The mortgage and real estate market may be struggling a bit right now, but many of us in Texas are staying busy with the oil and gas boom fueled (yes, pun intended) by the Barnett and Eagle Ford Shales. For land research firms like Hollerbach & Associates, that means working on due diligence of mineral assets; mineral exceptions and convergences of trusts, amongst other things. That’s one of the beautiful things about Texas. Our economy is not a one-trick pony. Although our housing market may be a bit slow at the moment, we are able to rely on the drive for new energy sources, a growing population and a business friendly government, which allows for a good amount of diversity in the types of economic engines here. Nonetheless, we’re expecting a bounce back sooner or later in the residential real estate market (especially if we continue to grow as we are). In the meantime, there’s plenty of work to go around in O&G!