Although not widely known, there are a small number of private town homes on Congress Avenue between 8th street and the Capital. They are well hidden — when you walk by you would never know that these buildings are private residences. If you have $6 million, if you want to live downtown but need more…
News
Austin real estate news combined with editorial and opinion.
Recession Over in Austin: What Will Happen to Housing Prices
A new report from Moody’s shows that Austin and 78 other metropolitan areas (out of 384 cities in the U.S.) moved from recession to recovery during the month of August. The report labels cities on a four level scale indicating (1) Expansion, (2) Recovery, (3) At Risk, (4) In Recession. Austin was rated as (2) Recovery….
12-Floor “Capital Terrace” Development Proposed
A 12-story multi-use project near the Doubletree hotel on Lavaca and 14th street that was originally announced in 2008 is likely to rise next year. The developer, Palmco, is asking the city council on December 10 for a height variance to allow construction of the 163-foot tall building in an area zoned for construction of…
New Federal Courthouse to Rise Downtown
A bold new federal courthouse is set to rise on the same prime downtown site that Intel abandoned earlier in the decade. With a recent groundbreaking, the project will be constructed on the Western edge of Republic Square Park. During the tough years of the tech bust, the City lobbied hard for the GSA (Government…
Ballet Austin Party Held at Austonian
This past weekend, the Austonian hosted one of Austin biggest galas — the Ballet Austin Fete. With dinner on the 33rd floor, a cabaret on the 10th floor, and a wild party in the lobby, it was quite an event for an active construction site. Hundreds of guests moved between venues on rickety construction elevators…
New FHA Rules for Condo Mortgages
FHA loans provide qualified buyers an opportunity to purchase units with loans that they would not otherwise qualify for. In particular, FHA loans allow for smaller down payments, often as low as 3% of the purchase price. Next month, the rules behind these Federal loans will be changed substantially, making many condo projects and buyers…