The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M compares markets for development land investments. Types of Texas development land sold in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos real estate and San Antonio-New Braunfels were categorized as:
- Land in Office Parks
- Land in Industrial Parks
- Office/Industrial Land, Non-Park
- Retail/commercial Land
- Residential
Price per acre in San Antonio ranged from $9,000 to $60,000 for Residential Developments. Land in Office Parks ranged from $76,000 to $476,000 per acre, Land in Industrial Parks and Office and Industrial Land in Non-Parks ranged from $43,560 to $220,000, and Retail/Commercial Land $100,000 to $795,000 per acre.
The prices for development land in Austin Texas were substantially lower. Residential land ranged from $10,000 to $40,000 per acre. Land in Office Parks $175,000 to $325,000, Land in Industrial Parks and Office/Industrial Land, Non-Park $75,000 to $218,000. Retail/Commercial Land ranged from $218,000 to $523,000 per acre.
Housing in Texas is faring better than in the United States in general, but prices are nonetheless approximately at the same values as we experienced a decade ago. Home Price Appreciation 4Q 09 mirrors the Texas average. San Angelo is slightly higher. Austin is just below the Texas average. Texas Hill Country real estate ranks slightly above the Texas average and approximately four percent above the USA average for Home Price Appreciation.
On the other hand, in their Overview of the Texas economy, the Real Estate Center reported that Sales per Capita have risen dramatically in the past ten years. In San Antonio-New Braunfels region, the gross retail Sales per Capita averaged $10,342 in 1998 and they were $13,190 ten years later. The Texas average was $16,904 in 2008. San Angelo changed similarly. For Gross Retail Sales in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA, the Sales per Capita in 1998 was $12,062 and in 2008 $14,188.
In the last year, from September 2009 to September 2010, the Texas economy added 166,000 jobs. In the same period, the US economy gained 321,000. The state is holding its own and Hill Country homes are sought for investments, vacations, and for full-time residences. For information about real estate, investments, land, and custom homes in the Hill Country, contact Dale Cook of SAGE - Premium Real Estate at 830-997-1035.
