Despite an interest-rate hike of three-quarters of a percent by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, and additional increases likely still to come, some housing economists aren't expecting another big surge in mortgage rates now or in the coming months.

A recent slowdown observed in the U.S. housing market has largely stemmed from the sudden jump in mortgage rates felt in late spring and early summer, in line with the Fed's decision to move up interest rates in an ongoing effort to combat inflation.

Existing-home sales declined for the fifth straight month in June, down 5.4% from May and 14.2% from the prior year, according to the National Association of Realtors. Unsold inventory was at three months' supply nationally in June, up from 2.6…

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No longer a far-off or theoretical concept, 3D-printed houses are set to cause a shift in the 21st century real estate market. With several 3D-printed-house manufacturers already operating around the world, these new residential structures will not only help bring more creative architectural designs to life, but also the technology and rapid rate of reproduction have been touted as lower-cost solutions to affordable housing and subsidized living.

So where can you purchase a 3D-printed house of your own, right here in the United States? Here’s what you need to know about 3D-printed houses and what to expect as the concept hits the mainstream real estate market.

WHEN WILL 3D-PRINTED HOUSES BE AVAILABLE?

There are already a handful of…

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A treehouse-like home near Lake Travis that’s been featured on HGTV can now be yours for $1.2 million.

The 1,653-square-foot house, just south of Hudson Bend at 2803 Manitou Dr., offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and plenty of rugged yet modern charm. The home is in the Apace Shores neighborhood.

Highlights of the contemporary home, situated on a half-acre wooded lot, include 30-foot-high glass walls and 11 sets of sliding glass doors. The two-story house, built in 2003 as architect John Allen’s own residence, is one of the few homes in the vicinity that provide private access to the Indian Creek hiking trail.

Allen “believed that the rugged and what many called ‘unbuildable’ lot was the perfect spot to accomplish his vision of living one…

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South Austin is set to receive a badly needed injection of infill housing.

Locally based StoryBuilt will develop 116 homes on 15 acres in South Austin, according to a July 25 announcement. The development will mostly consist of single-family detached homes with some attached townhomes, StoryBuilt Austin Division President Ross Wilson said.

It's the latest infill project for StoryBuilt, which aims to grow the city from the inside out, he said.

The neighborhood will be located at 8420 Longview Road, in South Austin off West Gate Boulevard. Construction is not expected to begin until summer 2023.

"We're really excited about this opportunity," Wilson said. "Obviously it's a big parcel in South Austin. It's very well connected to downtown and…

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A Buda homebuilder has brought a high-end approach to a type of housing that has often been lumped into the low-end category.

Escobedo Group has introduced a “panelized” construction system that enables a luxury home to be prefabricated and then installed on a homesite within roughly five months. So far, more than 70 of the company’s DARIO Villas homes have been built.

Over the years, prefab construction has frequently been associated with cheap, mass-produced housing. Following World War II, the British embraced prefab construction to address a severe housing shortage. Amid the 19th century’s California Gold Rush, prospectors relied on prefab homes to quickly provide shelter.

In recent years, prefab homes have gained fans as construction…

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Knock on wood—real estate professionals are saying Austin’s housing market showing signs of stabilizing as local inventory hit two months for the first time since 2019.

Austin Board of Realtors CEO Emily Chenevert said after two years of pandemic-fueled prices, “we're inching our way toward something that feels more normal,” during the 2022 Central Texas Housing Summit—which brought industry professionals and economists together—on Tuesday.

Still, housing is one of Austin’s biggest fallbacks despite a diverse local economy, growing infrastructure investments, multiple nearby universities and a healthy job market. Stable housing falls in tandem with affordability, Austin Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Laura Huffman said.

“So what could…

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Dallas-Fort Worth has been the longtime leader in luxury home sales, but it has a strong competitor further south on Interstate 35.

In the Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas, the number of homes sold for $1 million or more in the first five months of 2022 was about on par with the number sold in all of 2018, according to a new report from the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University. But in Austin area, the number of home sales is already double its 2018 total.

Four years ago, the Austin area had half the number of home sales of Houston and D-FW. By 2021, though, the city was just behind Houston, and so far this year, Austin and Houston are neck in neck.

“D-FW is definitely an international city, but the name…

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New housing market data showing increased inventory and decreased residential home sales points toward a slowing housing market for the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The deceleration is bringing the Austin area housing market back "to pre-COVID normalcy," according to the Austin Board of REALTORS (ABoR).

“These numbers are a breath of fresh air for a housing market that has been holding its breath,” ABoR president Cord Shiflet said in a statement. “The trajectory of our market over the last two years was unsustainable and it was in no way going to last. The resurgence of activity after the COVID-19 pandemic, historically low interest rates and massive job growth created record-high housing demand in our market."

…

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We all know buying and building homes in the Austin area is expensive. Austin is outpacing other Texas cities when it comes to development fees for builders, and home prices have skyrocketed.

A recent study by Florida Atlantic University ranked Austin as the second-most overvalued housing market in the country. But is that true? Ashley Jackson, president-elect of the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR), joined KVUE Midday to dig deeper.

Jenni Lee: According to Florida Atlantic University, buyers in Austin pay just a little bit more, but 67% more than they should. So, demand for new and existing homes is there, but there's not enough supply. Is the Austin housing market overvalued?

Ashley Jackson: "No, I do not believe the Austin…

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An Austin-based developer plans to start construction next year on a 48-story residential tower in the Rainey Street district on downtown Austin’s southeast side. The proposed high-rise would add to the ongoing building boom in the Rainey Street area, and in downtown in general. 

Pearlstone Partners plans to build the tower on two adjacent tracts that span from 62 East Ave. to 64 East Ave.  Although plans are still preliminary, Pearlstone executives say they envision a tower with 48 stories and 245 condominium units, although those numbers “could all very much change as we move through the design process,” said Chris Zaiontz, a Pearlstone senior vice president and principal.

The project still needs to wind its way through the city of Austin’s…

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