HOUSING

Affordable housing continues to be a struggle as rent prices rise and mortgage interest rates by about 6%.

Texas had more houses on the market in July than any time since late 2020 as home sales declined in the state’s major metros. Sellers have had to cut prices to entice buyers.

The housing department’s proposed jump from $48.8 million in the current budget year to $150.2 million for FY 2023 is fueled almost entirely by the city’s first-ever housing bond, which voters approved in May. The $99.9 million in bond money is split between producing and preserving affordable housing.

A study by home-amenity company Porch ranked the San Antonio-New Braunfels area as the 12th most budget-friendly area for college students looking to rent an apartment.

Recent surges in pricing are contributing to a slowdown in the pace and competitiveness of home sales in the San Antonio region, and developers are responding in kind.

Local leaders and housing advocates are working plans to reduce the affordable housing crisis now and in the long term.

Four corporate landlords, including Dallas-based Invitation Homes, tried to evict thousands of tenants during a federal ban on evictions, according to an investigation by a congressional subcommittee.

Heat-related emergency calls have spiked amid historic heat. Cooling centers are available in major cities but often close in the late afternoon — during the hottest parts of the day.

A group of tenants and activists has been pushing against what it sees as “unfair” eviction notices and subpar conditions at Seven Oaks Apartments, such as air conditioning issues, a lack of hot water, water damage, and roaches.

San Antonio veteran uses VA loan to purchase home for her Gold Star family.

Landlords in Texas don’t have to accept renters who receive federal housing assistance, but a Denton County community is taking it a big step further: making most of the town off limits to Section 8 tenants.

The real estate market in San Antonio and around the country has seen a boom over the last few years.

At $1,209 per month, San Antonio’s average rental price is 12% more expensive than it was at the end of Q2 last year, according to the report.

From putting dinner on the table, gas in the car and a roof over the family’s head, it’s getting more challenging to make ends meet.

Austin joins at least 28 U.S. cities, like Los Angeles, Chicago and Pittsburgh, that have tried out some form of “guaranteed income” — financial assistance targeted at needy households.

As San Antonio voters decide whether to approve the city’s biggest-ever bond program, they’re also considering a new way to fund affordable housing.

The city may have turned its focus to affordable housing, but the remnants of a now-defunct incentive program will provide San Antonio's tallest apartment building millions in incentives.

Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin all ranked among the top 10 cities for new eviction filings in early April, among the 31 cities tracked by Eviction Lab.

It’s unclear whether landlords face any penalties from state agencies for improperly evicting tenants while receiving rent relief dollars intended to help those tenants stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it's been a month since SAHA's eviction moratorium ended, no evictions have started. SAHA and the city are committed to helping families in need.

Twenty-five states, including California and New York, preceded Texas in getting federally backed programs up and running to help homeowners suffering financial hardship because of COVID-19.

After being extended five times over the past two years, San Antonio's eviction moratorium is coming to an end on Feb. 28.

Renters are seeing their housing costs jump as population increases, strict zoning regulations and rising home sales push up rent prices.

House hunters are looking for ways to make their offer stand out in a housing market still seeing multiple offers, cash sales, and above-listing price bids.

Texas’ housing crunch has spread outside of the state’s major metropolitan areas and into more rural parts of Texas. Smaller cities and towns saw steep increases in home prices as COVID-19 spread.

A single father who’d been living in a van with his five children is among 538 unhoused individuals and families no longer out on the streets.

The Strategic Housing Implementation Plan - or SHIP - was approved unanimously with one abstention and a second councilwoman away from the dais. At its core, the SHIP is about helping 95,000 Bexar County households who are most at risk of housing instability.

The report, “Ousted: The City of San Antonio’s Displacement of Residents through Code Enforcement Actions,” found 626 orders to vacate and orders to demolish occupied San Antonio homes between 2015 and 2020. Meanwhile, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin issued only 16 orders between them.

In a Thursday presentation to council members, city staff showed the results of the various surveys, town hall meetings, and meetings with the Small Business Advocacy Commission from the previous months.

Evictions in major Texas cities have reached levels not seen since the pandemic began. But tenant protections and financial assistance for struggling renters are beginning to fade.

Felix and Rosalinda Reyna had been warned before leaving Kingsville, where they’d lived and worked most of their lives. San Antonio is a seller’s market, they were told, and be prepared to pay well over the asking price.

The Texas Rent Relief program stopped taking new applications at 5 p.m. Friday, citing more requests than money available. However, the City of San Antonio says its Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), which pays rent or mortgage, and utility bills for San Antonio residents affected by the pandemic, still has enough money to last through the end of the year.

Housing advocates worry some Texans won’t get the help they need as the state enters the cold winter months.

¿Busca asistencia para pagar su renta? Esto es lo que sucede cuando se intenta acceder a los fondos de ayuda distribuidos entre ciudades y condados de Texas.

City of San Antonio leaders are preparing a $1.2 billion, five-year bond program to send to voters next spring.

Episode 2 of “Solutionaries” tackles the lack of affordable housing across America and highlights the people and organizations who are working to solve the crisis.

When you hear the term “affordable housing,” what do you think of?

There’s $1 billion in rental assistance available to struggling Texas tenants. But for many renters, getting the help they need depends on where they live.

With a U.S. Supreme Court decision putting an end to a federal moratorium on evictions, San Antonio officials hope rental assistance programs could help lessen what some have feared could be a wave of new evictions.

We’ve all heard about it by now: Houses are selling like crazy (and they have been for quite some time), interest rates have been at all-time lows, and it seems like everywhere you turn, you learn of another wild real estate story.

Nonprofits and the city of San Antonio are forced to stretch their budget as the price of homes and building materials rise, presenting a challenge in creating affordable housing for low-income communities.

In the first phase of funding from the federal government for emergency rental assistance, Texas received about $2 billion. Now the state has to get those funds in the hands of Texans.

A group of housing advocates protested in front of City Hall to voice their concerns about affordable housing in San Antonio.

The extension comes as the federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire on July 31.

Would you buy a house with a giant tree growing through the kitchen?

Life expectancy declined more in the North West in 2020 than in England overall, a report finds.

Because there’s already a $5,000 minimum for its current exemption, city staff say boosting the homestead exemption to 5% would only save the average San Antonio homeowner with a $195,730 home an extra $27 each year.

The agency cited the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant as reason to keep the anti-eviction measure in place.

A campus geared toward healing education, training, entertainment and living is inching closer to breaking ground.

On the eve of a city council shakeup, a controversial housing development project on the near East Side got the approval it needed to go forward from a board of five council members.

Current owners with a tight budget also could benefit with energy-efficient improvements.

As you’ve probably heard, the housing market is hot, hot, hot. And it seems clear that people don’t just have kids or other family members in mind when it comes to choosing where they want to move.

Housing's fitful rebound Buyers are eager, but tight credit and higher mortgage rates are holding some back, says Ronald Kaplan, CEO of decking company Trex