Luxe Austin Homes - homebuilding

"Here's a look at changes Austin made to development regulations in 2024"

Austin Business Journal shares, "It has been a year of change in Austin for regulations around homebuilding, with many new policies enacted that are meant to boost the supply of residences. 

They include new density bonus programs that enable developers to build taller buildings if they include affordable units, as well as modifications to rules governing lot sizes and how many homes can be built on them.

Here is a look at some of the changes enacted in Austin in 2024, in addition to proposals that the City Council may consider soon.

HOME Initiative 

One of the most debated undertakings was the implementation of the HOME Initiative, which altered the rules regarding how many homes can be built on single-family lots and also reduced the…

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"3D-printed houses are selling on Earth; next stop, the moon?"

RealEstateNews.com writes, "It's no wonder that 3D-printed houses seem more like science fiction than real estate fact.

ICON, one of the best-known companies in the space (pun intended), is working with NASA on housing and infrastructure for the moon and Mars, as well as here on Earth. And the rounded, dome-like test structures produced in Austin, Texas, resemble places Luke Skywalker used to call home.

But ICON is also working with Lennar to produce single-family homes at Wolf Ranch, a housing development about 30 miles north of Austin, where the tech company is based.

The company's chief operating officer, Graeme Waitzkin, told Real Estate News this summer that he thinks "people will start to see 3D-printed communities popping up in their…

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"Texas needs 306,000 more homes to meet demand, experts say"

Community Impact reports, "Texas’ population growth has outpaced homebuilding since 2020, according to the state comptroller’s office, resulting in a widespread housing shortage. Up For Growth, a national housing policy organization, reported that Texas needs about 306,000 more homes to meet demand.

High home prices, steep mortgage rates and limited supply are driving some potential homebuyers out of the market, said Clare Knapp, a housing economist for the Austin Board of Realtors. Texas also had the sixth-highest property tax rate—1.68%—in 2021, according to research from the Tax Foundation.

Home prices shot up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Knapp added, as remote work policies allowed more people to move to Texas.

In 2019, the median home…

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"Homebuilding starts to pick back up as buyers adjust to new pricing norms in tight market"

Austin Business Journal reports, "after months of slowdown in the wake of weaker buyer demand, homebuilders are starting to pick back up on construction — and feeling more confident about the housing market since mortgage rates surged last year.

Privately-owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.63 million, a 21.7% increase from the April estimate of 1.34 million, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this week. Meanwhile, privately owned housing units authorized by building permits last month were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.49 million, 5.2% higher than in April but 12.7% less than the May 2022 rate.

The jump in home starts observed last month is notable, said Kelly Mangold, a principal at RCLCO Real…

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"Lennar could build 1,600 more homes in Caldwell County"

Austin Business Journal repots, "the Caldwell County Commissioners Court will consider March 28 the approval of a development agreement with Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction Ltd. to build a 491-acre neighborhood.

The single-family, master-planned community to be known as Cotton Gateway would be located across the road from the San Marcos Regional Airport at State Highway 21 and William Pettus Road, according to the meeting agenda, and would consist of up to 1,600 lots. The development brings with it a number of obligations for both Lennar and Caldwell County.

Florida-based Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to the development agreement, all single-family lots would be a minimum…

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