Date Archives: October 2019

Paige Shipp, regional director with housing analyst MetroStudy Inc. fears home sales might slow next year in the ramp up to presidential and congressional elections.  "We typically have much slower selling seasons right before an election," she said. "After that happens, the flood gates open and people come out. It's not a matter of who wins."   Worries about a recession may also impact the home market.  "We spent the better part of the last decade still looking over our shoulder," said George Ratiu, senior economist with Realtor.com.  "The last recession was so bad that we are still carrying some of the scars from that."   However, Dr. James Gaines, chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University states that Texas economy is still expanding.  "And we are extremely unlikely to be in a recession by the end of this calendar year," he said. "We are probably pretty safe through the first six months of next year."

• Dallas Morning News, October 14, 2019

The number of homes listed for sale with North Texas real estate agents has risen by about 15% this year. But they aren't in the price range most buyers want.  "The inventory is increasing at the upper end — $750,000 and above," Dr. James Gaines, chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University said. "If you have a well-located $300,000 house, you can sell it tomorrow. We are seeing evidence of price fatigue in the market."  D-FW home prices are up only about 3% so far in 2019 — nothing like the double-digit percentage home price gains of a couple of years ago.  "The recent spike in mortgage rates did expose how price sensitive the market is," said Paige Shipp, regional director with housing analyst MetroStudy Inc. "Things are not quite as rosy as they seem in terms of what people can afford."  Many home sellers haven't gotten the message, she said. "They want to list their house for more than their neighbors sold for and sell it overnight."  D-FW has an undersupply of homes priced below $250.000.

• Dallas Morning News, October 14, 2019

After several years of ever-increasing sales, there are signs that North Texas' million-dollar home market has hit a ceiling.  Sales of high-priced Dallas-area homes have shot up in recent years, rising at a much greater rate than the overall housing market.  There are now more than a dozen Dallas-area mansions on the market with price tags of more than $10 million, according to Realtor.com.  While demand for low- and moderate-priced houses is still rising in North Texas, the latest sales numbers show that purchases of million-dollar properties have leveled off.  For the last few years, million-dollar home sales in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have grown at double-digit percentage rates.  Housing analysts say that the inventory is rising while more moderate-priced properties are in short supply.  "The inventory is mostly at the upper end," said George Ratiu, senior economist with Realtor.com.  "That's not where the most demand is."

• Dallas Morning News, October 14, 2019