Affordable Housing Challenges Persist in Austin Despite Rental DecreaseDespite a recent decrease in rent prices in the Austin area, many residents continue to struggle with finding affordable housing options. The story of Leigh Vladyka, an art teacher at an Austin public school, highlights the ongoing difficulties faced by individuals trying to make ends meet in a city where housing costs are rising faster than incomes.Leigh Vladyka's monthly ren
The latest Realtor.com Rental Report reveals a significant shift in the US housing market, as renting a starter home has become more financially advantageous than buying in all of the 50 largest metropolitan areas. This trend, observed since February, is driven by elevated mortgage rates, high home prices, and a decline in rents. However, in July, a milestone was reached in which renting became more affordable than buying in all major metros, a c
Inflation rose as expected in July, driven by higher housing-related costs, according to a Labor Department report Wednesday that is likely to keep an interest rate cut on the table in September.The consumer price index, a broad-based measure of prices for goods and services, increased 0.2% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.9%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for respective readings of 0.2% and 3%
Whether for their own convenience or to increase the value of their property, homeowners are in the market for green technologies.Sustainability, once a buzzword in the modern economy, has now become a necessity for attracting and retaining eco-conscious customers. This is especially evident in the real estate sector, where more homebuyers and homeowners are demanding green solutions for residential systems that improve energy efficiency and deli
The White House is expanding low-cost financing, easing regulations and incentivizing local reforms in a wide-ranging effort to increase housing supply.The White House is announcing $100 million in grants to state and local governments to spur the construction of new housing, one of a host of new administrative actions to boost housing supply.The Biden administration has witnessed record levels of housing production, driven by a pandemi
High homebuying costs continue to push consumers toward rentals, fueling a multifamily boom. But how long will it last?A record number of new apartments—more than half a million—are expected to hit the market by the end of the year as high rental demand continues to fuel a multifamily construction boom, according to a new report(link is external) from RentCafe. This would mark the third consecutive year that apartment construction r
Borrowing costs have fallen to their lowest level in more than a year, but homebuying activity is only seeing small gains.Mortgage rates have fallen in recent weeks, but home buyers are showing restraint rather than rushing back into the housing market to snag a lower rate. ‘’The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.47% this week, Freddie Mac reports.Even as mortgage rates remain at their lowest level in more than a year, mortgage applicati
Americans who want to tap the rising equity of their homes without giving up their low mortgage rates are increasingly turning to home equity lines of credit.After almost 13 years of declines, balances on home equity lines of credit, known as HELOCs, have begun to rebound, gaining 20% since bottoming out at the end of 2021, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit released Tuesday.Meanwhi
As retailers push into new cities and brands lean hard into brick-and-mortar as a strategy, it has become incredibly difficult to find space for a new storefront.Financing constraints due to elevated interest rates as well as zoning and infrastructure restrictions in some jurisdictions have limited construction of retail developments, limiting the amount of space on the market. Retail construction completions are at their lowe
The number of renter households in America grew 1.9% year over year in the second quarter of 2024 to a record 45.2 million, according to a new report from Redfin. The annual growth rate is more than three times faster than the number of homeowner households, which grew 0.6% to a record 86.3 million.The number of renter households grew at the second-fastest pace since 2021, while the number of homeowner households grew at the slowest p
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