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 [...]
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Many people, often working under the assumption that all renovations increase the value of a property, spend thousands of dollars on expensive upgrades, changes and additions to their homes. What these people forget, though, is that the next owner may not like the renovations. In fact, most people who buy property make significant changes to [...]
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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 [...]
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Existing home sales picked up steam in November, though they are still down nearly 30% from this time last year. Sales of previously-owned homes jumped 5.6% in November to an annual rate of 4.68 million, the National Association of Realtors reported Wednesday. The rate was down 27.9% from 12 months earlier, [...]
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December 3rd, 2010 – Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that the both fixed- and shorter-term mortgage rates rose this week. This was the third week in a row where fixed-rate mortgage rates were up. 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.46 percent with an average 0.8 [...]
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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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The lowest mortgage interest rates in almost 60 years, plus affordable homes in cities where buyers had been priced out for years, should be turning the housing market around. But the market also labors under some heavy burdens: a glut of foreclosures that are dragging down home prices, high unemployment and tight credit. Sales fell [...]
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By TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press Terence Chea, Associated Press – Mon Nov 29, 6:07 am ET GRATON, Calif. – As Americans downsize in the aftermath of a colossal real estate bust, at least one tiny corner of the housing market appears to be thriving. To save money or simplify their lives, a small but growing [...]
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