Luxe Austin Homes - housing

"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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"Why now’s the time to buy in East Austin's Whisper Valley"

CultureMap Austin writes, "If you've been dreaming of homeownership in Austin but assumed it was out of reach, it’s time to think again, especially during the Summer Sales Spectacular at Whisper Valley.

Running now through September 15, this sustainable master-planned community in East Austin is offering some of the most exciting deals in Central Texas real estate.

Big savings, big incentives
Whisper Valley is currently offering completed, zero energy capable homes at some of the lowest prices ever: from the low $300s to the $500s.

In addition to these competitive prices, builders are helping homebuyers with interest rate buydowns to make monthly payments more affordable, plus offering up to $30,000 in incentives to help cover closing costs.

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"Austin's affordable housing efforts could be thrown off by new Texas law"

Austin Business Journal reports, "A new state law set to take effect in the fall could throw a wrench in Austin’s plans to incentivize more affordable housing. 

That’s according to the director of Austin's planning department, Lauren Middleton-Pratt, who wrote in a July 28 memo to city leaders — as the city is updating its density bonus programs — that a new state law will require the city to re-evaluate how it incentivizes new income-restricted housing units. 

The new state law is Senate Bill 840, which was passed during the 89th Texas Legislature and allows for mixed-use residential housing on any land that’s zoned for office, commercial, retail, warehouse or existing mixed-uses without needing a zoning change approved by a city. The legislation,…

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"Homes hit the market in Georgetown’s Park Central neighborhood"

Community Impact shares, "Tri Pointe Homes, the developer and builder of the Park Central neighborhood in Georgetown, began selling single-family homes and townhouses in the new neighborhood this summer, according to a news release.

The details

Located on 77.8 acres near Patriot Way and SH 130 Toll, the neighborhood features 191 single-family houses and 256 duplex-style townhomes. Tri Pointe offers 18 floorplan options at Park Central, bringing home options that range from about 1,800-2,900 square feet.

In addition to the homesites, Tri Pointe plans to bring a number of amenities to the community, including a 10-acre community park with walking trails, a scenic pond and open green spaces.

Construction on a clubhouse and a pool is expected to begin this…

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"New 55+ community breaks ground on 260 homes in Bastrop"

CultureMap Austin shares, "Del Webb, a Phoenix, Arizona-based builder specializing in "active adult communities," has broken ground on a new community in Bastrop — its first in the Austin area in more than 30 years. Del Webb Lost Pines will encompass 500 residences with resort-style amenities in early 2026 if construction sticks to its current schedule.

The community is a smaller area within a larger master-planned community called The Colony, part of which touches the Colorado River. The Lost Pines section is within the north side of The Colony, about a 10-minute drive to the river according to Google Maps. The new homesites are located along Republic Drive.

Over two phases of construction, Del Webb Lost Pines will have more than 500 residences…

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"Austin ranks among 20 best large U.S. cities for first-time homebuyers"

CultureMap Austin writes, "As Austin's real estate market slowly bounces back after several years of high housing prices, a new WalletHub analysis has revealed it is the 19th best large U.S. city for first-time homebuyers, and the No. 1 big city in Texas.

WalletHub's study ranked 300 U.S. cities across 22 metrics based on affordability, quality of life, and the status of each city's real estate market, including factors like active listings per capita, homeownership rates for millennials, and more. Cities were ranked overall and based on population size: Large cities with more than 300,000 residents; midsize cities with populations between 150,000-300,000 people; and small cities with fewer than 150,000 people.

Palm Bay, Florida ranked as the…

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"The Modern Austin Residences: Condo tower on Rainey Street welcomes new residents this summer"

Austin Business Journal writes, "With Austin’s reputation as a live music capital, perhaps it isn’t surprising that the origin story of The Modern, a 56-story condominium tower hailed as “authentically Austin,” includes a sweet nod to Austin music icons, the Fabulous Thunderbirds. In 2009, still reeling from a recession which had Urbanspace CEO Kevin Burns rethinking the brownstone plans he had for the property he purchased at 90 Rainey Street, he began to envision something with a larger footprint.

While renting his property to a shipping container bar as a stop gap measure, Burns became friends with the property owners next door, Thunderbirds’ drummer Fran Christina and his partner, artist Julie Speed. Over the course of the next five years, with…

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"Legislative wrap up: Texas passes key housing bills"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The most recent Texas legislative session saw a slate of measures passed to make it easier to build more housing across the state. 

Some of the laws that were changed include allowing smaller and ideally more affordable homes to be built, expanding where housing in the state could be built and making it harder for housing developments to be killed in the approval process. 

While the Texas Legislature and its process is known for killing more bills than they pass, the 89th legislative session proved to be a “really strong” one for housing and affordability, said Julia Parenteau, the director of public policy for Texas Realtors. 

“We did anticipate that housing affordability, in particular, was going to be…

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"2 big apartment complexes pegged for North Austin"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Two big multifamily projects are in the works for North Austin.

Developers have filed plans with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for two projects that would see almost 800 residences and more than one million square feet of new development built over the next two years. They're planned at a time when the city is grappling with elevated vacancy rates in its multifamily market, but there's a hope that by the time they're delivered, the market will be in a healthier place.

Brockton Residential

The first of the two new North Austin projects is called Brockton Residential. From Atlanta-based Portman Holdings, the project is being planned at 2545 Brockton Drive, according to the TDLR filing.

The…

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"About 1,400 new homes pegged for fast-growing Lockhart"

Austin Business Journal shares, "A big development in Lockhart will add about 1,400 homes to the fast-growing city south of Austin.

Houston-based Perry Homes is already hard at work building infrastructure for its Juniper Springs neighborhood, which will total about 400 acres, said Chris Little, president of Perry Homes Central Texas. The neighborhood also will have a new elementary school that will be part of the Lockhart Independent School District, according to an announcement.

“Heavy infrastructure work [at Juniper Springs] has been underway,” with completions of lots expected this summer and model homes ready to tour in the fall, Little said.

He described Juniper Springs as a “legacy project for Perry Homes” that will be built over…

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