Luxe Austin Homes - homebuyers

"Housing supply increases across Central Texas in March, Austin Board of Realtors says"

Austin American-Statesman writes, "With the typical busy spring buying season upon us, what's happening in the Austin-area housing market?

The Austin Board of Realtors just released its monthly housing report, which shows that there were 4,714 new home listings across the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown region last month, 10.2% more over the prior March. The increase has led to four months of inventory in multiple parts of the Central Texas region as the market continues to stabilize, the board said.

The board said 2,563 homes sold last month, down 0.3% from March 2023. The median price last month was flat year-over-year, with half of the homes selling for more than $450,000 and half for less.

The numbers indicate that homeowners have confidence…

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"Austin nests on Zillow list of best cities for first-time homebuyers"

Culturemap Austin shares, "It's not easy to buy a home anywhere, but folks in Austin are doing way better than average, according to Zillow. Texas' capital ranked No. 5 among the top 10 U.S. cities for buying a first home.

In 2023, new homebuyers occupied the largest slice of the market since the report started in 2018, making up about half of all buyers. The demographic was only 37 percent in 2021. It cites the "rate lock" effect for keeping "repeat buyers" from moving on too quickly and abandoning their lower mortgage rates. Hopefully strength in numbers gives newcomers a little more power against flippers and developers.

The new Zillow report further helps follow purchasing power, identifying places with a larger selection of homes and more…

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"Another homebuilder joins Gregg Ranch neighborhood in Marble Falls"

Austin Business Journal writes, "In Marble Falls, Gregg Ranch continues to grow.

The 240-acre community at the southern end of Marble Falls was touted in 2020 as the first large-scale development in the city in decades, with around 1,250 homes planned. Pulte Homes and Vogel Builders have built homes in the community, and Arizona-based Gregg Ranch developer Harvard Investments announced April 2 that Colorado-based Richmond American Homes has also signed on to the project.

The Richmond homes at Gregg Ranch will range from 1,687 to 3,000 square feet, with two- to six-bedroom floor plans. Richmond will begin with 62 home sites for its first two phases of construction and is under contract to buy 113 lots in a third phase of construction.

Homes…

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"Buda's Sunfield is metro's fastest-growing neighborhood"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Buda’s Sunfield is the fastest-growing neighborhood in the metro, nabbing the top spot after leapfrogging from the No. 8 position in 2023. See the list below this article.

Scarborough Lane Development’s Sunfield, a 2,795-acre master-planned community, earned first place on Austin Business Journal’s latest list of fastest-growing neighborhoods with 470 home starts last year. The list is based on data from real estate company Zonda.

There are eight homebuilders active in Sunfield, where homes can be purchased at prices much lower than the average home in the metro.

While Sunfield’s 470 home starts was an increase over the 291 home starts reported on our 2023 list, many neighborhoods saw a decrease in home…

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"Nearly 300 condos heading to trendy South Congress"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Intracorp Homes has unveiled new details about its upcoming condo development on bustling South Congress Avenue.

Intracorp, one of the most active condo developers in the city, confirmed the project late last year but declined to provide additional information at the time as it worked its way through planning stages. On April 2, the developer announced details, including number of units, costs and the entities working on it. The company also said a final general contractor hasn't been selected.

Leland South Congress, as the project is called, will rise seven stories on about 3 acres spread across four lots at the intersection of South Congress Avenue and Live Oak Street.

The development will add 270 condos to…

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"The Grossman & Jones Group offer white-glove customer service to homebuyers and sellers in Austin"

Community Impact writes, "With a combined 40 years of experience in the real estate industry, Todd Grossman and Michelle Jones of the Grossman & Jones Group are committed to exceeding clients’ expectations.

Up until 2018, Grossman and Jones each had their own businesses at a boutique real estate company in Austin. When they got word that Compass, the nation’s largest independent luxury brokerage, was coming to town, they decided to become business partners and join as founding agents.

They founded their company on professionalism, integrity, great relationships and hard work, and today, with the backing of Compass, the Grossman & Jones Group provides buyers and sellers white-glove service.

Jones said joining Compass was an attractive option because…

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"Existing-Home Sales Surge in a Positive Sign for This Year’s Housing Market"

Realtor.com writes, "This year’s housing market is off to a strong start.

Sales of existing homes, which exclude new construction, jumped 9.5% from January to February, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors®. That was the largest month-over-month increase in a year.

However, sales did dip a little annually, coming down 3.3% from February 2023.

The surge in monthly closings is likely due to the drop in mortgage rates, which began declining last fall. This brought more buyers into the market and, importantly, might have persuaded more homeowners to sell their properties. As most sellers are also buyers, many have been reluctant to trade a low mortgage rate for a higher one.

Mortgage rates averaged 6.87% for…

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"Work begins on development that could bring nearly 3,000 homes to Hutto"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Thousands of homes are headed to Hutto, where Houston-based Empire Continental Land LP is building a sprawling new neighborhood.

Empire Continental Land, the Texas land division of residential builder and developer Empire Communities, announced March 18 that work had begun on the project. Flora, as it is called, will rise on more than 800 acres and have nearly 3,000 homes once complete. It’s yet another example of massive neighborhoods sprouting in largely rural areas of the metro as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Tesla Inc. and other companies expand in the region and spur population growth.

“Hutto is in a period of dynamic growth for both businesses and residential communities,” said Steve Sellers, president of…

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"Builders expect home prices, construction to increase in 2024"

Austin Business Journal shares, "Homebuilders around Texas are optimistic that new home prices will ramp up in 2024 and that construction rates will grow as well.

Zonda analyst Bryan Glasshagel presented the company's findings for the final quarter of 2023 at the housing data firm's quarterly event on March 20.

The company surveyed homebuilder division presidents around Texas, 64% of whom expect home prices to increase between 1% to 5% this year. A majority of the respondents are also anticipating increased activity in 2024, with 75% of builders surveyed expecting starts to increase an average 10% this year.

"Consumer confidence is still driving builder activity," Glasshagel told the crowd that was gathered at the Greater San Antonio Builders…

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"eXp, Compass top 2024 RealTrends Verified brokerage rankings for second year"

HOUSINGWIRE reports, "2023 was a consequential year for real estate. The market grappled with low inventory and mortgage rates that gave many homebuyers a reason to pause. According to Altos Research, 2023 inventory bottomed in April at 406,206 active listings. 

Today, there are 100,000 more homes on the market than there were in March of last year — that’s 21% inventory growth. HousingWire reports that housing inventory is on pace to grow 40% in 2024, bringing the market slightly closer to a healthy equilibrium. 

Each year, RealTrends Verified identifies the country’s most successful residential real estate brokerages, teams and agents – verifying transaction sides and closed sales volume for top-performing real estate brokerages — to give you the…

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