Luxe Austin Homes - construction

"Are buyers already coming back into the housing market?"

Austin Business Journal reports, "since the start of the new year, there's indications buyers may be — albeit slowly — reentering the housing market, owing in part to mortgage rates that've stabilized since 2022's volatility.

Redfin Corp. (Nasdaq: RDFN) found while pending home sales fell 26% year over year during the four weeks ending Jan. 22, that was the smallest drop in more than three months, and that metric had began rising on a month-over-month basis since December.

Separately, home tours and requests for service for Redfin remain down 23% and 27% respectively from a year prior, but both are an improvement from a November trough of that activity being down 40%.

Pending home sales increased in December for the first time since May 2022,…

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"Zillow says Austin’s housing market is now ‘ice cold,’ Austin Board of Realtors says no way"

KXAN Austin writes, "just days after the Austin Board of Realtors said the local housing market is starting to “rebalance,” Zillow has released a much harsher outlook: the Austin market is now “ice cold.”

The characterization comes as Zillow released its market report for December 2022.

The report shows homes in the Austin area are spending a median of 68 days on the market, more than in any other major metro nationwide. Back in December 2021, Zillow reported homes in the area were on the market for a median of 22 days.

Another metric in the report shows homes aren’t selling for as much as they used to. In November, just 11% of listings sold for higher than the asking price, down from 47% a year before.

That may be leading some homeowners…

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"2022 was another record year for Austin-area housing but recent inventory rise provides 'breathing room'"

Austin Business Journal writes, "the Austin metro housing market set another sale price record in 2022 — but prices ended the year trending down, another sign of continued cooling and a possible return to more normal conditions.

The average median sale price of a home was $503,000 last year, an 11% increase from 2021, according to the latest data from the Austin Board of Realtors.

However, after peaking at $550,000 in April and May, prices have been steadily retreating — hitting $457,426 in December, a 3% year-over-year decrease and nearly $100,000 less than in the spring.

Some of that decline is likely tied to the time of year, as home sales typically slow in the winter months. But even that seasonality would be a welcome return after a…

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"The Supertalls Are Coming to Austin"

Bloomberg.com writes, "the city of Austin is building up, and its once-modest skyline is getting weird.

Due in 2026 is a mixed-use high-rise called Waterline, designed by the New York firm Kohn Pedersen Fox. At 1,022 feet, the building qualifies as a “supertall,” one of just a handful of these spectacular skyscrapers in the US outside Chicago or New York City. When it’s finished, the project will rank as the tallest building in Texas. Designed like a stack of several different buildings, Waterline will stand out on a skyline that’s growing up faster than almost any other nationwide.

But it won’t stand alone. Groundbreaking is due this year on an even-taller supertall, the Wilson Tower. Wrapped in a dusky golden brise-soleil running the length of…

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"Apple to build even more at Austin campus"

Austin Business Journal reports, "the second phase of construction at Apple Inc.’s Northwest Austin campus shows no sign of slowing down as the tech titan files to raise yet another building on the property.

It's welcome news for a city — and real estate sector — that has been put at risk by big tech employers lately as recession fears loom and the work-from-home model prevails. Facebook (Nasdaq: META) is slimming down in Austin, backing out of space it was to take in Austin's next tallest skyscraper. News of coming layoffs at Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) and Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) has left many real estate pros on pins and needles.

But Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) appears to be bucking that trend. Executives did not respond to requests for…

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"Austin booms as the nation's fastest-growing office market in new report"

CultureMap Austin writes, "as we head into the new year, Austin's office market is headed for a big boom, according to one recent report.

Commercial real estate platform CommercialEdge has released its National Office Report, naming Austin the fastest-growing office market in the U.S., based on data through November 2022.

Austin "has been the fastest-growing office market in the country since the start of the pandemic," says CommercialEdge. And despite recent upheaval in the tech sector, including layoffs and office downsizing, the report shows office-using sectors of the labor market have added 85,000 jobs in Austin — a 28 percent increase, in the last 30 months.

To keep up with that growth, developers have added 3.1 million square feet of new…

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"Will High Inflation and Recession Fears Lead to a Drop in Remodeling?"

Realtor.com writes, "during the height of COVID-19, it seemed like everyone knew someone who had bought a home and then remodeled the kitchen, created a home office or gym, or turned the scraggly backyard into an outdoor oasis.

But as the pandemic enters its fourth year, most folks are no longer trapped in their homes obsessing over every flaw. The homebuying frenzy that typically spurs remodeling work has died down. And many people are more concerned with high inflation and the looming threat of a recession than their dream en suite bathroom.

Where does that leave the remodeling industry? In fairly good shape, say most experts. Homeowners are expected to spend even more on remodeling, repairs, and maintenance in 2023 than they did in 2022.

…

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"Austin's hottest real estate stories of 2022: Dramatic market shift and big developments"

CultureMap Austin writes, "as 2022 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 unprecedented growth during the pandemic, Austin's market is poised for a dramatic swing, but that's not all that happened this year. From massive mansions to tall towers and the first "residential winery" in the state, here are the hottest real estate headlines of 2022.

1. $45 million Lake Travis mansion makes a splash as most expensive home for sale in Texas. A Lake Travis estate fit for a celebrity hit the market at $45 million this spring. The property came with big-as-Texas bragging rights, as it was the priciest home on the market in Texas at the time. In 2013, the…

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"CLD Realty proposes $8M retail complex in Austin ’burb"

TheRealDeal writes, "a retail center serving two master-planned communities is on the way in the Austin suburb of Buda.

CLD Realty has proposed building seven one-story buildings with retail and restaurant space on a 5.7-acre site at 2260 Main Street, the Austin Business Journal reported. Dubbed Corner on Main, the development is currently under review by the City of Buda.

The 48,000-square-foot complex would cost about $8 million, and construction is scheduled to begin in March next year.

“We are looking for neighborhood services that seek to take advantage of the tremendous growth in east Buda and the Sunfield community, Ryder Jeanes with CLD Realty, told the outlet in an email. He said the firm will consider tenants like restaurants and…

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"46K new housing units possible on unlocked Austin land — but zoning change doesn't go far enough, builder says"

Austin Business Journal reports, "builders in Austin can now take advantage of a change in city code that will allow for the development of residential properties on land zoned for commercial use.

The change to the land development code, which Austin City Council approved on Dec. 2, carries major implications for real estate firms, significantly expanding the market for development. It also represents another avenue for cutting into Austin's housing shortage: city staffers previously estimated this decision could allow for the creation of 46,324 new homes.

Developers will still need to apply to build residential projects in commercial areas and will have to meet certain criteria, including around affordability. The change incentivizes the…

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