Looped In

Looped In host Nancy Sarnoff packs up her bags and moves to Canada, with a detour down memory lane. Connect with Rebecca Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff.   Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Realtors banned from racist postsThe National Association of Realtors tackled racist social media posts at their annual conference. On this episode of Looped In, Nancy Sarnoff and R.A. Schuetz discuss the background leading up to the vote. Connect with Nancy Sarnoff and Rebecca Schuetz. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all heard of coworking. But cohousing? Not so much. That’s because there are no cohousing communities in Texas, something a group of Houstonians in the East End are planning to change. They’re designing a 33-unit condominium where a sense of community will be the key amenity, a need for which they believe the pandemic has underscored. Think shared meals (or, during socially distant times, outdoor happy hours) and decision-making that revolves around consensus, not votes. Read: In this housing development, community is the keystone Connect with Rebecca Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kirby Liu of Lovett Commercial and Jason Long, a partner with architecture firm OMA in New York, discuss POST Houston, the redevelopment of the 16-acre downtown post office property. They highlight some of the architectural oddities they unearthed from the midcentury structures on the site and discuss the challenges of leasing, designing and developing a mixed-use project for a post-pandemic world. Related reading: ‘No plan B’ as downtown Houston’s POST redevelopment plows ahead Connect with Nancy Sarnoff and Rebecca Schuetz. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has been quietly postponing real estate foreclosures through executive orders, shutting down the facility where those auctions are held and providing relief to struggling homeowners and landlords. Connect with Nancy Sarnoff and Rebecca Schuetz. Read: Lina Hidalgo quietly postponing Harris County foreclosures with executive orders     Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Convenience store owner Charlie Patel has spent the past two decades selling birthday cards, candy bars and small gifts to urban office workers. With most of his customers still working from home, he's had to find ways to adapt to the current reality. Patel explains how he's surviving.Read: 'Downtown is dead.' How COVID-19 turned Houston into a ghost townConnect with Nancy Sarnoff and Rebecca Schuetz.   Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The late Gerald D. Hines adopted Houston as his hometown in 1957 and became one of the world's foremost property developers. Hines -- the man and the company -- was the subject of one of Looped In's earliest episodes. It’s time for another listen. Connect with Nancy Sarnoff and Rebecca Schuetz.   Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Virtual tours and contactless showings. For those on the hunt for a new apartment in the midst of a pandemic, seeing the place before signing a lease involves navigating a series of precautions put in place to protect leasing staff and renters. Looped In hits the road to see how things have changed. Connect with Rebecca Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The office is about to undergo its biggest change since the cubicle. Thanks to the pandemic, companies are rethinking the amount of space they occupy and the role it plays in their corporate culture. Lauri Goodman Lampson, who has designed workplaces for some of the world's biggest energy firms, reveals what some of them are planning for a post-COVID world. Connect with Nancy and Rebecca. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy and Rebecca talk to housing consultant Scott Davis about how the new coronavirus is informing the way builders design homes and how past pandemics led to lasting changes in the way we live. Connect with Nancy and Rebecca   Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlie Kuntz's job at Hines is all about making office buildings run better by identifying new technologies like touchless elevators, occupancy sensors and air-quality systems. When COVID-19 hit, that work suddenly took on an even deeper sense of urgency. On the newest episode of Looped In, he discusses the concepts of returning to work during a pandemic and how it's being done in China where the company has several offices. And it's not how you might expect. Connect with Nancy Sarnoff and Rebecca Schuetz Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sudden drop in sales Chinatown experienced at the end of January as those worried about the novel coronavirus began to social distance were a precursor to what would soon happen across the country. So how are Chinatown restaurants faring now, as the Texas economy is poised to reopen? R.A. Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff revisit with the owners of Mala Sichuan Bistro to hear about new cleaning protocols and delivery strategies, snags receiving funds from the federal stimulus bill and whether business owners are willing to bet on the area's real estate as the economy sinks. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From office space to urban land sites, demand for commercial real estate faces uncertainty as Houston begins what’s expected to be a lengthy and uneven process of reopening stores and returning to work. Nancy and Rebecca talk to two of the founders of Dosch Marshall Real Estate about which sectors of the commercial property market are poised for growth and which will have a harder time recovering. Read stories by Nancy Sarnoff and Rebecca Schuetz   Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy and Rebecca discuss their recent reporting on the challenges of buying and selling homes during the coronavirus pandemic. They're joined by appraiser Mike Taylor who explains how he values homes when he can’t go inside. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A chocolate maker famous for its truffles and toffees, is now making face guards meant to protect medical workers. It’s one of many companies around the state that has shifted to meet the demands created by the novel coronavirus. Michael Moss, owner of Sweet Shop USA, discusses how his business has mobilized to keep workers employed and contribute much-needed personal protective equipment during the crisis.   Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We hope you have found the series of Coronavirus Chronicle bonus episodes informative and entertaining. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts. Click subscribe — it's free — to receive fresh episodes daily.  The Rev. Hannah Atkins Romero, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Midtown, talks about the sense of loss experienced by Houston’s faith communities as an Easter Sunday without church services approaches. Plus: a special performance by April Sloan-Hubert and the Trinity Jazz Ensemble. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CEO of Landry’s has furloughed tens of thousands of employees. He’s closed hundreds of restaurant dining rooms and each of his Golden Nugget casinos. Nancy and Rebecca discuss the struggles of this larger-than-life Houston figure. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we're sharing an episode of "Coronavirus Chronicle" with Looped In listeners. Previous episodes at available on Apple Podcasts. Houston Chronicle photojournalist Marie De Jesús illuminates the balancing act between keeping a safe distance and capturing the intimate, human moments that reveal just how profoundly life in Houston has changed.   Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we're sharing an episode of "Coronavirus Chronicle" with Looped In listeners. Previous episodes at available on Apple Podcasts. Houstonians know all about hurricanes: Wind speed, the dirty side, the European models. But what do we need to track the coronavirus? Angela Blanchard discusses that and more with the Houston Chronicle’s Lisa Gray. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As March turned into April and the Houston stay-at-home order was extended to the start of May, renters who found themselves suddenly unemployed by the coronavirus outbreak have been left to wonder how they will pay for housing. Landlords have their own concerns: without the expected rent revenue, how will they be able to pay their own bills? Some states — including Texas — have temporarily stopped evictions from going forward in court. But what does that order really mean? Reporter Sarah Smith, who covers housing, homelessness and poverty for the Houston Chronicle, joins host Ferrill Gibbs to discuss the dilemma facing tenants and property owners alike. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.