market price

Insulting offer? Think again

When selling your home, accept the fact that some buyers just won’t make a strong first offer, but will negotiate reasonably. Others won’t budge. If you don’t respond, you’ll never know which is which. Continue reading →

What can you get for your money in Austin?

What a prospective home buyer wants and and is willing to pay for inevitably lead to decisions about location (or strong location preferences require realistic expectations about what is available within a given budget). So what can you get for your money in Austin real estate? Continue reading →

Housing Bubble? Austin compared to Case-Shiller cities

I decided to assemble a more complete comparison of home prices in the Austin area and in the Case-Shiller indices (10-city and 20-city composites). The result? Here’s what a housing bubble looks like. Continue reading →

Quick comparison — Austin vs. Case-Shiller Index

Unlike many cities used in the Case-Shiller Index, Austin saw average home sale prices dip in December, but here’s a different view of that data. Continue reading →

Austin foreclosures up, but compared to what?

Today’s local report about properties scheduled for February foreclosure auctions made much about the “high” level of foreclosures in the Austin metro area, but relative to metro population or compared to cities where the housing downturn hit much harder, Austin doesn’t look so bad. Continue reading →

Another look at Austin/Central Texas home prices

While individual Austin-area homeowners have not generally seen their property values increase since the housing downturn and mortgage crisis began, a larger percentage of homebuyers have moved into much higher price ranges. That’s a real testament to the underlying strength of the Austin economy. Continue reading →

Home sales down? Yes … and no?

Month-to-month reports of home sales in the Austin area have not been encouraging since the last tax credit program ended in June, but if you look at annualized sales and pricing things aren’t as bleak as they may seem. Continue reading →

Austin-Area Pending Home Sales

Pending home sales were down in September, but the Austin metropolitan area shows signs of strength. Continue reading →

Homes Sales Off in Austin Area

According to the Austin Board of Realtors® , pending homes sales in the Austin metro area down27% in September 2010 compared to September 2009. Year-to-date sales, however, were down only 1%.

Continue reading →

Let the market heal, and it will

“Leave housing to market forces, let prices fall until buyers are motivated to come in, and hope that the economy can stand one final cathartic wave to clear the excesses of the bubble.” Continue reading →