Houston's unsinkable housing market undaunted by storm

Houston

FOR six months, Sue and Roger Powell have been hoping to find a buyer for their 7,100-square-foot home in the Houston suburb of Katy. A week ago, after they waded out of it with a few suitcases on air mattresses, those hopes had largely faded. Then they got an unexpected call from their real estate agent: A house hunter was interested.

"Somebody actually called her before we got back in here," Sue Powell said as she stood in her driveway last week, a safety mask around her neck and a pile of her possessions on the kerb.