"More home listings at lowest prices indicate 'healthier' Austin market"

CultureMap Austin reports, "more homes hit the market in the Austin area in March, inspiring confidence among home sellers while simultaneously boosting options for first-time homebuyers, according to the latest real estate report by Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR).

There were more than 4,700 new home listings placed on the market in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in March, which was a 10.2 percent increase year-over-year from March 2023. Housing inventory in the Austin area has now climbed for two straight months, after a previous real estate report showed more than 3,900 new home listings were added in the month of February.

"In an era marked by economic resilience and favorable market…

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"Spring Awakening: 5 Bedding Trends We Love for the Warmer Days Ahead"

Realtor.com writes, "One oft-forgtten room that can always benefit from a seasonal refresh is the bedroom. And more specifically, bedding is a small upgrade that can make a big difference.

With the weather warming, we say it’s time to shed those heavy winter quilts and swap them for something lighter.

So we’ve scouted out five fresh spring looks from Instagram that incorporate natural motifs, playful details, and inviting textures. These will make your bedroom the perfect cozy haven for all those rainy spring weekends and maybe even help you catch a few extra winks.

Here are our top picks for trending, spring-themed bedding this season.

1. Cotton, block-print quilt

If you’re ready to store your winter quilt, swap it out for something a…

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"Many new homes hitting the Austin metro market are priced affordably for first-time buyers, ABOR says"

Austin Business Journal shares, "New listings for homes for sale in the Austin metro surged in February, a rise driven largely by lower-priced homes that are considered affordable for first-time homebuyers, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors.

February saw 3,915 new home listings in the metro, according ABOR’s latest market report. That’s up from just 3,064 in January, and an increase of more than 40% year-over-year from the 2,764 new listings reported in February 2023.

ABOR housing economist Clare Losey said many of the new listings are for homes priced under $400,000.

“Higher home prices and mortgage rates have diminished affordability for first-time homebuyers over the past few years, but February provided encouragement for…

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"New Home Sales Rise as Buyers Run Out of Options in the Resale Market"

Realtor.com shares, "The numbers: An ongoing and persistent lack of homes in the resale market is pushing more home buyers into new construction, which caused sales to surge for the second month in a row.

The strength in new home sales was also driven by a massive jump in sales in the south. Overall, new home sales are trending higher as buyers grapple with a low level of home listings in the existing home sales market.

U.S. new home sales rose 4.1% to an annual rate of 683,000 in April, from a revised 656,000 in the prior month, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

The number is seasonally adjusted, and refers to how many homes would be built over an entire year if builders continue at the same pace every month.

The jump exceeded…

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"Are bidding wars coming back to the housing market?"

Austin Business Journal shares, "although the spring 2023 housing market has little resemblance to the frenzied 2021 buying and selling season, there's evidence some markets and types of houses are starting to become more competitive, owing mostly to a lack of inventory.

Forty-eight percent of homes sold nationally during the four weeks ending April 30 went under contract within two weeks, down from 51% a year earlier but up from 46% a month prior, Seattle-based Redfin Corp. (Nasdaq: RDFN) recently found.

While demand for housing among buyers exists, a key reason for increased competition for certain homes is because inventory remains extremely tight. Owners who locked in record-low mortgage rates during the pandemic are hanging onto their…

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"How the 2023 spring housing market is shaping up"

Austin Business Journal reports, "the spring 2023 housing market is off to a different start than its 2021 and 2022 counterparts but several factors are converging to make it not quite a typical pre-pandemic market, either.

Total existing-home sales fell 2.4% from February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.44 million in March, the National Association of Realtors said in a report last week. Year-over-year, sales activity fell 22%.

But while demand for housing has slowed in the wake of mortgage-rate increases that began late spring last year, inventory remains constrained, thanks to a persistent housing shortage and fewer people putting their homes on the market after locking in a low interest rate during the pandemic.

"The housing…

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"More inventory signals stabilizing Austin housing market, says latest report"

CultureMap Austin writes, "in what looks like signs of normalizing for both homebuyers and sellers, the Austin-Round Rock metro area now has three months’ worth of housing inventory with active listings soaring to over 8,000.

The latest housing market report from the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) stated nearly 4,400 homes hit the market in March, which is a 6.6 percent year-over-year increase from last year. While pending and completed home sales in Austin decreased by about 19 and 25 percent, respectively, there was a spike in both new and active listings.

2023 ABoR president Ashley Jackson said in a press release that the past quarter has “ushered in a sweet spot for both buyers and sellers” exploring the current market.

“There are three…

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"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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"On the House: What First-Time Home Sellers Need To Know To Be Successful This Spring"

Q: What are some tips for homeowners who hope to sell their homes this spring?

Realtor.com shares, "this month, we’re mixing it up. Instead of focusing on first-time homebuyers, we’re going to shift our attention to first-time home sellers who are spiffing up their properties to list this spring or summer.

It’s not expected to be an easy housing market for anyone—buyers or sellers. The COVID-19 pandemic-era real estate frenzy, where just about every home seemed to sell in a bidding war over a single weekend, has mostly passed. Fewer buyers can afford to buy with mortgage interest rates so high, and those who can may not be able to afford to go as high anymore.

But sellers still have a pretty big advantage: There are many more shoppers…

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"Austin home buyers have more power when it comes to inventory, report says"

Culturemap Austin writes, "confidence in the real estate market has grown since February, with buyers gaining more leverage through inventory increases across the Austin-Round Rock metro area, according to the latest monthly report from the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR).

The report shows that housing inventory in February spent an average of 84 days on the market, a massive 55-day jump from February of 2022. The current median home price for the metro area is $436,419, a 12 percent drop from the previous year.

“Austin’s housing market is trending in the right direction. Buyers have more options and negotiating power with each passing month, and sellers have more time to make their next move,” said 2023 ABoR president Ashley Jackson in a press…

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