ATX: the Austin Real Estate Life Blog

  Well, the budget discussions are really beginning in earnest this week. It’s not going to be easy. It fact, it could be a real dog fight. The City of Austin’s budget is a complex document for a complex operation. It includes 40 different departments. Some departments, such as fire, parks, police, and public health are funded with property and sales taxes. We call that the “General Fund” budget. Others, like Austin Energy, Austin Water, and the airport, are known as "Enterprise Departments" because they are funded by rates and fees. The budget process sort of officially began last February with the Budget Forecast . But it takes a big step when, according to the City Charter, the City Manager proposes an actual budget for consideration by the Council. He did that last Friday by releasing a draft $6.6 billion budget. $1.54 billion of that budget proposal (23.3%) is for the General Fund. $4.38 billion (66.46%) is for the Enterprise departments. What’s the Manager’s proposal? ...

  The New 2026 Housing Law, Explained in Plain English | Austin Silent Market Austin Silent Market Off-Market Real Estate · Austin, Texas Market Intelligence · July 2026 The New 2026 Housing Law, Explained in Plain English Congress just passed the biggest federal housing package in roughly three decades — the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. Here's what's actually in it, and what it means for everyday buyers, sellers, and renters. Austin Silent Market  ·  7-Minute Read On July 11, 2026, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act officially became law. It passed with rare, overwhelming bipartisan support — 85–5 in the Senate and 358–32 in the House — and it's the first major federal housing overhaul in more than 30 years. If you've felt like homeownership keeps drifting further out of reach, you're not imagining it. The median existing home in America now costs ro...

 

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