Home Buyers

  Down payment assistance (DPA) has quietly become one of the most powerful — and most misunderstood — tools in mortgage lending. Despite near-record availability and growing flexibility, persistent myths keep many lenders from fully using DPA to expand approvals, improve affordability and strengthen pipelines. We think it’s time to separate fact from fiction. Full article here: What Lenders...

  The numbers from First American, a title, settlement, and risk solutions company for real estate, reveal that more than 20 million single women are homeowners — about 50.9% of the total demographic. That number is actually down 1% as far as total demographic homeownership rate, but it’s still a record for the amount of single women's homeowners, thanks to the population segment’s growth. Full...

  Mortgage rates have already dropped into the upper 5s twice this year. But after just a few days, they ticked back up into the low 6% range. If you saw that and thought, “Great. I missed it,” you’re not the only one. A lot of buyers are treating the 5s like some kind of magic number. As if moving from 6.1% to 5.99% suddenly changes everything. And from a mindset perspective, it does feel...

Climbing out of a gloomy winter, existing-home sales reversed course following a sharp drop in January and ticked up slightly in February as housing affordability improved nationwide. Lower mortgage rates, rising wages and slower price growth are offering improving conditions for prospective home buyers. Full article here: Home Sales Perk Up as Housing Affordability Improves (512) 853-0110...

  Buying a brand-new home has obvious appeal—everything is fresh, modern, and move-in ready. But if you're working directly with a builder, you might wonder: Do I really need a real estate agent for new construction? The short answer is yes. While builders have their own sales teams (often called builder’s agents), those professionals are hired to represent the builder’s best interests—not...

  he housing market is pointing to one that's "ripe for buyers," according to the latest Realtor.com® Weekly Housing Trends Report. Data shows that the housing market is shifting to a buyer-friendly direction with new and active inventory up and home prices down. Full article here: Housing Market Turns ‘Ripe for Buyers’—Here’s Why (512) 853-0110 or robert@AustinTxHomeSales.com If...

Here are the February/2026 MLS single-family statistics for Austin, TX: We had another good month in February to start 2026 with 2 solid greens, 4 light reds (2 of those were only 1% change) and only 2 solid reds.  Most impressive are the Pendings and Sales since those are important indicators of a market’s health.  Keep in mind that each month I report home sales numbers for are...

  For a lot of parents or grandparents, watching a family member struggle to buy their first home right now is hard. That's because you saw firsthand how homeownership gave your life more stability and helped grow your net worth – and you want your loved ones to have those same opportunities. But with all the affordability challenges in recent years, that can feel like an uphill battle – even though...

  There are hints at the seasonal indicators typically associated with March, which lead to increased market activity relative to prior months, and sets the stage for the peak summer season. These are what we call seasonality trends, patterns we see every year around the same time. They help explain how buyers and sellers usually behave as the year begins to pick up and offer useful insights for...

  January data suggests the market is beginning the year with renewed buyer activity, even as closings lagged year-ago levels. Closed sales were down 14.8% but pending sales rose 10.1% year over year to 2,349 transactions — up more than 23% from December — according to data from the area’s multiple listing service. The median home price was $400,495, down 2.3%, while active listings totaled 10,083,...