Pending home sales fell 5.4% in June

Plus: Arlington Realtor arrested in 2012 cold case homicide

July 21, 2026

📰 Tuesday's here. Today's newsletter is 673 words — a 2.5-minute read. Dive in…

1. Pending home sales fell 5.4% in June

Pending home sales fell 5.4% in June from May and 0.3% year over year, as higher borrowing costs and record prices kept buyers on the sidelines, according to the National Association of Realtors.

NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun pointed to mortgage rates near 6.6% and a median existing-home price that hit a record $440,600 earlier this year. First-time buyers continue to face the steepest affordability hurdles.

Austin bucked the trend, posting an 11.1% year-over-year gain — sixth-best among large metros nationally and tops in Texas — even as pending sales across the South fell 0.9% annually and 4.1% from May.

2. Arlington Realtor arrested in 2012 cold case homicide

An Arlington Realtor has been arrested in the 2012 killing of fellow real estate agent Irasema Chavez, breaking open one of the city's longest-running unsolved homicide cases. Police charged 42-year-old Mayra Velasquez with capital murder after reopening the investigation using new forensic leads. Chavez, 26, was found dead in her Arlington apartment in January 2012.

Investigators collected DNA evidence during the original probe but couldn't identify a suspect through law enforcement databases at the time. In late 2024, Arlington police partnered with the FBI's Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program, which generated new leads in early 2026 and ultimately led to Velasquez's arrest.

Authorities haven't disclosed the specific evidence behind the charge, saying the case remains under investigation. Police and the FBI are expected to release more details as it moves through the court system.

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3. Catch up quick

🏘️ More than 6,200 homes planned for new master-planned community in Kyle. (Chron)

🤝 RealPage acquires AI real estate data firm Cherre. (RealPage)

💰 Short sales now recover more value than foreclosures. (Realtor.com)

🚨 Two Frisco developers ordered to pay more than $400 million in fraud case. (TRD)

📉 Starter home inventory remains 300,000 listings below pre-pandemic levels. (Realtor.com)

4. Builder confidence falls in July

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell 2 points to 34 in July, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index — the 15th straight month below 40, the longest stretch since 2012.

All three key indicators declined: current sales conditions slipped to 37, future sales expectations fell to 43, and prospective buyer traffic dropped to 23.

Builders leaned harder on incentives to move inventory. 37% cut prices in July, up from 35% in June, with the average reduction holding steady at 6%. Sixty-three percent offered sales incentives — the 16th straight month above 60%.

“With the HMI below 40 for 15 straight months, affordability remains the home building industry’s primary challenge, as elevated mortgage rates, costly land, rising material prices, and persistent skilled labor shortages continue to affect the market,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz.

5. Amarillo named Texas' best city for renters

A new WalletHub study named Amarillo the best city for renters in Texas and No. 10 nationally, citing its affordable rents, low cost of living, and strong quality of life.

  • Plano (No. 12), Austin (No. 13), and El Paso (No. 24) also cracked the national top 25.

Twelve Texas cities landed in the top 100 overall, including Fort Worth, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and Arlington — underscoring the state's continued draw for renters.

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