šŸ¤ šŸ” Selling Austin #61

Housing Market Sentiment🫣 + Upcoming Ecological Paradise 🌳

Hi y’all, welcome back to Selling Austin - your weekly local real estate recap.

Inside: Housing Market Sentiment🫣  + Upcoming Ecological Paradise šŸŒ³ 

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(*unbiased opinion)

WHAT'S INSIDE

šŸ”¢ THE DATA

šŸ‘‹ 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. šŸ¦ļø 

How the (stock) market might impact the (housing) market:

There’s a lot going on in general - let’s parse out some useful information for those of you in the market to buy/sell.

  • Consumer confidence fell sharply in April. This is the 4th straight month of declines

  • University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index reported an 11% fall to 50.8. This is the lowest since peak pandemic.

    • The consumer confidence fall was ā€œpervasive and unanimous across age, income, education, geographic region, and political affiliation.ā€ - Joanne Hsu (Director of UM Survey)

    • Respondents expecting unemployment to rise has hit the highest since the 2009 recession

What does this mean?

Consumer sentiment is an important indicator of buyer/seller confidence but is just 1 data point to look at. We haven’t yet seen a meaningful impact on the housing market with the fear of inflation and tariffs.

Surveys like this one are considered ā€œsoft dataā€ in economics. ā€œHard dataā€ captures economic activity (sales etc.).

Here is what the Fed had to say about the University of Michigan survey -

ā€œSometimes the surveys are very negative, but they keep spending. People spent right through the pandemic and they spent right through this time of higher inflation.ā€

Fed Chair - Jerome Powell

We’ll have to keep a close eye on things šŸ‘€. Read more here.

🤠 WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND TOWN

I’m surprised we’ve gone this long without mentioning Elon but we’re back.

Tesla has released plans of its ā€˜ecological paradise’ at Giga, Texas. I didn’t know what that meant so here are the details -

  • 25 miles of walking trails

  • 18 miles of bike trails

  • A waterfront and Tesla expo/sports complex with soccer, baseball, basketball and tennis

  • Riverfront boardwalk

  • Fishing

  • Playground

  • Orchard

  • 290 acres of waterfront green space

  • 8 wildlife corridors

This will completely transform the existing space and make Giga, Texas a destination. If they live up to their plans, it will be incredible once it comes to life.🌳 

ā‰ļø 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
- We are still in a buyers market

- You will see increased inventory in the coming months

- Do not expect exceptional properties to sit on the market - we are seeing quick movement on prime homes

Seller
- Increased inventory = increased competition

- Avoid common listing pitfalls: inaccurate pricing will lose you both time and money. If you renovate - be specific and intentional. Not every upgrade has the desired ROI.

Renter
- If you’re living in a high rise downtown - NEGOTIATE

- Seeing big complexes offer 6-8 weeks free

🤤 HOUSE WORTH DROOLING OVER

Amidst the contemporary new builds and farmhouse style homes - I love to see wood accents and large, arched windows. It feels like home.

Yours for: $4,495,000

Thank you for being here! Reply to this email if you have any questions or just to say hello! šŸ‘‹ 

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