Bankrate.com writes, "Amid an environment of tight inventory and stubbornly high mortgage rates, housing prices in the U.S. continue to rise ever higher. S&P CoreLogic’s latest Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, released July 30, 2024, reports that annual home-price growth increased in May 2024 by 5.9 percent. That marks three consecutive months of hitting a new all-time high.

Case-Shiller Index still rising

In addition to the 5.9 percent overall increase, May numbers increased annually for both of Case-Shiller’s composite indices as well, with the 10-city index up 7.7 percent and the 20-city index up 6.8 percent.

“Our home price index has appreciated 4.1 percent year-to-date, the fastest start in two years,” said Brian D.…

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Travis County commissioners approved an increase in development review fees, over doubling permitting costs beginning in September. (Courtesy Pexels)

Community Impact reports, "Starting Sept. 1, the cost of development review fees—paid throughout the development permitting process—will increase 141%, after county staff received approval from Travis County Commissioners on July 23, affecting homeowners, business owners and developers alike.

The why?

In an effort to streamline the permit review process and increase transparency, staff members from the Travis County Department of Development Services have revamped the county’s website and examined the department's existing systems and performance.

The last time fees were increased was nearly a decade ago, in 2016, according to staff. Both small- and large-scale projects are subject to these fees, ranging from home renovations to subdivisions.

About the…

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Illustration by Lanette Behiry/Real Estate News; Shutterstock

Real Estate News writes, "After a steady three-week decline, mortgage rates barely budged this week — and home sales have grounded to a halt as buyers wait to see what the Federal Reserve will do.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.78% this week, nearly unchanged from last week's 6.77% average, according to the latest Freddie Mac survey. The 15-year fixed-rate was also up slightly, to 6.07%.

Rates appear to be in a bit of a holding pattern ahead of next week's Federal Reserve meeting. The agency is not expected to cut interest rates at the July meeting but will likely signal whether cuts are coming soon.

Investors and analysts are expecting a September rate cut, but there's still a possibility that the Fed could disappoint and send…

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Realty News Report shares, "Austin ranks as the top apartment market in the nation, according to a new study by Realtor.com.

San Antonio, located about 75 miles from Austin, also ranked near the top of the “Top 10 Markets for Renters” – a Realtor.com report naming metros that earned high praise for their rental affordability, availability of leasable units, economic growth projections and shorter than average commute times.

The survey says Austin, Oklahoma City, Okla., Birmingham, Ala. and San Antonio nabbed the top four places, respectively, in the overall rankings. The 10 top-tier communities – all located in the South and Midwest — placed highest in the nation for their encouraging rental and related attributes.

The capital of the Lone…

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This rendering shows ATX Tower fully completed. It will open in the fourth quarter. NEOSCAPE

Austin Business Journal shares, "Another West Sixth Street tower is approaching the finish line.

ATX Tower, formerly known as 321 West, will open in the fourth quarter this year after topping out in May, according to an announcement. The 58-story tower will add hundreds of apartments and a big chunk of office space to downtown, much like Sixth and Guadalupe, which opened earlier this year and is located across the street from it.

ATX Tower is being co-developed by Ryan Companies US Inc. and Tishman Speyer Properties LP, the latter of which came on board in 2021.

In total, ATX Tower, located at 321 W. Sixth St., is 425,000 square feet. Floors two through 11 are dedicated to parking. Floors 14 through 19 consist of more than 100,000 square feet…

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An architectural rendering offers a glimpse of what the gate house is planned to look like at the the Travis Club community. HAAS & HAYNIE CORP., CASTLE HILL PARTNERS INC.

Austin Business Journal writes, "A luxury housing development on the shores of Lake Travis has pulled in more than $90 million, all before a single home has been built.

At Travis Club, a sprawling 1,500-acre housing development being co-developed by California-based real estate developer Haas & Haynie Corp. and Austin-based real estate investment firm Castle Hill Partners Inc., about three-quarters of the homesites available in the project’s first phase have been sold, according to an announcement. And, with infrastructure construction is underway, phase two homesites will soon be available.

Travis Club, located near Briarcliff west of Austin, will feature 274 single-family lots and 223 villa units, listed between $800,000 and $3 million,…

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Two East Austin properties are moving closer to a city-supported redevelopment by a local and national project team, including Block 18 on East 11th Street. (Courtesy city of Austin)

Community Impact Austin shares, "A pair of mixed-use developments with affordable housing and cultural spaces are coming to vacant city-owned lots in East Austin's African American Cultural Heritage District.

The big picture

Local stakeholders and agencies have been working for years on a plan to transform Austin's "Blocks 16 and 18" sites on the 900 and 1100 blocks of East 11th Street.

The framework that's now moving forward was one of two proposals under consideration by Urban Renewal Board—which oversees the "blighted" East 11th and 12th street area under the city's Urban Renewal Plan—since last summer. After months of review, a final outline for the blocks' redevelopment advanced July 18.

“This milestone for Blocks 16 & 18 marks a significant step…

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Foreign homebuyers purchased $42 billion in U.S. residential properties between April 2023 and March 2024, according to the National Association of Realtors. GRACE CARY | GETTY IMAGES

Austin Business Journal reports, "International buyers bought fewer U.S. homes in the past year but are paying more for residential real estate than ever before.

Foreign homebuyers purchased $42 billion in U.S. residential properties between April 2023 and March 2024, a 21.2% decline from the prior 12-month period, according to the National Association of Realtors. The approximately 54,300 existing homes sold to international buyers marks the lowest 12-month total on record since the NAR began tracking such transactions in 2009.

At the same time, both the average and median home-purchase prices paid by foreign buyers — $783,300 and $475,000, respectively — were the highest ever recorded by NAR.

International or foreign homebuyers as tracked…

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(Photo by Geno Barasa)

Bay News 9 shares, "A few Texas cities and the South in general were heavily featured in the best places for renters to live in a new report.

RentCafe, an apartment listing service that conducts research on the real estate market, posted its annual rankings of the best cities for renters earlier this month. Its rankings were determined by looking at 20 different metrics in three categories–cost of living and housing, the local economy and quality of life. 

While Charleston, South Carolina, took the top spot for the second year in a row, three Texas cities ranked in the top 10. 

McKinney, a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, came in at No. 4 on the list because of its “lower-than-average cost of living, high-end apartments in top locations…

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A home available for sale is shown on May 22 in Austin, Texas. Austin rent prices fell the most out of any major city area in America in June, according to a new report. BRANDON BELL/GETTY IMAGES

Newsweek writes, "Austin, Texas, led the nation in dropping rent prices for the month of June, according to a new report from Realtor.com.

The South generally saw a surge in housing units as more builders target the area because of mass migration post-pandemic.

After Austin's year-over-year rent drop of 9.5 percent, San Antonio, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, also saw significant rent price decreases of 8.2 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively.

"It's difficult to know just yet if this is simply a trend or a long-term slide, but markets that were white hot during the pandemic like Austin and Nashville are experiencing a deceleration in demand," Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin,…

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