The San Antonio housing market set new records in 2017, with 30,715 homes sold in the metro area last year, four percent more than in 2016, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Lorena Pena, the Chair of the San Antonio Board of Realtors, credits the strong local economy, continued low mortgage interest rates, and the fact that San Antonio's housing costs remain below many of the other desirable, booming cities across the country.
She says there is no indication that those factors won't help 2018 be a strong year for real estate as well.
She says days on the market feel in 2017, allowing home buyers to sell quickly, and forcing buyers to be ready make a decision.
"Inventory is low, but it just has Realtors prepare their buyers to make quick decisions," she said.So what is hot in homes these days?
One thing, Pena said, is we are so over the 'fixer upper' thing.
"I think they are living busier lives, and like to be able to move in, and be ready to go," she said.
She says kitchens and bathrooms still sell homes, but she says there is a trend of buyers looking closely at the secondary bedrooms, and looking at them for flexible options, like reading room, sewing room, or media center.
What about the higher price of homes?
The average sales price in 2017 (admittedly helped along by an increase in something else relatively new to San Antonio, million dollar listings) was up four percent over 2016.
Pena says you can't compare prices to previous prices in this market when it comes to sales, because buyers don't care what the price of a home was two years ago. They compare it to prices in other desirable, booming cities and, have you checked out the price of homes in San Francisco or Seattle lately?
"We are the seventh largest city in America, but we are still so affordable."