The Caldwell County Courthouse in downtown Lockhart. ARNOLD WELLS / ABJ

Austin Business Journal shares, "Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden isn't surprised that his largely rural county is among the fastest-growing in the nation.

"I told somebody the other day that doesn't come as shock to me because I've been living it for the last three years," Haden said.

Newly released U.S. Census Bureau data pegs Caldwell County — the smallest of the Austin metro's five counties — at No. 9 on the annual list of fastest-growing U.S. counties among those with populations of at least 20,000.

The population of Caldwell County grew to 52,430 in 2024 from 50,107 a year prior — a 4.6% increase that doubled the metro's overall 2.3% growth rate. Still, all four of the metro's other counties — Travis, Williamson, Hays and Bastrop —…

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The types of homes available for sale are changing to match the demographic shift in the nation's homebuyers. MARTIN BARRAUD

Austin Business Journal writes, "Homebuyers in 2025 have never been older. They've also never been more likely to be single or female.

Those changes have broad repercussions for the housing market, experts say.

According to the National Association of Realtors' 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 73% of homebuyers in 1973 were married couples, 11% were single women, and 10% were single men. By 2024, the percentage of married couples had shrunk to 62%, and the number of single men had slipped to 8%, while the percentage of single women had jumped to 20%.

“We’ve seen this demographic shift due to women attaining higher education levels leading to senior positions and greater financial independence," said Veronica Crego-Flores, managing…

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Active listings are up, giving buyers more options and negotiating power.  Photo by ATXtoday

ATX Today writes, "Curious about the Austin housing market? Whether you’re buying, selling, or renting, February’s data reveals key trends to know.

A new Unlock MLS report shows home prices are cooling while rental costs are lowering slightly. The report compares data from February 2024 to February 2025, covering single-family homes, condos, and townhomes.

Take a look at the numbers shaping Austin’s real estate landscape."

Sales

  • The median sales price dropped to $430,000 — a 3.9% decrease.
  • Active listings jumped 16.7% to 10,235.
  • 3,826 new listings hit the market — a 6.5% spike.
  • The total sales dollar volume fell 4.9% to $1.05 billion.

Leases

  • The median rent dipped 2.4% to $2,195.
  • Active leases rose 3.5% to 3,899,…

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A view of downtown Austin. MIKE CHRISTEN / ABJ

Austin Business Journal shares, "The Austin metro gained an average of about 159 people a day from 2023 to 2024. While that may sound like a lot, it's down slightly from a growth rate of 171 a day during the previous 12-month period.

According to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the metro's population climbed by about 2.3% from July 2023 to July 2024, an addition of 58,019 people that brings its total to 2.55 million — the first time it has topped the 2.5 million mark. That factors in everything including people who move here, babies born here and deaths.

At 2.3% growth, that's a slight decline from the 2.6% clocked in the previous 12-month period, when the metro — which consists of Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Hays and Caldwell counties…

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Flora will be built on 835 acres along County Road 133, to the north of Hutto. EMPIRE CONTINENTAL LAND

Austin Business Journal writes, "A sprawling master-planned community in Hutto is coming along as another homebuilder opens up sales within it.

Nevada-based Tri Pointe Homes, one of the busiest volume homebuilders in the metro, now has homes ready to purchase in the master-planned community, said Bryan Havel, Tri Pointe’s Austin division president. Work on Flora, an 835-acre project in Hutto developed by Precedent Land Company, began in March 2024.

Other homebuilders involved in the first phase of Flora, which Havel said is being built on about 50 acres, include Brightland Homes, Meritage Homes, Empire Communities, Perry Homes, Highland Homes and Westin Homes, according to Flora’s website. Of those, Westin is the only homebuilder not marketing…

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Empire's Village at Hutto Station is an under-construction, build-to-rent project with 276 units. EMPIRE GROUP OF COS.

Austin Business Journal writes, "Build-to-rent neighborhoods cropping up all around Austin could be one solution to the metro’s crisis-level shortage of affordable housing, some experts contend.

Developers like Arizona-based NexMetro Communities and Empire Group of Cos. have build-to-rent projects set to open here soon. The neighborhoods — which consist entirely of single-family homes built for rental use — are largely in the suburbs, such as Empire Group's projects in Hutto and NexMetro's projects in Liberty Hill and Georgetown.

Empire Group partner Randy Grudzinski said the model is intended to address affordability by offering something between renting an apartment and owning a home.

Build-to-rent homes "allow people to have an interim…

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Volunteers raise a wall for a new Habitat for Humanity home in 2022. MIKE CHRISTEN / ABJ

Austin Business Journal shares, "In its latest effort to help address Austin's affordability crisis, Habitat for Humanity plans to build more than two dozen homes in East Austin’s Whisper Valley community and make them available at below-market prices, with hundreds more planned throughout the metro over the next several years.

The nonprofit is doing so in Whisper Valley through its 2025 Carter Work Project, an annual event that started in 1984 when President Jimmy Carter volunteered with Habitat to build and renovate homes. In Austin, the project will see 25 homes built in a single week this year, with prices starting around $150,000.

“When we think about the Carter project, it’s really about not just a local story, but a national and…

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Austin Board of Realtors announced last month that it would begin tracking monthly leasing data as part of Unlock MLS' Central Texas Housing Report, which already includes home sales data. (Courtesy Adobe Stock)

Community Impact Austin writes, "Leasers in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area now have access to some additional insight into the MSA's residential rental market.

Austin Board of Realtors officials announced Feb. 13 that it would begin tracking leasing data across the MSA through Unlock MLS’ monthly Central Texas Housing Report, which already includes home sales data.

Explained

Unlock MLS houses ABoR's Multiple Listing Service, or the platform that Realtors use to share information about homes on the market.

The expansion to include leases gives a more transparent and robust picture of the region’s real estate market, said Brandy Wuensch, 2025 Unlock MLS and ABoR president, in a news release.

“With the increased leasing…

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KXAN Austin writes, "After Real estate experts reported in December Austin had the largest rent decrease between 2023 and 2024 of the country’s largest metros, new insight from Rent.com data is revealing which capital city neighborhoods are cheapest for renters.

Rent.com pulled average rental data and annual change data for Austin from February 2025 figures, with all neighborhoods included listed on the apartment search engine’s rental market trends dashboard.

Rent.com’s analysis revealed the average rental prices in Austin included $1,261 for a studio (up 14% year over year), $1,387 for a one-bedroom apartment (down 4% year over year) and $1,713 for a two-bedroom unit (down 3% from this time in 2024).

Looking at the proportions of rental units…

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The custom-built homes in Atten Hill will have design guidelines to ensure the community remains cohesive. CRESCENT REAL ESTATE LLC

Austin Business Journal shares, "A major real estate development and management firm that once owned The Woodlands outside of Houston has broken ground on a new luxury housing development in Horseshoe Bay west of Austin.

Fort Worth-based Crescent Real Estate LLC already has lots available for purchase in the 114-acre project in the Summit Rock neighborhood of Horseshoe Bay, according to an announcement.

“We look for high-quality developments where we can develop product that fits market demand,” Crescent Chairman John Goff said following the March 4 groundbreaking. “When we look at Texas, it’s just on fire. We have a lot of in-migration because we’re a business-friendly state, and there is a clear need to offer high-end resort product in the…

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