a wall of windows. And the large terrace for al fresco events is conveneniently just steps away to take indoor living to the out-of-doors.

The Bertazzoni five-burner gas cooktop and convention oven sit side-by-side in the kitchen along a honed-granite island with room for six seats. Behind a partial wall is a concealed prep station with Bosch dishwasher, extra storage behind quarter-sawn walnut cabinets, walk-in pantry and framed niche for a full-sized refrigerator.

The third floor houses the master suite, including a sleep alcove with overhead reading lights. The master bedroom takes in more views of downtown Houston. The master bath, also full of natural light via operable windows, has an extended double vanity with seating areas, ample drawers and frameless mirrors. The floors are a matte porcelain tile in a charcoal color. The double seamless glass shower opens to gray and white floor-to-ceiling tiles. There is also a custom walk-in closet with drawers, adjustable shelves and built-in shoe storage.

Step outside
Once again, green space abounds in the side and front yards, and outdoor venues such as the terrace and carport provide more opportunities to enjoy nature — all the while being on the "front step" of Houston's dramatic skyline. An open house is set 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7.

Square footage: 2,295

Asking price: $550,000

Listing agent: Mandy McGowen, Boulevard Realty

Arrive to the property to find a black-star gravel driveway, sodded yard and freshly planted Mexican sycamore trees.

2 On the Market 3000 Hawkins St. December 2014 view of yard and side of house to entry

Photo by © Geoffrey Lyons

Arrive to the property to find a black-star gravel driveway, sodded yard and freshly planted Mexican sycamore trees.

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THE AMERICAN DREAM

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

iStock

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