Real Estate News – Sam Smith, Realtor

18Sep 2018 by admin No Comments

End of Summer Reports Record-Breaking Sales – August 2018

Central Texas housing market ends summer selling season with record-breaking sales AUSTIN, TX– Continued demand for single-family homes in the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) led to the highest-grossing August on record for Central Texas home sales volume, according to the August 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®. Strong sales led to double-digit gains in sales dollar volume for homes sold in the five-county MSA, which totaled more than $1.2 billion in August. “Last month’s housing market activity shows little evidence that the market is slowing as we move into the fall,” Steve Crorey, 2018 president of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, said. “More homes are entering the market and pending sales growth remains strong year over year.” Crorey added, “At the same…

16Aug 2018 by admin No Comments

Single-family home sales experience double-digit growth in July 2018

Austin Area, Real Estate News

Austin Board of REALTORS® releases July 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report Strong homebuying activity throughout the summer led to double-digit home sales growth in July, according to the July 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®. The five-county Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) experienced the highest volume of home sales since July 2011, and the highest median home price on record for any month. “Strong pending sales activity in June contributed to a big uptick in home sales growth last month, and pending sales growth was strong again in July, too,” Steve Crorey, 2018 president of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, said. “This means we could see another uptick in home sales growth in August to end the summer selling season on a high…

19Jul 2018 by admin No Comments

Home Sales dip in June after Increase in the first half of 2018

Austin Area, Real Estate News

Austin Board of REALTORS® releases June & Midyear 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report AUSTIN, TX– Single-family home sales in the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) experienced strong and steady growth in the first half of this year but declined in June 2018, according to the June & Midyear 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report released today by the Austin Board of REALTORS®. In the first half of the year, area home prices continued to increase and housing inventory levels slowly declined amidst strong housing demand. “Despite a decline in home sales volume across Central Texas in June, 2018 is on track to be another record-setting year for the region’s housing market,” Steve Crorey, 2018 president of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, said. “Consecutive years of record-breaking sales activity have…

18Jun 2018 by admin No Comments

Single-family home prices rise, inventory declines in May

Austin Area, Real Estate News

34-year-old Land Development Code continues to hold back housing market AUSTIN, Texas – Decreasing housing inventory paired with strong demand continues to drive Austin’s growing affordability crunch, according to the May 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report from the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR). In the city of Austin, the availability of housing compared with demand — as measured through inventory — continues to be historically low while median home prices have reached historic heights. The median price for single-family homes in the city of Austin increased 3.7 percent year-over-year to $389,000 in May, an all-time high for the city. While home sales rose 5.9 percent to 1,037 sales, housing inventory decreased from 2.1 months last year to 2.0 months during the same time frame. There were fewer active listings as well,…

17May 2018 by admin No Comments

Home sales, prices continue to climb

Austin Area, Real Estate News

Inventory remains critically low for most price classes AUSTIN, TX–The Austin-area housing market’s declining inventory and robust sales trends are creating an increasingly competitive housing market across all price classes, according to the latest Central Texas Housing Market Report from the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR). “In the Austin-Round Rock MSA, price classes across the board are seeing an increase in demand with a decrease in inventory,” Steve Crorey, 2018 president of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, said. “While new listings are up year-over-year, homes are selling faster than they can be listed on the market. This has led to a smaller number of active listings and an increasingly competitive market for homebuyers.” Within the Austin-Round Rock MSA, new listings increased 5.6 percent to 4,139 listings; active listings decreased 2.8 percent to…

08May 2018 by admin No Comments

4 Things a First Time Renter Needs to Know

Austin Area, Real Estate News, REnting

[embed]https://youtu.be/kSM2ouv4HAI[/embed] 4 Things a first-time renter needs to think about are: Budget The Lease Honesty Renter's Insurance Figure out your budget As I said last week, you are responsible for more than just rent, PLUS there are often additional expenses and deposits when you move in. To Move In: Application fee, lease security deposit, pet deposit, first month’s rent, possibly deposits for electricity, gas, cable, phone, and internet. Some apartments may have a fee for parking especially if you want to park in a garage or a covered space near your front door. Also, if you’re coming from your bedroom at your parent’s house, you will need furniture, lamps, dishes, silverware, towels, cleaning supplies, soap, shower curtains, trash cans, toilet paper, and the list goes on. You might even need…

02May 2018 by admin No Comments

Top 7 Things to Know Before Moving out of your Parent’s House

Real Estate News, REnting

[embed]https://youtu.be/3GRiqUiKi5I[/embed] You’re done with high school, possibly about to graduate from college, and you want to get a place of your own… possibly with roommates. Whether your folks prepared you for it or not, it’s likely that you have no clue how costly living on your own can be. EVEN IF you have roommates to share the expenses! With a little bit of planning, and a checklist like this one, you can get yourself started on the right foot. Most young adults look forward to renting, but most of these steps can also get you well on the road to purchasing a home. One of the major influencers on setting a foundation for a successful first-time lease application process is showing the prospective landlord that they are making a good…

24Apr 2018 by admin No Comments

Tax Appraisals vs. Lender Appraisals

Home Care Tips, Real Estate News

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HePrCZNW2YU[/embed] This time of year, there is a lot of discussion (or complaining, in our region) about APPRAISALS. There are two types of appraisals that we generally talk about when we are focused on home ownership: Tax appraisals and Lender appraisals. Because property tax bills tend to arrive in our mailboxes in the spring, the question ‘Why is my house value so high?’ or ‘Why is my house value so low?’ is common come April. Then, when going through the process of buying a house, the Lender Appraisal comes into question. So which is which, and do we want either of them to be higher or lower than what we think our house is valued at? What is a tax appraisal? In Texas, each county has a tax…

23Apr 2018 by admin No Comments

Central Texas housing market ends quarter with strong sales

Austin Area, Real Estate News

Single-family homes spent less time on the market AUSTIN, TX–The Austin housing market continues to show increased demand, with double-digit percent increases in sales in March 2018 according to the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR). The Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) experienced a 10.5 percent increase in sales compared to the same time last year, the March 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report found. “Last month, 2,714 single-family homes were sold in the five-county Central Texas region, which is more sales than any March we’ve seen on record,” Steve Crorey, 2018 president of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, said. “This type of growth early in the year indicates a strong summer selling season ahead. Those who are interested in buying or selling a home this summer should seek out the services…

17Mar 2018 by admin No Comments

Central Texas home sales, prices jump in February 2018

Austin Area, Real Estate News

Strong population growth causes home prices to spike, inventory to drop in local markets with strongest demand AUSTIN, TX–February is typically a slow month for home sales, but the Central Texas housing market didn’t slow a bit last month, according to the latest report from the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR). The February 2018 Central Texas Housing Market Report showed that while home sales volume across the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) grew in February, areas with the highest market demand and lowest inventory experienced double-digit percent price increases and annual declines in sales activity. “Last month, economists predicted an upwards of 5 percent growth in median home prices within the Austin area, and we have far surpassed that,” Steve Crorey, 2018 president of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, said. “This…