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A new trend in smart condos is hitting Houston. While suburban developments took the population outwards for many years, the new way to accommodate the population is with Houston condominiums developed together with retail space and offices. The result is a smarter neighborhood that allows residents of the new condos to live, work and play in the same area.

These smart Houston condos are very convenient for people working in the city. With the added office space developed alongside new condos, more business will also come to downtown Houston. New Houston condos offer shopping and dining right in the building, too, so residents don't really have to leave home to buy their groceries or eat out. This is much more attractive than living in the suburbs and having to commute everywhere.

Houston condominiums aren't for everyone, but young professional and retiring baby boomers are buying up these smart Houston condos for sale as quickly as they're built. Some developers and architects say smart condos are expensive to build because they often include underground parking garages, which add to high upfront construction costs. The developers are still turning profits off new Houston condos, but it is sometimes risky, as it is with any new type of building trend. Cities such as Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix and Austin have been developing these smart high-rise condominiums for a while, but Houston is just now starting to catch up. With such a strong economy, it makes sense for many developers to take advantage of the real estate market in Houston.

These smart condos foster a sense of community, according to David Crossley, president of the Gulf Coast Institute. They are a nonprofit Houston group advocating quality of life issues. “For half a century, we've been building spaces with separate uses: a mall here, houses there and offices somewhere else,” said Crossley. The mixed-use condominiums, however, are “an attempt to put all those uses back together again.” The question of whether current businesses in downtown Houston will be as enthusiastic about the high-rise condominiums mixed with retail space is one thing developers must face. Surrounding property owners will have to decide if they embrace the smart Houston condos or not. “It gives you all these places to go,” said Crossley.

He also said developers “work hard to make their private streets seem public. It's hard to see how it wouldn't be anything but a good neighbor.” Only time will tell how the new mixed-use high rise condominiums will play into the long-term Houston real estate market. For now, the condos for sale will be the only way to see the success of these new developments. Many people are sure to find the convenience of living, working and playing in the same neighborhood to good to resist, and decide to stay.