July 2008

The "no-risk" environment of the past few years spurred lenders to make risky loans and investors to buy those loans. Before the U.S. housing market can begin to bottom out,...

Statewide per-acre prices for Texas land rose to $2,190 in 2007, topping the $2,000 mark for the first time. Prices for small- to medium-sized properties climbed the most. Large acreage...

Texas' housing market continues to be significantly stronger than the national market. Home sales will probably decline, but prices should be flat. New home construction will remain soft until the...

Thanks to a new IRS rule, limited personal use will not prevent a rental home from qualifying for tax-free like-kind exchange treatment.

The USDA Rural Development Guaranteed Rural Housing Program enables eligible Texans with low or moderate incomes who live in rural areas to purchase homes without a down payment. More than...

The Federal Reserve raises and lowers interest rates to banks as a means of staving off recession and inflation. In the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis, rate cuts are...

Plans for the Texas Clean Energy Park include a 40-acre research campus and 100-acre industrial park for companies working on solar power, renewable energy materials and other energy-saving technologies. The...

Financial crises are usually preceded by booming economic activity. An optimistic atmosphere results in a rush-to-invest mentality that disregards the lessons of the past. After a financial "panic," safeguards are...

Business cycles are recurring wave-like fluctuations in economic activity. A study of Texas real estate business cycles confimrs that these cycles are characterized by long expansion periods followed by short...