Luxe Austin Homes - Grossman & Jones Group

"500-plus homes planned to rise near rural Creedmoor"

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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"Inventory of homes for sale in the Austin metro on the rise"

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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"Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park among top 25 'best places to live' in US"

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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"Austin's housing inventory went up and sales fell in April, per report"

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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"Here's where home prices grew the most in Q1 as affordability worsens for many Americans"

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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"Plan for golden tower on West Sixth Street moves forward"

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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"Mortgage Demand From Homeowners Recovers as Applications Rise for the Second Week in a Row"

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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"Austin suburb buys downtown land as it aims to facilitate growth"

Austin Business Journal shares, "One of Austin's growing suburbs will purchase a one-acre parcel in its city center, continuing a wave of cities around the region taking control of land in their downtowns.

The Elgin City Council on May 6 unanimously gave the go-ahead to its economic development corporation to acquire a property at 403 Central Avenue, near the city's new police station. The EDC in February approved the $305,500 purchase from DLJ Holdings LLC. The property was valued for tax purposes at $153,000 in 2025, according to Bastrop County property records.

With the move, the city of Elgin — about 25 miles northeast of Austin with a population of around 12,000 — will acquire a key parcel on the fringes of the city's downtown, which is…

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"Gen Z's regret grows over generational housing divide"

Austin Business Journal writes, "High home prices and elevated interest rates have members of Generation Z worried about missing out on the dream of homeownership — or deeply regretting having taken the plunge.

According to the BMO Real Financial Progress Index, 54% of American renters envy people their age and younger who have purchased a home. It's a dynamic that's even stronger among Gen Zers, with 63% of those respondents saying they are envious of homeowners. The Gen Z share is second only to that of millennials, who are most likely to be envious, at 67%.

"The data show that owning a home remains a key component of the American dream, but with some obstacles still facing first-time homebuyers, younger generations worry they missed their…

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"Half of Texas homeowners don't know they can protest taxes, study says"

CultureMap Austin shares, "some people might be surprised to find out that their taxes are negotiable — at least when it comes to real estate. Specifically, 53 percent of Texas homeowners don't know they can protest their home's property tax evaluation, according to a study by Ownwell, a service that makes homeowners' cases for them.

Put simply, since homeowners are taxed on the assessed market value of their home, an over-appraisal by the local tax office can lead to paying too much in taxes. Homeowners in this situation can lower what they owe by telling tax appraisers what they believe the real value of the home is, and the two entities will negotiate to find an acceptable number. Appraisals reflect the value of the home on January 1 of that tax…

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