Luxe Austin Homes - homebuyers

"Buyers Are Gaining Market Power as Mortgage Rates Dip Another Week"

Realtor.com writes, "The sour outlook from consumers, and the consistent "wait-and see" policy from the Federal Reserve, helped push interest rates lower, including mortgage rates dipping to 6.77% for a 30-year fixed home loan. The dip was housing-friendly but small, so its impact will be modest.

Inflation, which showed the Fed’s preferred gauge, rose 2.3% in the year even as the index excluding food and energy prices edged a bit higher. Consumer confidence slipped in June, and while consumer sentiment improved, both measures remain at a concerningly sluggish level. 

The April Case-Shiller home price index showed regional divergence, with price gains strongest in Northeast and Midwest markets, like New York City, Chicago, and Detroit. Southern…

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"Shopping for a home? Texas city scores largest influx of new listings"

MYSA writes, "In the market for a new home? What better place than right here in Central Texas.

Two Texas cities ranked among the best in the nation for the largest price slashes within their respective housing markets, marking a real estate haven for first-time homebuyers and more experienced house hunters, according to a report from Realtor.com released on Monday, June 23. Both the South and the West led the way in the biggest cost cuts, with Phoenix ranking supreme with 31.3% of its Arizona home listings featuring a price cut.

Coming in second was Tampa with a 29.9% slash in home listing costs, with Denver trailing slightly behind at a 29.4% share of listings featuring reduced prices. In fourth place, Texas made its mark with the capital city,…

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"More international buyers are eyeing the U.S. home market. These cities are getting the most looks."

Austin Business Journal writes, "America's housing market is showing increased interest from international buyers.

That’s according to a new report from Realtor.com, which analyzed international views of for-sale listings on the Realtor.com U.S. marketplace between January and March 2025, as compared to previous quarters.

The data showed the share of home shoppers who came from outside the U.S. grew from 1.3% in the first quarter of 2020 to 1.9% during the same time this year. It was also up from 1.7% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Cities with the most global interest

In the first quarter of 2025, Miami was the most-popular metro market for international home shoppers, with that metro area capturing 8.7% of demand from outside the U.S.…

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"Austin-area home sales decline in May as inventory rises"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The housing market in Austin showed more signs of slowing in May, with sales dropping and inventory rising.

The number of listings came in at 5,716, equating to five months of inventory, according to the latest report from Unlock MLS. Sales numbered 3,021 in May — a 3.8% year-over-year decrease — although 4,515 sales were pending, a 16.1% year-over-year increase and the most reported so far in 2025.

The median sales price in May registered $449,000, a decline of $1,000 from April.

Clare Knapp, housing economist for Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors, said the slowing market could motivate sellers to adjust their prices to align more with what buyers can afford and are willing to pay.

“It's not that…

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"The price-cut picture is changing as home listings rise and buyers gain leverage"

Austin Business Journal shares, "After several years of strong sellers' markets, buyers are gaining leverage in a number of housing markets across the nation — and it's reflected in both home-listing and price-cut data.

That’s according to The Business Journals' recent hottest housing markets analysis of first-quarter housing data from Intercontinental Exchange.

Of the 8,936 ZIP codes analyzed by The Business Journals, 5,788 (or 64%) posted a year-over-year increase in home listings in the first quarter. Of those, 698 (or 7.8%) recorded an increase of at least 50%.

The data revealed home listings grew significantly in many pockets of the country, underscoring observations by some market watchers that the national residential real estate…

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"Is Now a Good Time to Buy a House?"

Key takeaways:

• If you have the means, now may be a good time to buy a house.
• There are nearly 500,000 more home sellers than buyers, putting buyers in charge – but a shaky economy has everyone on edge.
• Mortgage rates remain elevated and volatile thanks to inflation concerns, tariff uncertainty, and market volatility.
• Housing costs continue rising: The median U.S. home sale price sits at a near-record high $438,000, marking 22 straight months of year-over-year gains.

Spring is in full swing, kicking off the prime homebuying season. So, many homebuyers are wondering if it’s a good time to enter the housing market. 

Housing remains largely unaffordable for most of the country, after all, and economic uncertainty is significantly…

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"Metro's fastest-growing neighborhood to add another 1,000 homes"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Liberty Hill’s Santa Rita Ranch just keeps growing.

The sprawling 3,700-acre development — where more than 4,000 homes have been sold — is already the region’s fastest-growing neighborhood. Now, 1,000 more homes are going to be added to the community, according to an announcement.

Perry Homes will build the new homes in an area called Eldorado Village. They'll rise on 50-, 60- and 70-foot lots, with 66 different floor plans available to buyers. Floor plans will range from 2,100 square feet to 4,891 square feet.

“We’re particularly excited about Eldorado Village because of its location in the community,” stated Santa Rita Ranch developer Ed Horne. “These homesites are situated on some of the highest points in…

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"Inventory of homes for sale in the Austin metro on the rise"

Austin Business Journal writes, "With housing inventory in the Austin metro on the rise, the region may be close to becoming a buyer’s market.

That’s according to the latest report from Unlock MLS, which found that the metro’s housing inventory reached 5.6 months in April, up 1.4 months from the same time last year and closing in on the six-month mark that's generally considered a balanced market. But with the inventory rising and a larger stock of more affordably priced homes, conditions could lead to a buyer’s market, or at least one that’s favorable for first-time buyers, said Clare Knapp, housing economist for Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors.

“If anything, it’s a good market for first-time buyers in the sense that they have a…

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"Austin's housing inventory went up and sales fell in April, per report"

CultureMap Austin shares, "Austin's homebuyers are uncovering an uncertain future for the housing market, as April sales took a nearly 14 percent dip from last year and housing inventory increased by 11.5 percent.

The latest real estate report from the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) and Unlock MLS said Austin's April housing data closely resembles a nationwide trend of higher mortgage rates and a decline in home sales.

New home listings in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area (MSA) rose to 5,710 homes in April, adding to a total number of 13,351 active home listings. That's nearly 20 percent more from April 2024.

Only 2,484 homes in the Austin area were sold in April, and median home prices took a small 3.2 percent…

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"Here's where home prices grew the most in Q1 as affordability worsens for many Americans"

Story Highlights

• The National Association of Realtors says 83% of metro areas saw their single-family home prices grow in Q1.
• Nationally, the median single-family home price grew 3.4% in the first quarter.
• The Northeast performed the best in sales and price gains while the South lagged.

Austin Business Journal writes, "The U.S. housing market may be showing signs of softening but in most cities, single-family homes only got more expensive at the start of 2025.

A new report by the National Association of Realtors found 83% of metro areas tracked by the NAR saw their existing single-family home prices increase in the first quarter of 2025. While down from the 89% of metro areas that saw price growth in the fourth quarter of…

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