CBS DFW reports from Texas. "Despite a nationwide decline of new homes sales, North Texas is once again serving as an exception to the trend. Tony Caballero, of Net Worth Realty, says people are outbidding one another to get into these houses. Caballero said, 'Most people are paying 18 to 20 percent above market value just because there is no supply out there, and they want to buy a house and they can afford it.'"

"He went on to say if there is a new home market problem in DFW, it is that there aren’t enough of them. Caballero added, 'The labor can’t keep up with the demand. I mean they just can’t build them fast enough.'"

The Dallas Business Journal. "Land investment firm Encore Land LLC, a division of Dallas-based Encore Enterprises Inc., plans to develop 3,100 home lots throughout North Texas in the next year. 'We estimate that there are currently only 3,000 finished vacant homes available in the DFW market,' said Encore Enterprises Chairman Bharat Sangani."

From WFAA.com. "The remodeling business in North Texas is going 'through the roof' says Sandy Tabacinic, owner of Homecorp. 'It’s absolutely insane. It is the highest amount of projects I have had in years,' she said. 'In the nine years I have been doing this, never this much.'"

"Mindy Albert said her family shopped around for another house and found properties priced at 'upwards of $500,000 for a comparable house to what we have now.' And what she (and many North Texas homeowners) have now is a home that’s worth more. That’s allowing many people to afford a home equity loan to improve their living space. 'It seems like everyone around us is renovating, also,' she said. 'It’s definitely the buzz of the neighborhood and a lot of it is going on.'"

The Austin Business Journal. "The short term prognosis for new housing in Austin is all systems go. The long term situation could be greatly tempered, however, by escalating material costs, labor shortages and fewer attractive land options. Last fall the Austin Business Journal reported that the median annual income of $56,076 in Austin only typically qualifies for a loan of $195,756. Yet Solimine said the average target price of a Standard Pacific Home in the Austin market currently is $460,000."

"'We haven’t hit the pricing tipping point yet. People are still moving here and buying homes,' said April Solimine, VP of sales and marketing for Standard Pacific Homes in Austin. 'I don’t necessarily see it slowing down but how deep can you go at that price point?'"

The Midland Reporter Telegram. "Midlander Chelsea Dey and her roommate last month closed on a three-bedroom house, allowing them to finally achieve the American dream of owning a home. But that same dream for many other millennials is increasingly inching out of reach as home values around the Tall City continue to climb. Dey, 26, works for a local nonprofit organization. Troubled by how expensive homes have become in recent years, she said she never would have been able to afford a house if her parents hadn’t loaned her the money for a down payment. 'Working in a nonprofit, I would say it’s pretty close to impossible to save up a down payment,' Dey said."

"The median price of a Midland home grew more than 23 percent year-over-year in June, pushing the value up to $283,100, according to the most recent data from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. A national real estate data firm released statistics indicating that Midlanders who’ve already purchased a house are also struggling to cope with the rising cost. The percentage of loans that were more than 90 days delinquent in May increased year-over-year for the first time in nearly four years, according to CoreLogic."

"The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced in December the new loan limits for 2014. The limit was unchanged for Midland, staying at a $271,050 maximum. Midland’s FHA loan limit is now less than the most recent median home price, meaning borrowers are more likely to turn to the less-forgiving underwriting standards of conventional or jumbo loans that typically require stronger credit scores and higher down payments."

"Brian Sales, Permian Basin Board of Realtors president, said the community is likely growing faster than governmental agencies, such as HUD, can keep up with -- meaning Midland’s loan limits may not be as high as they should be. 'We’re probably approaching a point where a review may be necessary,' Sales said."

From El Paso Inc.. "Shavana Turay, an Army captain who’s been at Fort Bliss for four years, recently got orders for Hawaii. But she and her husband, Foday, won’t bother trying to sell their home. Because they know they can’t. 'We’re getting ready to move, but we know we won’t be able to sell it, so we’re going to rent it out,' she said, referring to a three-bedroom house they bought just last year outside the city limits."

"Their plan is to wait five years or so until no more new homes are being built in their subdivision, Americas Estate One, and, they hope, the market has improved. Her former neighbor had to do the same thing and was lucky to find a good renter quickly. That, says real estate agent Patrick Tuttle, is typical of what is happening to Fort Bliss soldiers these days and to the El Paso housing market as well. 'It’s tough,' Tuttle said. 'As of July 2, we had an 8½-month supply of homes on the market.'"

"He explained that when the number of troops at Fort Bliss was growing a few years ago, many bought homes, expecting to be in El Paso long enough to make money on the sale when they left. For the most part, they were buying homes in the $150,000 to $175,000 range and builders were able to shave points off the closing costs, as were mortgage companies. 'Then, in two or three years, when they get transferred out or leave the service, they’ll put it on the market,' he said. 'But they have zero appreciation on the value, and they’re competing against the same builder who sold them the house. They can’t compete.'"

"That’s because prospective buyers may have enough cash for a down payment, but not for the closing costs. The sellers can’t help them with that, but the builder can and happily will, so they buy from the builder, and the would-be sellers are left to try the rental market, Tuttle said. 'We have a lot of soldiers’ homes that are on the market waiting to be rented, and there’s still construction going on Fort Bliss for soldier housing,' he said. 'So, we have a glut of resale of used homes, new homes and of rental homes in our market.'"