MANY MIGRATE TO TEXAS

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – Texas had the highest net migration in the country in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

As other states suffered through a falling economy last year, the Lone Star State experienced an influx of residents, thanks to relatively stable housing and employment markets.
The population grew by 140,000 in 2008, after subtracting those leaving the state from those moving into it.

The Census Bureau also reported that fewer residents were moving within their home states.
The percentage of people who lived in different homes within the same state dropped to 12.6 percent during 2008. It was 12.8 percent in 2007 and 13 percent in 2005, when housing markets were hopping.

POSITIVE PREDICTIONS FOR TEXAS ECONOMY

AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) – The Texas economy is predicted to begin a slow, steady recovery in 2010, according to BBVA Compass’ U.S. Regional Watch third-quarter report.
The report predicts a 1.7 percent increase in the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010, following a small contraction in 2009. This will be aided in part by a surge in home sales, according to the bank’s economists.

Home sales across Texas are predicted to increase by 4.5 percent in 2010 after declining by 12 percent by the end of 2009.

Though Texas projected a 9.5 percent deficit at the beginning of the year, it is the only state among the seven Sun Belt states covered by BBVA Compass to forecast a balanced budget in 2010.

The report also said that Texas will benefit the most from funding through the federal government stimulus program, considering the amount of money to be received by the state equates to its entire 2009 budget shortfall.

BUILDER CONFIDENCE RISES AGAIN

WASHINGTON (National Association of Home Builders) – Builder confidence in the new single-family home market edged higher for a third consecutive month in September, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released Wednesday.

The HMI rose one point to 19 this month, its highest level since May 2008.
The HMI gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as "good," "fair" or "poor."

The index gauging current sales conditions rose two points to 18, while the index gauging traffic of prospective buyers rose one point to 17. Meanwhile, the index gauging sales expectations for the next six months declined one point to 29.

Specifically, the Southern region of the United States posted a two-point gain to 19.

TEXAS TO LEAD ECONOMIC RECOVERY

SAN ANTONIO (San Antonio Business Journal) – The four major Texas metros will be among the first in the nation to recover from the recession, according to a nationwide forecast by IHS Global Insight.

San Antonio and Austin will lead the way, bouncing back to their prerecession job levels sometime next year, predicts the Lexington, Mass.–based economic forecasting firm.
Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth are among eight other metropolitan areas predicted to recover by 2011.

TEXAS CITIES RANK HIGH ON ECONOMY, HOUSING PRICES

TEXAS (Dallas Morning News) – Texas metros boast the strongest economies, according to a just-released analysis by the Brookings Institution.
Austin ranked first in a second-quarter comparison of 100 U.S. cities. Dallas–Fort Worth ranked fourth and El Paso sixth.

Houston's economy landed it at ninth, but the Bayou City ranked first among cities with the biggest increases in home prices. Local home prices jumped 4.9 percent over the last year.
Third-ranked DFW had a 3.8 percent increase in home prices, while tenth-ranked San Antonio had a 3.1 percent increase.