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"Austin metro tops 2.5M residents"

Austin Business Journal shares, "The Austin metro gained an average of about 159 people a day from 2023 to 2024. While that may sound like a lot, it's down slightly from a growth rate of 171 a day during the previous 12-month period.

According to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the metro's population climbed by about 2.3% from July 2023 to July 2024, an addition of 58,019 people that brings its total to 2.55 million — the first time it has topped the 2.5 million mark. That factors in everything including people who move here, babies born here and deaths.

At 2.3% growth, that's a slight decline from the 2.6% clocked in the previous 12-month period, when the metro — which consists of Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Hays and Caldwell counties…

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"New South Austin development offers 23 townhomes for $270,000 or less"

CultureMap Austi shares, "Applications are now open for a new affordable townhome community in South Austin slated to be completed in March.

The development, called Industry Soma, is located near William Cannon Drive and South Menchaca Road, at 1905 Keilbar Ln.

The 23 townhomes are a collaboration between developer Industry ATX and the Austin Housing Finance Corporation. Prices will range from $235,000 to $270,000, with the goal of providing the opportunity for homeownership and attracting and retaining families with generational ties to the neighborhood.

“We are grateful to support a townhome community that will provide prospective buyers with an affordable option for homeownership. Affordable home ownership is important to Austinites, helps…

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"Elevated prices, interest rates will continue to curb housing affordability in 2025"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Homebuyers and sellers in the Austin metro likely will see little change in prices and inventory in 2025.

That's because median sales prices are likely to hover around the $450,000 mark reported in December 2024, and interest rates are expected to stay high, according to Clare Knapp, housing economist for the Austin Board of Realtors and Unlock MLS. It's a combination that's considered unaffordable for many first-time homebuyers, which means the onus is on homebuilders to build more homes with lower price tags to help move the needle on affordability in the metro.

A first-time homebuyer can typically afford to pay three times their income for a home, putting many in the market for a home in the $300,000 to $400,000…

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"Santa Rita Ranch once again among top-selling neighborhoods in US"

Austin Business Journal reports, "For the fifth-straight year, Liberty Hill’s Santa Rita Ranch is the top-selling master-planned community in the Austin metro, and it's also in the top 20 nationally.

The sprawling neighborhood claimed the metro's title despite an overall drop in home sales compared to 2023, according to Robert Charles Lesser & Co.’s 2024 list of the best-selling master-planned communities in the nation. It came in at No. 18 nationally, with no other community in the Austin metro in the top 50.

Overall, 644 homes were sold in Santa Rita Ranch in 2024, compared to 742 in 2023, a 13% drop. In Texas, communities in Katy, Cypress, Aubrey and New Caney ranked higher on the national list.

“It was a busy year in Santa Rita Ranch,”…

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"Austin-area ZIP code ranks among top 10 hottest housing markets of 2024"

CultureMap Austin writes, "The Austin metro's strong real estate market has shown it can persevere through another year of high mortgage rates, and one local ZIP code in Kyle was the No. 10 hottest housing market in the nation in 2024. That's according to a just-released report by online real estate company Opendoor.

The study examined the U.S. ZIP codes where people bought homes the fastest in 2024, using local Multiple Listing Services (MLS) data in markets where Opendoor operates. The ZIP codes were ranked by the total number of homes that went into contract within 90 days of listing.

Homes in Kyle's 78640 ZIP have an average value of $319,463, though that price has dipped 6.1 percent over the last year, according to Zillow's Home Values…

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"Planned 'new town' near Jarrell moving 'full speed ahead' — albeit behind the scenes"

Austin Business Journal shares, "About 18 months ago, representatives of Arizona-based DMB Development LLC unveiled initial plans for its long-anticipated Solana Ranch project near Jarrell. The effort called for billions of dollars of investment and construction of 14,000 homes and mixed-use buildings on more than 7,000 acres.

Elements of the project aren't yet visible on the sprawling site at the northern end of the Austin metro, but DMB President and CEO Brent Herrington said the company "is making tremendous progress and our current status is full speed ahead."

Split between Williamson and Bell counties, the planned development is among the most anticipated in the region. In early 2023, the Austin Business Journal first revealed plans for the…

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"Outside Austin, the metro's wealthiest ZIP codes are up north"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The Austin Business Journal recently revealed that the metro's wealthiest ZIP code is in the core of the city: downtown Austin.

But what about when you venture outside of city limits? That honor belongs to Cedar Park's 78613 ZIP code, which came in at No. 18 on the list.

American City Business Journals, ABJ's parent company, used a weighted formula with numerous factors, including per capita income, home equity, typical home value, estimated savings and poverty rate to determine the wealthiest ZIP codes.

That determined that wealth looks different in the suburbs. The 78613 ZIP code, which roughly spans north from the Lakeline Mall off Farm to Market Road 620 to New Hope Drive, has a per capita income of around…

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"Austin's apartment construction rate is 3rd highest in the nation"

CultureMap Austin writes,"Austin has been in such an building boom that even a slowing rate of new apartment buildings is still one of the fastest in the country. According to a new insight report from RentCafe, the Austin metro area has the third highest new apartment construction rate nationwide, after previously holding the No. 1 title in 2023.

The report from August 7 analyzed new apartment construction data across 369 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). For the purpose of the study, only apartment buildings containing 50 or more units were included. Any U.S. metros with fewer than 300 units or fewer than two properties/buildings were excluded.

The top two metros that outperformed Austin are New York (No. 1) and Dallas (No. 2) with…

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"Where wealthy people live"

Austin Business Journal writes, "In his 2005 State of the City address, then-Austin Mayor Will Wynn — fresh off leading the Downtown Austin Alliance — had a goal of 25,000 people living in downtown Austin.

At the time, about 5,000 people called the Central Business District home. Almost 20 years later, downtown is still far short of that goal but growth has ramped up as thousands of new apartments and condos rise toward the sky. 

The DAA now pegs downtown's population at about 15,000. Almost 900 were added last year, DAA reports. They come for the high-rise living, entertainment, quality restaurants and urban hike-and-bike trails.

It's an appealing package if you can afford it — the downtown ZIP code, 78701, is now the wealthiest in the area…

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"Austin-area housing inventory edges higher in June with potential price relief on horizon"

Austin Business Journal shares, "Housing stock in the Austin area continues to edge higher, reaching healthier levels not seen in the metro in over a decade — and it's possible lower prices are on the horizon.

The Austin-Round Rock metro's housing inventory reached five months in June — the highest it's been since 2011, according to the latest Austin Board of Realtors and Unlock MLS market report. That's closer to the six months of inventory that housing experts say typically represents a healthy balance between supply and demand, and it's up from a level of 3.7 months of inventory in June 2023.

But what does an increase in inventory mean? According to Clare Knapp, an Unlock MLS and ABOR housing economist, buyers and sellers could expect to see…

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