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    remembering martha turner

    Houston's empress of real estate Martha Turner passes away at 81

    Steven Devadanam
    Apr 8, 2022 | 2:22 pm
    Martha Turner headshot
    Martha Turner turned a fledgling real estate business into a $2.5B empire.
    Photo courtesy of Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty

    Houston’s matriarch of real estate has passed away. Martha Fuller Turner, the pioneering, self-made, consummate local success story, died in Houston, surrounded by her family. She was 81.

    “We are heartbroken over Martha’s passing,” Robin Conner, president of Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, tells CultureMap. “She was a deeply respected leader in the Houston real estate community and an inspiration, friend, and mentor to us all. Last year, Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty celebrated 40 years of excellence, and, in her honor, we will continue her legacy by upholding the values she established so many years ago. We are so fortunate to live out her vision and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity she gave us all to be successful.”

    The real estate icon who watched her empire grow to $2.5 billion in sales (as of 2021) was born in the East Texas town of Hemphill in 1940. She credited her young days of helping in her parents’ feed store — Fuller's Dry Goods, Feed, Seed, and Fertilizer — for developing her work ethic — for which she was legendary. The graduate of North Texas University married and launched a 15-year career as a teacher, often supplementing her income by selling wigs and even encyclopedias door-to-door.

    Her teaching post at River Oaks Baptist School was her longest; here, she would begin building and selling houses, generating a passion for real estate. She retired in 1979, secured a real estate license, and sold her first house that year for $78,000. Two years later, the unflinching Turner launched the fledgling Turner Owens Real Estate company in a harsh local economic climate. That company would become the familiar Martha Turner Properties in 1986.

    “I have a God-given talent and it is a gift that I was given,” Turner once said. “The gift of communication first, and the gift of selling.” Both gifts served Turner well as she grew her independent firm, stressing “excellence” as a company brand pillar, attention to detail, and ultra-personalized customer service. Her mantra: “The more you listen, the more houses you will sell.”

    A keen networker and master of word-of-mouth referrals, Turner applied a simple formula to her work: “As I began to get more listings, whether it was for a $70,000 house or one for $200,000, I gave the client the same service,” she explained to the Houston Business Journal. “I gave exceptional service and stayed in touch. My clients in turn referred their friends to me. It is the cheapest advertising you can do, and my business started to multiply.”

    It didn’t take long for the industry to notice such multiplying success, and in 2009, Turner was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame — at that time, she was one of only seven women to be so honored. Five years later, she sold her firm to Sotheby’s International Realty for an undisclosed price, creating what is now the Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty brand.

    Turner stepped down from day-to-day management in 2015 and embraced her chairman emeritus role, but never stepped away from civic, philanthropic, and social work. She was a familiar face at A-list social events and an ardent advocate for women (especially in business), the arts (she minored in music in college), and, fittingly, education. Socially, Turner was gracious, kind with a word, and displayed trademark humility that belied her local, regional, and national success.

    Nurturing 40 years of business growth, a household brand, $2.5 billion in sales, and an army of colleagues, coworkers, devotees, satisfied customers, and fans might not have been the future the young teacher from Hemphill may have envisioned, but it’s one she crafted with her immovable core values.

    “To be successful,” Turner once said to Conner, “you have to love what you do, love the people around you, make everyone feel special, and realize that you are the only person in charge of your life.”

    deaths
    news/real-estate

    rent affordability news

    Houstonians need to make nearly $68,000 to afford rent in 2025

    Amber Heckler
    May 13, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Dolce Midtown Apartments Houston
    Photo courtesy of Dolce Midtown Apartments
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    A new rental report from Zillow has revealed Houston renters need to make about 23 percent more money than they did five years ago in order to afford rent in 2025.

    Zillow analysts examined the income needed to afford rent in 50 major U.S. metros, and determined rent prices in each city as of April 2025.

    The average Houston renter needs to make $67,731 a year to afford living in the city, the report found. To afford rent for a single-family home, the income needed increases even further to $85,017.

    Despite Houston's rising rent cost of living, it's still more affordable than many other cities. Nationally, the average income needed for someone to comfortably afford rent comes out to nearly $81,000. The study says that figure has increased nearly 35 percent since 2020.

    "Housing costs have surged since pre-pandemic, with rents growing quite a bit faster than wages," said senior Zillow economist Orphe Divounguy. "This often leaves little room for other expenses, making it particularly difficult for those hoping to save for a down payment on a future home. High upfront costs are often overlooked, which can keep renters in their current homes."

    Rent prices in Houston averaged $1,693 last month, which is less costly than the national average rent price of $2,024. Additionally, Houstonians are spending about 24 percent of their income on rent, while the typical American spends almost 30 percent of their income on rent.

    Renters are also saving hundreds of dollars in comparison to those that own their homes, as a recent SmartAsset study discovered the median monthly housing costs for a Houston homeowner came out to $2,219.

    At least we're not living on the East or West Coast, where eight U.S. metros require six-figure incomes to afford rent. Residents in San Jose, California need to make $136,532 a year to afford rent, the highest out of all 50 U.S. cities. Rent prices in San Jose came out to $3,413 in April.

    Here's how much money renters need to afford living in other Texas metros, according to Zillow:

    • Dallas – $71,413
    • Austin – $68,840
    • San Antonio – $58,590
    zillowhousing reportrent pricesaffordabilityhouston
    news/real-estate

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