Luxe Austin Homes - homebuyers

"AISD real estate could be up for grabs as district evaluates closing some campuses"

Austin Business Journal reports, "The Austin Independent School District plans to consolidate operations amid a tough financial outlook and could either sell or lease up to 13 school sites that it's considering closing.

The district published a proposed consolidation plan Oct. 3 in which 13 schools would be closed and most of the district’s attendance boundaries would be altered. The proposal is aimed at addressing anticipated enrollment declines and financial challenges, with the AISD’s approved 2025-26 budget projecting a $19.7 million deficit and the potential consolidation forecast to save more than $25 million. 

“To protect the quality of education in Austin ISD, we must reassess where our limited resources are spent,” Superintendent Matias…

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"Here's where homes are selling the fastest as the housing market evolves"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Home sales have slowed in many cities across the country — including some Covid-era hotspots — but some communities are bucking the trend and seeing houses sell more than 40% faster than they did pre-pandemic.

That's according to The Business Journals' second-quarter analysis of the nation's hottest housing markets based on quarterly listing and sales data from Intercontinental Exchange.

ZIP code 49629 in Elk Rapids, Michigan, was the fastest-selling housing market in the nation for the second quarter. Homes in Elk Rapids spent an average of 23 days on the market.

The small, waterfront community — approximately 17 miles from Michigan vacation hotspot Traverse City — provides easy access to nearby Elk Lake and…

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"Investors are snapping up more single-family homes"

Austin Business Journal shares, "Investors are snapping up an ever-growing share of single-family homes, and it’s the smallest investors leading the way.

Real estate investors purchased 33% of all single-family residential homes sold in the second quarter, according to the Q2 Investor Pulse Report from BatchData. That is up from 27% of all single-family homes in the first quarter and up from 25.7% in 2024.

It's also the highest share of investor purchases in more than five years, according to the report. Overall, investors own roughly 20% of the 86 million single-family homes in the country.

The development comes as analysts in some pandemic-era real estate hotspots have seen a shift in how properties are changing hands in their markets. In…

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"The 'sweet spot' for frustrated homebuyers is on the horizon"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The best time of the year to buy a home is coming up, giving frustrated house hunters an increased chance to close a desired deal.

The week of October 12-18 is what Realtor.com is calling the “sweet spot” for home shoppers. Why? A rare combination of higher inventory, lower prices and less competition makes it ideal for buyers. And even though it's not exactly a buyer's market overall, the improved buying conditions could feel like a breath of fresh air for prospective buyers.

"After years of constrained conditions, the 2025 housing market is giving buyers something they haven't had in a long time: options," said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, in a statement. "I expect this market momentum shift…

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"Fed rate cut could boost Austin housing market"

Austin Business Journal shares, "The Federal Reserve has lowered rates by a quarter point, a welcome sign for homebuyers.

The federal funds rate is now 4% to 4.25%, according to a Sept. 17 announcement, marking the Fed's first rate cut since December. The cut comes as economic indicators point to the growth of economic activity moderating in the first half of the year, job gains slowing and the national unemployment rate increasing to 4.3%, according to the announcement.

Lowering the rate could have an impact on housing affordability in the Austin metro, where the median price of a home was $444,490 in August, 1.3% more than the year prior.

“Even a small rate shift can improve affordability and prompt more buyers to re-enter the market, a…

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"Austin is becoming a buyer's market, new real estate reports say"

CultureMap Austin shares, "the latest Central Texas Housing Report from Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) has indicated Austin's real estate activity in August is portraying a "more balanced" housing market with an increase in active listings, stable prices, and a rise in pending sales. And two national marketplaces, Zillow and Realtor.com, have already recently declared Austin is now a buyer's market.

The local housing report analyzed August data across the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area (MSA), the city of Austin, and the five Central Texas counties: Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, and Caldwell.

Across the Austin metro, median home prices in August rose just 1.3 percent year-over-year to $444,490,…

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"From Bidding Wars to Bargains—How Austin’s Housing Market Became a Buyer’s Market"

Realtor.com writes, "Austin, TX, once the poster child of America’s pandemic housing boom, has flipped into a buyer’s market.

After years of surging demand and record-setting prices fueled by remote workers and tech transplants, the tide has turned. Listings are piling up, prices have retreated from their peak, and affordability—long a sore point in the city—is starting to improve.

Nationally, the housing market has reached a balance of five months of supply—the first summer to do so since Realtor.com® began tracking this data nine years ago, according to the August 2025 Monthly Housing Market Trends report.

While local dynamics vary across the country, Austin’s trajectory underscores a broader theme in real estate: the pendulum swing between…

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"Mortgage Costs Weigh On Buyers as Fed Signals Rate Cut: What It Means for Housing"

Realtor.com writes, "Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell suggested at the central bank's Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday that policy shifts may be coming, reinforcing expectations that rate cuts could arrive as early as September. 

His remarks highlighted the balancing act between curbing inflation and supporting employment, a dynamic that has far-reaching effects on consumer borrowing costs.

For the housing market, those costs remain a critical pressure point. Despite recent income gains, higher mortgage rates have slashed buyer purchasing power, reshaped demand, and left builders navigating an uneven recovery. 

Even though mortgage rates are still a headwind, existing-home sales rose in July, getting just past a 4 million sales pace. Home…

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"Homebuyers are gaining leverage — but the minimum income to buy is surging"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Americans now need to earn $114,000 per year to afford a median priced home.

That's an increase of 70.1% above the $67,000 required to afford that same mid-range home in 2019, according to data from Realtor.com. It's an increase driven by sky-high appreciation, persistent supply constraints and stubbornly high interest rates, among other factors — and the dynamic continues to weigh heavily on the housing market, even as buyers gain leverage.

The data looked at median home prices each April for the past six years.

“Even with today’s affordability hurdles, meaningful changes in the market could give buyers a better shot at finding a home,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “The number of homes…

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"Home sales in the Austin metro could heat up this fall"

Austin Business Journal shares, "While home sales in the Austin metro continued to slow in July, pending sales ticked up — potentially suggesting stronger sales activity heading into the fall.

That’s according to the latest market data from Unlock MLS, which found that the metro recorded 2,492 home sales last month, down from 2,823 in June and from about 2,700 home sales in July 2024. On the flip side, pending sales clocked in at 2,829 last month, up from 2,706 in June and about 2,440 in July 2024.

As sales have slowed, home prices have dropped. The median sales price in the metro fell from $449,000 in June to $435,000 in July.

“It’s typical for the summer market to slow as people focus on travel and leisure; we often see activity pick back…

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