Market News and Trends

Happy Independence Day! Be Proud!

Market Dashboard — transition toward “normal”

In March-April 2022 the Austin residential market saw a transition toward somewhat higher inventories and more balanced supply and demand. Continue reading →

Real estate still a great investment

Real Estate Is Still Considered the Best Long-Term Investment With all the headlines circulating about home prices and rising mortgage rates, you may wonder if it still makes sense to invest in homeownership right now. A recent poll from Gallup shows the answer is yes. In fact, real estate was voted the best long-term investment … Continue reading →

What happened to the housing crash?

Oops! Home Prices Didn’t Crash After All During the fourthquarter of last year, many housing experts predicted home prices were going to crash this year. Here are a few of those forecasts: Jeremy Siegel, Russell E. Palmer Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Wharton School of Business: “I expect housing prices fall 10% to 15%, … Continue reading →

Memorial Day – Remember and Honor

Austin Metro and Texas – 1st Quarter 2023

Real estate markets across Texas moved toward balance in the 1st quarter of 2023. Here’s how the Austin metro compares to the state overall. Continue reading →

Important issues in real estate in 2023

The Two Big Issues the Housing Market’s Facing Right Now The biggest challenge the housing market’s facing is how few homes there are for sale. Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, explains the root causes of today’s low supply: “Two dynamics are keeping existing-home inventory historically low – rate-locked existing homeowners and the fear of not finding something to buy.” … Continue reading →

Mortgage rates seem to have peaked

Rising mortgage interest rates have had a meaningful impact on real estate markets across the country. Consesus forecasts indicate some rate reductions later in 2023: Mortgage Rate Projections As you’ll see in my next post, this could allow some relief for the other issue that is holding market back right now — significant housing supply … Continue reading →

Foreclosures growing? Not so much …

Media worries about a crisis in real estate, a la 2008, are very unlikely in our market. As a barometer of media health, this look at home foreclosures then and now is cause fo optimism. Continue reading →

Austin housing price distribution

Home price escalation in the Austin metro area during the pandemic was unprecedented. Here are the details since 2011, with shocking figures from the past three years! Continue reading →