The past year was a busy one for realtors in Texas, but it’s entirely possible that things aren’t going to slow down any time soon.

Once again, real estate experts and economists expect Austin to be one of the hottest spots in the country for real estate, outpacing the demand and growth in Phoenix, Nashville, Denver, and even Tampa, according to a report on Zillow.

People want to move to Texas, but the supply is not yet ready to meet that demand, and housing prices are soaring across the state. The pandemic didn’t slow the number of people coming to Texas – and realtors are taking notice, like Nikki Barringer, who joined Good Day recently to discuss the housing situation in the state. “I think we’ve got a lot going on right now. We definitely have a home shortage,” she said. “We’ve got 370,000 people that moved here last year.”

The demand has driven prices up. According to Dallas Morning News, home prices are up some 26% compared to last year. People are paying more than asking, and they’re not blinking when they do it. But there are buyers who are willing to give sellers a little extra time.

Barringer said that some buyers are willing to give sellers an extra 30-60 days to find their new home before they must vacate the home they’re selling. And something else that adds to the housing crunch is that many of those who were expected to retire have not done that, which only diminishes supply and makes it harder for the community to meet the demand for homes.