Luxe Austin Homes - affordable housing

"Texas needs 306,000 more homes to meet demand, experts say"

Community Impact reports, "Texas’ population growth has outpaced homebuilding since 2020, according to the state comptroller’s office, resulting in a widespread housing shortage. Up For Growth, a national housing policy organization, reported that Texas needs about 306,000 more homes to meet demand.

High home prices, steep mortgage rates and limited supply are driving some potential homebuyers out of the market, said Clare Knapp, a housing economist for the Austin Board of Realtors. Texas also had the sixth-highest property tax rate—1.68%—in 2021, according to research from the Tax Foundation.

Home prices shot up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Knapp added, as remote work policies allowed more people to move to Texas.

In 2019, the median home…

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"Homeowners and developers can now build on smaller lots under HOME Phase 2"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Developers can now build on smaller lots as part of an effort to allow denser and more affordable housing throughout Austin.

Beginning Aug. 16, homebuilders and homeowners can apply to participate in the second phase of the HOME Initiative, a city of Austin spokesperson confirmed, which allows homes to be built on lots as small as 1,800 square feet — down drastically from the previous minimum lot size of 5,750 square feet.

Many density and affordable housing advocates in Austin have long pushed for smaller minimum lot sizes for single-family homes, calling the change one of many code updates that could move the needle for affordability and housing stock concerns. HOME Phase 2 also establishes new rules for lot…

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"More transit-focused zoning under consideration at Austin City Hall"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The second phase of Austin’s HOME Initiative and other wide-reaching land use changes are set to be considered at City Hall in the coming weeks. The goal: To hack away at Austin's housing affordability problem and prepare the city for its planned light rail system.

Bigger development will be needed along the 10-mile light rail route — especially at train stops. The project, on track to cost about $4.8 billion in current years’ dollars and begin construction in 2027, will be supported through federal transit funding if the city can prove that its land-use regulations will support the new transit network.

If approved, the new policies will usher in a wave of opportunities for developers and existing homeowners.

…

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"Austin's housing market is off to a strong start in 2024, says report"

Culturemap Austin shares, "homebuyers and sellers are starting to feel optimistic about the Austin-area housing market, according to a new report by the Austin Board of Realtors.

According to the latest analysis by Unlock MLS, which provides real estate data across the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metropolitan statistical area (MSA), bothpending and closed sales increased slightly in January compared to the previous year. 1,667 homes were sold last month, up 4.3 percent; There were also 2,480 pending sales, up 3.8 percent.

Median prices in the MSA dipped slightly year-over-year to $430,000. Unlock MLS and ABoR housing economist Clare Losey, Ph.D., shared that the recent decline in mortgage rates has allowed for lower home prices heading into…

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"New real estate report calls Austin housing market 'optimistic'"

KVUE AUSTIN, Texas writes, — "Real estate experts are calling the housing market in Austin "optimistic."

Unlock MLS released its January market analysis on Wednesday. It shows the median home sales price in the Austin-Round Rock area dropped about 4% to $430,000. At the same time, residential home sales increased by about 4% compared to the year before.

A housing economist for Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) said although mortgage rates are still elevated, a recent decline is leading to lower home prices and an increase in closed sales.

“January marks the 15th consecutive month of year-over-year median sales price declines in the Austin-Round Rock housing market, empowering more homebuyers to enter our…

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"Developers in Travis County regain public improvement districts but with higher fees"

Austin Business Journal writes, "developers in Travis County have a financial tool back at their disposal that's designed to support large-scale real estate projects, but they may not be supportive of all the changes made to the reworked program.

That's because revisions to public improvement districts, or PIDs, include an increase in community benefit charges tied to certain projects. Previously, developers paid a fee equal to 10% of total investment if their projects didn't include enough affordable housing, but that has been raised to 17.5%. The application fee for a PID has also been increased from $55,000 to $150,000.

Adam Boenig, co-president of Brohn Homes — among the region's most active residential developers — called the higher fees a…

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"Austin’s HOME Initiative won’t change much — for now"

Austin Business Journal writes, "a new policy allowing up to three homes to be raised on some single-family lots is one of the most high-profile changes to Austin's land use code as it tries to combat high home prices and adopt a big-city mentality.

But experts said the program will not have a notable effect on the local housing market for the foreseeable future — plus, there's the specter of a lawsuit scaring some developers off.

The first phase of what's called the HOME Initiative launched Feb. 5. That's when homeowners and developers could start to submit applications. Landowners can either sell the new, smaller homes or they can rent them out. The impact of the change will only become measurable in the months and years to come, but the…

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"Travis County lifts moratorium on PID agreements"

Austin Business Journal shares, "after a four-year hiatus, Travis County is reintroducing a tool designed to support large-scale developments.

The Travis County Commissioners Court on Jan. 30 lifted a moratorium on public improvement districts, or PIDs, after nearly a year of review.

That means developers can begin submitting applications for new PID agreements Feb. 1.

PIDs enable counties and cities to levy additional taxes on sites to pay for specific project-related improvements. They're used in counties across Texas to help cover some costs to developers, such as road construction, water and wastewater systems and landscaping, when they build master-planned communities and other big projects.

Before unanimously voting to lift their PID…

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"New subdivision set to rise in small community south of Austin"

Austin Business Journal reports, "hundreds of acres of housing are set to rise on the southern reaches of the Austin metro, the latest indication that it just keeps on growing.

Caldwell County commissioners on Jan. 9 unanimously approved a development agreement for a subdivision in Maxwell, potentially encompassing more than 200 acres. With the Austin area embroiled in a seemingly never-ending struggle to build enough affordable housing, the homes in this new development would be going up in one of the most affordable pockets of the region.

The subdivision, known as Schulle Farms, would be built on 227 acres off Maxwell’s Fifth Street if the development goes forward. Schulle Farm Partners LP is behind the project, although the identities of…

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"Hundreds of multifamily units, offices planned for Crestview neighborhood"

Austin Business Jounral reports, "a revised vision for Crestview Village first introduced two years ago is taking shape as plans gain momentum to build a high-density, mixed-use development with affordable housing near a transit hub in North Austin.

Owned by brothers Ben Barlin and Peter Barlin, 3423 Holdings LLC gained the Austin Planning Commission’s recommendation on Oct. 24 to seek an increased building height to 160 feet — about 15 stories — and participate in the city’s density bonus program, which will yield at least 10% dedication to affordable housing.

If brought to fruition, the project would help the city's goals for denser, transit-focused development along its primary corridors. It would also help Austin reach its net-zero…

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