Realtor.com writes, "Home sales during this spring selling season have faced a slump—but one part of the market is bucking the trend. Luxury buyers are stepping up, and in at least one city, sales have doubled in a week.

Luxury real estate across the country continues to outperform the median, and the $1 million-plus category has been the fastest-growing (or least-declining) sales segment for nearly two years, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

"Higher-end homeowners have substantial equity and are less reliant on mortgage financing. These types of properties have outperformed," says Danielle Hale, chief economist of Realtor.com®.

And in the past week, the Austin, TX, high-end market has been heating up. There were 15 newly…

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Realtor.com

Realtor.com shares, "College graduates embarking on careers and setting up homes in new cities might not think of Austin, TX, as the most affordable place to live—but that would be a mistake.

It has everything a young adult could want, including job opportunities, shorter commutes to work, and plenty of amenities like cafes, restaurants, and nightlife, according to the latest Realtor.com® report.

The median monthly rent now stands at $1,450, under the national median of $1,699.

"Austin stands out as the top-ranked city thanks to its strong performance across multiple factors that matter most to recent college graduates—including relatively affordable housing, robust job prospects, a larger peer network, and a lively, culturally rich…

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Salt Lake City, known for its scenic mountain views and rich cultural heritage, makes an appearance in this list.

U.S. News and World Report shares, "People are on the move, leaving and filling towns across the country. This great reshuffle has led some small communities to become boomtowns. The aging baby-boomer population has flocked to states like Florida and Arizona, where warm temperatures welcome them. Remote workers have found their spots in states across the West, where scenic mountain views await them after a Zoom meeting. Families and retirees are both heading to the Lone Star State, where numerous small towns offer the ideal balance of affordability and quality of life.

The cities on this list are ranked by net migration, which measures whether people are moving to or from each city. This metric assesses whether a city is attracting new…

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Ashton Woods and Starlight Homes will build more than 500 homes, like the one shown here, near Creedmoor. JASON JONES

Austin Business Journal writes, "Ashton Woods Homes is bringing hundreds of new homes to a rural stretch of highway near Creedmoor. 

The Georgia-based homebuilder and its Starlight Homes brand will build 523 homes in its new Willow Springs neighborhood along State Highway 45 just outside Creedmoor, according to an announcement. Creedmoor is a rural community about 20 miles south of Austin that had a population of just 423 people in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — meaning the homes, if occupied, would dramatically increase the population of the area.

Willow Springs will rise on roughly 48 acres near the intersection of Williamson, Turnerville and Old Lockhart roads. 

Ashton Woods will build on 172 lots, according to the…

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"I wouldn’t necessarily, definitively say it’s a buyer’s market yet," one economist said. NYCSHOOTER

Austin Business Journal writes, "With housing inventory in the Austin metro on the rise, the region may be close to becoming a buyer’s market.

That’s according to the latest report from Unlock MLS, which found that the metro’s housing inventory reached 5.6 months in April, up 1.4 months from the same time last year and closing in on the six-month mark that's generally considered a balanced market. But with the inventory rising and a larger stock of more affordably priced homes, conditions could lead to a buyer’s market, or at least one that’s favorable for first-time buyers, said Clare Knapp, housing economist for Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors.

“If anything, it’s a good market for first-time buyers in the sense that they have a…

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Austin proper has slipped in U.S. News & World Report's latest 'best places to live' ranking. ARNOLD WELLS/STAFF

Austin Business Journal shares, "Austin has been outshone by its suburbs recently in terms of affordability and population growth, and U.S. News & World Report's latest ranking of the "best places to live" in the country continues the trend.

Three of the city's suburbs — Leander, Pflugerville and Cedar Park — made the top 25, with Leander at No. 8, Pflugerville at No. 15 and Cedar Park at No. 23.

Austin, meanwhile, came in at No. 164, marking a huge tumble from No. 9 in last year's ranking. But the steep fall is deceptive, because U.S. News & World Report drastically expanded its latest list to include many smaller cities, collecting data on more than 850 cities compared with just 150 previously. Of those it analyzed this year, the top 250 were…

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Median home prices in the Austin-Round Rock metro fell slightly to $450,000 last month. Photo by Madelyn Bordi on Unsplash

CultureMap Austin shares, "Austin's homebuyers are uncovering an uncertain future for the housing market, as April sales took a nearly 14 percent dip from last year and housing inventory increased by 11.5 percent.

The latest real estate report from the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) and Unlock MLS said Austin's April housing data closely resembles a nationwide trend of higher mortgage rates and a decline in home sales.

New home listings in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area (MSA) rose to 5,710 homes in April, adding to a total number of 13,351 active home listings. That's nearly 20 percent more from April 2024.

Only 2,484 homes in the Austin area were sold in April, and median home prices took a small 3.2 percent…

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Single-family home prices are still going up in most areas. GETTY IMAGES

Story Highlights

  • The National Association of Realtors says 83% of metro areas saw their single-family home prices grow in Q1.
  • Nationally, the median single-family home price grew 3.4% in the first quarter.
  • The Northeast performed the best in sales and price gains while the South lagged.

 

Austin Business Journal writes, "The U.S. housing market may be showing signs of softening but in most cities, single-family homes only got more expensive at the start of 2025.

A new report by the National Association of Realtors found 83% of metro areas tracked by the NAR saw their existing single-family home prices increase in the first quarter of 2025. While down from the 89% of metro areas that saw price growth in the fourth quarter of…

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Kairoi's initial rendering of a new tower proposed for 701 W. Sixth Street gleams like gold. It's unclear if design details have changed since this rendering was circulated over a year ago. CITY OF AUSTIN

Austin Business Journal shares, "Plans for another mixed-use residential tower downtown took a step forward this week. 

The Austin Planning Commission approved the proposed 66-story tower at 701 W. Sixth St. for inclusion in the city's downtown density bonus program on May 13, which would allow for the project to double its floor area ratio from 15:1 to 30:1. 

The project could have 413 residential units and retail space, according to city documents. It's in a capitol view corridor, however, which limits how tall certain parts of it could go regardless of the density bonus program.

Property owner Kairoi Residential, a San Antonio-based developer, also is involved in building the tallest tower in Texas, called Waterline, at 98 Red River St. It…

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Getty Images

Realtor.com reports, "Home loan applications slightly ticked up 1.1% for the second week, but are trending lower than last week when overall applications increased 11%.

The latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey shows a 1.1% increase on mortgage loan application volume on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. The refinance index decreased 0.4% from the prior week but was 44% higher than the same week one year ago.

"The most notable change in this week's data was the increase in purchase applications, which jumped 2.3% on a weekly basis and were up 18% year over year," says Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com®. "The spring housing market is picking up, and…

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