Tour luxury homes for sale in Houston

HOUSTON – If you are still dreaming of what to do with the more than half-billion dollars you planned to win in the Powerball jackpot, a Houston powerhouse real estate agent has a few multimillion-dollar offerings for you.

"It is a wonderful home. It is on 1.5 acres. It backs up to River Oaks Country Club," agent Laura Sakowitz Sweeney said.

Sweeney gave Local 2's Dominique Sachse a tour of the magnificent home for sale for $12,950,000 on Willowick Road in River Oaks.

"We have a wonderful wine cellar. You could have a table and dine in this wine cellar. I would imagine 1,000-plus wine bottles could easily fit in this wine cellar," said Sweeney. The home also has five bedrooms, six and a half baths, fountains and a spa off the master bedroom.

The Willowick house is just one of Sweeney's multimillion-dollar listings. She represents another home for sale for $15,000,000 on Timberwilde Lane. That home comes complete with outdoor kitchen, five bedrooms and even a putting green.

Sweeney was named the No. 1 real estate agent in Houston by the Houston Business Journal based on volume sold at $78 million in 2011. She is on target for the same, if not more, in 2012.

"I was at a dinner and John Daugherty was there and I said, 'If I went to real estate school, would you hire me?' And he said, 'Yes, I would,'" said Sweeney.

Fifteen years later, she is still selling some of Houston's most exquisite homes.

"Many times they are looking for something unique, something different. Every person is looking for something different. If the price is right and people feel like they are getting value, things sell," Sweeney said.

Sweeney said the 2009 and 2010 market were the toughest years because there were fewer buyers, but she said business started out good in January of 2012 and hasn't stopped.

"All of the close-in neighborhoods that I deal in are doing very well. In my opinion, it is not really a buyer or seller's market -- it is a real stable market," added Sweeney.