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Economy

North TX Housing Affordability Gets Crushed

North Texas housing affordability got crushed in October. The temporary relief of lower mortgage rates was just that. Mortgage rates bounced significantly following the Federal Reserve's September rate cut. Real market rates for traditional U.S. mortgages remain near the 7 percent mark following the election. The combination of real mortgage rates and continued high prices has proven to be a major challenge for the North Texas housing market. As rates and expectations cooled into the September FOMC meeting, available home inventory was beginnig to shrink. Denton County home sales jumped 10 percent from the previous [...]

Something’s Gotta Give – Home Prices or Mortgage Rates

Something's gotta give in terms of mortgage rates or home prices. While many agents and loan officers were cheering a 50 basis point rate cut from the Federal Reserve in September, the bond markets smelled a rat. Mortgage rates responded by actually rising by a half point since the Fed's announcement. This halted recent improvement in sales activity. It will also have an effect on home prices now that forward expectations are receiving a dose of reality. The reality is that inflation isn't dead, not by a long shot. Some real estate industry practitioners were [...]

Inflated Prices Curb Denton County Home Sales

Inflated prices continue to curb Denton County home sales. Prevailing mortgage rates are at the lowest levels we've seen in 19 months, but that hasn't helped sales activity. Closed sales were down 7 percent year-over-year in the DFW area. Sales were 9 percent lower across Denton County, while pending sales contracts slid 11 percent. It might have something to do with the prices. Average home prices in Denton County were up 5.7 percent from a year ago, flirting with that spring 2022 bubble top again. Official stats show we still haven't taken out the May [...]

Sharp Rebound in North Texas Home Inventory

North Texas home inventory has experienced a sharp rebound in 2024. The savagely unhealthy housing market and a buyers' strike have helped to replenish available housing stock this year. The key has been a dramatic turnaround in existing home inventory. Across the DFW area, existing home supply has rebounded sharply this year. Here's a county-level summary of the resale inventory increases in the Dallas-Fort Worth area through July 2024: Dallas County - Up 63.6% Year-over-Year (3.6 months of supply) Tarrant County - Up 59.1% (3.5 months of supply) Collin County - Up 69.6% (3.9 months [...]

Denton County Home Sales Hit 11-Year Low

Denton County home sales slid to an 11-year low in June. Closed sales continued to stagnate with mortgage rates still hovering near seven percent. Home prices were near all-time highs. The confusing mix of housing unaffordability pushed more more buyers to the sidelines. Closings were 14 percent lower year-over year. Average home prices in Denton County moved up 4.1 percent to $589,000 in June. Pending contracts slid 13 percent year-over-year in June. With sluggish sales, available home inventory perked up significantly last month. Months of supply in Denton County shot up 36 percent from a [...]

Inventory & Affordability Issues Affecting Real Estate Market

Denton County's real estate market continues to struggle with inventory & affordability issues. While higher than last year, closed sales in North Texas were still hovering near a decade-low in January. Pending home sales in North Texas moved higher for the month, but pending sales contracts were still 10 percent lower-year over year in January. The temporary relief in mortgage rates during the last few months of 2023 translated into additional activity for the housing market. So far in 2024 housing activity remains sluggish. Mortgage rates are bouncing around between 6.5 and 7 percent. Inflation [...]

North Texas Housing Market Stalls with Eight Percent Rates

The North Texas housing market continued to cool with mortgage rates rising to eight percent in October. Closed sales in Denton County fell 9 percent from a year ago. Pending contracts slid 2 percent. Inventory remained steady at 2.5 months of supply. Percent of list and days on market were relatively unchanged. Median home prices in Denton County slid to $450,000 in October, down 1.3% from a year ago. Average prices cooled as well, sliding to $538,063. Prices have cooled for 3 months in a row. It's not just normal seasonality at play. Higher mortgage [...]

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 [...]

North Texas Housing Market Looks Like A Bubble

The North Texas housing market is looking like a bubble waiting to burst. Home prices continued to melt up in April. Median and average home prices hit new all-time highs across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The median home price in Denton County hit a new record high of $480,000, an increase of 22.9 percent from last year. Average prices hit $577,607. That was up 25.1 percent year-over-year. The melt-up in prices is pretty astounding considering mortgage interest rates are now solidly above 5 percent. Monthly payments for a prospective home buyer in North Texas have [...]

New Home Sales Fall as Rising Rates Temper Demand

New home sales fell in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 801,000 units. The previous three months were revised higher. Census Bureau estimates put new home sales 4.5 percent below the revised December numbers. New home sales were 19.3 percent lower than January of last year. The median price of a new home contracted in January was $423,300. The average sales price of a new home posted at $496,900. That was a new all-time high. Median and average new home prices both hit new record highs in North Texas in January. On [...]

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