In September, the median sale price in the Austin metro was $450,000. This was $20,000 less than August’s median of $470,000 but still the highest median price for September on record — 28.5% higher than September 2020, according to the Austin Board of Realtors.
One catalyst for declining prices is an increase in supply across the region. In September, new listings were up from last year, with 4,136 new homes hitting the market. Inventory stood at 1.1 month — better than it has been recently but still far from the six months of housing inventory experts like to see.
“While this is a positive step forward, there is a long way to go for this to be a balanced market,” ABOR President, Susan Horton said in a statement.
Nationwide, construction has increased the most in Texas, which nabs the top spot for activity with three out of the five largest single-family markets for housing permits – Houston, Dallas and Austin.
Over the past decade Austin ranked #5 nationwide in terms of the number of construction permits pulled for residential properties.
A little more than 135,000 new housing permits were filed in the Austin metro area from 2011 to 2020, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
The Houston metro area topped the list, with 363,067 new permits, and the Dallas metro followed closely behind, with 292,219. Houston and Dallas, however, are significantly larger than Austin as both have metro populations more than three times that of Austin.
| Ranking | City | New Single-Family Building Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 363,067 |
| 2 | Dallas | 292,219 |
| 3 | Atlanta | 196,745 |
| 4 | Phoenix | 179,479 |
| 5 | Austin | 135,181 |
| 6 | Charlotte | 129,832 |
| 7 | Washington D.C. | 127,967 |
| 8 | Orlando | 118,372 |
| 9 | Nashville | 108,311 |
| 10 | Tampa | 103,117 |
Multi-family building permits were also high for the Austin metro over the past decade. According to the National Association of Home Builders, 111,636 multifamily permits were filed in Austin between 2011-20, eighth-most in the U.S. The New York metro topped the list.
Austin’s multifamily pipeline is fairly robust. According an October report from ApartmentData.com, 52 apartment communities were under construction in the Austin metro, with another 125 proposed. Combined those would bring 51,457 new units to the market.
Where did Central Texas newcomers move from in 2020? The answer might be surprising
In-state migration leads activity, followed by California and Florida transplants.
Last year California was the No. 1 state for our-of-state relocations to Travis and Williamson counties last year, according to the Texas A&M University Real Estate Research Center. But most of the newcomers still come from other places in Texas. So, the vast majority of people who moved to Central Texas last year were already Texans.
Statewide, nearly 16% of new Texans last year came from California. That was followed by transplants from Florida at 7.2% as well as Colorado, Illinois and Louisiana, which all tied at just over 4%.
Travis County was the largest magnet for California transplants, with over 10% of the state’s California relocations, according to the report.
Williamson County experienced 45% of movement last year was from people who were already residents of the county. About 20% moved from Travis County, 5% from California, 1% from Florida, and then 21.5% from other states and the remainder from other parts of Texas.
It’s time to prepare your home to withstand winter weather. As the season begins to change, it’s time to prep your home for falling leaves, cooler weather, and, eventually, winter storms. Tackling a few fall home maintenance tasks now can help ward off issues later in the season.
1. Clean your gutters.
Your roof’s drainage system annually diverts thousands of gallons of water from your house’s exterior and foundation walls, so it’s vital to keep this system flowing smoothly.
2. Seal up air leaks.
Gaps in caulk and weather-stripping let cold air into your warm home, and sealing up a drafty house can save up to 20% on your heating bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Weather-stripping is easily the most cost-effective wat to rein in heating and cooling costs.
3. Inspect your roof.
Start by inspecting your roof from top to bottom, using binoculars if necessary. Check ridge shingles for cracks and wind damage. Look for damage to metal flashing in valleys and around vents and chimneys. Scan the entire roof for missing, curled, or damaged shingles.
4. Protect faucets from freezing temperatures.
close any shut-off valves serving outside faucets, then open the outside faucet to drain the line. If you don’t have shut-off valves, and your faucets are not “freeze-proof ” types, you might benefit from styrofoam faucet covers ($6 at Walmart).
5. Replace or clean your HVAC filters.
Simple monthly cleaning or replacement is all it takes to keep filters free of debris. Disposable filters can be vacuumed once before replacement. Foam filters can also be vacuumed, but they don’t need to be replaced unless they are damaged.
6. Ready your fireplace.
First, inspect the flue for creosote, a flammable by-product of burning wood. Too much accumulation in a flue or chimney can result in a devastating fire. You can perform a chimney inspection by shining a bright flashlight up the flue, looking for any deposits approaching 1/8 inch thick. These deposits should be cleaned by an experienced chimney professional. Additionally, check your chimney for damage or flue blockages.
Early Voting Hours are Monday – Saturday 7:00 Am – 7:00 PM and Sunday from 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
November 2, Election Day Voting locations are open from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM.
Click here for Travis County locations
Click here for Williamson County locations
Click here for Bastrop County locations
Click here for Hays County locations
Fall is the time of year we prune our plants and trees to begin readying our yard for winter. Here are the ten plants you should not prune during this time of year.
