Luxe Austin Homes - spring

"Is Now a Good Time to Buy a House?"

Key takeaways:

• If you have the means, now may be a good time to buy a house.
• There are nearly 500,000 more home sellers than buyers, putting buyers in charge – but a shaky economy has everyone on edge.
• Mortgage rates remain elevated and volatile thanks to inflation concerns, tariff uncertainty, and market volatility.
• Housing costs continue rising: The median U.S. home sale price sits at a near-record high $438,000, marking 22 straight months of year-over-year gains.

Spring is in full swing, kicking off the prime homebuying season. So, many homebuyers are wondering if it’s a good time to enter the housing market. 

Housing remains largely unaffordable for most of the country, after all, and economic uncertainty is significantly…

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"High-End Home Sales Show No Sign of Slowing Down—and They’ve Doubled in This Southwest City"

Realtor.com writes, "Home sales during this spring selling season have faced a slump—but one part of the market is bucking the trend. Luxury buyers are stepping up, and in at least one city, sales have doubled in a week.

Luxury real estate across the country continues to outperform the median, and the $1 million-plus category has been the fastest-growing (or least-declining) sales segment for nearly two years, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

"Higher-end homeowners have substantial equity and are less reliant on mortgage financing. These types of properties have outperformed," says Danielle Hale, chief economist of Realtor.com®.

And in the past week, the Austin, TX, high-end market has been heating up. There were 15 newly…

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"Competition among Austin-area homebuyers set to heat up in mid-April"

CultureMap Austin writes, "If you’re a first-time homebuyer in the Austin metro area, beware of mid-April.

A new study from Austin-based Realtor.com shows that in 2025, the best time to list a home for sale in the Austin area is the week of April 13. This translates into stepped-up competition among homebuyers during that time frame.

Why is the week of April 13 such a popular time to put a home on the market in the Austin area? Brandy Wuensch, president of the Austin Board of Realtors and Unlock MLS, offers three reasons:

• Springtime offers a pleasant climate for open houses, leading to more potential buyers touring homes.
• Buyers often prefer to move in the spring so they can settle into a new home before the start of the school year in…

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"The best time for Austinites to list their home"

AXIOS Austin writes, "It's prime time to list homes in Austin, according to a new Zillow report.

Why it matters: Sellers who listed their homes in early spring last year made more money on the sale than at any other time of the year.

The big picture: The "best time to sell," per Zillow researchers, depends on where you live, and the season starts early in Austin.

• Across the U.S., homes listed late last May sold for 1.6% more — typically $5,600 — than any other time of year.
• San Jose, California; Seattle; and San Diego also saw price premiums in March, while late fall was prime time to sell in Tampa Bay and Phoenix.

Zoom in: Listing Austin-area homes in the second half of March boosted the final sale price by 2.3%, or about $10,400, on…

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"Homebuyers Face Less Stress as More Listings Hit the Market"

Realtor.com writes, "It’s spring home selling season, and there’s good news for buyers who may feel less pressure to commit to a home on the spot as more listing options are available.

The Realtor.com® weekly housing data showed that listing prices flattened even as new listings and active inventory growth continued. The data suggests that March home shoppers will have more options and a bit more time to evaluate those options this year versus last.

The Realtor.com forecast expects modestly higher home sales from the low 2024 bar as inventory recovery gives home shoppers more options and more market power. That mortgage rates are steady this year at a time when they surged last year will likely benefit spring shoppers and should encourage…

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"Greater Inventory Brings Home Buyers Back to the Real Estate Market"

Realtor Magazine writes, "As the spring thaw sets in, new housing momentum is “flashing encouraging signs” for the market, says NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

A notable uptick in housing inventory nationwide may be pulling the real estate market out of a long winter hibernation.

Total existing-home sales, which account for completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condos and co-ops, rose 4.2% month over month in February, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Thursday.

“Home buyers are slowly entering the market,” even as mortgage rates and home prices appear frozen at elevated levels, says NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “More inventory and choices are releasing pent-up housing demand.” 

Existing-home…

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"Good News for Homebuyers—It’s a Friendlier Market as Sellers Get Ready for Spring"

Realtor.com shares, "The much anticipated spring selling season is a few weeks away, and signs point to a friendlier market for homebuyers.

The share of consumers saying that now is a good time to buy was the highest in over a year, but still only at 24%. Meanwhile, the share of those saying that it’s a good time to sell remains high, at 62%.

On the one hand, this aligns with the data. The Realtor.com® weekly housing inventory showed that listing prices softened as new listings and active inventory growth both rose and homes took longer to sell. These are all signs consistent with a housing market shifting into buyer-friendlier territory.

At the same time, when the market is shifting and uncertain, it can be wise to home in on seasonal…

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"Austin home prices rise, but so do choices for buyers"

Austin Business Journal writes, "As spring rolls on, Austin’s housing inventory continues to grow.

April saw an increase in active and new home listings in the region, as well as pending and closed sales, according to the most recent market data from Unlock MLS published on the Austin Board of Realtors' website.

Unfortunately for home buyers, the median sales price of a home in the metro also creeped up in an already-pricey environment due to elevated interest rates. Still, the increase in inventory has resulted in an uptick in the number of home for sale at many price points, even those priced more affordably.

“The MSA experienced an increase in sales, indicating more opportunity in the market for all buyers,” stated Clare Losey, Unlock MLS…

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"6 hot Austin-area ZIP codes for first-time homebuyers in spring 2024"

Culturemap Austin writes, Austinites looking to own a home for the first time may be in luck this year, as the housing market is finally starting to look more lucrative for buyers. The post-pandemic homebuying craze left many scared and uncertain about the possibility of becoming homeowners with prices and rates skyrocketing. However, 2024 is shaping up to be a lot more hopeful for those wanting to trade renting for owning.

According to the US News & World Report market forecast for Austin, the current housing market is favoring buyers as mortgage rates are coming down, there’s a more balanced supply and demand of both new and existing homes, and median prices have slowly dipped by 4.2 percent over the past two years. At its peak in 2022, the…

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"Housing supply increases across Central Texas in March, Austin Board of Realtors says"

Austin American-Statesman writes, "With the typical busy spring buying season upon us, what's happening in the Austin-area housing market?

The Austin Board of Realtors just released its monthly housing report, which shows that there were 4,714 new home listings across the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown region last month, 10.2% more over the prior March. The increase has led to four months of inventory in multiple parts of the Central Texas region as the market continues to stabilize, the board said.

The board said 2,563 homes sold last month, down 0.3% from March 2023. The median price last month was flat year-over-year, with half of the homes selling for more than $450,000 and half for less.

The numbers indicate that homeowners have confidence…

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