"Austin-Round Rock has the best housing market for growth and stability, new study says"

CultureMap Austin writes, "despite concerns about housing prices and availability in the state, a new study deemed six major Texas metropolitan areas some of the best housing markets in the nation for their growth and stability. And the Texas Capitol city took the No. 1 spot.

In SmartAsset’s report, Austin-Round Rock earned its best housing market title due to its eye-watering 354 percent home price increase since 1998, which is vastly greater than any other area in the country.

Considering Austin’s population has just about doubled in the last two decades, the housing market’s skyrocketing growth was inevitable. The relocation of several tech companies to the city surely didn't hurt. Even Austin’s apartment construction has the highest growth…

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"On the House: What First-Time Home Sellers Need To Know To Be Successful This Spring"

Q: What are some tips for homeowners who hope to sell their homes this spring?

Realtor.com shares, "this month, we’re mixing it up. Instead of focusing on first-time homebuyers, we’re going to shift our attention to first-time home sellers who are spiffing up their properties to list this spring or summer.

It’s not expected to be an easy housing market for anyone—buyers or sellers. The COVID-19 pandemic-era real estate frenzy, where just about every home seemed to sell in a bidding war over a single weekend, has mostly passed. Fewer buyers can afford to buy with mortgage interest rates so high, and those who can may not be able to afford to go as high anymore.

But sellers still have a pretty big advantage: There are many more shoppers…

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"Properties in Austin have skyrocketed in value over the last 25 years. Here are the top 10 US areas where house prices have grown."

• Property values in Austin have soared over the past 25 years, an analysis from SmartAsset found.
• The study analyzed average home value data in metro areas from 1998 to 2022.
• Texas dominated the top 10, with five of the top spots taken by areas in the state.

Business Insider reports, "home values in the Austin area have soared over the past 25 years. 

The Texas city snagged the top spot along with neighboring areas Round Rock and Georgetown in a recent study from SmartAsset. The financial technology company found property values in the metro area had jumped 354% since 1998. 

The study analyzed average home value data in 400 metro areas between 1998 and 2022, calculating collective increases to measure growth and drops in value…

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"Austin’s Top Luxury Residential Real Estate Agents Named to Luxury League 2023"

"Members cumulatively closed over $2.3 billion in residential sales in 2022, 65% of which was priced at $2 million or greater. On average, each Luxury League member had $76.4. million in total closed sales for 2022. 

AUSTIN, TEXAS (APRIL,, 2023) — Thirty Austin-area real estate agents have been selected for membership in Luxury League for 2023. 

Each year, Luxury League invites Austin-area real estate agents who specialize in luxury transactions (over $2 million)  to apply for membership. The applications are then evaluated by an advisory board, who selects members based on their luxury residential sales volume from the previous year. 

Forty-five agents applied for membership in January of 2023; collectively the entire field of 45 applicants…

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"New 76-unit apartment complex adds more density living to Central Austin"

CultureMap Austin writes, "Austinites who want to have a sophisticated experience while living near the heart of the city can find it in a newly-constructed, multi-family development complex in Highland this April.

The Johnny apartment complex will begin leasing their 16 affordable housing units and 60 market-rate units on April 1, according to their website. Located at 613 West St. John’s Avenue, the complex is just an eight-minute walk (less than half a mile) from the Metro Rail’s Crestview Station, making it a great transportation option for residents.

Construction of the complex began in November 2022, with design and development done in a partnership between Austin-based real estate firms The Geyser Group and Sephira Group.

“The Johnny…

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"Austin's apartment construction rate is the highest in the nation, says new report"

CultureMap Austin writes, "if you think new apartment buildings have been popping up nonstop all around the city within the last couple of years, you’d be right. The Austin-Round Rock metro area is experiencing one of the biggest apartment construction booms in the nation, in an effort to alleviate an ongoing affordability crisis.

But while increasing multi-family housing is solving part of the problem, long term it keeps homeownership out of arm’s reach for younger Americans. That’s according to a new report from apartment rental “matchmaker” and marketplace Apartment List.

Austin has spent decades building more housing for its residents, and 2022 saw the highest number – 18.3 – of new unit permits being issued per thousand residents. Austin’s…

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"New neighborhood of up to 1,600 homes gets green light in Caldwell County"

Austin Business Journal reports, "the Caldwell County Commissioners Court unanimously approved March 28 a development agreement between the county and a subsidiary of Lennar Corp. for a neighborhood of up to 1,600 homes in the rural area south of Austin.

The development agreement will allow Lennar — one of the region's busiest homebuilders — to transform the 491-acre parcel into a large community of single-family homes, plus parkland and amenities, according to county documents. Cotton Gateway, as the development is currently known, would be a significant injection of new homes in Caldwell County, part of the region stretching between Austin and San Antonio that some experts believe will evolve into the state’s next metroplex.

The development…

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"Lennar could build 1,600 more homes in Caldwell County"

Austin Business Journal repots, "the Caldwell County Commissioners Court will consider March 28 the approval of a development agreement with Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction Ltd. to build a 491-acre neighborhood.

The single-family, master-planned community to be known as Cotton Gateway would be located across the road from the San Marcos Regional Airport at State Highway 21 and William Pettus Road, according to the meeting agenda, and would consist of up to 1,600 lots. The development brings with it a number of obligations for both Lennar and Caldwell County.

Florida-based Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to the development agreement, all single-family lots would be a minimum…

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"8 Best Places to Live in Texas, According to Real Estate Experts"

Everything is bigger and, as it turns out, better, in Texas. Over the past couple of years, the Lone Star State has ranked among the top states for relocation. In 2021, Texas gained the most residents, according to data from the United States Postal Service, and in 2022, it came in second after Florida. And while everyone has different reasons for moving, general factors such as a stable economy, a high number of well-paying jobs, safety, good schools, and recreational opportunities certainly make the decision easier. And Texas delivers in all of these areas.

With hundreds of miles of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, two majestic national parks (Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains), more than 40 mountain ranges, scenic vistas, popular festivals,…

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"Build It and They Will Come: 10 Surprising Cities Where New-Home Construction Is Booming"

Realtor.com writes, "where are America’s new homes?

That question keeps boiling up to the surface, as buyers grapple with the current state of the housing market. High prices and soaring mortgage rates are driving affordability into the dirt. And lurking at the center of all buyer challenges is one towering and inescapable bugaboo: the lack of available homes. It’s simple math. Fewer homes = increased competition, higher prices, and epic levels of frustration.

Last year, new-home construction permits for single-family dwellings declined by about 14% over the previous year—and it’s hardly a new trend. Since the 1990s, U.S. housing starts per 1,000 households have been about half of what they were for the preceding 30 years. The building slowdown…

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