Luxe Austin Homes - new home

"Home prices begin to come down in pandemic boomtowns like Austin, Tampa"

Yahoo! Finance writes, "Real estate prices surged nationwide when the pandemic hit. Bidding wars, all-cash offers, and contingency removals became commonplace.

Now, the tide has turned in some markets.

Home prices in some large US cities declined in April, according to mortgage data company ICE Mortgage (ICE). San Antonio and Austin in Texas, and Tampa, Florida — among the most popular cities during the pandemic — saw the biggest monthly price declines.

The shift comes as these markets recalibrate: Homesellers and house builders are adding more listings, just as fewer Americans are relocating there.

“The key differentiator we're seeing in terms of growing inventory levels in Florida and Texas is a rise in sellers' willingness to list their…

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"Growing number of seven-figure cities have typical home values above $1M"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Nestled amid the palm trees of Jupiter Island, Florida, is a three-bedroom, five-bathroom house with a pool on a half-acre lot.

The 2,798-square-foot house, only steps to the beach and offering ocean views, is currently listed on the market for $5.1 million. As of the time of publication, it's the cheapest house for sale on Jupiter Island, which boasts the highest median home value in America, according to Zillow Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ZG).

The typical home value on Jupiter Island reached $9.98 million in February 2024, according to Zillow, beating out the exclusive neighborhoods of Golden Beach, Florida; Hunts Point, Washington; and Atherton, California.

While certain cities and neighborhoods have always seen…

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"Ashton Gray's project pipeline brims with Austin-area housing developments"

Austin Business Journal reports, "the company behind Elgin’s Briarwood mixed-use development has big plans for other parts of the Austin metro.

Houston-based Ashton Gray Development recently gained approval from the Elgin City Council to annex 75 acres into Briarwood, a housing development and the city's first municipal utility district. With a pipeline that ranges from Jarrell to Lockhart and stops in between, however, that's only the tip of the iceberg for Ashton Gray, which is aiming to bring more than 5,300 single-family homes to the region, plus apartments and commercial projects.

“We started acquiring land in Austin several years ago,” said Shaun Vembutty, Ashton Gray founder and president. “This was even before some of the buying frenzy…

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"Hundreds of apartments slated to rise in Thomas Ranch development west of Austin"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Thomas Ranch, a 2,200-acre mixed-use project on the shores of Lake Travis, continues to take shape.

Salt Lake City-based developer Areté Collective LP has been toiling away on the first phase of construction — a private residential community named Loraloma — while Wasatch Premier Properties recently came on board to build hundreds of multifamily units on another 58 acres west of Austin. Areté Collective recently sold the 58 acres to Wasatch, an arm of Utah-based Wasatch Group, according to a Jan. 30 announcement.

Wasatch's "decision to become the inaugural development partner within Thomas Ranch’s downtown district brings us one step closer to delivering a lively destination to live, work, and play in West…

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"New-Home Sales Jump as Buyers Snag Lower Mortgage Rates"

Realtor.com writes, "more folks snapped up newly built homes last month thanks to lower mortgage rates.

The number of new homes for sale and sold in December jumped 8% compared with just one month earlier, according to a recent government report. Sales rose 4.4% year over year, according to the seasonally adjusted numbers in the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report.

That was a reversal from November, when the number of sales fell 9% from October.

“This month’s new-home sales data suggests that eager buyers are ready and willing to jump into the housing market with each improvement in affordability,” Realtor.com® senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones wrote in her new-home sales commentary.

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"New subdivision set to rise in small community south of Austin"

Austin Business Journal reports, "hundreds of acres of housing are set to rise on the southern reaches of the Austin metro, the latest indication that it just keeps on growing.

Caldwell County commissioners on Jan. 9 unanimously approved a development agreement for a subdivision in Maxwell, potentially encompassing more than 200 acres. With the Austin area embroiled in a seemingly never-ending struggle to build enough affordable housing, the homes in this new development would be going up in one of the most affordable pockets of the region.

The subdivision, known as Schulle Farms, would be built on 227 acres off Maxwell’s Fifth Street if the development goes forward. Schulle Farm Partners LP is behind the project, although the identities of…

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"How Long Does It Take To Buy a House?"

Realtor.com writes, "how long does it take to buy a house? While estimating a timeline for homebuying will depend on many variables, real estate experts estimate that the average time required is around four months.

This timeline is important for buyers to keep in mind for a variety of reasons. Many buyers might hope to time their home purchase with when their rental lease is up. Other buyers might want to pace their house hunt so that they are settled in their new home before the start of school. Still other buyers might also be home sellers who first need to close on the sale of their old house before they can buy their next house.

In short, homebuyers might need to fit their home search into any number of time-sensitive situations, so knowing…

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"Homebuilders turn to incentives to draw in priced-out buyer pool"

Austin Business Journal writes, "homebuilders continue to see sales momentum — despite surging mortgage rates and persistent affordability challenges — in part because they're pulling out the stops to lure buyers and ensure deals cross the finish line.

While a growing share of buyers have been locked out of the housing market because of rising mortgage rates, persistent home-price appreciation and a lack of existing-home inventory, the current environment also is creating some tailwinds for builders that can offer more competitive financing.

Housing starts increased 7% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.36 million units, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau data.

In fact, 31%…

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"Homebuilder GFO Home offering 4.75% fixed rates on North Austin metro homes"

Community Impact Austin writes, "homebuilder GFO Home is expanding into Austin-area communities. In August, the builder is offering a variety of promotions, such as 50% off upgrades on to-be-built homes or a 4.75% fixed rate on quick move-in homes—available in Pflugerville, Georgetown, Liberty Hill and Manor—at no cost to customers.

A closer look

According to a news release, GFO Home has homes for sale at pre-grand-opening prices in two new Austin-area communities: Saddleback at Santa Rita Ranch in Liberty Hill, opening in September, and Enclave at Cele in Pflugerville, opening in October. GFO is also starting a new community in Leander near the San Gabriel River.

What else?

According to GFO Home, the builder currently has more than 50 inventory homes…

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"Landsea Homes to build in budding Lariat neighborhood"

Austin Business Journal reports, "months after relocating its headquarters to North Texas from Southern California, a national homebuilder is erecting residences in one of Central Texas’ most explosive cities.

Dallas-based Landsea Homes (Nasdaq: LSEA) purchased 84 lots to build on within Liberty Hill’s sprawling 688-acre Lariat neighborhood — developed by Liberty Hill-based Randolph Texas Development LLC — the homebuilder announced Aug. 3.

Landsea, which announced its corporate relocation to Dallas in March, now has more than 1,000 homes planned for cities surrounding Austin. And, according to Landsea’s website, Central Texas is the state’s only region Landsea has projects being worked on in.

Landsea’s offerings within Lariat will be varied,…

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