Luxe Austin Homes - Home Price

"The 'lock-in' effect is hitting homebuyers. It may get worse."

Austin Business Journal shares, "Americans expect high mortgage rates to rise even more in the coming years, a perspective that could further dampen the housing market.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s SCE Housing Survey found Americans expect mortgage rates to climb from just under the 7% they are now to 8.7% a year from now and 9.7% in three years — the highest recorded since the agency started asking Americans that question in 2014.

The pessimism around mortgage rates comes as the Federal Reserve has held off on cutting interest rates after spending much of 2022 raising them to curb inflation. Some officials have said the likelihood of the Fed raising rates again is low, and the housing industry is holding its breath on what future…

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"Mortgage rates hold steady to start 2024. Is an uptick in the housing market on its way?"

Austin Business Journal writes, "the nation's for-sale housing market is off to a mixed start this year after a 2023 that proved largely challenging for homebuyers.

Existing-home sales ended 2023 down about 19% from the prior year, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. While the number of transactions declined, prices rose in most metro areas through the end of the year, and that trend appears to be holding up early into 2024.

In fact, single-family existing-home sale prices rose in 86% of metro areas measured by the NAR — or 189 of 221 — in the fourth quarter. That's up from 82% in the third quarter.

At the end of 2023, the national median single-family existing-home price was up 3.5% from the year prior, to $391,700.

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"How a ‘Dry January’ Mindset Can Get You Closer to Buying a Home in 2024"

Realtor.com writes, "the “dry January” challenge of giving up alcohol for a month got us thinking about kicking some other bad habits that might be holding us back.

We’re not talking about giving up carbs for a month or an afternoon latte, but the not-so-great things you might be doing as a wannabe homebuyer. Not to point fingers here, but many home shoppers fall prey to a faux pas or two when making what’s likely the most significant purchase of their lives, especially in today’s brutal housing market.

To help you get closer to your homebuying dreams, consider taking the month of January to hit the reset button and think about the strategies that aren’t working in your favor. Ready for a homebuying reset? Read on.

Bad habit No. 1: Shopping…

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"Housing market cools in Lake Travis-Westlake"

Community Impact shares, "the housing market in the Lake Travis-Westlake area has cooled slightly, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors' February report.

The median home price fell to $780,000 in February from $850,000 in January, a 5.9% decrease from February 2022.

Active listings in the area have increased from 565 in January to 643 in February, while listings spend more days on the market. On average, active listings were spending 87 days on the market in February compared to 74 days in January.

“Austin’s housing market is trending in the right direction,” ABoR President Ashley Jackson said. “Buyers have more options and negotiating power with each passing month, and sellers have more time to make their next move.”

Prior…

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As Cedar Park home prices decrease, Leander shows rising costs

Cedar Park is seeing the lowest median home price this year for July as prices in the city continue to drop, while Leander is experiencing the opposite, according to Austin Board of Realtors data.

In July, Leander’s median home price reached $567,455, which is the highest price the city has seen this year. Cedar Park, however, saw the lowest home price in July at $512,500.

Despite Leander seeing a slight upward trend in home prices as the year progresses, ABoR President Cord Shiflet said the housing market is continuing to normalize.

“In every aspect of our market, Realtors are seeing positive signs that Austin’s housing market continues to normalize,” he said. “On top of rising housing inventory, home price growth is much closer to the 4%-5% annual…

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Realtor report: Austin area sees gain in housing inventory in April

April home sales in the Austin area decreased for the second month in a row, according to a new report from the Austin Board of Realtors.

The April 2022 showed across a five-county area, home sales declined 6.2% year over year to 3,280 closed sales as the median price rose 19.6% to a new record of $550,000.

Active listings jumped 52.5% year over year to 2,763, causing housing inventory to increase by 0.3 months for a total of 0.8 months of inventory, marking the biggest gain in housing inventory year over year since the summer of 2017.

“We are far from a healthy number of homes for sale in our market, so any increase in housing stock, no matter how small, is a welcome sign for people looking to buy. Our area continues to really be influenced…

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Austin market hits all-time high as home price surges to $624,000

Another record-breaking month is in the books for the red-hot Austin housing market.

The latest monthly report from Austin Board of Realtors reveals all-time highs for home prices at both the city and metro levels, with median home prices surging past the $500,000 and $600,000 marks, respectively, for the very first time.

In March 2022, the median home price in the city of Austin skyrocketed to a record-setting $624,000. That figure is up more than 22 percent from March 2021, when the city's median home price hit a then record of $515,000. In February 2022, the city's median home price sat at $565,000, signaling a jump of $99,000 in just one month.

Meanwhile, the median price for the Austin metro hit $521,100 in March 2022, also up more than…

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