1. Jobs. Housing follows jobs. Period. And while the job market is still slow or non-existent in many areas (nationally as well as regionally), we all know Austin continues to be the leading market in the nation for job growth. 2. Jobs. At the risk of being redundant, housing follows jobs. Consumer confidence is close [...]
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Picky, picky, picky! Are today’s first-time home buyers passing up great deals because they insist on flawless “move-in ready” houses requiring little or no changes – even at the starter-home price levels at which shoppers traditionally have been willing to factor fix-ups and renovations into their offers? Or are they simply reflecting market realities? They [...]
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by SHELTON GREEN It is not surprising to many people that Austin has the highest apartment rents of any city in Texas, but what some may find compelling is that the Capitol City saw the largest, fastest, and highest jump in apartment occupancy this year compared to last. According to A.L.N. Apartment Data, Austin’s apartment [...]
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Warren Buffett is looking for acquisitions as an outlet to deploy his $38 billion cash pile, the legendary investor said in his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway Inc shareholders on Saturday. Buffett gave an aggressive earnings forecast for Berkshire’s collection of businesses, said the company would engage in record capital spending and forecast a recovery [...]
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From: Austin American Statesman, 2/19/2011 Today’s homebuyers are recession-weary, looking toward retirement, and/or increasingly more energy-conscious. Because of that, homes built in the next few years are likely to focus more on efficiency and community than on square footage, industry experts say. Think compact, more energy-efficient and more affordable. Expect to see homes built on [...]
Read More...Austin Community, Austin economy, Austin News, Austin Real Estate News, Uncategorized
Apartment occupancy levels, a healthy resale supply and new home inventory at record lows put Austin in a positive position in 2011, according to a recent report by Metrostudy, a national housing data and consulting firm that maintains the most extensive primary database on residential construction in the US housing market. “With economists forecasting 2% [...]
Read More...Austin Community, Austin News, Austin Real Estate News, Real Estate
Austin condo sales doubled last year, while prices were stable, according to recent Multiple Listing Service data released Monday. A report from AustinTowers.net, a downtown Austin real estate blog, compiled MLS data from 25 downtown residential towers. The group tracked 168 sales last year, or about 50 percent more than in 2009. The average selling [...]
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AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) – 1/7/2011 – MPF Research predicts the Texas capital will become the country’s second best apartment industry performer this year, just behind San Jose, California. Austin’s apartment occupancy increased 3.6 percentage points over the last year to 93.5 percent, one of the nation’s strongest increases. Austin’s occupancy is anticipated to rise an additional [...]
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December 30th, 2010 (Los Angeles Times) - Rising interest rates have lifted fixed mortgage rates back to the levels of last spring, Freddie Mac said as 2010 wound down, with a reminder that judging by the past, that’s an impressive place to be. For the year as a whole, 30-year fixed mortgage rates for well-qualified borrowers [...]
Read More...Austin economy, Austin News, Austin Real Estate News, Real Estate
Austin was ranked as having the 26th best economic recovery worldwide, the highest rank of all U.S. cities, a report from the Brookings Institution said Tuesday. The analysis ranked 150 cities according to three main indicators between 1993 and 2010: employment growth, per-capita gross value added and income per person. The group said Austin employment [...]
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