Latest news with #SanAntonio-area
Axios
03-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
You need a $58K salary to afford rent in the San Antonio area
You have to earn more than $58,000 per year to afford the typical monthly rent in the San Antonio area, according to a new Zillow report. Why it matters: That's about 19% higher than what a San Antonio household would have needed to earn five years ago, per the analysis. What they did: Zillow assumed that rent should take up no more than 30% of household income — a common standard for calculating affordability. Zoom in: By that measure, affording the typical San Antonio-area rent — which came in at $1,465 in April — requires an annual income of $58,590. The big picture: San Antonio has the lowest rents — and requires the lowest income to afford them — among major Texas cities.
Axios
05-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Most San Antonio homes are selling below asking price
More than 80% of San Antonio-area homes sold below their original listing price in February, according to Redfin data. The big picture: Nationally, as inventory grows and buyers gain negotiating power, more homes are selling below their original listing price compared to a year ago, Redfin reports. Zoom in: In the San Antonio metro, 81.2% of homes sold below their original asking price in February — trailing only the Florida cities of West Palm Beach (88.2%), Cape Coral (87.7%), Fort Lauderdale (85.7%), and Miami (83.7%). 9.3% of area homes sold above listing price and 9.5% at listing price in February. The median original list price in San Antonio in February was $305,000. Yes, but: The report doesn't say how much below list price, on average, homes sold for. What they're saying:"Many home sellers shoot for the moon when pricing their homes and end up getting less money than they hoped for," Redfin's Lily Katz and Asad Khan wrote. Zoom out: 64.2% of U.S. homes sold below their original list price in February, up from 60.9% a year earlier, per the data. Between the lines: The share of homes selling above list price soared when COVID unleashed a buying frenzy, which has since abated. Flashback: In February 2021, more than 50% of homes in greater San Antonio sold below their asking price, and more than 34% sold above. The bottom line: Timing matters.
Axios
07-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
The best time to sell your house in San Antonio
May is looking like the prime time to list your San Antonio home for sale. Why it matters: Sellers who listed their homes in May last year made more money on the sale than at any other time of the year, according to a recent Zillow report. The big picture: The "best time to sell," per Zillow researchers, depends on where you live. Across the U.S., homes listed late last May sold for 1.6% more — typically $5,600 — than any other time of year. Zoom in: Listing San Antonio-area homes in early May boosted the final sale price by 1.3%, or about $3,500, on the typical home.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
Texas man gets 60 years for sexual exploitation of children
The Brief Christopher Castano of Universal City has been sentenced to 720 months in federal prison. He was arrested in August 2022 after his employer turned him in to the FBI. Investigators found multiple child sexual abuse video and images of two minor children produced by Castano between 2015 and 2018. SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A San Antonio-area man will spend the next six decades in prison for sexual exploitation of children, says the US Attorney's Office. What we know 44-year-old Christopher Lee Castano of Universal City has been sentenced to 720 months in federal prison for three charges related to sexual exploitation of children. He will also have to pay restitution to two child victims in the amount of $50,000 each and another $5,000 each to five additional victims. The backstory According to court documents, Castano accessed and transferred child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to and from external devices using his employer's computer system while at a facility in San Antonio. In August 2022, Castano's employer contacted the FBI after they discovered he had files with names associated with CSAM. The files had been on four removable devices since January 2022 and another employee had seen Castano connect those devices to their employer's computers. A federal search warrant led to the search of Castano's work area and his devices, and an investigation revealed CSAM was produced by Castano between 2015 and 2018 when the female child victim in the images was between 11 and 14 years old. FBI personnel also located multiple images and videos depicting another girl produced around 2016 when that victim was between the ages of five and 26 months old. A graphic CSAM video of Castano's was produced using his cell phone in 2018, depicting the second victim when she was just over two years old. Castano has remained in federal custody since his arrest on Aug. 10, 2022. He was indicted on 13 counts on Sept. 7, 2022 and pleaded guilty to three in Oct. 2023. What they're saying "Unless he lives well into his hundreds, this child predator is rightfully going to serve what is essentially a life sentence for the heinous crimes he has committed against at least half a dozen children," said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. "I thank Castano's employer for reporting his actions to our partners at the FBI, who helped us achieve this just sentence. While this does not erase what the child victims endured, we hope that they find some solace in the fact that Castano is no longer a threat to anyone." "Castano heinously abused some of the most vulnerable among us. This sentence properly reflects the seriousness of his crimes and will hopefully provide some semblance of justice for his victims. The FBI is committed to protecting our children and relentlessly pursuing those who would cause them harm," said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI's San Antonio Field Office. "We want to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office for their partnership and dedication to this important mission." The Source Information in this report comes from a March 28 release from the US Attorney's Office's Western District.
Axios
18-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
How White House firings could hit San Antonio veterans
The Trump administration's big cuts to the federal government are hitting one group particularly hard — the country's veterans, who are integral to San Antonio. Why it matters: Many of those who've served in the military derive a sense of purpose and belonging from their government work — viewing it as a way to serve their country and help their peers outside of active duty. The latest: Workforce Solutions Alamo announced Monday it will, along with the San Antonio Food Bank, host a hiring event for federal employees who have lost jobs. "San Antonio residents for decades and decades, sometimes lifetimes, rely on a federal paycheck, because they have chosen a life of service," Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Monday. "Many of them are veterans in this community." The big picture: It's not yet clear how many military vets have been or will be fired. Last year, veterans made up 28% of the federal workforce nationwide, per federal data — a far bigger share than the 5% of the overall U.S. labor force. By the numbers: In San Antonio-area congressional districts, veterans make up a sizable share of civilian federal employment, per new data from the Economic Policy Institute. In Texas' 23rd Congressional District, represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, about 7,500 veterans account for about 48% of the federal workforce. In the 20th Congressional District, represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, it's about 44%. The federal workforce is about 42% veterans in the 21st Congressional District, represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy. State of play: Veterans are intrinsically tied to San Antonio. Known as Military City USA, we're home to Joint Base San Antonio, made up of four main installations — Army post Fort Sam Houston, Army training site Camp Bullis, and two Air Force bases. It's the largest and most diverse joint base in the Department of Defense. Nationally, about 51% of Air Force employees are veterans, as are 49% of Army employees, per the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. What they're saying:"This is the largest attack on veteran employment in our lifetime," says William Attig, executive director at the Union Veterans Council, a labor group that represents many of these workers. Zoom in: Castro has supported the Protect Veteran Jobs Act to reinstate veterans who were terminated from federal jobs. "For decades, the federal government has been one of the largest employers of American veterans, many of whom go on to work at the VA and serve their fellow veterans," Castro said in a statement. "When you attack federal employees — when you indiscriminately fire the federal workforce — you are disproportionately harming veterans," he added. Reality check: Republicans hold majorities in both the Senate and the House, so this Democrat-sponsored bill would need bipartisan support, pitting the GOP against President Trump. The bill may be political posturing to allow Democrats to paint their political rivals as anti-veteran, because bipartisan support is unlikely. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is planning to cut more than 80,000 jobs in a reorganization of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the AP reported. The agency provides health care and other services for millions of veterans. About 25% of the VA's staff are veterans, per the OPM data. Between the lines: Privately, GOP lawmakers are growing uneasy with cuts that impact veterans, Politico reported, adding that vets have been "disproportionately affected" by the firings.
