August 2019

make better real estate decisions

Additions to the Center’s research library “Tanks & Timber:

Texarkana’s Economy and

Housing Market” 8-23-19.

Although Texarkana has had

little recent household growth,

existing-home sales and loan

requests have been on the rise

the past few years. However,

2019 data show housing

activity could begin cooling,

following the statewide trend.

Monthly Review of the Texas

Economy 8-22-19. How does

the Texas economy compare

with the national one? This

report focuses on employment

and unemployment and ranks

various industries. Subscribe to

this free report.

“Gaining Ground: Texas

Land Markets Larger, Active,

Efficient” 8-21-19. Texas'

decentralized rural land market

has become more organized

and efficient with numerous

participants. Changes in the

total number of acres sold and

total dollar volume provide a leading indicator of land market health.

Texas Border Economy 8-16-19. The economy along the Texas border differs from that in the rest of the

state. Trade closely links the cities on both sides of the Rio Grande. This report discusses four major Texas

metropolitan areas and their economic ties to Mexico. Subscribe to this free report.

Outlook for the Texas Economy 8-9-19. This monthly report offers an overview of various sectors of

the Texas economy, including housing, manufacturing, energy, employment, and trade. Subscribe to this free

report.

Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University

Be the local housing market expert

Visit the Real Estate Center’s booth (801/900)

and learn how

Texas Realtors Trade Expo Sept. 14, 2019

Fort Worth Convention Center

“Turning Soil: Northeast Texas Croplands Evolve”

8-8-19. Northeast Texas' crop portfolio is changing.

The once attractive corn and soybean market is being

impacted by price declines, oversupply, and an

uncertain trade environment.

Texas Housing Insight 8-6-19. Texas housing sales

dropped 10 percent after hovering around record levels

in April and May. The trend, however, remained

positive with lower mortgage rates and robust demand.

Subscribe to this free report.

“Covering Your Assets: Business Entities Limit

Personal Liability” 8-2-19. Running a brokerage

business through a business entity such as a

corporation, LLC, or partnership can help protect the

owner's personal assets from liability associated with

brokerage activity.

Most popular on REC website 1. Texas Housing Insight

2. Outlook for the Texas Economy

3. Monthly Review of the Texas Economy

4. “Home Security: Understanding and Negotiating Title Insurance”

5. Texas Border Economy

6. “Seller Beware: Understanding the General Warranty Deed”

7. “Covering Your Assets: Business Entities Limit Personal Liability”

8. “Turning Soil: Northeast Texas Croplands Evolve”

9. Texas Quarterly Commercial Report

10. “Homestead Advantage”

Busiest day on REC website this month: Wednesday, Aug. 28, with 1,186 unique visitors.

NewsTalk Texas A sample of Texas real estate news compiled each workday by the NTT team. Click here for today’s news.

“REEP Equity, Hashem Holdings score Candleridge Park”

“Park Towers sold for $89.5M”

“CBRE opens first location of coworking office chain”

“Imperial Wholesale inks Clay Rd. industrial lease” "Benjamin Moore signs 238K-sf industrial lease”

“319K-sf office property sold in Northwest Austin”

“Cawley Partners plans 150K-sf office in Mayfield Groves”

“316-unit Ariza Gosling breaks ground”

Monthly data updates Latest building permit data. Building permit data for single-, two-to-four, and five-or-more family units for

states, metropolitan statistical areas, and Texas counties.

Housing reports. Housing statistics based on listing data from more than 50 Texas MLSs. Statistics for each

geography based on listings of properties physically located within the mapped area presented with the

statistics.

See why 21,350 subscribe to our free, twice-

weekly newsletter. Read previous issues.

Our twice-weekly e-newsletter provides a quick

overview of Texas real estate markets. Because your

time is valuable.

Blog posts

View RECenter’s blog posts here.

“Yesterday’s interest rate cut could have psychological impact on homebuyers” 8-

1-19. Yesterday, the Federal Reserve announced that it had cut its key interest rate by a

quarter-point to a range of 2 to 2.25 percent. This marked the first time the central bank

had reduced its benchmark rate since December 2008.

BEING AWARE OF HOME-PRICE TRENDS is helpful to anyone in real estate. A home price index is a good tool for

this. One of the most reliable HPIs is on the Center’s website. Learn how to get the most out of our HPI in less than

ten minutes. Watch video.

Red Zone podcasts Listen here.

“Helping Texans stay informed about new business

tools” 8-28-19. When you hear the word "blockchain,"

does your mind immediately jump to Bitcoin? The

technology can be used in industries other

than cryptocurrency—even in real estate. Center

Research Economist Dr. Luis Torres and Student Intern

Kyle Brann say more on this podcast.

Education

Latest information on upcoming conferences

Legal Update 1 & 2 Instructor Training

Registration now open. This course fulfills the instructor training mandated by the Texas Real Estate

Commission (TREC) for those instructors desiring to teach Legal Update 1 & 2. Instructors must be approved

by TREC before attending instructor training. Visit TREC’s web site for more information.

Dates and Locations:

October 16, 2019 - Fort Worth

October 22, 2019 - Dallas

October 25, 2019 - San Antonio

November 4, 2019 - Austin

November 7, 2019 - Houston (Montgomery County)

$200 (includes lunch) by Sept. 30, 2019, $225 after that date.

Newsmakers. Real Estate Center’s August media coverage

“On the move: Understand real estate market data when moving to Houston” 8-

31-19. Houston Chronicle. “I run my own reports from data that I gather from the Real

Estate Center at Texas A&M University. I trust their ability to sift through data, and

remove a lot of the redundancies,” Benson said. The Real Estate Center at Texas

A&M University provides a great deal of information, resources, and reports on

markets throughout the state. “We have a research agreement with the MLS boards across the state, including

the Houston Association of Realtors, where we receive all of the MLS data in the state and produce housing

statistics,” said Gerald Klassen, a research data scientist at the Real Estate Center. Also in Laredo Morning,

Times and San Antonio Express-News.

“An uncertain future for farmland” September 2019. North DFW Real Producers Magazine, pages 34-35. Still wondering what all the fuss is about? In the two-part series “Leaving a Legacy,” Dr. Erin Kiella, assistant research economist at the Real Estate Center

at Texas A&M University, reports an estimated 58 percent of Americans do not have a written will or succession plan for their farmland.

“Gap between incomes, home prices is critical issue facing Texas housing market, economist says” 8-28-19.

Tyler Morning Telegraph. Affordability is a key part of the housing market right now because household incomes are not rising as quickly as home prices. That’s what economist James P. Gaines from the Texas A&M Real Estate Center told a gathering of government officials and the Tyler Area Builders Association at Willow Brook Country Club on Wednesday.

“Institutional investors move in on Austin housing market” 8-27-19.

Community Impact Newspaper. “[Investors] have disrupted the entry-level

market … simply because they have created competition and buying potential

that the average homeowner or prospective homebuyer can’t compete with,”

said James Gaines, chief economist at the Texas A&M Real Estate Center.

“Oil super majors investing heavily in West Texas Permian” 8-23-19. MercoPress.

According to data from the Texas A&M University Real Estate Center compiled by Reuters, the

median Midland home price is US$ 305,000, compared to US$ 117,000 for the median Texas

house price. Also in OilPrice.com and Entorno Inteligente.

“Central Texas home sales, median price set July records” 8-23-19. National Mortgage News. Jim Gaines,

chief economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, said

despite stagnant sales in Austin, the overall market "is still very strong."

Also in Austin American-Statesman.

“Central Texas home sales, median price set July

Records” 8-21-19. Austin American-Statesman. Jim

Gaines, the chief economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, said in the release that

despite stagnant sales in Austin, the overall market “is still very strong.” Also in Blogarama and Community

Impact Newspaper.

“Texas shale towns grapple with growth as fears of an oil bust fade” 8-21-19.

MSN. Also in severe shortage: housing. The median price of a home in Midland,

$311,000 in April, was higher than any other Texas city except the hip tech-industry hub

of Austin, according to data tracked by (the Real Estate Center at) Texas A&M

University.

“Fort Worth home sales decrease in July” 8-15-19. Fort

Worth Business Press. Fort Worth’s monthly housing inventory was 2.7 months in July 2019, 0.2 months more

than the year prior. The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University cites that 6.5 months of inventory

represents a market in which supply and demand for homes is balanced.

“Denton County saw the biggest jump in July home

sales” 8-15-19. Dallas Morning News. With last month's

spike in home purchases, real estate agents in North Texas had sold 63,126 area homes through the first

seven months of 2019 — 1% more than in the same period last year, according to data from the Real Estate

Center at Texas A&M University and North Texas Real Estate Information Systems. Also in Konitono News.

“We’re recovering from a market that was going mad” 8-15-19.

The Housing Bubble Blog. Although condominium and townhome

sales experienced slight decreases across the major Texas markets, the increase in inventory statewide is a

strong indicator of developer demand to build upwards in not only urban areas but some suburban areas as

well, Dr. James Gaines, chief economist for the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, said in the

report.

“Houston home sales hit record in July” 8-14-19. Houston Chronicle. “The real

sweet spot is between $150,000 and $350,000,” said James Gaines, chief economist

at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

“Condo and townhouse sales slide in D-FW and Texas” 8-14-19. Dallas Morning News.

"Although condominium and townhome sales experienced slight decreases across the major

Texas markets, the increase in inventory statewide is a strong indicator of developer demand to

build upwards in not only urban areas but some suburban areas as well," Dr. James Gaines, chief

economist for the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, said in the report. Also in Konitono

News and Yahoo Finance.

“Two views: Smaller towns are living the ‘Texas miracle,’

too” 8-2-19. Austin American-Statesman. Home sales and home values have reached record highs, according

to Texas A&M’s Real Estate Center. This isn’t a town in decline; it’s a city on the move.

“SA’s supply of starter homes low, but first-time buyers finding

more help” 8-2-19. Rivard Report. Home prices are rising, both in San

Antonio and across the nation. Data from the Texas A&M University

Real Estate Center show the average home sales price in the San

Antonio metropolitan area rose 6.5 percent in June over the same month last year to $283,674 from $266,367.

“Home sales set D-FW record in July up 7 percent from 2018” 8-1-19. Dallas Morning News. Real estate agents have sold 63,126 single-family homes in the area through the end of July. That's a 1 percent increase from the first seven months of 2018, according to new data from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University and the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems.

“Economist: Austin housing market still on record pace” 7-

31-19. Austin American-Statesman. If the prediction by Jim

Gaines, chief economist at the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, were correct, 2019 would mark the ninth year

in a row that home sales — and the median sales price of those homes — hit all-time highs in the Austin-

Round Rock metro area. Also in National Mortgage News, Professional Builder.

“Spec development on the rise and four other real estate trends to know in Northwest Austin for 2019” 7-31-19. Community Impact Newspaper. A healthy market typically has six months of stock, according to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, and the Austin area has a much lower housing inventory.

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