Luxe Austin Homes - homeowners

"Austin takes steps to ensure low-income residents can capitalize on zoning changes"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The new resolution, passed at the May 30 City Council meeting, tasks the city manager with identifying ways to improve access to the HOME program for low- and moderate-income households and expanding educational resources and technical help to households at risk of displacement due to gentrification. East Austin, where racial minorities were pushed about 100 years ago and gentrification concerns are top of mind, is likely to be a focus — though residents across the region have felt the effects of rising property values and urbanization.

Low-income households are those that earn 80% or less of the median family income, according to the Austin Housing Department. As of June 2023, 80% MFI for a three-person household…

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"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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"Why reducing the minimum lot size for single-family homes could create a more attainable Austin"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Austin has a housing crisis with a lack of housing considered affordable to the majority of its residents. Professionals including teachers, EMS workers, firefighters and recent college graduates are being priced out of the communities they serve. Increasing mortgage rates, elevated home prices and limited inventory of affordable homes are some of the barriers to homeownership in Austin, particularly for would-be first-time buyers. To afford a $540,000 home, Austin’s median sales price in 2023, a household must make $180,000. This makes it extremely difficult for many to purchase a home here, driving them out of Austin and into the suburbs. The bottom line is that homeownership is unaffordable and unattainable to many…

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"Austin home prices rise, but so do choices for buyers"

Austin Business Journal writes, "As spring rolls on, Austin’s housing inventory continues to grow.

April saw an increase in active and new home listings in the region, as well as pending and closed sales, according to the most recent market data from Unlock MLS published on the Austin Board of Realtors' website.

Unfortunately for home buyers, the median sales price of a home in the metro also creeped up in an already-pricey environment due to elevated interest rates. Still, the increase in inventory has resulted in an uptick in the number of home for sale at many price points, even those priced more affordably.

“The MSA experienced an increase in sales, indicating more opportunity in the market for all buyers,” stated Clare Losey, Unlock MLS…

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"Home prices have reached a milestone. Here's why it's a double-edged sword."

Austin Business Journal shares, "The median sale price for U.S. homes hit a record $383,725 during the four weeks ending April 21, up more than 5% from a year earlier, according to newly available data from real estate firm Redfin Corp.

The increase comes even as the supply of homes also has gone up, with 10.2% more new listings compared to the same time last year.

The record-high sale price is double what the median price was 10 years ago and up about 50% over the past five years, according to Redfin (Nasdaq: RDFN).

High interest rates have kept mortgage rates above 7%, and there's little indication from the Federal Reserve that interest rates will be measurably declining in the near term. That combination has helped push the median monthly…

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"Home Prices Soared Higher in February, Despite Increasing Mortgage Rates"

Realtor.com reports, "Home prices continue to march higher this year, despite pressure from increasing mortgage rates.

National home prices rose 6.4% annually in February, according to data from the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index released Tuesday. That was the largest year-over-year rise since November 2022.

Among the 20 cities tracked, San Diego had the highest year-over-year price jump in February, at 11.4%, followed by Chicago and Detroit, both with increases of 8.9%.

The report tracks single-family home prices across December, January, and February, when mortgage rates dipped to 6.6%. More recently, average rates for 30-year fixed mortgages jumped to 7.17% for the week ending April 25, according to Freddie Mac.

In a note,…

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"6 hot Austin-area ZIP codes for first-time homebuyers in spring 2024"

Culturemap Austin writes, Austinites looking to own a home for the first time may be in luck this year, as the housing market is finally starting to look more lucrative for buyers. The post-pandemic homebuying craze left many scared and uncertain about the possibility of becoming homeowners with prices and rates skyrocketing. However, 2024 is shaping up to be a lot more hopeful for those wanting to trade renting for owning.

According to the US News & World Report market forecast for Austin, the current housing market is favoring buyers as mortgage rates are coming down, there’s a more balanced supply and demand of both new and existing homes, and median prices have slowly dipped by 4.2 percent over the past two years. At its peak in 2022, the…

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"Phase II of the HOME Initiative could bring minimum lot sizes down to 2,000 sqft"

ATX Today reports, "Austin City Council will vote on Phase II of the HOME Initiative — a move that would reduce the minimum size of a single-family lot — as early as May.

The council passed the first phase of the HOME Initiative, which stands for Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment, in December 2023. In part, the decision increased the maximum number of units from one to three on certain single-family lots.

This new phase would change single-family lot minimums from 5,750 sqft to 2,000 sqft, something the Austin Board of Realtors said could improve home affordability moving forward.

Why is this under consideration?

Proponents say passage of the new phase could alleviate the housing shortage by allowing construction of 87 to 871 new…

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"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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"More home listings at lowest prices indicate 'healthier' Austin market"

CultureMap Austin reports, "more homes hit the market in the Austin area in March, inspiring confidence among home sellers while simultaneously boosting options for first-time homebuyers, according to the latest real estate report by Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR).

There were more than 4,700 new home listings placed on the market in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in March, which was a 10.2 percent increase year-over-year from March 2023. Housing inventory in the Austin area has now climbed for two straight months, after a previous real estate report showed more than 3,900 new home listings were added in the month of February.

"In an era marked by economic resilience and favorable market…

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