Luxe Austin Homes - May, 2023

"The Austin housing market is outperforming national trends, latest report shows"

CultureMap Austin shares, "housing inventory is on the rise, as is the number of days houses spend on the market, while prices are steadily falling. That spells another month of a balancing act in the Austin-Round Rock housing market, according to the latest report from the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR).

“This is still a market that is seeing lots of activity, just not at a record-setting pace, and that is to be expected given broader economic trends,” said 2023 ABoR president Ashley Jackson. “Home prices are moderating, pending sales are holding strong, and homes on the market last month are selling closer to list price. These are all signs of a market that is still balancing and doing so in a healthy way.”

Housing inventory has continued to…

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"The Star Trek Tech Selling Luxury Condos in Austin"

TexasMonthly writes, "near the edge of a cliff that plunges hundreds of feet down to the shore of Lake Austin, a five-thousand-square-foot steel-frame structure with tentlike walls houses the potential future of ultraluxury real estate marketing: a holodeck.

The term comes from Star Trek, in which Federation starships were equipped with special rooms where crew members could create and interact with holographic environments. At Lake Austin, the enormous space brings to virtual life, in photographic detail, one of the most opulent condo buildings Texas has ever seen. Its creator bills it as the first installation of its caliber anywhere.

Let’s back up. When entrepreneur Jonathan Coon announced his plans to build a sprawling complex along the top…

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"Down Payment Amounts Are Shrinking: Can Buyers Put Down Less and Still Compete?"

Realtor.com writes, "after a steady rise in buyers kicking in ever larger down payments in an attempt to win heated bidding wars over the past few years, down payments are now shifting—and shrinking.

The housing market is seeing an overall decline in down payments for the first time since the second quarter of 2020, according to a new report from Realtor.com®. Buyers likely don’t have that extra cash lying around as they face stubbornly high home prices, higher mortgage interest rates, and rising inflation. And many have already burned through the COVID-19 stimulus payments that helped millions of Americans save up.

The average down payment slipped to 13% in the first three months of this year, down from the peak of 14.1% in the second quarter…

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"Salvation Army lists downtown Austin acre"

TheRealDeal reports, "an acre of land in downtown Austin primed for redevelopment has hit the market. 

The Salvation Army is selling its parcel at East 7th Street and Red River Street, which currently has two buildings and a half-acre surface parking lot. The larger of the structures is the former Salvation Army Downtown Center at 501 East 8th Street, and the other is a 1,500-square-foot retail building at 718 Red River Street, which sits noticeably tenantless amid a string of happening bars and restaurants.

The parcel, half a city block in total, has the potential to be redeveloped as a 230,000-square-foot, mixed-use development. Peter Jansen and Jennifer Joseph of CBRE are marketing the property.

Red River Street sits between the more…

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"‘There Is No National Housing Market’: Why Location Matters Now More Than Ever"

Realtor.com writes, "the longtime mantra of the real estate market, “location, location, location,” may never have been so true.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a national frenzy seemed to permeate the housing market as buyers spent previously unimaginable sums on homes just about everywhere. The real estate market was fairly monolithic as the number of available homes dried up and prices shot up around the country.

However, what’s happening in the national housing market might no longer resemble what’s going on in local markets across the country. As mortgage interest rates have risen, some markets have slowed while others continue to speed up. Home prices may be falling in one city but accelerating in another. Bidding wars may be fierce in one…

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"9 Events and Festivals in Austin Every Local, Newcomer, and Visitor Should Check Out"

Redfin.com shares, "Austin, Texas, is known for many things: live music, food, and a thriving tech industry, to name a few. But another aspect of Austin’s unique cultural scene that can’t be overlooked is its abundance of festivals. From music and film to food and art, there seems to be a festival for just about every interest in Austin. These events draw in visitors from all over the country, providing a platform for local and regional talent and showcasing the city’s diverse spirit. Whether you’re looking to rent an apartment in Austin or are looking for a home in the area on Redfin, exploring the festivals in Austin is a must-do activity. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular and unique festivals in Austin, offering a glimpse into…

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"Are bidding wars coming back to the housing market?"

Austin Business Journal shares, "although the spring 2023 housing market has little resemblance to the frenzied 2021 buying and selling season, there's evidence some markets and types of houses are starting to become more competitive, owing mostly to a lack of inventory.

Forty-eight percent of homes sold nationally during the four weeks ending April 30 went under contract within two weeks, down from 51% a year earlier but up from 46% a month prior, Seattle-based Redfin Corp. (Nasdaq: RDFN) recently found.

While demand for housing among buyers exists, a key reason for increased competition for certain homes is because inventory remains extremely tight. Owners who locked in record-low mortgage rates during the pandemic are hanging onto their…

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"Have Home Prices and Mortgage Rates Both Peaked? A Hopeful Look Ahead"

Realtor.com writes, "America’s home prices are still rising, currently hovering at a median of $430,000 in April. But at long last, these sky-high housing costs seem poised to fall, perhaps as early as this month.

That’s according to a new report from Realtor.com®, which found that April’s listing prices had ticked up a mere 2.5% compared with a year earlier. That’s the slowest yearly price growth seen since April 2020, when COVID-19 quarantines forced the real estate market to grind to a halt.

Once markets opened up again, the pandemic unleashed a steep and unprecedented ascent in home prices, culminating in a record-setting high of $449,000 last June. But the latest data suggests that this raging seller’s market might have finally reached its…

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"New incentives bolster burgeoning Bee Cave entertainment district"

Austin Business Journal reports, "the Bee Cave City Council on April 25 approved $3.25 million in incentives that will help build a road to service a growing entertainment corridor in the city that includes the revamped Backyard in Bee Cave project — on track to open next year.

During the last month, City Council has worked to clear the way for developers of a 28-acre site north of State Highway 71 and immediately west of Bee Cave Central Park to start work on what they say will be a mixed-use project that includes housing and dining options. That includes the extension of a road, Willie Way, that will also service a 35-acre site at 13801 Bee Cave Pkwy. that will house the long-anticipated revamp of the music-venue-centered mixed-use Backyard in…

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"IBM finds new Austin home"

Austin Business Journal reports, "IBM Corp. has lined up a new home in Austin — it should be move-in ready in 2027.

Big Blue, which back in September solicited proposals for a new office hub in the Texas capital, has decided to move into a newly proposed development by Hines at the northern tip of The Domain, said Joanne Wright, an IBM senior vice president. It has leased space in two 14-story towers proposed on the site of a La Quinta Inn and Suites at 11901 N. MoPac Expy. — not far from IBM's current campus at 11501 Burnet Road.

It will mean a new home in Austin for IBM (NYSE: IBM), one of the original big tech employers in the city, and its roughly 6,000 employees.

IBM is leasing about 320,000 square feet, out of the project's 500,000…

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