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- 🤠🏡 Selling Austin #52
🤠🏡 Selling Austin #52
How Tariffs Will Impact the Housing Market 💰️ + Build to Rent Boom 🚀
Hi y’all, welcome!
Inside: How Tariffs Will Impact the Housing Market 💰️ + Build to Rent Boom 🚀
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(*unbiased opinion)
WHAT'S INSIDE
🔢 THE DATA

👋 Hi, I’m Kirtana!
I’m an ex-dentist turned Realtor - let’s work together! Email me, tweet me or send me a carrier pigeon. 🐦️
Let’s chat about something super light and universally interesting - tariffs.
Now that I have your attention, let me make it quick:
President Trump announced last week he will be taxing foreign steel and aluminum imports by 25%
These tariffs will hit: Canada, Mexico, Japan and South Korea
*Canada is the top foreign supplier of aluminum and steel to the US. Mexico is third.
Tariffs will go into effect March 12
Domestic manufacturers and builders will see an increase in input costs due to tariffs
How much more expensive will the homes get?
Tariffs could push home home construction costs up 4-6% over the next 12mo - these fees of course, will be passed onto buyers
Potential new tariffs on Chinese steel can alter project budget by double digit percentages
If builders choose to purchase materials domestically to avoid tariffs - we will have supply chain bottlenecks that can result in short term price hikes
There are concerns about inflation and long term effects to the US homebuilder and buyers market. I’ll keep y’all updated 👀
🤠 WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND TOWN
With the cost of home ownership continuing to feel unattainable for many working Americans - our friendly heroes in private equity have come to the rescue.
Their solution - build to rent.

Build to rent rendering from Hutto, TX
What exactly is build to rent?
Homes are built for the expressed purpose of long term rentals. Large firms will buy hundreds of acres and build typical masterplan communities - except - instead of selling these houses, they’re exclusively listing them for rent.
Where is this happening?
All over Texas. Dallas’s pipeline is the 2nd in the US with 8,500 homes in process. Phoenix snags the top spot with 13,000 upcoming units. Houston, Austin and San Antonio rank fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively. Texas has the most upcoming built-to-rent units of any state. There are 4,600 units in Houston’s pipeline, 4,300 in development in Austin, and about 3,000 units coming to San Antonio.
Why is this so popular in Texas?
It seems to be a combination of the states’ growth + lax regulations around developments.
How will this impact the housing market?
It’s too soon to say. Blackstone might lead you to believe there is no downside and that this will only benefit working class Americans unable to get on the property ladder. But we know better than to believe blindly by now.
Read more here.
⁉️ WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
If you’re a buyer/seller/investor/renter or just interested in real estate - this weekly newsletter will help guide your decision making and help you better understand the market.
Buyer - Currently we have 5.4 months of inventory - Put in LOW offers - you have nothing to lose | Seller - Keep in mind that Election season has proven to decrease transaction volume - list before or after | Renter - Seeing big complexes offer 6-8 weeks free |
🤤 HOUSE WORTH DROOLING OVER
This is what I imagine a very fancy adult treehouse to be like. The views from every room are unbeatable.
Yours for $5,300,000.
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