Texas

A year-end surge in Dallas-area home sales is carrying over into the New Year, and local real estate agents are hoping that the increase in business will stretch into the summer.

The pace of new-home sales slowed in Houston and other top Texas markets in December, according to a new HomesUSA.com report.

As expected, 2019 was another banner year for the Austin-area housing market.

A bankruptcy court judge denied a lender's motion to foreclose on properties controlled by an Austin real estate investor. But the judge then issued a warning, saying an exit plan better be ready by Feb. 2.

A lender that provided more than $388 million to finance one of Plano's biggest real estate developments has filed to foreclose on the project.

While buying a home in most markets results in lower monthly housing payments, in the nation's most populated counties renting is the more affordable option, Attom Data Solutions said.

The owners of the former 3M corporate campus filed under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, which cancelled a scheduled foreclosure auction of the Austin property.

Former Obama Administration Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro dropped out of the presidential race after lagging in fundraising and polls.

Houston secured the top spot in the new-home sales market in Texas as builders sold 1,481 new homes in the area in November.

Dallas-Fort Worth home sales and construction totals are expected to rise only modestly in 2020, but the expected increases could still be enough to push area home numbers to new highs.