Realtor Magazine writes, "Prospective home buyers may be enticed to move forward on a home purchase as mortgage rates fall. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.09% this week, down more than 150 basis points from earlier this year.

“Mortgage rates continued declining towards the 6% mark, reviving purchase and refinance demand for many consumers,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.

Mortgage rates have been closely watched this week after the Federal Reserve’s announcement on Wednesday that it's cutting its short-term benchmark rate. “While mortgage rates do not directly follow moves by the Federal Reserve, this first cut in over four years will have an impact on the housing market,” Khater says. “Declining mortgage rates over…

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315 Congress Ave., which could be rezoned to allow for a taller building. DAVE CREANEY

Austin Business Journal shares, "A new tower could be on tap for South Congress Avenue if a zoning change is approved Sept. 26 by the City Council. 

The tower — on a roughly 1-acre tract at 311-315 S. Congress Ave., which is just south of the old Austin American-Statesman building — would contain 488 residential units, 30,000 square feet of office space and 7,500 square feet for "ground floor pedestrian-oriented uses," according to city documents. 

The location is not within the planned unit development for the former Statesman site that is the subject of a lawsuit, although it is nearby.

The potential new zoning on the tract would allow for construction of a building up to 480 feet tall, or almost 50 stories. Currently, the site is the…

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A plurality of homes sold in August within the Central Austin market were worth $1 million or more (Courtesy Austin Board of Realtors)

Community Impact Austin shares, "in August, homes sat on the market for more days in Central Austin compared to year over year, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors.

The details

Only two ZIP codes out of 12 in Central Austin saw a decrease in the amount of days spent on the market. ZIP code 78731 saw an increase of about 162%.

Out of 12 ZIP codes, seven saw decreases in the amount of homes sold year over year.

Decreases in home prices year over year have been seen across eight ZIP codes in Central Austin.

A plurality of homes sold in August within the Central Austin market were worth $1 million or more."


Source: Community Impact

Written by: Elle Bent

Published: September 16, 2024


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Realtor Magazine reports, "Borrowing costs fell ahead of the Federal Reserve’s anticipated rate cut next week. But economists say home buyers may not want to wait to see if rates go lower.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.2% this week, down significantly compared to a year ago when they surged above 7%. But some prospective home buyers are holding out for even lower rates in anticipation of the Federal Reserve’s meeting next week, where it’s expected to cut short-term interest rates.

Still, home buyers may be getting their hopes up too much: “Even with the September expected rate cut [by the Fed], mortgage interest rates are not likely to move as this cut has been baked into the mortgage market,” says Jessica Lautz, deputy chief…

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The Modern Tower on Rainey Street. A photo tour of the tower can be found in the article. DAVE CREANEY

Austin Business Journal shares, "Rainey Street’s latest addition to the downtown Austin skyline has reached its maximum height.

The Modern Austin Residences, a 56-story condo tower, has topped out, according to an announcement. There’s still plenty of work left before it opens — a trip to the tower’s upper floors still requires hopping into an exterior construction elevator — but with the its structural framework complete, the nearly sold-out tower is expected to welcome residents in early 2025.

The tower is being developed by Austin-based Urbanspace, which also is handling sales, marketing, interior design and ground-floor retail operations. Urbanspace will establish its new office in the tower, said Kevin Burns, Urbanspace CEO and founder.

…

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Developers will have to conduct sound assessments in some cases. (Pictured: Austin duo Riders Against the Storm) Photo courtesy of KVUE

CultureMap Austin writes, "A cornerstone of what makes Austin a special place to live is the prevalence of live music everywhere. It's something that some Austinites fight to protect.

"I put on a deep voice and say 'because it's very important to our economy,' but it is," said Dr. Sullivan with the Cultural Trust Advisory Committee. "Austin's reputation is that it is a very important place for entertainment."

However, that reputation can also be a curse. So council members approved new rules for developers who want to build homes and hotels near noisy venues.

For years, Sullivan said neighbors and hotel guests have been complaining about noise from nearby venues.

"Neighborhoods have a right to complain when there's noise from highways,…

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Texas needs hundreds of thousands more homes to meet demand, research shows. Shortages are particularly severe in low- and middle-income housing. (Courtesy Adobe Stock)

Community Impact reports, "Texas’ population growth has outpaced homebuilding since 2020, according to the state comptroller’s office, resulting in a widespread housing shortage. Up For Growth, a national housing policy organization, reported that Texas needs about 306,000 more homes to meet demand.

High home prices, steep mortgage rates and limited supply are driving some potential homebuyers out of the market, said Clare Knapp, a housing economist for the Austin Board of Realtors. Texas also had the sixth-highest property tax rate—1.68%—in 2021, according to research from the Tax Foundation.

Home prices shot up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Knapp added, as remote work policies allowed more people to move to Texas.

In 2019, the median home…

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The Ferguson will rise at the intersection of Taylor's Ferguson and Second streets. Prices are pegged to start around $250,000. METROPOLITAN DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

Austin Business Journal shares, "Taylor is set to get some new housing — in the form of a dense condo project — as economic growth in the rural city foreshadows a population boom.

Austin-based Metropolitan Development Company LLC is behind the condo project on Taylor’s Second Street, according to an announcement. It also will include some commercial space, said Pawel Hardej, principal at Metropolitan Development.

The project — called The Ferguson — will have eight garden homes, 16 townhomes, 60 condos and five live-work spaces on about 1.5 acres at the intersection of Ferguson and Second streets. The units will range from 575 to 1,534 square feet.

Prices will begin in the mid-$200,000 range.

“On purpose, we did not throw in an expensive…

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Southside Meadows will see 763 single-family homes rise on the western edge of Elgin. SCREENSHOT OF CITY OF ELGIN DOCUMENTS

Austin Business Journal shares, "Elgin’s housing boom is set to continue after City Council approved an amendment to a previously approved development agreement that will allow the developer to build more dense housing in an upcoming master planned community.

The original development agreement for Southside Meadows, as the development is called, was approved in May 2023 and would have seen 526 single-family homes built, but that number has swelled to 763 with the amendment approved Sept. 3, according to the meeting agenda. The homes are being planned as developers descend upon Elgin to build thousands of new homes.

Developer Hariharan Kuppuraj owns the 174 acres where the master-planned community will be built along County Line Road, just south…

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A 178-acre master-planned community appears headed to the southeast side of Lockhart. SCREENSHOT OF CITY OF LOCKHART DOCUMENTS

Austin Business Journal reports, "A North Texas-based developer appears to be gearing up to build a 178-acre master-planned community on the southeast side of the Barbecue Capital of Texas.

The project in Lockhart by Intermandeco GP LLC could bring hundreds of single-family homes, townhomes or apartments — as well as commercial space — to the 1500, 1600 and 1700 blocks of South Commerce Street. Representatives of Allen-based Intermandeco detailed its initial plans during a Lockhart City Council meeting on Sept. 3.

Council members voted unanimously to establish zoning on the site, including 28 acres of medium-density commercial, 18 acres of high-density residential and 132 acres of medium-density residential.

The Marilyn Riddle Trust is the…

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