Nationally, 32% of homes are selling above list price. But in some areas, that percentage is much higher and still rising. SIRAANAMWONG VIA GETTY IMAGE

Austin Business Journal writes, "while high interest rates are prompting many sellers to drop prices at a record pace nationally, 13% of homes in the Austin metro are still selling above the listing price.

That's according to a new analysis of data from Redfin Corp., which found 32% of homes nationally sold above listing price in October — up 2.7 percentage points from a year ago.

As we've noted, a variety of factors suggest the housing market is shifting to give buyers more leverage in many markets. However, prices remain significantly elevated and, in many metros, are still on the rise — just not at the rapid pace of recent years.

In the Austin metro, homes sold for an average of 97% of the listing price in October.

Housing supply and…

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Northland Living's Luminary will stretch 400 feet skyward. PAGE SOUTHERLAND PAGE INC.

Austin Business Journal reports, "plans are coming into focus for a new mixed-use tower downtown.

Northland Living, a development arm of Canadian hospitality giant Northland Properties Corp., has revealed new details for its planned condo tower in downtown Austin called Luminary.

The building, which will feature almost 290 condos, will rise on less than an acre at the northwest corner of 14th and Guadalupe streets, where it will stretch 35 stories and 400 feet skyward. It's one of the first local projects by Northland Living, which began establishing a presence in Central Texas in 2023.

The tower will be home to 286 one-, two- and three-bedroom condos, plus 4,800 square feet of ground-floor retail and one level of office space, though square…

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Texas ranked No. 1 with the most one-way U-Haul moves in 2023, marking the third year in a row as a top growth state. COURTESY

Austin Business Journal shares, "Austin was among the hottest destinations in the country for where people were moving last year, according to the latest annual ranking from U-Haul International Inc.

Austin ranked No. 5 among the top U.S. growth cities in 2023, and Texas was again named the top state for move-ins for the third consecutive year, according to data released Jan. 2 and Jan. 3.

U-Haul collects migration data from more than 2.5 million one-way U-Haul truck, trailer and moving container rentals for the year. It ranks the top "growth states" and "growth cities" by net gain, which contrasts the number of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a city or market versus those leaving.

U-Haul migration trends don't directly correlate to an area's…

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Jay Janner

Austin was one of the top three U.S. metros that saw the most significant rent declines in November, a new report says, and some experts believe the trend could continue into next year.

Austin experienced a 5.4% decrease year over year, with a median asking rent of $1,575. That's according to Realtor.com’s recently released November Rental Report. The other two metros that had the most significant rent declines were Orlando, Fla., (down 6%) and Dallas (down 4.1%).

In mid-November, Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow, said the Austin housing market has cooled down due to the construction boom and declining housing affordability in the past year.

"As the vacancy rate rises, the growth of rent (and home values) is anticipated to…

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Austin, Texas. Rick Kern/Getty Images

Business Insider writes, "Texas is becoming the poster child of the US economy.

A new Wells Fargo analysis determined that Texas is outpacing many states regarding GDP and employment growth, despite some struggles in commercial real estate.

These findings echo a Bank of America report from earlier in December that determined the Southeast's economy may outpace other regions of the US.

In 2023, Texas experienced the third-fastest growth in terms of population, increasing 1.6% between July 2022 and July 2023 — compared to 0.5% nationwide. This amounted to about 473,000 new residents, many moving from different states.

In 2023, net domestic migration — the number of people who moved into Texas from another state, minus those who moved out —…

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The Pennybacker Bridge west of downtown Austin. ARNOLD WELLS/STAFF

Austin Business Journal Reports, "the Austin-Round Rock metro area became slightly more affordable for homebuyers in 2023, but it’s still much more expensive to own within Austin's city limits than almost anywhere else in the region.

That’s according to recent data from Zillow Group Inc. analyzed by the Business Journals. In each of the metro's ZIP codes, the minimum annual income required to purchase a typical home declined anywhere from 4% to 18% in 2023, as of Nov. 30, compared to 2022, the analysis found. Annual mortgage payments also dropped, while median home values declined at a rate of 1% to 13% across the region.

The Austin Business Journal annually tracks the wealthiest ZIP codes in the metro, so it's already well-known where the…

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As we head into 2024, Austin is still one of the hottest markets in the U.S. Photo by Mitchell Kmetz on Unsplash

CultureMap Austin shares, "Editor's note: As 2023 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Austin this year, starting with the red-hot topic of real estate. Following booming growth since the pandemic, Austin's real estate market has seen some dramatic swings, but that's not all that happened this year. From Austin's neighboring towns soaring to new heights, to reinvigorating renovation plans throughout the city, here are the hottest real estate headlines of 2023.

1. Surprising Central Texas city boasts No. 1 U.S. housing market for first-time buyers. Homebuyers looking to live outside of the bustling big city should turn their attention 70 miles north of Austin, to Killeen.

2. Austin suburb boasts 9th hottest ZIP code in…

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Jay Janner

Austin American-Statesman writes, "new housing developments continue to spread across Central Texas, but experts say more homes are still needed to keep pace with demand.

"The Austin new home market overall was steady the last half of the year," said Ben Caballero, CEO of HomesUSA.com. a real estate agent and CEO of Dallas-based HomesUSA.com. “As we head into the holiday season and start the new year, we have the Texas advantage on our side, as we continue to attract large employers. This relocation means a continuing need for more homes, and Austin builders are doing their best to create more inventory."

Caballero said the new-home market in the Austin region is poised for growth, if what many leading economists are predicting comes true – that…

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Mikala Compton

Austin American-Statesman reports, "the new year will bring new skyscrapers to downtown Austin.

In the past two decades, downtown has seen an unprecedented high-rise building boom that has transformed the city's central business district with towering condominium, apartment and office buildings along with hotels and scores of new shopping, dining and entertainment options.

Even as downtown's office market has languished as remote work has taken hold since the coronavirus pandemic, people still want to live in the center of the action, and that's keeping downtown's housing, retail and restaurant sectors bustling.

“With falling interest rates and strong population/job growth, I am quite optimistic that the downtown Austin condo market will see…

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Northland Properties has constructed many hotels and resorts, such as the Sandman Signature Hotel in the United Kingdom in 2011. (Courtesy Northland Properties)

Community Impact Austin reports, "Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi has chosen Austin and Cedar Park for the first two projects under his newly launched development company Northland Living.

Some background

A sister company of Northland Properties, which focuses on hotel and resort project development, Northland Living focuses on residential towers and mixed-use communities, according to a news release.

Tony Kaleel, who led the development of 44 East Avenue, is at the helm of Northland Living, serving as the president and chief operating officer.

The details

The first project in the Austin area is a downtown residential condo tower planned on a 0.81-acre site just west of the Texas state Capitol near 14th and Guadalupe streets.

Following closely behind…

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