Denton Tx New Homes

Denton County “Home” Prices Finish 2023 Where They Started

Denton County home prices finished out the year right where they started. A strong start to 2023 saw prices and sales activity continue to move higher into the summer. That's when the Denton County housing market essentially stalled out. A subsequent rise in mortgage rates to the eight percent mark brought a double-dip in the market and another round of softness. The Yellen pump and the Powell pivot helped to lower rates slightly over the last two months of the year and prevent the market from sliding further. The official stats for Denton County in [...]

What’s Going On With New Home Sales

The Census Bureau reported new home sales for November at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 590,000 units. That was well below expectations. The median new home price was $434,700 according to Census estimates. The average new home price was $488,900. The inventory of new homes rose to 9.2 months of supply. That put inventory at the highest levels of the year, and back to where it stood in November 2022. But there's a catch. This is November data. The November Census estimate on new home sales doesn't capture the capitulation from Janet (Treasury) [...]

Denton County Real Estate Market Running Out of Steam

Denton County real estate was running out of steam in September. New cycle highs for mortgage rates and more typical seasonality took a bite out of demand. Sales volume dropped 9 percent compared to the same month a year ago. Pending contract activity fell by a similar amount. Median and average home prices are now lower than where they stood in April. Median prices are still $40,000 lower than where they topped out in the frenzy of 2022. New home builders continued to pull in an outsized portion of sales in September. They are doing [...]

New Highs For Mortgage Rates Curb Denton County’s Real Estate Market

Denton County's real estate market ran into significant hurdles in August. Mortgage interest rates for prospective buyers reached a new high for the cycle. That took a bite out of sales activity as the summer winded down. Closed sales in Denton County fell ten percent form the same time last year. Forward-looking contract activity slid 5 percent. Median and average home prices also cooled for second consecutive month. One thing that didn't cool in August was the incentives and mortgage-rate buydowns offered by new home builders. New home builders are agnostic sellers. They do what [...]

Denton County New Home Market Headed for Another Slowdown

Denton County's new home market is headed for another slowdown. High prices and a rebound in interest rates to that critical seven percent mark are just part of the problem. There's also a pending recession on deck. The Census Bureau reported April new home sales at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 683,000 units. That was better than expected, but previous months were revised lower. Cancellation rates for builders have come back down, but new home affordability remains an issue. There is still a large backlog of homes under construction. Any softness in the economy [...]

Real Estate Market Bounces as Banking Crisis Fades

The real estate market bounced in March as turmoil in the banking sector subsided. Denton County home sales nearly doubled from the January lows, putting sales up 13 percent from a year ago. Pending contract edged up as well, placing contract activity 10 percent higher than March of last year. Some context is in order here since activity is still light compared to historical trend. This is largely due to diminished inventory levels. Denton County was still sitting on 1.8 months of supply in March. That's down from the 2.9 months we saw in October [...]

Denton County Housing Market – Calm Before the Storm?

The Denton County housing market experienced a temporary lift in the first two months of the year. February home sales bounced from the January lows putting them 15 percent higher than the same month last year. Pending sales were up 23 percent in February across Denton County. Median and average home prices bounced slightly during the month. The available supply of homes dipped to just 1.7 months. As more sellers and builders chopped prices in recent months, more buyers stepped back into the market. Percent of original list price has made marginal improvements for the past [...]

Demand Destruction Hitting Denton County Housing Market

Demand destruction continues to hit the Denton County housing market. The Federal Reserve's housing reset and tighter policy led to a 28 percent slide in home sales in November. Pending contracts for homes were down 24 percent from the same time a year ago. In reality sales numbers are softer than official estimates. We still have another 6 months or so before we'll see more accurate comparisons on sales totals with new construction sales consistently in the MLS. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association mortgage purchase applications are still running about 40 percent lower than [...]

New Home Sales Are Weaker Than Census Estimates

The Census Bureau reported new home sales for September at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 603,000 units. According to Census estimates new construction sales fell 10.9 percent from August, putting sales down 17.6 percent from last year. Sorry Census, but you're a little late to the party. New home sales are materially weaker than these official guestimates. We had a good indicator from the third largest builder in the country, PulteGroup which just reported earnings this week. Pulte posted a net decline in new home orders of 28 percent compared to last year. The [...]

North Texas Housing Market in Full-Blown Correction Mode

The North Texas housing market is now in full-blown correction mode. The Federal Reserve's housing market "reset" message is finally sinking in. Home sales volumes continue to slide. Home prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth area continue to drop from their blow-off peaks earlier this year. Mortgage interest rates have spiked to seven percent, while the Fed puts the balance sheet roll-off into high gear. The correction in real estate prices has caused many of the larger asset owners, particularly those in the private equity space and the consultants who serve them, to lose their minds. [...]

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