If you think I've been overly optimistic, please note this. It needs no commentary. From The Houston Chronicle Tuesday:

Toll Brothers, a publicly traded home building company, has earned the industry's top three awards, including America's Best Builder from the National Association of Home Builders, the National Housing Quality Award and Builder of the Year.

 

It plans to offer its luxury homes in the high $400,000 to $500,000 price range in Tupelo Woods in Creekside Park and Player Vista in Sterling Ridge.

 

“The Woodlands has been one of the best master planned communities for many, many years,” said Chris Myers, Houston division president of Toll Brothers. “It is very affluent and very established in its amenities. It has shopping, good schools, hike and bike paths, activities, lakes, the waterway and Market Square. It is what our buyers want.”

 

Despite the economic downtown, Toll Brothers thinks the Houston market will be one of the first to bounce back because of ongoing job growth in road construction, health care, manufacturing, aeronautics and the energy/oilfield equipment industries.

I presume their promo article won't mind me "borrowing" so much content. Their additional statements in the article are telling:

“We've been studying the Houston market for a long time and have been looking for the right opportunity to enter it,” said Robert Toll, chairman and chief executive officer of Toll Brothers in a news release. “In 2008, Houston was the second largest home building market in the nation.”

If I haven't said it before, here it is, your new mantra: Houston is the exception. Houston is the exception. Houston is the exception. We didn't get the outrageous "ups" of recent years, but now we're one of the most stable and strongest markets in the nation. Have doubts? Look at the investors. Investors vote with their money. Toll Brothers is voting with their money... and reputation. Congratulations Houston. Congratulations to North Spring and The Woodlands.