Report: Nearly 1-in-5 DFW Homeowners Underwater
from The Dallas Morning News
Almost one in five Dallas-Fort Worth area residents with mortgages now owe more than their house is worth, according to the latest housing market measure. At the end of the first quarter, about 17 percent of DFW-area mortgage holders were "upside down" in their debt, according to new numbers from Internet marketing site Zillow.com. More

Centex Narrows Fourth Quarter Loss
from The Dallas Morning News
Dallas-based Centex Corp. reduced its losses in the first quarter of 2009. The nationwide homebuilder, which is being acquired by Pulte Homes Inc., lost $402.8 million, or $3.24 a share, in the quarter that ended March 31. A year earlier, it lost $910.5 million, or $7.36 a share. More

Texas House Leans Toward Revamped Homebuilding Agency; Critics Say Bill Falls Short
from The Dallas Morning News
The state's oft-criticized homebuilding agency would be remodeled – not demolished – under legislation the House endorsed. The bill gives some increased protections to homeowners, including expanding options for legal action against irresponsible builders, and designing a fund for homeowners who can't recover funds from developers. But opponents, some of whom believe the Texas Residential Construction Commission is beyond repair, say it doesn't go far enough. They say having a commission that effectively defends the industry it was designed to oversee is worse than having none at all. More

Housing Expert Sees Glimmers of Hope
from The Dallas Business Journal
The Dallas and Fort Worth housing market certainly isn't looking up, but there are faint signs that have given one expert a glimmer of hope. "There are a lot of these initial signs, these little hooks, that may mean we’re nearing the bottom," said Ted Wilson, principal with Dallas-based Residential Strategies Inc., who presented the company’s report on first-quarter new-home activity at Northwood Country Club in Dallas Wednesday. More

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Construction Spending Up Slightly in March
from The Austin Business Journal
Investors rushed into stocks on Monday, including those for many Austin-based companies, based on news of increases in pending U.S. home sales and construction spending for March. After five straight months of declines, the 0.3 percent increase in construction spending represented the best news for that industry since last September. More

Official: DFW Needs 10 Cent Gas Tax for Transit Projects
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
It would take a 10-cents-a-gallon gas tax increase across greater Dallas-Fort Worth to raise $370 million a year for a 200-mile commuter rail system and improvements to area highways, an official said. The potential nine-county gas tax increase was discussed at the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition, whose members are watching intently as state lawmakers negotiate a local-option-funding measure in the final weeks of the 2009 legislative session. More

How Much Ground Has Perry Gained?
from The Austin American-Statesman First Reading Blog
Gardner Selby reported about a poll that Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign sent out to supporters claiming that the gap between Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is narrowing. The main talking point from the Perry campaign, and it's not untrue, is that the race is tightening. But we have to remember that this news is coming from Perry's own pollster, who is usually extremely secretive about the polls he does for Perry. More

Houston Area Home Starts Down in First Quarter
from The Houston Chronicle
Houston-area home starts fell sharply in the first quarter as the local housing market continued to struggle amid a worsening economy and weak demand. New construction of single-family homes fell 55 percent compared with a year ago to 3,150 units, according to data released Wednesday by Metrostudy, a Houston-based market research and consulting firm. More

Job Cuts Down in April
from The Houston Business Journal
Planned job cuts announced by U.S. employers totaled 132,590 in April, a 12 percent drop from the 150,411 layoffs recorded in March. That marks the third consecutive decline in monthly job-cut announcements and the lowest total since 112,884 cuts were announced in October, according to global outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. More

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