Current Market Data

HAR: Houston Sales Down for First Time in 6 Months

Houston experienced declines across the board in February, with the exception of home prices. It seems as though the affects of falling oil prices, particularly that on Houston’s imposing energy sector, have finally rippled into the local housing market,

Houston Cash Sales Near Pre-Crisis Levels

A new report from CoreLogic highlights improvements to the nation’s share of all cash sales. Unfortunately, it’s still high. It’s a new housing market in 2015. Policies are shifting, new legislation is being written, and in an eddying whirl

4 Reasons You Should Doubt the ‘Official’ Unemployment Rate

Sure, unemployment has been falling, but the way we measure unemployment is riddled with problems Last week, we reported that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in February, the lowest it’s been in nearly seven years. News

CoreLogic: Houston Continues to Lead by Example

The nation is healing, and as a result foreclosure inventories are thinning out across the nation. How did our city do? Foreclosure numbers responded positively to a healing economy in January, dropping significantly, CoreLogic’s National Foreclosure Report revealed. Total

Zillow Says Houston is in a “Sweet Spot”

Zillow compares employment and income growth to determine the best markets to be in right now. How did our city do? The nuances discerning a good economy from a bad one are plenty and complicated, but for a brief

5 Must-Know Details About the Latest Jobs Report

There were several aspects of the new jobs report that real estate agents should be aware of. The government released its latest jobs report earlier today, and as with past reports, there was a subtle mixture of highly positive and slightly

When it Comes to Homes, Bigger is Definitely Better in America

Americans love big houses, and that’s true across generational and economic lines. Only 40 percent of Americans are living in their ideal home size, and 43 percent wish they were living in a home that is somewhat or significantly larger.

Houston Just Got More Affordable

Home prices went up in 2014, and for some metros, affordability did too. For most homebuyers, especially those entering the market for the very first time, affordability is chief among concerns leading up to a purchase. In an analysis of

3 Graphs That Show How Inequality is Impacting Housing

Until the economy improves, housing will never fully recover – and the stats are not encouraging. Quite a bit of our reporting, in recent weeks, has focused on inequality and income disparity, and for good reason – a housing

Houston New Construction Begins 2015 in Stable Territory, but is Trouble on the Way?

The new year is always a precarious time for the new construction marketplace. Residential construction spending in the Houston area was just shy of $635 million in January, a decent 4 percent increase from Jan. 2014, according to new numbers from Dodge

Americans Stuck Worrying, Not Buying

A new survey from The Pew Charitable Trusts provided insights into why Americans are hesitant to enter the housing market. Set to the backdrop of 2007’s financial tempest, 2014 was comparably a good year for many American families. However,

Houston Home Price Increases Top CoreLogic Price Index

The latest price index from CoreLogic covered home prices through January. Home prices in the Houston area rose 10.9 percent year-over-year in January, according to the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic. That’s strongest increase of all the metro areas that CoreLogic

New Construction Wavers in January, But Long-Term Trends Highly Positive

January may have seemed like a disappointing month of construction, but a deeper look at the trends reveals much to smile about. Overall construction spending in January was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $971.4 billion, according to the

Pending Home Sales Hit Highest Mark in 18 Months

Pending home sales shot up in January, suggesting positive numbers down the road. Pending home sales hit their highest level in 18 months in January, according to the latest analysis from the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home

What Qualifying Income Does Your Clients Need to Buy in Houston?

In the end, buying a home all comes down to dollars and cents, and Houston’s qualifying incomes differ in interesting ways with the rest of the U.S. To qualify for a mortgage on a 5 percent down payment, Houston homebuyers

Eastern Exodus From Houston’s Energy Corridor

Oil prices and new developments are pushing Houston builders to the city’s east side. In recent years, Houston’s single greatest economic influencer has pushed along development in the city: energy. Massive injections of jobs due to the consistently high

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