The Dallas-Fort Worth area exemplifies a renewed faith in the housing market.
“With home prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth area soaring over the last few years, local property owners are sitting on billions of dollars,” according to an article by Steve Brown.
All that cash is due to the region having some of the highest home equity rates in the country, according to a recent analysis by CoreLogic.
“With so much money locked in housing, the number of consumers breaking into that piggy bank is growing. Homeowners are refinancing their properties to pull out cash or getting lines of credit tied to the equity in their homes,” according to Brown. That behavior seems reminiscent of times before the year 2008, but Brown also notes some key distinctions between then and now.
FULL STORY: Soaring home values are fueling a rise in cash-out loans and credit
Federal Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium Extended Until the End of August
Breaking news: a federal moratorium on evictions and foreclosures of single-family mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be extended until at least the end of August. The moratorium had been set to expire at the end of June.
Few Homeowners in Forbearance in April; Number Expected to Grow
The Mortgage Bankers Association surveyed the U.S. home mortgage servicing market for indications about how the nation's 26.9 million home loans were holding up during the first weeks of the pandemic.
Texas Losing its Housing Affordability Advantage
Trends pre-dating Covid-19 showed housing affordability slipping away from many residents in Texas. The pandemic will likely only exacerbate the trend, according to this analysis.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association