Luxe Austin Homes - inventory

"Housing inventory, listings increase in Austin metro as mortgage rates remain elevated"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Mortgage rates remain elevated compared to recent years, but Austin-area homebuyers have a robust inventory of choices, according to the latest market data from the Austin Board of Realtors and Unlock MLS.

The median sale price for homes fell slightly in October to $430,000, a 3.2% drop from the same time last year. And with a housing inventory that eclipsed the five-month mark, buyers had plenty of options.

Meanwhile, overall transaction volume remained flat year-over-year, as both active and new listings increased compared to October 2023.

But elevated mortgage rates — the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.79% for the week of Nov. 7 — continue to be the biggest factor affecting home sales, said…

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"Housing Market Predictions For 2025: When Will Home Prices Drop?"

Forbes Advisor writes, "Home prices remain at record highs and mortgage rates are climbing again. Is there any relief in sight for buyers? Potentially. Although home prices continue to break records, they’re rising at a slower pace due to loosening inventory and sluggish demand—and experts project further price growth deceleration in 2025.

Meanwhile, even as many are still waiting for lower mortgage rates before taking the home-buying plunge, pending sales data indicates that at least some prospective buyers are starting to dip their toe into the market.

In fact, experts say now might be the ideal time for buyers to get ahead of a potential demand surge in 2025—one that could drive home prices up again and leave some would-be homeowners out in…

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"Landsea Homes opts for larger digs in Austin as its local pipeline grows"

Austin Business Journal reports, "As Austin’s housing inventory continues to grow, a Dallas-based homebuilder with a national footprint is increasing its presence in the Texas capital.

Landsea Homes Corp. (Nasdaq: LSEA) signed an 8,000-square-foot lease for an office at North Austin’s Stonebridge Plaza, according to an announcement. The company will leave its current office at 4001 W. Parmer Lane, which is roughly 4,500 square feet, when the new office opens in early 2025.

“Landsea Homes has been expanding rapidly in the Austin area over the last year and we have quickly outgrown our current office space,” said Jill Wasik, Landsea’s director of sales and marketing for its Austin division, in a statement. “Stonebridge Plaza is centrally located,…

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"Housing market hits highest inventory since 2019 as sellers flood the market"

The New York Post writes, "The housing market is finally giving buyers some breathing room.

After two years of skyrocketing prices and shrinking inventory, the number of homes on the market just hit its highest level since 2019, sparking hope for frustrated buyers across the country.

In October alone, available homes surged 29.2% from last year, marking a full year of growth in listings, according to an analysis by Realtor.com.

Homeowners nationwide are throwing up “For Sale” signs in droves, especially in former pandemic hot spots like Austin, Memphis and Orlando.

These “boomtowns” are making a comeback in a big way, with Austin inventory jumping a staggering 40.1%, while Memphis and Orlando posted gains of 39.2% and 26.6% respectively.

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"Texas new home sales slowed in September, prices dropped in Austin"

CultureMap Austin writes, "new analysis of the statewide real estate market has revealed new home sales in Texas have slowed since September, despite a drop in average prices, and inventory is on the rise.

The September edition of the New Home Sales Report by Dallas-based platform HomesUSA.com examined MLS data across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio to determine the status of the overall real estate market.

The report found that the three-month average number of new home sales fell across all four major metros in September. Austin saw the smallest decline in home sales, down by just seven sales to 864 in September.

Out of all four markets, San Antonio saw the most dramatic decline in sales with 1,067 new homes sold in…

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"Mortgage rates finally fell, but homebuyers still face a big problem"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The Federal Reserve may have cut interest rates last month, but homebuyers still face a challenge when assessing the current market for real estate: home prices.

Prices were up 5.9% in the third quarter this year over the same three-month period in 2023, according to data from Fannie Mae. While that increase is down from a 6.4% spike in the second quarter, it’s still a substantial jump for buyers who are looking for a home.

Mark Palim, Fannie Mae senior vice president and chief economist, said the “robust” growth is because of a lack of supply. Many current owners don’t want to sell their homes and give up the low interest rate they obtained earlier only to step into a high-interest rate environment.

“Even though…

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"Down Payments Are Dropping From Historic Highs—See How Much Homebuyers Can Save Today"

Realtor.com writes, "homebuyers might be relieved to hear that down payments are finally dropping from recent historic highs.

A new report by Realtor.com® shows that the median down payment homebuyers plunked down from July to September of 2024 was an average of 14.5%—or $30,300.

That’s a $2,400 savings from last quarter’s historic peak of $32,700 (14.9%).

So why are down payments dropping? Fewer homebuyers are out there, which gives those who do brave today’s market more leverage, according to Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones.

“The annual decline in down payments is the result of less buyer competition in the third quarter,” Jones says. “Easing demand and increasing inventory gave buyers more flexibility last…

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"Mortgage Rates Rise to 6.44%, Yet ‘Buyers May Be Feeling Ready To Act’"

Realtor.com shares, "Mortgage rates rose from 6.32% last week to 6.44% for a 30-year fixed home loan for the week ending Oct. 17, according to Freddie Mac.

“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased for the third consecutive week, moving closer to 6.5%,” Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said in a statement. “In general, higher rates reflect the strength in the economy that is supportive of the housing market. But notably, as compared to a year ago, rates are more than one percentage point lower and potential homebuyers can stand to benefit, especially by shopping around for the best quote as rates can vary widely between mortgage lenders.”

This wasn’t exactly the news homebuyers were hoping for.

“While we expect the long-run trend…

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"Austin Home Prices Stable in September"

Realtor.com reports, "In September, home prices remained unchanged from the month before, with a median listing price of $629,000.

The number of listings on the market shrank 5%, which is a bigger decrease than normal for this time of the year in Austin, and homes are also selling slower than at the same time last year.

Home prices in Austin

Typically, home prices in Austin tend to fall in September. But the most recent data shows that the price per square foot increased by 0.6% compared with the month before.

So, how does this compare with the rest of the U.S.? Nationally, home price per square foot decreased 0.4%, which means price changes in the Live Music Capital of the World are outpacing the national market.

Austin inventory

In…

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"2024 Q4 housing market trends: Rate relief arrives"

Bankrate.com writes, "Leaves aren’t the only things falling this autumn: Mortgage rates are finally heading down, too. And that, combined with a seasonal dip in home prices, is causing some end-of-year excitement among homebuyers and sellers.

The median existing-home price was $416,700 in August, per the National Association of Realtors — a record high for August, but still down from $422,600 a month earlier. And average rates for the benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan have dropped from a high this year of 7.39 percent in May to 6.24 percent in late September.

With rates already down more than a full percentage point and more Fed interest-rate cuts on deck, many market-watchers are asking, what do the final three months of 2024 have in…

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