Business leaders from throughout the real estate industry spent most of this week in Austin focused on solving the affordable housing shortage that is reaching crisis levels in Austin and most other major cities around the country. The draw for the roughly 1,000 visitors was the annual Texas Housing Conference, organized by the Texas Affiliation […]
Housing
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City wants to put the word out about affordable housing
What is an “affordable unit”? Who qualifies for one? And above all else, where are these units, and how do you get one? A resolution approved unanimously on Thursday by the City Council Housing and Planning Committee asks city staff to develop a program to connect low-income tenants to available income-restricted units. The resolution suggests […]
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More horror stories emerge from city program
Since the Austin Monitor published the story last month detailing problems some Austinites have had with contractors hired by the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development department to rehabilitate their homes, more people have come forward with their own horror stories. This time, the contractor in question is Camilo Garcia Construction Inc. of San Antonio. This […]
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Advocates say HUD proposal to raise rents could hurt struggling families in Austin
Watchdog groups in Austin say a plan to raise rents for millions of people who get federal housing assistance would hurt the area’s most vulnerable residents. “What this will do is increase housing costs, force more families to choose between food and the rent, medical care and the rent, utilities and the rent,” Maddie Sloan, […]
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Council wants to help homeowners resist ‘predatory home flipping’
City Council Member Delia Garza has no interest in selling her home in Southeast Austin, but she was intrigued by a letter she received in the mail recently from somebody interested in buying it. An ominous all-caps headline on the yellow card reads, “THIRD NOTICE” – language one would expect on an overdue bill. Below […]
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Austin renters facing eviction could get help through a new counseling service
David Jones has been renting his apartment in North Austin for four years. He’s grown an impressive herb garden on his front porch: Rows of parsley, oregano and thyme line one side. He’s a veteran on a fixed income, and his housing story hasn’t been an easy one. “In 1999, I was renting a house […]
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Real estate leaders tackle equity, housing affordability at ULI breakfast
Austin’s ability to continue its rapid economic and population growth while trying to keep longtime residents from being forced out due to affordability issues was the topic of the day at Wednesday’s breakfast meeting for the Urban Land Institute. The professional trade group focused around property developers, brokers and other professionals in the real estate […]
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Some say city’s home rehab loans hurt them
Three Austinites have told the Austin Monitor their homes have suffered serious damage at the hands of a specific contractor hired by the city to improve their homes through the Home Rehabilitation Loan Program. And a fourth homeowner has expressed dissatisfaction with work done by that contractor under a separate city program to provide an […]
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Fund to preserve workforce housing begins the hunt for first 1,000 units
A group of real estate investors focused on preserving housing for Austin’s middle-class workforce is on the hunt for properties, with the goal of purchasing up to 1,000 apartment units within the next year. The Austin Housing Conservancy announced last week that it has received commitments from its first 20 investors and can begin negotiating […]
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City proposes ways to reduce permitting costs for homeowners
In November of last year, City Council approved a resolution aimed at making it easier and cheaper for homeowners to repair or renovate their houses. The resolution asked the Development Services Department to consider setting up a separate, simpler permitting process for homeowners, including a dedicated team of city staff that could help property owners […]
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Garza, Renteria, Casar unveil Housing Justice Agenda
Three City Council members say they are united to push for a series of aggressive affordable housing measures, including a major increase in housing subsidies and reforms of the land development code. At a panel at the Austin Convention Center Tuesday afternoon, Council members Delia Garza, Pio Renteria and Greg Casar described seven parts of […]
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Council approves compromise to redevelop and preserve Rosewood Courts
City Council voted Thursday to permanently preserve eight buildings that are a part of Rosewood Courts, a public housing development in East Austin that was built 80 years ago for African-Americans with funds from the newly created United States Housing Authority. Under the plan approved unanimously by Council, the exteriors of eight buildings along Chicon […]