New Home Sales in Texas Peak in December as Inventory Tightens


HomesUSA.com reports lower Days on Market and Higher Prices

DALLAS, Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New home sales in Texas peaked in December, higher in all four of its major new home markets last month, according to a new report from HomesUSA.com, based on 12-month moving averages. Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio all reported fewer Days on Market for new homes sold in December as inventory continues to tighten.

The HomesUSA.com report is based on data from the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems, Houston Association of REALTORS, Austin Board of REALTORS Multiple Listing Services and San Antonio Board of REALTORS.

“Texas new home sales hit a high last month, a shining silver lining in an otherwise dark year for much of the economy,” said Ben Caballero, owner of HomesUSA.com and a current Guinness World Record title holder, citing the 12-month moving average of new home sales. “But we are seeing the rapid sales pace continuing to cause inventory to tighten as active listings continue to decline. Builders are trying to build homes fast enough to meet the phenomenal demand we continue to see in Texas.”

Throughout 2020, the sales velocity of new homes improved, and in December as the Days on Market (DOM) dropped to 94.49 days from 96.82 days in November, according to the HomesUSA.com New Home Sales Index. “New homes DOM averages 60 days higher than existing home sales because most are listed in the Multiple Listing Service before construction is complete,” Caballero explained.

New home sales in December recorded its highest number for the year statewide, based on the 12-month moving average, as did its largest new home markets, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio with sales last month of 4,550 versus 4,434 in November.

HomesUSA.com notes that pending sales were also up for December overall, but active listings show the continued inventory tightening. The 12-month average of pending sales last month was 5,725 versus 5,585 in November. Active new home listings were down statewide in December to 21,872 versus 21,964 in November, excluding San Antonio, which does not report this data.

New home prices statewide in December rose to $358,928 versus $358,050 in November, based on the 12-month moving average, and were higher in all major markets, including Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio.

Caballero is sharing the HomesUSA.com New Homes Report in advance of the release by the Commerce Department of its nationwide New Residential Sales report for December set for Thursday, January 28, at 10:00 am Eastern.

Days on Market – New Homes in Texas (Exclusive Data)
New home days on market fell statewide last month as the 12-month moving average for Days on Market dropped for new homes sales in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. According to the HomesUSA.com New Home Sales Index, the DOM for Dallas-Ft. Worth was 89.35 days in December versus 91.62 days in November. In Houston, the DOM was 106.45 days in December versus 109.02 days in November. Austin's DOM was 85.30 days in December versus 87.43 days in November. In San Antonio, the DOM was 89.05 days in December versus 91.26 days in November. (See Chart 1: Texas New Homes Days on Market)

Texas New Home Sales Data
New home sales peaked for the year in all four major markets, according to the 12-month moving averages. In Dallas-Ft. Worth, December sales totaled 1,593 versus 1,564 in November. Houston posted December sales totaling 1,546 versus 1,499 in November, while Austin’s December sales were up, totaling 755 versus 730 in November. In San Antonio, December sales totaled 656 versus 642 in November. (See Chart 2: Texas New Home Sales)

Texas New Home Prices
In all four of the state’s biggest new homes markets – Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio -- the 12-month moving average price was higher. Dallas-Ft. Worth reported its average price was $373,360 in December versus $373,128 in November. In Houston, the average new home price was $348,789 in December versus $348,181 in November. Austin's average price was $400,650 in December versus $397,504 in November. In San Antonio, the average price was $299,873 in December versus $299,321 in November. (See Chart 3: Texas New Home Prices)

Texas Sales-to-List Price Ratio
Home buyers are purchasing new homes closer to the asking price in 2020. Sales prices as a percent of list prices have been tightening slightly since the beginning of the year. The 12-month moving average of the December sales-to-list price ratio for new homes statewide was 98.523 percent of the asking price versus 97.938 percent in January 2020. In Dallas-Ft. Worth, it was 98.155 percent in December versus 97.812 percent in January 2020. In Houston, it was 97.947 percent in December versus 97.522 percent in January 2020. The Austin ratio was 98.943 percent in December versus 98.664 percent in January 2020, and San Antonio's ratio was 98.437 percent last month versus 98.379 percent in January 2020. (See Chart 4: Texas Sales-to-List Price Ratio)

Texas Pending New Homes Sales Data
The 12-month moving average for pending new home sales were higher last month, as all of the state's top new home markets reported rising pending sales, based on 12-month moving averages. In Dallas-Ft. Worth, last month’s pending sales were 1,950 versus 1,919 in November. In Houston, December's pending sales were 1,867 versus 1,840 in November. In Austin, it was 1,048 in December versus 986 in November, and in San Antonio, it was 860 last month versus 840 in November. (See Chart 5: Texas Pending New Home Sales)

Texas Active Listings for New Homes
The 12-month moving average for active listings new home sales continued to decline in December. Dallas-Ft. Worth reported 6,640 last month versus 6,741 in November and in Houston, last month’s Active Listings were 8,279 versus 8,375 in November. In Austin, it was 3,287 in December versus 3,401 in November. (There is no data currently available for San Antonio) (See Chart 6: Texas Pending New Home Sales)

About the HomesUSA.com New Home Sales Index
The HomesUSA.com Index is a 12-month moving average of the Days on Market (DOM) for new homes listed in the local Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) for the four largest Texas markets, including Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Created by Ben Caballero, founder and CEO of HomesUSA.com, it is the first index to track Texas’ new home market specifically.

About Ben Caballero and HomesUSA.com®
Ben Caballero, founder and CEO of HomesUSA.com, holds the current Guinness World Record title for “Most annual home sale transactions through MLS by an individual sell side real estate agent.” Ranked by REAL Trends as America’s top real estate agent for home sales since 2013, Ben is the most productive real estate agent in U.S. history. He is the only agent to exceed $1 billion in residential sales transactions in a single year, a feat first achieved in 2015 and repeated each year through 2018, when he achieved more than $2 billion. An award-winning innovator and technology pioneer, Ben works with more than 60 home builders in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. His podcast series is available on iTunes and Google Podcasts. An infographic illustrating Ben’s sales production is here. Learn more at HomesUSA.com |Twitter: @bcaballero - @HomesUSA | Facebook: /HomesUSAdotcom.

Note for journalists: You may contact Ben Caballero directly on his cell at (214) 616-9222 or by email at ben@homesusa.com.

"REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics."

Media Contact:
Kevin Hawkins
(206) 866-1220
kevin@wavgroup.com

Image: Ben Caballero
https://www.homesusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/L-38017_bcaballero_photo.jpg

Individual Chart images:

Chart 1: Texas New Homes Tracking - Days on Market – December 2020: https://homesusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Chart-1-Texas-Days-on-Market.jpg

Chart 2: Texas New Home Sales – December 2020: https://homesusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Chart-2-Texas-New-Home-Sales.jpg

Chart 3: Texas New Home Sales Prices – December 2020: https://homesusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Chart-3-Texas-New-Home-Prices.jpg

Chart 4: Texas Sales-to-List-Price Ratio – December 2020: https://homesusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Chart-4-Texas-Sales-to-List-Price-Ratio.jpg

Chart 5: Texas Pending New Home Sales – December 2020: https://homesusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Chart-5-Texas-Pending-New-Home-Sales.jpg

Chart 6: Texas Active Listings for New Homes – December 2020: https://homesusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Chart-6-Texas-Active-Listings.jpg

Chart 7: Texas 3-Month Rolling Averages – New Homes – December 2020: https://homesusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Chart-7-3MonthChart-DataOnly.jpg


Chart-1-Texas-Days-on-Market Chart 2: Texas New Home Sales - December 2020 Chart 3: Texas New Home Prices - December 2020 Chart 4: Sales-to-List-Price Ratio Data for Texas New Homes - December 2020 Chart 5: Texas Pending New Homes Sales - December 2020 Chart 6: Active Listings for New Home Sales - December 2020 Chart-7-3MonthChart-DataOnly Ben Caballero of HomesUSA.com