Grossman & Jones Real Estate Blog - real estate

"Developers in East Austin work to remain agile in face of shifting market conditions"

Austin Business Journal shares, "East Austin is growing fast, but that growth may not include more office space after what's springing up is done.

A variety of topics related to development in East Austin — such as plans to pivot away from office construction, the region's attractiveness to businesses and new real estate projects, and what it could look like in the coming years — were tackled during a panel discussion at the East Austin Growth Summit that included developers and one of Austin’s go-to real estate attorneys.

One major discussion point was how to remain agile and adapt in an office market experiencing high levels of vacancy.

Austin’s office vacancy clocked in at an elevated 24.5% in the first quarter, according to commercial…

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"A new deal-breaker is derailing some home sales"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Real estate agents are struggling to close on deals because of the surging cost of homeowners insurance.

That’s according to real estate firm Redfin Corp.'s 2025 Industry Survey, which found 47% of surveyed agents said they have encountered more issues with home insurance during a transaction over the past year compared to the year before it.  

Overall, 21% of agents said they had "significantly more" issues recently with homeowners insurance, such as clients having trouble getting affordable insurance or canceling a purchase because of homeowners insurance. About 26% said they had "somewhat more" issues while 35.7% said it was about the same as the year before. 

In California, about 50% said they had…

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"Caliterra in Dripping Springs breaks ground on second phase"

Austin Business Journal reports, "Caliterra, a 600-acre master-planned community in Dripping Springs, is growing.

Developer SR Capital Management broke ground this week on The Ranch at Calterra, a $40 million expansion of the community at 26025 Ranch Road 12, according to an announcement. The new development phase will add more than 200 homes and home sites.

Caliterra’s original plans called for 616 homes, of which 575 have been built. Counting 232 more attributable to The Ranch, Caliterra’s total eventually will come to 848.

The homes at The Ranch, from builders David Weekly Homes, Drees Homes and Scott Felder Homes, will range from 3,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet and will be built on 80- and 100-foot lots. They will start in the…

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"The National Observer: Real Estate: National housing market shifts amid spring season"

Editor's note: Here's a look at The National Observer: Real Estate, a roundup of top real estate news from across The Business Journals' network of publications.

Austin Business Journal shares, "Dallas tends to top the country on a lot of metrics, and it can count new housing supply as another feather in its cap.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex experienced a 27% growth in new housing from 2010 to 2023, or 9% higher than its predicted growth of 18%, according to a new study by the George W. Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative. It's also much higher than the average metro growth rate of 15%.

Although DFW is becoming more expensive as more jobs and people move there, its new housing supply is helping to keep home prices and rents…

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"Housing market shifts to favor buyers — but they're not buying"

Austin Business Journal writes, "Like much else about the U.S. economy, tariffs and broader uncertainty are weighing on home sales amid the industry's crucial spring season.

In March, more than 375,000 homes were newly listed on the market — an increase of nearly 9% compared to the same time last year, according to Zillow Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ZG) research. But newly pending sales were flat compared to last year, despite slightly lower average mortgage rates in March 2025 compared to a year ago.

That's despite several aspects of the market — including price cuts hitting their highest point in at least seven years — shifting to favor buyers.

Inventory rose to 1.15 million homes in March, an increase of 19% from last year and the most inventory…

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"Real estate agents see shift in priorities within housing-market decisions"

Austin Business Journal shares, "A substantial number of real estate agents believe climate change is affecting homebuyer decisions, and the impact is getting stronger in certain parts of the country.

Among real estate agents surveyed in real estate firm Redfin Corp.'s 2025 Industry Survey, 39% of the respondents said they believe climate change is impacting to at least some degree consumer choices about where to live and what homes to buy. That total included 13.2% who “completely agree” that climate change was impacting choices, and 25.8% who “somewhat agree.”

The 39% total is more than the 35.8% who "somewhat disagree" or "completely disagree." The balance of the respondents did not offer an opinion on the topic.

The number of respondents…

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"Post-pandemic effects on housing market still linger across Travis County"

Community Impact writes, "This year’s appraisal valuations from the Travis Central Appraisal District show that single-family residences experienced an average 3.4% decline in market value compared to last year.

However, the median market value for a residential homestead in Travis County is still up 46%, or $163,841, since pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

The big picture

Beginning April 9, more than 488,000 Travis County property owners received their appraisal notices by mail. The notices include the market value assigned to a property as of Jan. 1, as well as the taxable value of that property based on its exemptions.

“Property owners can review their 2025 values on our website and should expect to receive their notices of appraised value over the next…

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"Mortgage Interest Rates April 17, 2025: Mortgage Rates Swing Up After Bond Sell-Off"

Realtor.com writes, "Mortgage rates swung up on Thursday compared to the previous week, inching toward the dreaded 7% level, following the recent surge in 10-year-Treasury yields driven by investor concerns about escalating global trade tensions. 

The average rate on 30-year fixed home loans increased to 6.83% for the week ending April 17, up from 6.62% the previous week, according to Freddie Mac. It is the largest one-week increase in 12 months. Rates average 7.1% the same week in 2024. 

"The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage ticked up but remains below the 7% threshold for the thirteenth consecutive week," says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. "At this time last year, rates reached 7.1% while purchase application demand was 13% lower than…

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"The Coachella Effect! Home Prices in Festival Hot Spot Cities Have Nearly Doubled in Under 10 Years"

Realtor.com shares, "the country's biggest festivals have had a dramatic—and very positive—impact on the housing markets in towns and cities that host America's most popular events, from Coachella to Lollapalooza, new Realtor.com® data has revealed.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors converge on places like Austin, TX; Indio, CA; and Park City, UT, with many opting to take advantage of short-term rentals (STR) for the duration of their stay, rather than hotels, which often have higher prices and fewer home comforts.

The influx of festivalgoers provides local homeowners with a lucrative opportunity to earn extra income by leasing their homes as STRs—a trend that has seen local house prices in many festival hot spots nearly double in…

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"March median home prices drop year over year in Cedar Park"

Community Impact shares, "The median home sale price in the Cedar Park and Far Northwest Austin areas declined slightly for March 2025 when compared to the previous year.

The median home price in March 2024 was about $530,233, compared to $500,000 in 2025. The number of new and active listings also increased, while the region showed a slight decline in closed sales and homes under contract.

The 78726 ZIP code in northwest Austin saw a steep decrease in the number of homes sold when compared to the same time in 2024. The region dropped by 55.56% year over year, dropping from nine houses sold in 2024 to only four in 2025. The 78641 ZIP code, encompassing parts of Cedar Park and Leander, also saw a decline, dropping 19.58%, while other ZIP codes showed…

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