Hello BP Community, I need some advice! My family has been working to renovate a family member's house after they moved into a retirement home. Happy to report she is loving it there and very happy, much better off! W...

Concerns about affordability and limited housing supply are key factors, and expectations for decreasing mortgage rates have diminished.In summary, while job stability remains, the volatility from trade policies and declining consumer sentiment could challenge future growth, particularly in the housing market.

.🏡 Sales & Pricing430 homes sold in February, a slight 1.6% decrease YoY but up 7.5% from last month.The median sale price is $710,000, which reflects a 4.1% decline from last year ($740,000) and a 1.7% dip from January.Price per square foot sits at $464, slightly down 0.9% YoY but up 1.7% from last month.⏳ Market Time & Buyer ActivityDays on market rose to 71 days, a 22.4% increase from January and up 12.7% from last year.Homes going under contract surged by 51.5% YoY, suggesting buyers are still active despite longer market times.The sales-to-list price ratio remains steady at 96.8%, indicating sellers are negotiating but still closing close to asking price.🔎 Key TakeawaysBuyers: With inventory increasing and prices softening, there are opportunities to negotiate better deals, especially on homes that have been sitting longer.Sellers: With higher days on market, strategic pricing is key to attracting serious buyers.Investors: The increase in homes under contract (+51.5%) suggests buyer confidence is returning, which could lead to stronger demand heading into the spring.The market remains balanced but is shifting toward a buyer-friendly environment, making Q2 2025 a crucial time to watch for opportunities.What are you seeing in your local deals?

You can find higher ROI (on paper) here and probably in other cities…but the probability of actually collecting rent significantly decreases.

., a 5-4-3-2-1 structure) where the penalty decreases each year, and others waive penalties after a certain number of years.

Here are some key highlights from the report, which compares February 2025 with February 2024:The median sales price for the greater Austin metro declined 3.6% to $430,000, while the City of Austin rose modestly by 2.6% to $564,000.Total sales in the metro fell 6.5%, with the city itself seeing a 1.2% decrease in closed sales.Pending sales under contract dropped 5% in the metro and 7.4% in the City of Austin, suggesting more sluggish demand at the start of 2025.Listing inventory increased 16.7% in the metro and 15.5% in the City of Austin, resulting in around 5 months of available housing inventory in both the city and greater metro.According to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, a balanced real estate market has around 6.5 months of inventory.

Decreasing jobs and decreasing population means you won't need rent control.

You can find higher ROI (on paper) here and probably in other cities…but the probability of actually collecting rent significantly decreases.

Covid saw an increase in second-home purchases and Airbnb investments, and those have increased the supply of STRs and vacation rentals in most markets, which inversely has decreased revenues and average daily rates for most hosts. 

Working with someone that knows the ins-outs of the market is what you need to do when doing flips, what are the comps, what is going on with that HOA that could cause to decrease the sales price, what the actual model match or close to it sold for...