Luxe Austin Homes - February, 2025

"Austin leads the nation for developing private affordable housing"

CultureMap Austin writes, "Most people like a bargain, particularly money-conscious renters in the Austin area, where rents continue to be stubbornly high. According to RentCafe, the average Austin apartment rent recently stood at $1,691, compared with the statewide average of $1,449. Fortunately, rent relief is on the way: Austin is a hotspot for affordable housing, according to a new study.

The report from data provider Yardi Matrix shows the Austin metro area leads the nation for the number of “fully affordable” apartments and other multifamily housing units under construction by private real estate developers (not by government agencies). Austin ranks first on the list with 2,717 units under construction, followed by Miami with 2,687 and Los…

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"Average new home price in Austin fell $12,000 in January sales slump"

CultureMap Austin reports, "A new statewide real estate report has shown a slow decline in new home sales across Texas, including in the Austin metro area.

The latest New Home Sales Index by HomesUSA.com discovered that Austin saw the fewest new homes sold in January out of the four biggest metros in Texas. The three-month moving average of new home sales in Austin fell to 809 last month, versus 834 sales in December 2024.

Housing prices were was also lower in January, with the average new home in Austin dropping to $483,056. That's nearly $12,000 less than the average prices in December, which came out to $494,714.

While these declines may seem atypical, a sales slump is actually normal during the winter season, according to HomesUSA founder…

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"Austin-area housing market poised for another stable year, experts say"

Austin American-Statesman writes, "Steady as she goes.

That about sums up the 2025 outlook by real estate experts for the housing market in the Austin metro area, a five-county region stretching from Georgetown to San Marcos.

Peering into their crystal balls, several leading experts who have tracked the ups and downs of the Central Texas real estate market for years, even decades, foresee stable conditions this year. They predict the 2025 housing landscape could mirror last year's, as more normal trends continue in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic era buying frenzy, when multiple offers, often well above asking price, were common.

Those expected trends include home prices remaining relatively flat; a steady supply of housing; predictable…

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"Booming Austin neighbor among top 20 suburbs for Americans on the move"

CultureMap Austin shares, "A new list on the most desirable suburbs in America puts one buzzy Austin-area city in the top 20: According to a recent growth report by moving services website moveBuddha, Georgetown comes in at No. 18 on the list of American suburbs that everyone wants to move to.

The survey ranks the suburbs that are the most in-demand in the most populous U.S. metros for 2025.

It ranks cities by two criteria: recent mover search data from January 2024 to February 2025 which reflectsmoves planned for the current year; and the most recent Zillow Home Value Index data for home averages in each of the 50 biggest metros.

Georgetown had a "move in-to-out ratio" of 1.46, meaning there are 146 searches for moves in for every 100…

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"RAINEY STREET 3.0"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Austin’s Rainey Street is about to emerge from a construction cocoon — solidifying its longtime transformation from a once sleepy, residential street into one of the densest areas in Texas, if not the country.

The district in downtown Austin has been years in the making. It was a hub of late-night entertainment and barhopping in the 2010s, and a flurry of high-rise construction in recent years has made it difficult for bars and businesses to bring in patrons.

Once the dust settles, however, the new Rainey Street Historic District will become its own ecosystem. Thousands will call the area home, in addition to a mixture of hotels, offices, retailers, restaurants and a host of both daytime and nighttime activities.…

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"More listings add much-needed housing inventory, but some homes are sitting on the market longer"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The first few weeks of 2025 have brought an uptick in home listings, but whether housing inventory currently on the market is priced to sell remains to be seen.

New for-sale listings rose 7.9% in the four-week period ending Feb. 2 compared to the same timeframe a year earlier, according to data from Redfin Corp. (Nasdaq: RDFN). Despite the increased inventory, pending sales were still down 8.1% year over year.

Some of the pending sales slowdown could be seasonal or related to economic uncertainty, but mortgage rates and high home prices — including among newly listed inventory — are also keeping many would-be buyers sidelined.

Inventory is beginning to accumulate, and some homes are taking longer to sell, largely…

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"Central Austin homes continue to spend more time on market year over year"

Community Impact Austin reports, "Homes in Central Austin spent 19.7% more time on the market in January 2025 compared to January 2024, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors. Median home prices only saw a slight increase year over year, with the largest share sold in the $900,000 and over price range.

The details

Median home prices slightly increased year over year by 1.42%. Homes in 78756 saw the largest price increases year over year, by 84.31%, and homes in the 78701 ZIP code saw the largest decrease in price, by 57.78%.

In January 2025, the largest share of homes sold in Central Austin were in the $900,000 and over price range. This is similar to last month.

Homes spent 19.7% more time on the market year over year. Out of the…

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"Forget $1M: These ZIP codes have seen their average home price soar past $2M"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Nick Wemyss saw firsthand how the Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally reshaped the luxury housing market.

Wemyss, a real estate consultant and Realtor at Berkshire Hathaway affiliate Intero Real Estate Services, watched as the rise of remote work freed people to relocate from his home base in Los Altos, California — where home prices on average top $4.7 million — to surrounding cities and counties. Those relocations drove up home prices in places like Reno, Nevada, and around Lake Tahoe.

It was a pattern that was replicated in markets across the country.

“This isn't just growth. It's a complete redesign of where wealth lives,” Wemyss said. “While traditional luxury markets like Silicon Valley, Manhattan and Los…

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"Exclusive: The District, a huge and long-anticipated Round Rock project, finally moves forward"

Austin Business Journal shares, "It's been nearly six years to the day since The District in Round Rock was first approved north of Austin. But after years of tweaking and widening the design of the $500 million-plus mixed-use project across from Dell Technologies Inc.'s headquarters, construction is finally about to begin.

Stakeholders in March will hold a groundbreaking for the 66-acre project near I-35 and State Highway 45 Toll Road. It's a notable milestone for a project that was first brought to the Round Rock City Council in 2017 by California-based Mark IV Capital, was first approved for a development agreement in 2019, and has been moving back through the design, planning and incentives process over the last several years.

The District…

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"Top-selling Realtors to get spotlight"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Every year we ask local Realtors to give us their statistics — number of homes sold, dollar volume, most expensive sold home and more — so we can rank them for ABJ's annual Residential Real Estate Awards luncheon.

The numbers have been crunched and the winners have been identified. Some of them competed solo, others banded together in teams. Some made the list by selling several homes a week. Others made the cut because they sold only a few, but they were mega-mansions.

Use this list if you're a homebuyer or seller trying to navigate this toughening housing market. Do you run a company that's recruiting a lot of people from out of town? Perhaps your business' go-to Realtor is in here so you can offer yet another…

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