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CONTACT: Stacy Armijo - Pierpont Communications, 512-448-4950
sarmijo@piercom.com
May 1, 2012 – AUSTIN – The Texas real estate market gained positive momentum in the first quarter of 2012, according to the 2012-Q1 edition of the Texas Quarterly Housing Report issued today by the Texas Association of REALTORS®. The volume of single-family home sales in Texas was 12% higher than the same quarter of 2011 and the median price increased by almost 3% over the same time frame.
“The watchword for Texas real estate in 2011 was ‘consistency,’ in both sales volume and price. That allowed us to emerge from last year with stable sales volumes and strong property values,” said Joe Stewart, chairman of the Texas Association of REALTORS®. “Now, in 2012’s first-quarter results, we see a strong increase in sales volume and a meaningful increase in the median price. That indicates positive momentum for the year ahead.”
For the period of January through March 2012, the volume of single-family home sales in Texas was 45,502, 12% more than the same quarter in 2011. The median price for Texas homes during the quarter was $147,100, 2.7% more than 2011-Q1.
Jim Gaines, Ph.D., an economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, expanded on the report: “We believe several factors are driving the strong performance of the first quarter, including continued job growth in Texas and some increased access to credit for home buyers. Most of all, we’re starting to see a shift in Texans’ attitudes toward real estate. Essentially, buyers and sellers have higher expectations for the market, so they’re beginning to take action and we’re starting to see the impacts.”
Looking ahead, the “months inventory” calculation can provide insight into future demand for homes and that figure decreased from 7.6 months in 2011-Q1 to 6.0 months in the first quarter of this year. “Months inventory” is an indicator of the balance between demand for homes and supply in the market and the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University cites 6.5 months of inventory as a balanced market.
Gaines continued, “In Texas, our inventory of homes for sale has been decreasing for about six months now. That’s due in part to the fact that some homeowners who don’t have to sell have chosen to wait for prices to improve before selling their homes. In addition, the slower processing of foreclosures and fewer distressed properties may reduce the number of listings. However, a decrease of more than 20% in the inventory of homes compared to the same quarter last year is significant and may be an indication of price increases in the future.”
Chairman Stewart concluded, “If all the indicators play out as we expect, the Texas real estate market is in for a busy spring and summer.”
The Texas Quarterly Housing Report is issued four times per year by the Texas Association of REALTORS® with multiple listing service data compiled and analyzed by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.
About the Texas Quarterly Housing Report
Data for the Texas Quarterly Housing Report is analyzed by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University using statistics compiled from 47 multiple listing services in markets throughout Texas. The report includes data for single-family home sales over the course of one quarter and is scheduled for release by the Texas Association of REALTORS® on the following dates each year (or the next business day): Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1, and Nov. 1. This report is issued to the media, local REALTOR® organizations, and published on the Texas Association of REALTORS®’ consumer Web site, TexasRealEstate.com.
About the Texas Association of REALTORS®
With approximately 80,000 members, the Texas Association of REALTORS® is a professional membership organization that represents all aspects of real estate in Texas. We advocate on behalf of Texas REALTORS® and private-property owners to keep homeownership affordable, protect private-property rights, and promote public policies that benefit homeowners. Visit TexasRealEstate.com to learn more.
Call Danny Frank at 713-581-4702 to find out about the “Sell Your Home Guarantee” or to schedule an appointment to visit any home for sale in the greater Houston / Galveston area.
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Whether you're interested in buying your first home, your next home, or just want to know more about home-ownership in general, I encourage you to check out a couple of great online resources:http://www.texasrealestate.com/ or https://www.har.com/. And for all of your Pearland, TX and Northern Brazoria and Galveston County real estate needs, please visit my site at:http://www.danfrankrealty.com. All of these sites offer tons of useful, real estate-related information geared specifically for Texans.
Remember, Danny Frank is always looking to hire new and experienced real estate agents for the team at Turbo Realty. Are you ready to move to the next level in your career? Call me to join today. You can see my entire blog at: http://www.pearlandrealtyblog.com
Call Danny Frank, at 713-581-4702 to find out how you can become part of Turbo Realty.
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