Found 359 blog entries tagged as central texas.

We’re committed to continuing to address our city’s housing affordability crisis and severe undersupply of homes. GETTY IMAGES

Austin Business Journal shares, "It’s no secret that the Austin region has flourished over the past two decades, producing one of the greatest economic development success stories of the past half-century. Texas has consistently been named one of the best states to do business – with Austin helping to lead the way – and three of the top four fastest-growing cities in the country are located in Central Texas. Austin’s economy consistently outperforms national averages except for one glaring exception – housing.*

Austin desperately needs more housing. Our housing market’s severe undersupply of homes, specifically for low- and middle-income buyers, is a challenge our city must overcome not just for our regional economy, but for the people who live and…

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An aerial view of downtown Austin, Texas, on April 21, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) (Brandon Bell via Getty Images)

Yahoo Finance writes, "The frenzied homebuying days in Austin, Texas, that saw some buyers offer six figures over asking price are gone.

The Texas capital, where the average home price soared by $170,000 during the COVID pandemic, is now seeing major price corrections: The median price per square foot is down 9.5% from its pandemic peak two years ago, according to Realtor.com. As of April, the median list price stood at $557,000.

Austin’s real estate boom was driven by a sudden influx of workers, who were newly remote and suddenly more mobile thanks to early COVID office closures. They encountered a waning supply of inventory, and home prices subsequently spiked, dealing a blow to the city’s affordability.

However, as mortgage rates increase,…

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Peach season is upon us in Texas. Photo by LuAnn Hunt on Unsplash

CultureMap Austin writes, "Peach season has begun in Texas. Get ready to start seeing the fuzzy little fruits at farmers markets and on seasonal menus. Austinites who just can't get enough of the sweet stone fruit can take about an hour's drive out to Stonewall, Texas, for the 63rd annual Peach Jamboree and Rodeo from June 21-22.

Things actually kick off on June 20; The first day eases folks into the festivities with a slack rodeo (i.e. unofficial events that spilled over from a very full rodeo schedule) at 8 pm and live music by dance hall band Wagon Aces at 10 pm.

The official rodeo starts the next day at 6 pm, with mutton bustin' — children riding sheep as an adult would ride a bull — and an introduction to contestants vying for the title of…

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Tesla's Austin gigafactory has a huge, somewhat unseen, network of support facilities all across the Austin area. TESLA INC.

Austin Business Journal writes, "The impacts of the Tesla Inc. gigafactory in eastern Travis County can be felt all the way out to an inconspicuous warehouse in Hutto, a vast greenfield at the north end of Georgetown, a train rail line in Taylor and a sprawling industrial complex in Kyle and even a bus station in Killeen, where gigafactory workers are picked up for work each morning for a 150-mile round trip.

Those sites — and just about everywhere in between — are among the locales where the "Tesla effect" is coming to fruition, referring to how the company's headquarters relocation to Austin has spurred additional economic development in the region. That's either through direct investment by the company itself, Tesla suppliers moving here, or…

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Image: STG Design / Pearlstone Partners / Prospect Real Estate

TOWERS writes, "The 41-story Vesper condo tower is now complete in the Rainey Street District of downtown Austin, with its first phase of move-ins kicking off this week. According to developers Pearlstone Partners and sales agency Prospect Real Estate, the building is currently 67 percent sold. The 452-foot tower broke ground in the summer of 2021, situated on a small 0.4-acre site at the edge of the neighborhood at 84 East Avenue, pretty tightly hemmed in on three sides by the Camden Rainey Street apartment building and a famously garish Homewood Suites. 

It’s just one of a forest of towers now rising in the Rainey District, with the perspective of the aerial shot below showing not one, not two, not three, but four separate tower projects underway…

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Three of five ZIP codes in the North-Northwest Austin market experienced double-digit percent change increases in the number of homes sold year over year in March, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors. (Courtesy Austin Board of Realtors)

Community Impact shares, "Three of five ZIP codes in the North-Northwest Austin market experienced double-digit percent change increases in the number of homes sold year over year in March, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors.

The details

The 78759 ZIP code netted more home sales than other North Austin-area ZIP codes and experienced the greatest year-over-year growth in March.

Home sale prices varied in March, with some areas experiencing declines in home prices while others, such as ZIP code 78727, saw an almost 15% increase.

The 78729 ZIP code saw an almost 50% decrease in the average days spent on the market, while ZIP code 78758 saw a 14.3% increase.

The majority of homes sold in the area in March were between…

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This three-bedroom, 1956 cottage at 6501 Linda Ln. is quintessentially Austin and right at median price: $450,000. Keller Williams Realty/kw.com

Culturemap Austin writes, Austinites looking to own a home for the first time may be in luck this year, as the housing market is finally starting to look more lucrative for buyers. The post-pandemic homebuying craze left many scared and uncertain about the possibility of becoming homeowners with prices and rates skyrocketing. However, 2024 is shaping up to be a lot more hopeful for those wanting to trade renting for owning.

According to the US News & World Report market forecast for Austin, the current housing market is favoring buyers as mortgage rates are coming down, there’s a more balanced supply and demand of both new and existing homes, and median prices have slowly dipped by 4.2 percent over the past two years. At its peak in 2022, the…

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Austin Business Journal reports, "Two multifamily projects are moving forward in North Austin that could collectively bring more than 600 new apartments to the city and create more opportunities for builders, contractors and more.

Austin City Council approved a zoning change on April 18 for a roughly 10-acre site at 10911 Stonelake Blvd., just north of the North Burnet and Gateway district. That change, from limited industrial zoning to multifamily, sets a path for the construction of about 400 apartments.

The council also approved a zoning change from general office to mixed-use on a 9-acre site at 13614 Metric Blvd., allowing for 238 new multifamily units near the Wells Branch neighborhood to move forward.

Don Reese, founder and partner of…

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Phase II of the HOME Initiative builds upon the first phase by changing zoning practices to allow smaller lots.  Photo courtesy of Whisper Valley

ATX Today reports, "Austin City Council will vote on Phase II of the HOME Initiative — a move that would reduce the minimum size of a single-family lot — as early as May.

The council passed the first phase of the HOME Initiative, which stands for Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment, in December 2023. In part, the decision increased the maximum number of units from one to three on certain single-family lots.

This new phase would change single-family lot minimums from 5,750 sqft to 2,000 sqft, something the Austin Board of Realtors said could improve home affordability moving forward.

Why is this under consideration?

Proponents say passage of the new phase could alleviate the housing shortage by allowing construction of 87 to 871 new…

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Austin American-Statesman writes, "With the typical busy spring buying season upon us, what's happening in the Austin-area housing market?

The Austin Board of Realtors just released its monthly housing report, which shows that there were 4,714 new home listings across the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown region last month, 10.2% more over the prior March. The increase has led to four months of inventory in multiple parts of the Central Texas region as the market continues to stabilize, the board said.

The board said 2,563 homes sold last month, down 0.3% from March 2023. The median price last month was flat year-over-year, with half of the homes selling for more than $450,000 and half for less.

The numbers indicate that homeowners have confidence…

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