Grossman & Jones Real Estate Blog - real estate

"Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin are some of the nation’s top real estate markets, study says"

Spectrum News writes, "some of the top real estate markets in the nation are in the Lone Star State, according to a recent study.

The data comes from WalletHub, which used metrics like real-estate market rank, affordability and economic environment to rank U.S. cities.

In the top 10 alone are five Dallas-Fort Worth area cities, including McKinney, north of Dallas, with a total score of 72.33; Richardson, a Dallas suburb, with a score of 68.11; Denton, with 66.52; and Allen with a score of 66.35.

Making the top 20 were Fort Worth and Austin, with close scores of 65.31 and 65.13, respectively.

“Current home prices are extremely important, but there’s much more that you need to look at when determining the health of a city’s real estate…

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"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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"The House You’re Negotiating on Is ‘Accepting Backup Offers’—Now What?"

Realtor.com writes,"You found the house, made an offer, and got the good news: The seller accepted. But when you check the listing a few days later, you notice it’s still marked as “accepting backup offers.” What does that mean—and should you be concerned?

In today’s competitive housing market, it’s not unusual for sellers to hedge their bets, especially during the early stages of a deal.

Here’s what to know if the home you’re trying to buy is still technically on the market.

What it means when your offer is accepted—but the listing is still open

An accepted offer is an important step, but it doesn’t guarantee that the sale will close. Between acceptance and closing, there’s a window—known as the contingency period—where several things can…

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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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"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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"Austin is the best city for new college graduates in 2025"

Scotsman Guide writes, "Austin, Texas, is the best city for recent graduates this year, thanks to high beginning salaries, an abundant supply of apartments and a vibrant social scene, according to a new report from Zillow.

The real estate website’s 2025 list of the best cities for college graduates had a strong Sun Belt theme. Texas dominated the top five choices of the survey, with first-place Austin being followed by Dallas at No. 3 and San Antonio at No. 4. Rounding out the top five are Albuquerque, N.M., in second place and Charlotte, N.C., in fifth place.

Zillow’s rankings combine rental affordability and the share of rental listings on Zillow offering concessions. The report also considers the strength of the local job market and the size…

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"Austin Home Prices Down in June"

Realtor.com reports, "In June, home prices fell substantially from the month before, with a median listing price of $617,500.

The number of listings on the market grew 5.0%, which is a smaller increase 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 price per square foot in Austin tend to rise in June. But the most recent data shows that the price per square foot decreased by 3.3% 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 lagging behind the national market.

Austin…

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"Central Texas home inspectors provide insight on the inspection process"

Community Impact writes, "President Kyle Nunnallee of Nunnallee Inspections and owner Casey Callais of Constructiva Inspections shared with Community Impact what homeowners should know about home inspections.

Established in 2003, Nunnallee Inspections has served the Central Texas area for over two decades, offering home buyer and seller inspections alongside new build and commercial inspections.

Callais launched Constructiva Inspections around four years ago, offering nearly 30 years of construction industry experience. Constructiva specializes in inspections on newly constructed homes but also offers inspections for resale homes, commercial properties and more.

Both companies offer services to the Central Texas area.

Why would someone need a home…

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"Austin homebuyers gaining negotiating power"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Homebuyers in the Austin area are gaining the advantage as competition heats up among sellers.

The metro's housing inventory continues to hover around the six-month mark and new listings have increased 43.6% year-over-year to 17,662 active home listings, according to Unlock MLS’s latest market report. However, the median sale price of a home in Austin in June was flat at $450,000 compared to the same time last year.

“We’re not 100% in a buyer’s market, but we’re pretty close,” said Brandy Wuensch, 2025 Unlock MLS and Austin Board of Realtors president. “Buyers definitely have more power to negotiate and get a lot more favorable terms from sellers in terms of closing costs.”

Sellers are having to become more…

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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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