Editor's note: As 2023 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Austin this year, starting with the red-hot topic of real estate. Following booming growth since the pandemic, Austin's real estate market has seen some dramatic swings, but that's not all that happened this year. From Austin's neighboring towns soaring to new heights, to reinvigorating renovation plans throughout the city, here are the hottest real estate headlines of 2023.
1. Surprising Central Texas city boasts No. 1 U.S. housing market for first-time buyers. Homebuyers looking to live outside of the bustling big city should turn their attention 70 miles north of Austin, to Killeen.
2. Austin suburb boasts 9th hottest ZIP code in U.S. for buyers, report says.Leander — a city of 67,000 about a half-hour northwest of Austin — is a big magnet for homebuyers across the country.
3. Extravagant estate in West Austin hits the market for $4.25 million. An imperial estate in the Rob Roy on the Creek neighborhood of West Austin went on the market earlier this year.
The estate is located at 8105 Talbot Lane in West Austin.
Photo courtesy of JPM Real Estate Photography
4. Interest in moving to Austin has waned and more people are turning to the 'burbs, new report finds. Despite being one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the nation, interest in relocating to Austin is becoming less focused on the city, and more on the suburbs.
5. These 3 Austin neighbors are the fastest-growing affordable suburbs in the U.S., report finds. According to moving experts at MoveBuddha, Georgetown, Kyle, and Leander were the top three fastest-growing affordable suburbs in the country. This list of 20 echos a similar report from the U.S. Census Bureau that named Georgetown the fastest-growing city in the country, with Kyle, Leander, and other Austin neighbors close behind.
6. Famous Austin mall unveils luxury renovations to its domain through 2025. Despite already being one of the sleeker areas in Austin, The Domain is getting a multi-phase, multimillion-dollar renovation over the next two years.
7. Austin's Sixth Street gets a new look with construction starting in early 2024. Although Austinites have fond memories and enduring favorite spots across our famous 6th Street, some places are worse for wear — and that's putting it lightly.
Starting in January of 2024, Sixth Street is getting a facade makeover.
Rendering courtesy of Clayton Korte
8. Fairytale castle 2 hours from Austin is back on the market for $5.5 million. The Parsons Castle in Clifton (near Waco) is a glorious cliffside escape with an apt nickname: The Getaway Capital of Texas.
9. New homes in one of Austin’s most expensive neighborhoods to begin at $12.5M. Development plans for a secluded, luxury residential community were announced in Westlake Hills, one of Austin’s most expensive neighborhoods.
10. New Riverside complex plots massive mixed-use development for East Austin. A 22-and-a-half-acre section of East Austin is getting a modern transformation in a bid to bring office, retail, and residential space to local tech workers and families.
