News / Features

Multifamily Construction Comprises Huge Share of Houston New Construction

We’ve covered multifamily ascendence before, but this is the most telling statistic of all. Earlier this week, we reported on two facets of new construction: first, that overall construction spending in Houston grew by hefty amounts in 2014; and second,

Lennar Opens New Model Homes in Fairfield

Lennar, a top Houston homebuilder, announced the opening of two brand new model homes in Fairfield. The community created by Friendswood Development Company covers 3,200 acres located in Cypress, Tex. Fairfield is one of Houston’s premier new home communities offering miles of greenbelt trails, lakes,

Crude Bounces Back; Can Houston?

The price of crude bounced back this week, but some say even if it stabilizes, the damage has already been done.   After months of falling oil prices, crude-oil futures rallied back this week, climbing up 7 percent to

The 3 Important Characteristics of Today’s First-Time Homebuyers

What is the marital status of the typical first-time homebuyer? What are the demographics? And finally, how have those stats changed in recent years, and what does America’s ever-diversifying landscape suggest? To find out, see our infographic below, which

Are Lending Standards Looser For Refinancing Than For Purchasing?

Last week, we reported that lending standards have see-sawed up and down the spectrum the last few years, but does that trend change at all when we look at the separate lending standards for refinancing and purchasing loans? Once

Affordability Evaporates as New Construction Trends Towards Affluence

We reported last week that in 2014, the median sales price for a newly built single-family home set a new record, closing out the year at $283,600. That’s not only 5.5 percent above 2013, but also a whopping 28.3 percent

Business in Cuba: Finding the Pearl of Antilles

Cuba is opening for business. Is the U.S. ready? The gates to Cuba have opened, pushing aside more than 60 years of animosity with the West for the promise of a more profitable century. The announcement came earlier this

Houston Price Appreciation Doubles National Pace

Slow home prices in December are likely to roll over into 2015. Early today, February 3, CoreLogic released its Home Price Index for December 2014. While price appreciation was relatively flat from a month prior, CoreLogic researchers found prices

New Construction in Houston Booming in 2014

2014 was a VERY good year for new construction in Houston, according to the latest stats. Total residential construction spending in the Houston area was $9.841 billion in 2014, a 15 percent increase from 2013, according to new numbers from Dodge

Strong Multifamily Sector Drives New Construction in 2014

Construction on the whole was positive in 2014, but that was mostly due to the surging multifamily sector. Private construction may have been up 4.5 percent in 2014, but it was the multifamily housing market that drove that activity,

Economists Battle Over the Fate of Houston Jobs

With oil prices falling so rapidly, will Houston be able to recreate the same success as it had in 2014? Houston’s 2014 was one for the books, as the city’s more than proficient job creators bolster the market with an

How Houston Will See 108,780 New Homebuyers Enter the Market

Hundreds of thousands of potential homebuyers will be boomeranging back to the housing market over the next seven years. The Houston area is poised to see more than 100,000 potential homebuyers enter the housing market fray over the next seven

The Best Development in Housing? We Have It Right Here

Existing-home sales may have bounced back to life in Dec 2014 (and carried median sales price to its highest mark since 2007), but that was hardly the most encouraging piece of news in NAR’s latest housing report. No, that

Pending Home Sales Lose Strength as Year Ends

Pending home sales took a step back in December, but remain well above 2013 levels. The National Association of Realtors released its newest Pending Home Sales Index today, finding that despite persistently low interest rates, December pending home sales

No End in Sight For Houston’s Inventory Spiral

We’re all waiting for Houston’s housing inventory situation to improve…but that has yet to happen. The inventory situation in Houston continued to worsen in 2014, according to new numbers from realtor.com. Per realtor.com’s analysis, inventory in Houston dropped by 4.9 percent from November

Supreme Court Hears Arguments Against Landmark Housing Equality Legislation

The Federal Housing Act has helped curb housing discrimination since the late 60s. A new lawsuit could see to extend those protections or limit them. On April 4, 1968, a historic date by any measure, civil rights leader Martin Luther

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