Luxe Austin Homes - travis county

"Home sales are up in Austin thanks to stabilizing housing prices, new real estate report says"

CultureMap Austin writes, "Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown experienced its highest year-over-year increase in home sales this past April, illustrating a growing optimism in the metro area's housing market. That's according to the latest real estate report from Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtor (ABoR).

More than 2,700 homes were sold in April across the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA, which is a 5.9 percent increase from this time last year. Median prices landed at just under $470,000 in a 1.1 percent increase year-over-year. There were 10,808 active home listings on the market, which is nearly a 32 percent jump from April 2023.

"Despite the higher rate environment, the uptick in affordable inventory in the $300,000 range is allowing more…

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"Tesla electrifying Austin economy far and wide"

Austin Business Journal writes, "The impacts of the Tesla Inc. gigafactory in eastern Travis County can be felt all the way out to an inconspicuous warehouse in Hutto, a vast greenfield at the north end of Georgetown, a train rail line in Taylor and a sprawling industrial complex in Kyle and even a bus station in Killeen, where gigafactory workers are picked up for work each morning for a 150-mile round trip.

Those sites — and just about everywhere in between — are among the locales where the "Tesla effect" is coming to fruition, referring to how the company's headquarters relocation to Austin has spurred additional economic development in the region. That's either through direct investment by the company itself, Tesla suppliers moving here, or…

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"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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"Your Travis County appraisal notice is in the mail. Here's what residents can expect."

Austin American-Statesman writes, "This year's appraisal notices — an annual spring ritual often accompanied by fear and loathing and, on occasion, a sigh of relief — are on their way to Travis County residential and commercial property owners.

Overall, the median market value of homes in the county declined about 7%, Travis County Chief Appraiser Leana Mann said Thursday. While some homeowners will see their values decline, others will see increases, and some values could be relatively unchanged from last year.

How do appraisal values this year compare with last year's?

The 2024 median market value for a residential property in Travis County is $551,419, down from last year's median of $592,819, the appraisal district said. The market value…

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"Suburbs are the stars of the 'Austin' population boom"

Austin Business Journal writes, "About eight out of every 10 people added to the Austin metro during a recent 12-month period settled outside of Travis County — which roughly mirrors the Austin city limits. Travis County added an estimated 7,400 new residents in the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023, which is not far off of what Oklahoma City can expect for annual population growth these days.

It's perhaps a sobering comparison for many Austinites and especially Texas Longhorn fans, but a deeper dig into the latest U.S. Census Bureau data reveals what may be a more disturbing fact: More people are moving away from Travis County than to it. If it wasn't for babies, Travis County would be shrinking.

Travis was the only county in the…

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"Austin's housing market is off to a strong start in 2024, says report"

Culturemap Austin shares, "homebuyers and sellers are starting to feel optimistic about the Austin-area housing market, according to a new report by the Austin Board of Realtors.

According to the latest analysis by Unlock MLS, which provides real estate data across the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metropolitan statistical area (MSA), bothpending and closed sales increased slightly in January compared to the previous year. 1,667 homes were sold last month, up 4.3 percent; There were also 2,480 pending sales, up 3.8 percent.

Median prices in the MSA dipped slightly year-over-year to $430,000. Unlock MLS and ABoR housing economist Clare Losey, Ph.D., shared that the recent decline in mortgage rates has allowed for lower home prices heading into…

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"Developers in Travis County regain public improvement districts but with higher fees"

Austin Business Journal writes, "developers in Travis County have a financial tool back at their disposal that's designed to support large-scale real estate projects, but they may not be supportive of all the changes made to the reworked program.

That's because revisions to public improvement districts, or PIDs, include an increase in community benefit charges tied to certain projects. Previously, developers paid a fee equal to 10% of total investment if their projects didn't include enough affordable housing, but that has been raised to 17.5%. The application fee for a PID has also been increased from $55,000 to $150,000.

Adam Boenig, co-president of Brohn Homes — among the region's most active residential developers — called the higher fees a…

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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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"Travis County lifts moratorium on PID agreements"

Austin Business Journal shares, "after a four-year hiatus, Travis County is reintroducing a tool designed to support large-scale developments.

The Travis County Commissioners Court on Jan. 30 lifted a moratorium on public improvement districts, or PIDs, after nearly a year of review.

That means developers can begin submitting applications for new PID agreements Feb. 1.

PIDs enable counties and cities to levy additional taxes on sites to pay for specific project-related improvements. They're used in counties across Texas to help cover some costs to developers, such as road construction, water and wastewater systems and landscaping, when they build master-planned communities and other big projects.

Before unanimously voting to lift their PID…

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"What it takes to own a home in Austin's wealthiest ZIP codes"

Austin Business Journal Reports, "the Austin-Round Rock metro area became slightly more affordable for homebuyers in 2023, but it’s still much more expensive to own within Austin's city limits than almost anywhere else in the region.

That’s according to recent data from Zillow Group Inc. analyzed by the Business Journals. In each of the metro's ZIP codes, the minimum annual income required to purchase a typical home declined anywhere from 4% to 18% in 2023, as of Nov. 30, compared to 2022, the analysis found. Annual mortgage payments also dropped, while median home values declined at a rate of 1% to 13% across the region.

The Austin Business Journal annually tracks the wealthiest ZIP codes in the metro, so it's already well-known where the…

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