Luxe Austin Homes - economy

"Room to grow: Why Austin needs more homes"

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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"Tesla electrifying Austin economy far and wide"

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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"Austin-area home foreclosures were up in 2023, joining nationwide trend"

Austin Business Journal reports, "property foreclosures in the Austin metro climbed in 2023 — tracking a rise in local unemployment — but were relatively low by historic standards.

Foreclosures, which are legal proceedings by mortgage lenders to seize property when borrowers are in default, numbered 1,438 in the area last year, up 389 from 2022, according to Attom Data Solutions, a real estate information company.

Despite what equates to a 37% increase, however, the figure is below the levels immediately prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and well under those seen more than a decade ago on the heels of the last recession.

Foreclosures were up across the state and nation last year. They rose 51% in the Houston metro compared to 2022, 19% in the…

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"Texas is winning the US economy"

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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"Austin real estate market still burning hot, according to Urban Land Institute study"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Austin’s real estate market is still burning at a supernova level, according to a new study.

The Urban Land Institute, which focuses on real estate and land use, released its widely respected 2024 Emerging Trends in Real Estate report on Oct. 31. The report compiled data and insights from over 2,000 real estate industry experts to explore shifts and trends in the property sector and predict 10 markets to watch for the coming year.

Austin ranked fifth on the list this year, down from No. 3 last year. The rest of the top five was rounded out by other Sunbelt cities: Nashville at No. 1, then Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta.

ULI conducted the study in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers, a professional…

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"Top 10 Roadblocks for the Real Estate Market in 2024"

Realtor Magazine writes, "global unrest, economic uncertainty and eroding home affordability are among the top issues facing the real estate industry over the next year, according to The Counselors of Real Estate’s annual report, “Top 10 Issues Affecting Real Estate(link is external).” Each year, CRE surveys 1,000 real estate experts to gauge the emerging issues that could have the most significant impact on all housing sectors, particularly the commercial market.

“This past year has been challenging for some and opportunistic for others as the economy, office market and innovation continue to evolve and impact the market,” says CRE Global Chair William McCarthy. “Additionally, the housing shortage and infrastructure issues continue to cause…

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"Q&A: Austin Board of Realtors housing economist helps others ride the waves of Austin market"

Community Impact Austin shares, "Clare Losey joined the Austin Board of Realtors as its housing economist in March. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a PhD in August 2021 and previously worked at the Texas Real Estate Research Center. This interview has been edited for clarity and consistency.

What made you choose Austin?

I attended [The University of Texas] for undergrad and just really fell in love with Austin, and I love just the outdoorsy aspect of it. I think folks here tend to strike a happy medium; they tend to find jobs that they’re at least reasonably passionate about, but yet they have hobbies on the side that they really enjoy.

What do you do as a housing economist for the ABoR?

Much of what I do is focus just on digesting what’s…

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"Housing Market Predictions For 2023: Are Home Prices Finally Becoming Affordable?"

Could a housing recovery possibly be underway?

In March, mortgage rates ended the month over 30 basis points lower than where they started and more buyers returned to the market. Home sales prices fell year-over-year in February—the first time in nearly 11 years—and total home sales saw their largest monthly percentage increase since July 2020. However, many economists remain mixed about how much more home prices will drop this year.

For one, the nation’s housing supply remains limited. Those who purchased homes in recent years at record-low interest rates are staying put. Tight inventory issues, in part, are also keeping prices from dropping off, which is perpetuating affordability challenges for many, especially first-time homebuyers.

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"Austin Housing Market Forecast"

U.S. News reports, "given the enormous popularity of the greater Austin, Texas, area for online searches, newcomers and employment growth, it may act as a reasonable bellwether for the state of the U.S. housing market. This will certainly be tested in the spring and summer selling season, when the National Association of Realtors reports that about 40% of sales of existing homes throughout the U.S are historically made between the months of May and August. Besides offering warmer weather, buying a home during these months allows buyers with school-aged children to shop, bid, close and move into a new residence before the start of a new school year.

Similar to the overall U.S. housing market in mid-2020, the Austin housing market went into…

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"Mortgage Rates Rise for Third Week in a Row, Returning to Highs Seen in November"

Realtor.com reports, "the numbers: Mortgage rates are up sharply, putting pressure on the housing market once again.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.5% as of February 23, according to data released by Freddie Mac on Thursday.

That’s up 18 basis points from the previous week. One basis point is equal to one one-hundredth of a percentage point.

The 30-year rate was last at this level in November 2022.

Last week, the 30-year was at 6.32%, compared with last year, when it was averaging 3.89%.

The average rate on a 15-year mortgage rose to 5.76%, from 5.51% the previous week. The 15-year was at 3.14% a year ago.

Freddie Mac’s weekly report on mortgage rates is based on thousands of applications received from lenders across the…

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