Austinites looking to own a home for the first time may be in luck this year, as the housing market is finally starting to look more lucrative for buyers. The post-pandemic homebuying craze left many scared and uncertain about the possibility of becoming homeowners with prices and rates skyrocketing. However, 2024 is shaping up to be a lot more hopeful for those wanting to trade renting for owning. According to the US News & World Report market forecast for Austin, the current housing market is favoring buyers as mortgage rates are coming down, there’s a more balanced supply and demand o ..read more

A sprawling 72-acre property for sale in Boerne has people going wild on social media, and it's not hard to see why: The Lazy River Ranch, located less than 100 miles southwest from Austin at 227 Seewald Rd., is a private paradise with a modest price tag of $4.85 million. The stunning property boasts extravagant amenities like a fully renovated 1,800-square-foot guest house with a two car garage, a driving range and multi-hole putting green, and an 18-acre fenced goat pasture. But the biggest highlight is (as the property's name implies) its own lazy river. The "river" was cust ..read more

Although Austinites love to enjoy nature year-round, spring is the best season to get outside before the mosquitos descend in full force and patio furniture is liable to scald the thighs. For locals looking to spruce up their own slice of nature at home, the annual Outdoor Living Tour on May 4 provides the perfect inspiration from Austin’s best landscape architects and designers. The event is presented by the Modern Architecture + Design Society, which also hosts the annual Modern Homes Tour. Whereas the latter takes place over a full weekend, the Outdoor Living tour is designed as a “lighte ..read more

More homes hit the market in the Austin area in March, inspiring confidence among home sellers while simultaneously boosting options for first-time homebuyers, according to the latest real estate report by Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR). There were more than 4,700 new home listings placed on the market in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in March, which was a 10.2 percent increase year-over-year from March 2023. Housing inventory in the Austin area has now climbed for two straight months, after a previous real estate report showed more ..read more

Downtown Austin's construction boom is slowing down for the first time in years. While 17 projects remain under construction, most of which are residential, officials with the Downtown Austin Alliance (DDA) said Austin is starting to move in a different direction with development. “We are seeing a slowdown. We have had 10 years of really hot growth ... At some point, things have to slow down and that's where we are at right now," DAA CEO Dewitt Peart said. According to Peart, 50% of the buildings in Downtown Austin are made up of office space. They make up about 24 million square feet and ar ..read more

It's not easy to buy a home anywhere, but folks in Austin are doing way better than average, according to Zillow. Texas' capital ranked No. 5 among the top 10 U.S. cities for buying a first home. In 2023, new homebuyers occupied the largest slice of the market since the report started in 2018, making up about half of all buyers. The demographic was only 37 percent in 2021. It cites the "rate lock" effect for keeping "repeat buyers" from moving on too quickly and abandoning their lower mortgage rates. Hopefully strength in numbers gives newcomers a little more power against flippers and devel ..read more

Gen Z adults have proven to be huge fans of moving to Texas, and they have a special appreciation for Austin in particular. Still, the price of housing in the state capital is taking a big bite out of their wallets. A new housing cost analysis from RentCafe, published March 26, has revealed Gen Z adults living in Austin are likely to spend a total of $160,514 on rent by the time they are 30 years old. While the initial amount seems shocking, it really means Gen Z Austinites will spend an average of $1,672.02 on monthly rent from the age of 22-29 years old, or $20,064.25 a year, based on the ..read more

Following January's optimistic upturn in the Austin-Round Rock housing market, housing opportunities soared in February with the addition of more than 3,900 new listings to the market, according to the latest report from the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) and Unlock MLS. The influx of new listings created a near 45 percent jump in inventory year-over-year from February 2023, creating greater possibilities for first-time homebuyers in the Austin area. A significant number of affordable homes were put up for sale in February — specifically homes under $400,000 — adding to the growing list of ..read more

Demand for housing in booming Texas is at an all-time high, and a new Architectural Digest report has revealed a small but mighty trend rising among the state's real estate offerings: luxury tiny homes. According to AD's report, "Which States Have the Most Luxury Tiny Homes?" published February 20, Texas has the second-highest number of luxury tiny homes on the market, right behind California. For the purpose of the study, a luxury tiny home is defined as a "freestanding home with a for-sale price of $75,000 or more" that was listed on Tiny Home Builders and Tiny House Listings. The report f ..read more

If you’re planning to buy or build your next dream home, consider your options for financing. Contacting a local community bank for your mortgage needs could provide more flexible loan options. Local banks aim to provide loans based on people and not just their credit scores. That's how SouthStar Bank operates, offering a superior level of personal attention — in the current market, this can be especially crucial. Whether you are buying your first home or building your forever dream home, there are steps you can take along with your lender and Realtor to create a streamlined process. Startin ..read more