News/Market
“We learned a tremendous amount through this process and are so grateful for her deep knowledge of real estate and the Austin market.” – Meredith P. & Jaco P.
10 Horrifying Home Design Trends: 2022 Edition
Find out what designers say and consumer surveys show are becoming tiresome trends in the home. October 10, 2022 Design Trends By: Melissa Dittmann Tracey Every year, there are new and evolving home design fads that should “scare” you to death. Last year, there were...
Home Sellers Can’t Be Greedy Anymore
As escalating mortgage rates and home prices shrink the pool of buyers, help your sellers understand why they’ll likely need to readjust their expectations. June 21, 2022 by Melissa Dittmann Tracey Key takeaways: Today’s sellers are seeing the market cool considerably...
March Madness 2022
March is here and that means: • March Madness! The “Big Dance” (NCAA basketball tournament) is upon us! This year, six of the ten Big Twelve teams were selected to be in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament including Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas, TCU, and Iowa...
Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected
The COVID-19 pandemic set off nearly unprecedented churn in the U.S. labor market. Widespread job losses in the early months of the pandemic gave way to tight labor markets in 2021, driven in part by what’s come to be known as the Great Resignation. The nation’s “quit rate” reached a 20-year high last November.
Mortgage Rates Rise to 3.85% This Week
Following two weeks of declines, mortgage rates edged up, and economists say that consumers should expect further increases over the coming weeks.
Rates Drop Amid Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Mortgage rates fell again this week amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sparking uncertainty across the globe including in U.S. markets. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to a 3.76% average this week, Freddie Mac reports. “Geopolitical tensions caused U.S....
Rising Rates
While the Russian invasion of Ukraine is already raising inflationary pressures due to rising prices for a broad range of commodities including oil and wheat, long-term rates have counterintuitively fallen since the war began. This is because of a massive investor...
Ratio of Agents to Listings in Austin: 8:1
In mid-February, 2022, the number of listings available in the Austin MLS was less than 2,000. I spoke with the Austin Board of Realtors (ABOR) then, and I asked the number of agents at ABOR. There are over 16,000 licensees. That means there were eight licensees...
Market Notes February 2022
The preliminary real estate market reports for January 2022 have come in, and the units sold year-over-year were down 8.37% compared to January 2021. Is the market about to crash? No way. There are just so few properties to buy…
2022’s Hottest Paint Colors
Browse these pictures of the “Colors of the Year” from the major paint firms for inspiration on your next paint project. Each year paint firms offer up their top pick for the color of the year that will freshen up interiors and exteriors. The overwhelming favorite hue for 2022: Green—all shades of it. Besides the greens, some paint firms…