Austin Living Guide - Statistics Keep track of recent Austin Living Guide Statistics aticles with this feed. http://www.austinlivingguide.com en-us Net Perspective (net-perspective.com) November Statistics and Good News Statistics http://www.austinlivingguide.com/archive/2008-12-17/statistics/november-statistics-and-good-news/ I have some sobering news and some more encouraging news, all in one post!According to the Multiple Listing Service available to Realtors: 1.        Unit Sales in the area for November of 2008 were down 48%         on a yearly basis.2.       The Average Price is down slightly (5%) from $257,357 in  2007 to $244,401 in 2008.3.       Unit Sales in Area 1A were down 23%.4.       Unit Sales in Area 1B were down 69%.5.       Unit Sales in Area 8E were down 59%.6.       Unit Sales in Area 8W were down 40%.7.       Cedar Park/Leander was down 52%.8.       Round Rock was down 43%.WOW! Now some news to cheer you up:Top 10 Most Promising Housing MarketsHousing Predictor, a market research company, has identified 10 markets where the regional economies are healthy and have strong potential for increasing prosperity.  They forecast that these cities will continue to see steady, dependable growth, no matter what the future holds for the housing market as a whole.Top cities, and the percentage sales prices have increased so far in 2008:     * Biloxi, Miss., 4.9 percent    * Salem, Ore., 4.7 percent    * Bismarck, N.D., 4.6 percent    * Spokane, Wash., 4.4 percent    * Yakima, Wash., 4.1 percent    * Austin, Texas, 4.0 percent    * Grand Junction, Colo., 4.0 percent    * Fargo, N.D., 4.0 percent    * Mobile, Ala., 3.9 percent    * Albuquerque, N.M., 3.5 percentSource: Housing Predictor 11/15/08

HAPPY HOLLIDAYS!

]]> Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:16:57 CST Best Cities to Live, Work and Play Statistics http://www.austinlivingguide.com/archive/2008-06-11/statistics/best-cities-to-live-work-and-play/ Kiplinger has just named Austin #6 on their list of the ten best cities to live, work and play.  Link:  click

A sample quote: "Don’t think for a minute that the laid-back, rockers-and-tacos atmosphere of downtown Austin is all this metro area has to offer."

They based their rankings on a formula (of course), but before you slam this list for also including Provo, UT (I love UT, best fly-fishing in the U.S., but Provo as top 10?) the reasoning looks sound.  Even though it seems like Austin is getting more expensive everyday, our cost of living index is still below the national average, we have seen steady job growth, and a 17% population increase in the past 8 years are all strong indicators that we are thriving here!

]]> Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:50:56 CDT YTD Home Sales Statistics http://www.austinlivingguide.com/archive/2008-05-23/statistics/ytd-home-sales/ Thanks to our friends over at Alamo Title we have a fancy little graph detailing the Residential Single-Family sales for 2008 and 2007.  Take a look:April Stats

There are a few interesting things to take a look at here.  You will notice that the graph has a sort of bell-curve shape to it.  If you took a look at Austin home sales going back ten years, it would basically follow this same pattern.  Very few people buy during the winter months, and come spring and summer, the sales start cooking.

If you then look at the bottom of the graph, you will see that the market is down in both number of closed units and volume.  The average sales price has only changed slightly, which seems to point to the fact that it is more of a buyer's market right now and seller's have not had the joy of multiple offers for their properties like in years past, leading to them cutting more deals.

The last number is, to me, the most interesting one.  You will see that the Median Sales Price has actually risen over last year.  How is this possible?  Basically, we can see that the mortgage "crisis" that we have experienced has really affected the lower end of the market.  Remember, median is different than the mean, and as more houses in the bottom half of the market don't sell because of financing reasons (harder to qualify for the loan) or foreclosure, you will see the median creep upwards.

So what can we take away from this in a nutshell?  Nothing is fundamentally wrong with the value of homes in Austin or the buying cycle, but the mortgage and finance industry has taken a toll on an average purchaser's ability to get a good rate, and therefore an affordable payment on a house.  I will continue to update monthly and we can really track this thing going forward.

]]> Fri, 23 May 2008 18:41:12 CDT Ten Recession-Proof Cities Statistics http://www.austinlivingguide.com/archive/2008-05-13/statistics/ten-recession-proof-cities/ Forbes has just listed Austin as one of their Ten Recession-Proof Cities, joining both San Antonio and Dallas in Texas.  Great news for us Austinites! 

Click for Article

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