News / Features

For-sale inventory snaps 5-year losing streak

Changing tides in the national real estate market are leading to the most widespread inventory increases seen in at least five years. According to data collected by Zillow, for the first time since 2014, the U.S. housing market posted

Sienna Plantation to gain 600 new homesites

Johnson development has announced the addition of 600 homesites to its Sienna Plantation master-planned community. The new section of the sprawling development will be dubbed Heritage Park. This new neighborhood will offer nine new home models as well as

This week in Houston real estate: New EaDo development, Texas Realtors awards and more

Illinois-based Marquette Cos. is under contract for a 2-acre plot of land located near the corner of Navigation Boulevard and Canal Street in EaDo. Plans call for an eight-story apartment building with street level retail space. Marquette Cos. intends

Real Estate in Brief: Aging in place, ARM growth and more

  Millennials face fewer housing choices as seniors age in place More senior citizens around the U.S. are choosing to age in place rather than sell their homes and move to a retirement community, and those decisions could be

Amazon drops plans for HQ2 in NYC

Only a week after speculation arose that Amazon was reconsidering its plans to build part of its second U.S. headquarters campus in New York City, the company released a statement Feb. 14 confirming it was pulling out of the

Houston’s housing market declines after record-breaking 2018

Houston saw a slower rate of home sales for the first month of the year, after a record-breaking 2018, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. Sales volume fell in all pricing segments, including the first decline in 12

NAR releases proposal for Fannie, Freddie reform

Amid new leadership and a pending class-action lawsuit, big changes at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac appear to be close at hand. The question now for U.S. lawmakers and stakeholders in the mortgage industry is how to carry out

This week in Houston real estate: 3D-printed houses, top AirBnB destination & more

We Print Houses, a Woodlands-based company, will start construction in the next three weeks on a 1,810-square-foot house outside Austin in Lago Vista. The house will be built out of concrete, take about 18 days days to build and

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Real Estate in Brief: Women borrow more, price growth continues and more

While homebuyers in the U.S. are generally married couples, data from the National Association of Realtors found that 18 percent of homebuyers in 2018 were single women. To drill down more into that demographic, SmartAsset took a look at

Low mortgage rates fuel housing market outlook

Only a few months ago, most economists, mortgage lenders and others who closely track the mortgage market assumed interest rates would continue rising through 2019, driving up the cost of home purchases. But several weeks into the new year,

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Homebuyers are frustrated. Can agents help?

It’s widely assumed the process of shopping for a home is easier today than ever, thanks to the proliferation of online search tools and easier access to real estate professionals. But when it comes to succeeding in that search,

Homes sold above list price drop in 2018

After years of houses going for prices above the list value, 2018 saw the biggest drop in years, according to a recent report from Zillow. As of December 2018, 19.4 percent of homes sold above their list prices, the lowest

Profit for home sellers hits 12-year high

In a year defined by rising home prices, sellers fared well in 2018, according to a new report from Attom Data Solutions. Based on its analysis of public sales records across metro areas with at least 200,000 residents, the

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This week in Houston real estate: Rebirth of historic Sears building, Garden Oaks apartments and more

  Rice University plans to fully gut and rechristen the 270,000 square foot historic Sears building on Main Street in May and rename the property The Ion. The renovated building will host programming events, demonstrations and educational events, with restaurants

These luxury Houston homes cost as much as a Super Bowl ad

On Sunday, millions across the United States will pile on the couch, remotes in hand, and tune the TV to the biggest sporting event of the year. Some will only be there for the snacks, some will be desperately

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Real Estate in Brief: Overseas investment, shifting strategies and more

Between 2013 and 2016, Chinese firms ramped up capital outflows to invest in more stable, lucrative markets, with American real estate among the most prized asset types. But the Chinese government has intervened to reduce foreign investment in an