Housing

The idea was simple. Take existing hotel rooms and turn them into apartments. It would be quick and cheap, elected officials said. However, opening Pecan Gardens was anything but.

A third of neighborhoods in the Austin metro are what researchers call "rental deserts," or neighborhoods where it’s difficult to find a home for rent.

A new report shows renters and homeowners are under significant strain from housing costs. Housing affordability is slipping faster in Texas than the national average.

Since May 2023, the average monthly rent in the Austin area has declined. Prices are down 6% compared to this time last year.

For the first time in 80 years, Austin's elected leaders have voted to lower the amount of space needed to build one house — down to 1,800 square feet of land.

Three areas on the outskirts will be disannexed from the city. In one case, a single voter made the call.

The biggest obstacle to putting beds in place of desks and work stations comes from the far different space needs for the two uses.

Since at least 2002, developers have built thousands of windowless bedrooms in the city, most of them in apartment buildings meant for university students.

University students, along with professors, have advocated for this change, arguing that living in bedrooms without windows is unhealthy.

The National Association of Realtors has reached a national settlement that could change the way real estate agents are paid. Critics say the current system keeps commissions artificially high.