Jim Gaines, chief economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, said the June sales dip is not an indication that the Austin-area housing market is cooling off. Continue reading
I have heard recent comments from a few real estate agents that the market seems slower this year. I have “felt” something different in recent weeks myself, but I trust data so I decided to check on that from 30,000 feet … Continue reading
Water is a precious resource in many ways, and managing that resource for the long term is vital. We can and must do better! Continue reading
After five years of strong demand, limited supply, and rising sale prices in Austin-area residential real estate, it’s no surprise that the taxable values of homes are also rising. Here’s a summary from Hays County: Hays County home values rise nearly 9% For comparison, these are similar recent reports about Travis and Williamson counties: It’s … Continue reading
I commented in a couple of posts late last year that things seemed somewhat calmer in the residential real estate market than they had been earlier in 2017 and for the previous few years. I was uncertain whether we were seeing a genuinely slower market, or just a return to something like “normal” seasonality. With … Continue reading
Williamson Central Appraisal District reports that the average increase in taxable value from 2017 to 2018 was 6%. Continue reading
We are likely to see more listing activity in the coming weeks and months but the key, as always, is local job creation and population growth. If those continue as they are now, then demand may continue to outpace supply. Continue reading
If you have followed my Market Dashboard and comments about supply-and-demand issues in the Austin area, you shouldn’t be surprised that tax values are up. Continue reading
Every investor has his or her priorities, property management style, risk tolerance, and target market, and with experience comes to understand the financial trade-offs that may be required by a chosen strategy. Here’s one tool to help compare opportunities. Continue reading
Well, here we go again …. Mortgage interest rates (30-year fixed rate loans) have been very low for a very long time — mostly 5% or below since early 2009, and mostly 4% or lower since late 2011. There have rumors periodically during each of those years that rates were about to rise. We’re hearing … Continue reading
