Art in Real Estate Listings

Let's look at 3 Briarwood Ct!

For years I have been browsing the real estate listings on HAR.com, hoping to see people’s art collections in the photos. The house at 3 Briarwood Ct. is, as of this post, the most expensive private residence for sale in Houston: $27,500,000. It has been on the market for 349 days. This gigantic pile of architectural cliches was built in 2014.

Often when I look at houses for sale, the photos have been carefully staged with fake decoration. This is frequently the case with a brand new home or condo. I will find myself wondering if this was a house that human being lived in. But in the case of 3 Briarwood Ct., while the photos are obviously carefully staged (no one leaves a backgammon board perfectly centered on their ottoman, for example), it seems possible that these are photos of a rich guy’s actual possessions.

This is a gigantic River Oaks mansion. It is every bit as garish as you might expect.