Luxe Austin Homes - December, 2024

"Austin suburb appears on new 2025 list of safest U.S. cities"

CultureMap Austin writes, "New Year's resolutions can come in many forms, and if relocating to a safe Austin-area suburb is high on the list for 2025, Round Rock is the place to be.

Round Rock was declared the No. 26 safest city in America for 2025 in a new study by personal finance advisors MoneyGeek. The website's experts examined the most recent FBI crime statistics (from 2023) to determine the cost of crime in 292 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000 residents.

The estimated cost of crime in this North Austin suburb – which the study calculated as the "societal cost of crime per resident" – was $575 in 2023.

While Round Rock's crime cost per capita may seem high, it's actually far lower the national crime cost, which was $2,178 per…

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"Icon to create 100 more 3D-printed homes at Community First Village"

Austin Business Journal shares, "Austin-based, 3D-printing company Icon Technologies Inc. is continuing its partnership with East Austin's Community First Village, where construction is underway on more of the company's unique, printed homes.

Icon is partnering with Lennar Foundation, the charitable arm of homebuilder Lennar Corp., to build 100 homes at Community First using its industrial-scale 3D-printing technology, according to an announcement. Icon has already built 17 homes and facilities at the development, including Community First's welcome center.

Community First Village, created by Austin-based nonprofit Mobile Loaves and Fishes, provides affordable, permanent housing for people coming out of chronic homelessness. It will be able to…

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"Check out real estate trends in the Bastrop-Cedar Creek area in November"

Community Impact shares, "The real estate market continues to see action in the Bastrop-Cedar Creek area, which experienced 62 home sales in November, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors.

Zooming in

In the 78602 ZIP code, 42 homes sold, while 20 sold in the 78612 ZIP code in November.

The median home sales price in the 78602 ZIP code over the last six months is $375,000, and in the 78612 ZIP code, median home prices were $474,998 in the same time frame.

In the 78602 ZIP code, homes were listed on the market for an average of 70 days. In the 78612 ZIP code, homes were on the market for an average of 87 days.

Source: Community Impact

Written by: Sierra Martin

Published: December 19, 2024

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"New real estate startup focused on facilitating seller financing"

Austin Business Journal reports, "A local lender is fundraising for a new startup that aims to help address home affordability by facilitating seller financing.

MORE Seller Direct Financing was founded by Leahy Lending founder Ryan Leahy, who said the startup will show sellers and listing agents how to market lower interest rates in order to attract more homebuyers. In addition to legal, marketing and educational services, the startup will help determine if seller financing — in which a home seller and not a financial institution provides financing to a qualified buyer — is right for the seller.

He said the startup's goals include helping sellers move their homes faster and also earn monthly income to offset current or future mortgage payments.…

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"How Austin fits into Zillow's predicted housing market growth in 2025"

CultureMap Austin writes, "It looks like a few more people are about to turn their online home shopping daydreams into reality in 2025. Zillow, the famous real estate listings website, says in a press release that next year will likely bring "a gradual but bumpy decline in rates, impacting sales and price growth."

It attributes the forecast to "erratic and dramatic mortgage rate movements" throughout 2024, which will continue to affect the market. The website's housing market predictions report estimates that 2025 will see about 100,000 more sales than 2024, that home value growth will be "low and slow" at 2.2 percent, and that inventory and new listings will continue recovering from pandemic weakness.

On a local scale, Zillow's latest data…

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"Forecasts in 4 top markets a reminder that real estate is local"

Key points:

• During NAR’s annual real estate forecast summit, a panel of economists shared predictions for their markets in 2025.
• Compared to much of the country, Austin and Florida have significant inventory, while in Virginia and California, supply remains constrained.
• Regional issues including post-boom rebalancing, chronic underbuilding and job shifts will continue to impact local markets next year.

RealEstateNews.com writes, "As real estate agents and brokers prepare for 2025, they will need to consider how national forecasts — including predictions of more transactions in 2025 — apply to their local markets.

While the mantra "all real estate is local" remains in play, some trends proved fairly consistent between 2020 and…

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"Where is Williamson County's population growing?"

Austin Business Journal shares, "With a population increase from 2020 to 2023 of 14.5%, Williamson County is clocking more new residents than all other counties in this fast-growing region.

So how do the suburbs there stack up to each other? We examined data Opportunity Austin pulled from the U.S. Census Bureau, looking at the population growth in the county’s incorporated places from 2020 to 2023, to figure that out.

Georgetown has been designated as the nation’s fastest-growing city of at least 50,000 people for the past three years, and it has been adding more people than any other city in the county. But, as the graphic indicates, Georgetown isn't the fastest growing, percentage-wise. Smaller cities have the advantage on that metric, and it…

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"HOA Fees Are On the Rise—Does It Make Sense To Buy a Home With Monthly Dues?"

Realtor.com writes, "You’re looking through homes online and spot one you love. It looks great, it’s the perfect size, and the price is right. You scroll down to see it has a homeowners association with dues that total $150 a month. Do you click away as fast as you can? Or are you impressed?

Many buyers wonder if they should avoid, or seek out, real estate with an HOA. On one hand, HOAs can be expensive and buyers who’ve been scrimping and saving to afford a home probably won’t look kindly on the extra monthly fee. On the other hand, HOAs can do a lot of good, like taking the stress off of home and yard maintenance.

Amber Brown, a real estate broker in Waco, TX, notes that HOAs can keep neighbors in check, as well.

“I’ve seen homeowners build…

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"First-time homebuyers flock to Williamson County"

In October, the most recent data available, the median sales price of a home in Williamson County clocked in at $420,000 compared to $510,000 in Travis County and $565,000 in the city of Austin, according to the Austin Board of Realtors’ and Unlock MLS’ latest market data.

While the more affordable inventory in Williamson County is attractive to first-time homebuyers, the job market fueled by employers such as Apple and Samsung is also a major driver of demand in the region.

Kent Redding, ABOR's 2024 president, said buyers are comparing the average sales price of a home in Austin to other areas of the metro and deciding they simply can’t afford a house in Austin — especially at a time when mortgage rates are elevated.

The average 30-year…

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"Planned 'new town' near Jarrell moving 'full speed ahead' — albeit behind the scenes"

Austin Business Journal shares, "About 18 months ago, representatives of Arizona-based DMB Development LLC unveiled initial plans for its long-anticipated Solana Ranch project near Jarrell. The effort called for billions of dollars of investment and construction of 14,000 homes and mixed-use buildings on more than 7,000 acres.

Elements of the project aren't yet visible on the sprawling site at the northern end of the Austin metro, but DMB President and CEO Brent Herrington said the company "is making tremendous progress and our current status is full speed ahead."

Split between Williamson and Bell counties, the planned development is among the most anticipated in the region. In early 2023, the Austin Business Journal first revealed plans for the…

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