I just read another article that says that our economy in Texas is doing well, especially in comparison to most of the nation. Economy.com rates most major metropolitan areas in Texas, like Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, with their strongest rating of "Expansion" rather than much of the country which is listed as "In Recession", "At Risk", or "Recovery". The entire list of states and metro areas with current ratings can be found here at Economy.com. Check out the article and Texas ratings as of this blog entry's publish date below:

U.S. Regional Recession Status

Stay abreast of the recession with Recession Watch

Moody's Economy.com classifies the current economic status of U.S. states and metro areas using four categories: "In Recession", "At Risk", "Recovery", or "Expansion". The evaluation of recession status is based on a six month test of either contraction or expansion. The six month test compares the six-month moving average in the current period to the six-month moving average in the period six months ago.

For a geography to be considered "In Recession", the six month test must show it to be in contraction. Furthermore, the coincident indicator cannot have yet reached a trough. If a trough has been reached, the economy has shifted from "In Recession" to "Recovery".

If the six month test shows the geography to be in expansion, then its status is either "Expansion" or "At Risk". The economy is only in "Expansion" when the coincident indicator has yet to reach a peak. If it appears that a local peak may have been reached and the coincident indicator is increasing but at a decreasing rate, then the economy is placed "At Risk".

Given the current slowing in growth driven by waning housing markets and weakness in manufacturing, it helps to have a gauge for where these fault lines are developing as there are varying levels of vulnerability across the country. This metric of recession status is just one of many ways of seeing where these problems lie.

Texas	Expansion Rating
Abilene, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Amarillo, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	At Risk
Austin-Round Rock, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	In Recession
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	At Risk
College Station-Bryan, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Corpus Christi, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division	Expansion
El Paso, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division	Expansion
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Laredo, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Longview, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Lubbock, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	At Risk
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Midland, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Odessa, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
San Angelo, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	At Risk
San Antonio, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Sherman-Denison, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Tyler, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Victoria, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Waco, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	Expansion
Wichita Falls, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area	At Risk

So remember, while the local news may be all doom and gloom in the economic and housing market, their information is generally based on national statistics... but real estate is local. What's going on around the country doesn't mean that same thing is happening in your city. In fact, real estate is so local that what is going on in another neighborhood just a few miles away may be vastly different than what's happening your neighborhood. To find out what's really going on in your area, ask an expert... a knowledgeable, trustworthy REALTOR®.

Ryan Cave, The "Caveman"
Truth, Honor & Personal Integrity
214-789-9366
www.CaveRealty.com