Grossman & Jones Real Estate Blog - new construction

"Housing Market Predictions For 2023: Are Home Prices Finally Becoming Affordable?"

Could a housing recovery possibly be underway?

In March, mortgage rates ended the month over 30 basis points lower than where they started and more buyers returned to the market. Home sales prices fell year-over-year in February—the first time in nearly 11 years—and total home sales saw their largest monthly percentage increase since July 2020. However, many economists remain mixed about how much more home prices will drop this year.

For one, the nation’s housing supply remains limited. Those who purchased homes in recent years at record-low interest rates are staying put. Tight inventory issues, in part, are also keeping prices from dropping off, which is perpetuating affordability challenges for many, especially first-time homebuyers.

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"New homes in one of Austin’s most expensive neighborhoods to begin at $12.5M"

CultureMap Austin reports, "development plans for a secluded, luxury residential community have been announced in Westlake Hills, one of Austin’s most expensive neighborhoods.

Spearheaded by design firm Unicus Developments, FIVE will consist of five contemporary luxury homes on 5.5 acres of land at 3605 Stoneridge Road. Prices for the homes begin at a jaw-dropping $12.48 million.

"The neighborhood where FIVE is located is a coveted opportunity in the highly sought-after Eanes district,” says Eric Moreland of EM group with Moreland Properties, the brokerage firm for the development. “Each FIVE home has a unique finish out and delivers the ultimate experience in refined living.”

Every home in the private, gated community will be painted in…

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"New 76-unit apartment complex adds more density living to Central Austin"

CultureMap Austin writes, "Austinites who want to have a sophisticated experience while living near the heart of the city can find it in a newly-constructed, multi-family development complex in Highland this April.

The Johnny apartment complex will begin leasing their 16 affordable housing units and 60 market-rate units on April 1, according to their website. Located at 613 West St. John’s Avenue, the complex is just an eight-minute walk (less than half a mile) from the Metro Rail’s Crestview Station, making it a great transportation option for residents.

Construction of the complex began in November 2022, with design and development done in a partnership between Austin-based real estate firms The Geyser Group and Sephira Group.

“The Johnny…

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"Austin's apartment construction rate is the highest in the nation, says new report"

CultureMap Austin writes, "if you think new apartment buildings have been popping up nonstop all around the city within the last couple of years, you’d be right. The Austin-Round Rock metro area is experiencing one of the biggest apartment construction booms in the nation, in an effort to alleviate an ongoing affordability crisis.

But while increasing multi-family housing is solving part of the problem, long term it keeps homeownership out of arm’s reach for younger Americans. That’s according to a new report from apartment rental “matchmaker” and marketplace Apartment List.

Austin has spent decades building more housing for its residents, and 2022 saw the highest number – 18.3 – of new unit permits being issued per thousand residents. Austin’s…

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"New neighborhood of up to 1,600 homes gets green light in Caldwell County"

Austin Business Journal reports, "the Caldwell County Commissioners Court unanimously approved March 28 a development agreement between the county and a subsidiary of Lennar Corp. for a neighborhood of up to 1,600 homes in the rural area south of Austin.

The development agreement will allow Lennar — one of the region's busiest homebuilders — to transform the 491-acre parcel into a large community of single-family homes, plus parkland and amenities, according to county documents. Cotton Gateway, as the development is currently known, would be a significant injection of new homes in Caldwell County, part of the region stretching between Austin and San Antonio that some experts believe will evolve into the state’s next metroplex.

The development…

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"Lennar could build 1,600 more homes in Caldwell County"

Austin Business Journal repots, "the Caldwell County Commissioners Court will consider March 28 the approval of a development agreement with Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction Ltd. to build a 491-acre neighborhood.

The single-family, master-planned community to be known as Cotton Gateway would be located across the road from the San Marcos Regional Airport at State Highway 21 and William Pettus Road, according to the meeting agenda, and would consist of up to 1,600 lots. The development brings with it a number of obligations for both Lennar and Caldwell County.

Florida-based Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to the development agreement, all single-family lots would be a minimum…

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"Build It and They Will Come: 10 Surprising Cities Where New-Home Construction Is Booming"

Realtor.com writes, "where are America’s new homes?

That question keeps boiling up to the surface, as buyers grapple with the current state of the housing market. High prices and soaring mortgage rates are driving affordability into the dirt. And lurking at the center of all buyer challenges is one towering and inescapable bugaboo: the lack of available homes. It’s simple math. Fewer homes = increased competition, higher prices, and epic levels of frustration.

Last year, new-home construction permits for single-family dwellings declined by about 14% over the previous year—and it’s hardly a new trend. Since the 1990s, U.S. housing starts per 1,000 households have been about half of what they were for the preceding 30 years. The building slowdown…

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"‘They’re in a hurry’: Elon Musk is building his own town in Texas. Here is everything we know about it"

Elon Musk is planning on building a “utopia” in Texas, a whole new town on thousands of acres of farmland recently bought outside the state capital of Austin.

Deeds and land records show the extent of the project and the billionaire and Twitter owner has attended meetings with land owners and real estate agents in which he and his staff have outlined his ideas for the project that The Wall Street Journal calls “a sort of Texas utopia along the Colorado River” where staff could both live and work.

Top executives at the Boring Company, the Tesla CEO’s tunnelling firm, have looked into placing the town in Bastrop County 35 miles from Austin, allowing Mr Musk to regulate some issues in a municipality of his own and speed up the projects.

People…

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"Prices, construction timeline revealed for luxury Lunaroya neighborhood in Dripping Springs"

Austin Business Journal reports, "pieces are falling into place for a new luxury single-family community in Dripping Springs, including its name.

Nashville-based Southern Land Company LLC said March 1 the neighborhood, first revealed in January 2022, will be called Lunaroya. Prices for the 28 homes will start at "under $2 million," said Jenna Lefever, SLC director of public relations.

Infrastructure work has been underway on the 70-acre community since the third third quarter of 2022 and home construction is expected to begin in September 2023.

The floor plans and square footage range of Lunaroya’s homes are still being finalized, Lefever said. The neighborhood will consist of 10 1.5-acre home sites and 18 two-acre home sites across the…

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"These towers could raise the bar for North Austin's skyline"

Austin Business Journal writes, "while The Domain and its surroundings are often referred to as Austin’s second downtown, buildings there have never reached the heights of the Central Business District. But that may be starting to change.

In February, Austin City Council approved revised building regulations for the region known as North Burnet/Gateway that allow for denser and taller construction up to 491 feet, or about 45 stories. The previous limit was 360 feet.

While some towers were already planned to reach 300 feet in this area, more recent projects are stretching toward the new upper limit of construction,

"They are responsive to energetic growth in this area of my district," said Council Member Leslie Pool, who represents District 7,…

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